X-Men: Days of Future Past

http://youtu.be/xo4hMu7qhKI

For Love's Sake

For Love's Sake is a semi-autobiographical story from writer/director Andrew Walkington. It takes a look at the effects that severe depression can have on a family, when the mother of two young boys is unable to cope, after the sudden and tragic death of her husband. The hope for the family comes from their strengthening faith in Jesus over the course of the movie as the mother, Mary Walker, fights to gain back the custody of her children from social services.

First of all, it needs to be said that this film was made on a very small budget, and most of the actors are amateurs, which sometimes cannot help but show through in some of the performances. That being said, the actors playing the two young boys are excellent in their roles, perfectly cast as brothers who seem to sit on opposite sides of the fence. James is quiet and soulful, struggling internally with the weight of so many questions about his emerging faith, particularly given his last words to his father shortly before his death. Paul on the other hand is angry, and destructive, doing all manner of things that might draw attention to the pain he is feeling over his loss. Newcomers William Wenlock and Luke Foxall are perfectly cast, and it is a testament to Walkington's skill as a director for spotting their talent, and drawing performances out of them that sit just on the right side of sentiment.

It's also Walkington's skill as a writer here that ensures that the actors all have great material to work with, although there is a slightly misjudged 'comedy' sequence half way through, that doesn't quite sit well with the tone of the rest of the film. However, given that that tone is quite a sombre one, it's understandable that the filmmakers wanted to inject some lighter moments into the narrative.

Other standout performances come from Claire Walkington as the clinically depressed mother, Christopher Lee Power as the rather demonic head of social services, and Robert Purdy as John Dunkhill who brings a lot of warmth to proceedings. 

It's also nice to see Bruce Marchiano in a role other than Jesus, although he brings that same level of charisma that so engenders trust from those who are watching. The only gripe with casting him in the role is that his American accent instantly seems out of place among the otherwise all British cast. Still, it is good to see him involved, and his name in the credits would certainly help draw some much deserved attention.

The strength of the film is that you never feel like you are being preached to, except for a couple of scenes set in a church, when characters literally are preaching. This is something that a few American faith-based movies could learn from. Instead, we get a movie that is rich in character development, relying on the strength of the story at its heart. That story is ultimately one of hope; a hope that we can all find when we learn to stop relying upon ourselves and instead put our trust in God.

One final point that is worth noting is that some of the things that happen, particularly the way that social services act and the way that Mary's depression is viewed, might seem unbelievable in this day and age. But the movie is set nearly 35 years ago, and things were so very different back then.

For Love's Sake is a beautifully written film about the hope that can be found from trusting in Jesus. I would highly recommend it to anyone who would like to see something different, from the mainstream images of sex and violence, which is usually crammed down are throats.

8/10 

Silver Linings Playbook

If you can stomach a heavy dose of swearing and are comfortable watching movies with mental health themes then Silver Linings Playbook is well worth the watch. 

A beautiful, near-perfect film, by the director of 'The Fighter', David O. Russell, who seems to have a knack for bringing out the best performances from his actors, having brought Christian Bale and Amy Adams to Oscar glory before helping Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper on their way with this latest effort. Okay, so Cooper was only nominated, but he absolutely deserved it. 

Another stand-out is Robert De Niro, who gives his finest performance in over fifteen years, as well as the surprisingly subtle turn from Chris Tucker. 

The film deals with loss and pain, showing how it can bring people to the edge of sanity only to find it's way through to forgiveness, and ultimately love. 

There are moments throughout that brought me close to tears. But there are funny moments too. One in particular was a riff on the famous dance move from Dirty Dancing that had me howling with laughter. 

Watch this film! It's dark. It's sometimes tough. But like all the best movies with dark, tough moments, it also offers hope and leaves you engulfed by the silver linings that only life can bring.

9/10

Iron Man 3

An excellent edition to the franchise with Shane Black's stamp all over it.

The twist involving the Mandarin is both the film's strength and weakness. The fanboy in me feels a little let down by it, especially after the mega bad-ass he's painted out to be in all the publicity for the film, but the fact that a major studio has allowed the rug to be pulled from under us in such a way shows balls. The filmmakers therefore deserve respect, Black in particular, for the misdirection that they have so successfully managed to get away with.

What also makes this action so forgivable is the fact that the film is just so darn entertaining in every other respect, and Aldritch Killian more than makes up for it in the villain department, played brilliantly by the ever underrated Guy Pearce.

8/10

Scream 4

It is really quite something when you can sit and watch so many people being brutally butchered by some crazed knife-wielding pshycopath in a ghostface mask and feel absolutely nothing. When the first Scream film hit cinemas in 1996 it was fresh, it was exciting, and it was scary. With each subsequent movie in the franchise the body count has risen but the shocks have decreased. It has become so formulaic and predictable that it is just impossible to care about what is going on. It is also too self aware for its own good and the pop culture references, that were once cool and funny, are now just annoying.

5/10

Sucker Punch

I don't know if it is simply that my expectations had been lowerd so much due to all of the negative criticism that has been flung its way, but I don't mind saying that I actually liked this film. It has stayed with me since the end credits began to roll.

I understand a lot of the criticism. There is very little characterisation. The bad guy seems more fleshed out than the leading heroines. Also, the fantasy world that Baby Doll creates is clearly one built by your average adolescent male, not your typical strong independent woman, all short skirts and samurai swords. Hardly a postergirl for modern-day feminism.

Despite all this I couldn't help but enjoy it. As a self-confessed, bonafide geek, the film hits all my fanboy buttons. It plays like a two hour music video, in which director Zack Snyder utilizes every visual trick up his sleeve, to assault the senses. It is anything but subtle. But it works! Look at the fantasy section with the dragons and orcs and tell me that Snyder wouldn't be a great choice for The Hobbit should Jackson need to drop out.

Sucker Punch won't be for everyone (clearly, it should also not be rated 12A, but that is an argument for another time). In fact, it makes it all too easy for the naysayers to attack. But if you are of a forgiving nature, and prepared to surrender yourself to it, the film offers a rather enjoyable ride.

7/10

My top 50 foreign language movies.

The following lists my top 50 movies that are not in the English language:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2001)

2. House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou, 2004)

3. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)

4. Let the Right One In (Thomas Alfredson, 2008)

5. Wings of Honneamise (Hiroyuki Yamaga, 1987)

6. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)

7. Sanjuro (Akira Kurasawa, 1962)

8. Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, 2007)

9. The Seven Samurai (Akira Kurasawa, 1954)

10. The Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2002)

11. Not One Less (Zhang Yimou, 1999)

12. Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles (Zhang Yimou, 2005)

13. Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002)

14. Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano, 2003)

15. Red Sorghum (Zhang Yimou, 1987)

16. Rashomon (Akira Kurasawa, 1950)

17. Apocalypto (Mel Gibson, 2006)

18. The Class (Laurent Cantet, 2008)

19. Musa: The Warrior (Sung-su Kim, 2001)

20. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)

21. Oldboy (Chan-wook Park, 2003)

22. City of God (Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lund, 2002)

23. Downfall (Oliver Herschbiegel, 2004)

24. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)

25. The Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1988)

26. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007)

27. The Road Home (Zhang Yimou, 1999)

28. Sunflower (Yang Zhang, 2005)

29. Night Watch: Nochnoi Dozer (Timur Bekmambentov, 2004)

30.Tell No One (Guillaumet Canet, 2006)

31. Infernal Affairs (Wei-keung Lau & Alan Mak, 2002)

32. Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan (Surgey Bodrov, 2007)

33. In the Mood for Love (Kar Wai Wong, 2000)

34. Happy Times (Zhang Yimou, 2000)

35. The Banquet (Xiaogang Feng, 2006)

36. 2046 (Kar Wai Wong, 2004)

37. The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2004)

38. Ju Dou (Zhang Yimou, 1990)

39. Bullet in the Head (John Woo, 1990)

40. The Devil's Backbone (Guillermo Del Toro, 2001)

41. The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona, 2007)

42. Three Colours: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)

43. Curse of the Golden Flower (Zhang Yimou, 2006)

44. Day Watch: Dnevnoy Dozer (Timur Bekmambentov, 2004)

45. The Big Blue (Luc Besson, 1988)

46. One: Cavale (Lucas Belvaux, 2002)

47. Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995)

48. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988

49. The Eye (Oxide Pang Chun & Danny Pang, 2002)

50. Police Story (Jackie Chan, 1985)