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
Friday, 3 May 2013
Thursday, 2 May 2013
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
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
Saturday, 16 April 2011
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
5/10
Sunday, 3 April 2011
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
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
Saturday, 5 March 2011
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)
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)
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Inglourious Basterds.
The opening chapter is fantastic. But I really didn't like the second chapter. It tries to make you too complicit in the violence.
Christopher Waltz steals the show as 'The Jew Hunter' and Brad Pitt's facial expressions are quite amusing throughout.
The film shows genuine moments of maturity from Tarantino as a filmmaker that are often lost amongst all of his fan-boy antics. But even in Basterds he struggles to reign those tendencies in to the detriment of the overall picture. We really could have done without being subjected to Eli Roth.
The director clearly shows a strength in bringing the best out of his performers though, and as much as I dislike Roth, his performance is surprisingly okay. As is Diane Kruger. She could usually give a plank of wood a run for it's money. But here she's quite brilliant. Honourable mentions should also go out to Michael Fassbender and Mélanie Laurent.
Overall this is a much better film than I was expecting. I just wish it had more of what made the first chapter so great and less of what made the second chapter so distasteful.
8/10
Christopher Waltz steals the show as 'The Jew Hunter' and Brad Pitt's facial expressions are quite amusing throughout.
The film shows genuine moments of maturity from Tarantino as a filmmaker that are often lost amongst all of his fan-boy antics. But even in Basterds he struggles to reign those tendencies in to the detriment of the overall picture. We really could have done without being subjected to Eli Roth.
The director clearly shows a strength in bringing the best out of his performers though, and as much as I dislike Roth, his performance is surprisingly okay. As is Diane Kruger. She could usually give a plank of wood a run for it's money. But here she's quite brilliant. Honourable mentions should also go out to Michael Fassbender and Mélanie Laurent.
Overall this is a much better film than I was expecting. I just wish it had more of what made the first chapter so great and less of what made the second chapter so distasteful.
8/10
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.
Personally, I thought the first Underworld film was absolutely terrible. It was an action film in which there was hardly any action. The dialogue was painful and the 'vampires' were an absolute joke, all whining on about rules and traditions.
I reluctantly went to see the second film. Although it practically suffered from all of the things that were wrong with the first film it was actually a minor improvement as it did raise its game considerably in the action stakes. Though Underworld 2 is a bad film, I still thought to myself that if Underworld 3 is as much of an improvement on Underworld 2 as Underworld 2 was on the first one, then we might finally have a half decent film.
Luckily, this is the case. We are still treated to fairly awful dialogue and the vampires still suck (no pun intended). But at least Michael Sheen is given a bit more meat to bite into and the story keeps things simple, allowing the action to move on quite nicely. So, quite a pleasant surprise really.
It's no classic, but it's entertaining, and if the next one is as much of an improvement on this one as this one is on the last then we might actually have an Underworld movie that I would consider buying on DVD.
6/10
I reluctantly went to see the second film. Although it practically suffered from all of the things that were wrong with the first film it was actually a minor improvement as it did raise its game considerably in the action stakes. Though Underworld 2 is a bad film, I still thought to myself that if Underworld 3 is as much of an improvement on Underworld 2 as Underworld 2 was on the first one, then we might finally have a half decent film.
Luckily, this is the case. We are still treated to fairly awful dialogue and the vampires still suck (no pun intended). But at least Michael Sheen is given a bit more meat to bite into and the story keeps things simple, allowing the action to move on quite nicely. So, quite a pleasant surprise really.
It's no classic, but it's entertaining, and if the next one is as much of an improvement on this one as this one is on the last then we might actually have an Underworld movie that I would consider buying on DVD.
6/10
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