Coming Soon

Warm Bodies

Released: Approximately April 2013

Another recommendation from a good friend of mine. I read the book in less than a week and absolutely loved it. It was funny, warm, romantic and a bit gorey as well, in short....it's a zombie love story.
I think I've watched the trailer about 5 times now and I just love it every single time.

So what are my expectations of this? I'm really hoping that they stick to the book as there isn't anything in there that needs to be cut out or modified. It's a pretty simple story, but told from the zombies point of view which really shouldn't be too difficult.

Definitely looking forward to this one.

Man of Steel

Released: Approximately June 2013

 

Only just saw the trailer for this on Boxing Day when we saw The Hobbit and I was super impressed. I really hated the Brandon Routh version of the Superman franchise and I hope that this is a success for Zack Snyder. It certainly looks a lot more gritty and less cheesey.

I'm pretty happy with the choice of Henry Cavill as Superman as well. He looks amazing in the suit and completely buff!

I'm hoping there's no cheese factor and that this does for Superman what Christopher Nolan did for Batman.

Fingers crossed.

Other movies to look out for

Oblivion - Tom Cruise
 Looks a bit like a real life version of Wall E.

World War Z - Brad Pitt
Another in a spate of zombie movies perhaps? Looks interesting but not getting good press from those that have read the book.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Jonathan Rhys Myers
Another book to movie adaptation. I hope they don't 'Twilight' this one. It's a great set of books and they seem to have picked a decent cast. Box office results should be interesting.

The Lone Ranger - Johnny Depp
It's Depp, but the initial trailers aren't doing it for me.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Starring: Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage,
Director: Peter Jackson

 

 

 

Finally, the wait is over.

 

For 3 years in a row, it was a tradition for myself, my husband and a best mate to go and see the Lord of the Rings movies on Boxing Day. When "Return of the King" was released, we were devastated. As we walked out of the cinema we asked ourselves, what the heck do we do next Boxing Day?

 

Luckily, we had a couple of Harry Potter movies to fill in the time and some others, but when we heard that Peter Jackson had taken over the direction of "The Hobbit", the excitement began to build again.

 

Originally, another brilliant director, Guilermo Del Toro, (Hellboy and Pans Labyrinth), was meant to direct, but pulled out for some reason. So instead of letting the idea sink all together, Peter Jackson renigged on an earlier promise and took up the reins.

 

Slowly, the cast was built, press releases made and Peter began to release his video blogs on facebook. We all watched and waited with baited breath until the first trailer came out and then we all cheered.

 

After re-reading the book, I wondered how he would do some things and if he would deviate or stay as true to Tolkien as possible. As with any book to movie adaptation, some changes are necessary and with this, I think he's done a fantastic job, well with the first instalment anyway. The rest remains to be seen.

 

As soon as the music started, my friend turned to me and said ''oh shit, I'm crying already".

 

The introduction to the movie, in my opinion, is well done. Although some deemed it unnecessary, I felt it was a nice tie in for those of us who are fans of the movies. Bilbo (Ian Holm) and Frodo (Elijah Wood) introduce us to this new tale about young Bilbos adventures with a company of dwarves.

 

We see Bilbos first meeting with the legendary Gandalf and are soon after introduced to 13 dwarves who almost eat poor Bilbo out of house and hole.

 

Most of the dwarves are unknown, but there are a few who some may recognise. The mighty Thorin Oakenshield, played by the dashing Richard Armitage, and one of my favourite characters throughout the first movie, was amazing. He drew attention as soon as he was on screen and rightly so.

 

Young Kili, is played by Mr Aidan Turner. Those UK Being Human fans out there may recognise him as Mitchell. Him and Fili are the ''One Directioners" int he company, the young, good looking dwarves.

 

The rest of the company are made up of Bombur, Bifur, Bofur, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori and Ori. I had trouble telling most of them apart, but it didn't make it any less entertaining.

 

Wonderful cameos from Lord Elrond, (Hugo Weaving), Lady Galadriel, (Cate Blanchett), and two that made the geek in me squeal, Brett Mackenzie from Flight of the Conchords and Lee Pace who was recently in Breaking Dawn Part 2. Lee looked magnificent as the elf Thranduil astride a gorgeous elk.

 

Another cameo that will make the nerds out there happy was the wonderful Sylvester McCoy, who plays the wizard, Radagast the Brown. Sylvester is better known to some as the 7th Doctor in the Doctor Who series. He was great, I really enjoyed seeing this character and hope he's in more of the movies.

 

What else can I say about The Hobbit? Visually beautiful once again. Stunning New Zealand locations and fantastic sets, costumes and make up.

 

As I am not a fan of 3D movies, I saw this in 2D and thoroughly enjoyed it. I truly cannot wait until Boxing Day next year.

 

 

 



Les Miserables

Les Miserables (2012)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried.
Director: Tom Hooper

 

 

When I was in high school, I had the great fortune to go and see the stage play of Les Miserables with our English class. I fell in love almost instantly with the pure power of not only the story but the music and the utter passion of this beautiful story. It was a love affair that has continued through my life.

 

Last year, I purchased the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Miserables at the 02 in London. I spent most of the almost 3 hours sobbing and remembering how much I loved the music.

 

When I heard that it was being remade into a movie, and that it would be a musical, I was ecstatic.

 

The first trailers to arrive saw Anne Hathaway singing Ï Dreamed a Dream" and I was pretty impressed with her voice. I was incredibly sceptical upon hearing that Russell Crowe had been cast as Javert and was doubtful that he would pull it off.

 

How wrong I was.

 

From the opening titles, it was clear that this was going to be one powerful 2 hours and 41 minutes.

 

Hugh Jackman plays Jean Valjean, a prisoner in 19th century France who has served 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Hugh is almost unrecognisable as Valjean but gives a stunning performance as prisoner 24601.

 

Russell Crowe is passionate and imposing as Inspector Javert, the police inspector who vows to hunt down Jean Valjean when he skips parole and goes missing.

 

Valjean, upon obtaining his freedom, goes straight back to stealing but meets a priest, played by the original London Production Jean Valjean, who forces him to question his life and turn things around.

 

Year later we see him as the successful Mayor of a town and owner for a factory who employs the poor unfortunate Fontine, played by Anne Hathaway. Fontine is working to send money to the inn keepers who are looking after her infant daughter, Cosette.

 

Fontine falls on hard times and Valjean tries to save her, vowing to look after her daughter if anything should happen to her.

 

Meanwhile, Javert discovers the Mayors secret and tries to bring Valjean in for breaking parole but fails and the hunt begins again.

 

He escapes to the Inn where Cosette is living with the Thenardiers, played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter..........these guys were brilliant. They drip evil and ooze shiftiness, the perfect pair to play such despicable characters.

 

Upon paying a large sum of money to take Cosette off their hands, they escape to Paris where they manage to evade Javert once more and begin a life as father and daughter for many years.

 

Cosette, now grown, (Amanda Seyfried), knows that her 'father' has something to hide, but doesn't know what, and then her world is turned upside down when she meets Marius, (Eddie Redmayne) and falls head over heels in love.

 

Another beautiful performance from one of the London Production cast by Samantha Barks, who plays the daughter of the Thenardiers, Eponine. This girl is gorgeous and has the most stunning voice to match her angelic face. I was in tears when she sings of her love for Marius, knowing he will never return her affections. It's heart wrenching.

 

Of course, the climax comes when Jean Valjean realises Çosette is in love and tries to help Marius at the blockades against the French soldiers to make sure he survives.

 

The face off between Javert and Valjean is fantastic and the final scene of the movie had most of the theatre sobbing, especially my friend and the lady at the end of the row.

 

This movie deserves to win every award it is put up for. It was incredibly well cast and very powerful. I can't wait to see it again.

 



Men in Black 3

Men in Black 3 (2012)
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Jermaine Clement.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

In the third installment of Sonnenfelds Men in Black movies, we find Agent J (Will Smith) faced off against a new big bad, Boris the Animal, played by Flight of the Conchords Jermaine Clement.

When Boris escapes from a maximum security space prison, he heads for earth, hell bent on taking out Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), who put him in prison almost 50 years ago.

Agent J is sent back in time to save his partner and make sure Boris doesn't succeed in his plans to kill his partner before he can put Boris in prison.
A much better continuation of the franchise. Wasn't overly keen on the second movie. There was something about Lara Flynn Boyle that I really didn't enjoy.

Seeing Josh Brolin as a younger Agent K was great. He really could have been a younger Tommy Lee Jones.

I also loved Jermaine Clement. He's such a fantastic actor with great chameleon like qualities.

Will Smith was his normal self, but you really wouldn't want it any other way with these movies.

The twist at the end was well done and kind of warms your heart a little. Not sure that they could really squeeze much more out of this though, would depend on the story.

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows (2012)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfieffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz
Director: Tim Burton

 

 



A few months ago I reported about how aprehensive I was about this movie. The trailers really didn't do anything for me, which for a Tim Burton fan was quite dissapointing.
Well, I am happy to report, that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
We have recently returned from a mega six week holiday to the UK, France, Abu Dhabi and Thailand. So you can imagine how many movies I had the opportunity to watch on all those flights!
The first of six movies was Dark Shadows.

Tim Burton once again works with his favourite crew of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Danny Elfman. There's also the quintiscential cameo from Christopher Lee.
Fans of the original 1970's tv show will know the storyline of Barnabus Collins well. Having never watched it myself, I cannot comment on how faithful they stayed to the original story.
Johnny Depp plays the tortured and cursed vampire Barnabus Collins, who is cursed by a witch after he rejects her sultry advances in 1772. She buries him alive, or undead in this case, where he stays for two centuries before being unearthed by a crew of workman in 1972.

Barnabus returns to Collinwood Manor, his ancestoral home, to find a much changed and very troubled Collins Family, helmed by Elizabeth Collins (Michelle Pfieffer).

Now I'm not a fan of the 70's, and therefore generally don't like anything set in the drug hazed, hippy days of free love and disco, but this was actually quite well done.

The make up on Johnny is a bit strange, and the acting and set design all very kitsch, but all in all, the storyline was engaging and quite funny.
Didn't love it, but certainly didn't hate it as I had predicted.

Worth a look for Depp and Burton fans.

(Please excuse the spelling, too lazy to check)

My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Toby Jones, Judi Dench
Director: Simon Curtis

No, I was not named after Marilyn Monroe. My parents just liked the name. I was never a huge fan and didn't know a whole lot about her apart from what Hollywood thrusts in our faces. She lived a somewhat tragic life towards the end and was seen as the most beautiful woman of her time.

This movie is about a short period of her life in 1956, when she went over to England to film "The Prince and the Pauper" with Laurence Olivier. The book, "My Week with Marilyn", was written by Colin Clark, who in the movie is played by Eddie Redmayne. Clark had gotten a job working for Oliviers production company and ended up being tasked with finding Miss Monroe and her husband Arthur Miller a house to live in while they were there and basically being a personal assistant to Laurence Olivier.

Laurence Oliver (Kenneth Branagh) and his wife Vivian Leigh (Julia Ormond), are most excited to have the infamous American actress work with them, but soon find out that she is rather troubled and unreliable. Marilyn goes nowhere without her acting coach and those on set soon find out just how insecure and troubled an actor the blonde bombshell is.

Marilyn arrives on set hours late and fails to deliver lines on cue, demanding take after take. Veteran actress Dame Sybil Thorndike (Dame Judi Dench), takes her under her wing and heaps praise on her to bring her out of her shell. But things continue to go wrong and Marilyn continues to take pill after pill, spending much of her time shut up in the cottage.

When Arthur leaves to go back to America to visit his children, Marilyn finds comfort and solace in the arms of Colin Clark who is besotted with her. A seemingly strong bond develops and Marilyn relies on Colin constantly, calling for him at all hours of the night.

Michelle Williams did a good job as Marilyn, but I think the credit has to go to the hair, make up and wardrobe team. She certainly didn't blow me away as I had expected, although she did have some uncannily similar poses to Marilyn and must have studied her endlessly to portray her.

What I wasn't keen on was how much they made her look like the product of Hollywood, a very dumb blonde who was only worshiped for her curves, not her character. One wonders what Marilyn was really like before Hollywood got their hooks into her. Was she really as stupid as this movie makes her out to be?

Of course there is controversy attached to the book/film due to the fact that it was written quite awhile after the events took place and there were few around who were involved that could refute anything that Clark claimed. Was it just a boys fantasy or is this really what life with Marilyn was like? I guess we'll never know.

Good performances from supporting cast, Emma Watson, Dougray Scott and Toby Jones.

All in all, an interesting look at just what a frail creature Marilyn Monroe supposedly was.

John Carter

John Carter (2012)
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Defoe, Thomas Hayden Church, Dominic West.
Director: Andrew Stanton

I decided to put the French Movie Poster of this one up because I found the US version so incredibly boring but regardless, none of the posters really do it justice.


What a great scifi action movie this was. I didn't really know a whole lot about it and only hired it out of curiosity but was pleasantly surprised.


Captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), is a Civil War Veteran who is chasing his dreams of finding gold. But the story isn't that simple and while we are led to believe that he's just a washed up soldier looking for his fortune, the story deepens and we are drawn into an adventure that spans across the universe.


John is accidentally transported to the planet we know as Mars and meets a race of 12 foot tall barbarians who take him prisoner. He soon learns through meeting the Princess of another race, that the planet is at war and he has the skills to save them. 

It does have a few Avatar overtones, in that a human comes along to help an alien race, but I also found incredible similarities to Star Wars: Phantom Menace, especially in the music and creatures that make up the planets inhabitants. There was also some Princess Leia comparrisons in there, but far enough removed that you couldn't pick it apart. Mark Strong puts in a great performance once again as the alien villian and I really enjoyed seeing other great British actors like Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West and James Purefoy in the cast of Martians.

The cutest of the 'creatures' would have to be the Martian doglike thing that follows John Carter around. It is surprising adorable for something that looks like a giant turd with legs! I'm sorry, it's the only way I can describe it. You tell me, what does it look like to you? There was one other thing but I think I'll keep it PG!!




For all the hype that Avatar got, it really wasn't that special. This movie seems to have gotten little hype but really deserved so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it to be a very entertaining way to spend a school holiday night with my kids. I had to laugh towards the end when, without prompting, my 7 year old daughter decided to comment on one of the big green aliens with "Thank God Yoda came along!".

A few scarey battle scenes, but I really thought this was a great adventure movie with a well written script. I recommend it for over 10's or mature under 10's who understand how a movie is made but can appreciate a good story. My daughter loved it, as did my 12 year old son.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max Von Sydow and Thomas Horn
Director: Stephen Daldry

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I knew that I'd need a box of tissues because I teared up even in the trailer! They played a U2 song over the top of the trailer and it just worked for some reason and peaked my interest as all good movie trailers should.


When we first meet Oskar, we know there is something very special and different about him. The relationship he has with his father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), is also very special. Oskar and his father are dreamers and thinkers and Thomas often likes to send his borderline aspergers son on spectacular quests and adventures around New York City, chasing answers to questions that really don't make sense to anyone other than the father and son team.

Sadly, fate intervenes in Oskars life and the terrorist attack on New York City in September 2001 takes the life of his father among hundreds of others. Oskar is devastated and doesn't know how to grieve. He has lost the one person that truly understands him and challenges the way he see's the world. Oskar begins lying to his mother, played by the very dowdy looking Sandra Bullock, and starts to look for answers.

His adventures lead him on a chase around New York City to find someone that knows something about his father and the final mystery that his father left him.

This is a heart wrenching film with incredible performances by Max Von Sydow and the young Thomas Horn, who shows unbelievable skill beyond his years in the role of Oskar Schell. This wonderful young man could teach many so called accomplished hollywood actors a thing or two(*cough cough* Channing Tatum, Mark Walberg).

There is no message attached to this movie, it's not about 9/11 in any way, shape, or form, it's just the story of a troubled young boy whose world is turned upside down by the death of his father.

Amazing.








Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlise Theron, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost.
Director: Rupert Sanders

I must admit, I'm really over the whole Twilight, Kristen Stewart, Rob Pattinson mania. There's nothing special about any of it. Yes, I do like the Twilight movies, and I will see the final one, but unlike the Harry Potter franchise, I am not sad to see it end. Unfortunately, it will be replaced with something else for the hormone fueled masses to go stupidly insane over. Let's hope it's not this.

When this first reared it's head, it came at the same time as another "Snow White" movie called "Mirror Mirror". I haven't seen this supposedly light hearted, comedic take on the classic fairy tale, but I can only imagine that these two movies are worlds apart.

Snow White and the Huntsman is a very dark, medieval telling of the sweet girl who loses everything and becomes the target of her evil step mother due to her being prettier than anyone else in the kingdom. Cue dwarves, cute singing animals helping with the housework, hi ho, hi ho, you know the rest.

This was so well done that I can't even begin to describe it. Charlise Theron is exceptionally well cast as the vain and incredibly nasty Ravenna, who finds her way into the castle of King Magnus and his beautiful daughter, Snow White, who are still grieving for the loss of a wife and mother.

When King Magnus is murdered by his rather vain new wife, Snow White is locked in a tower and almost forgotten until the day that she comes of age and the new Queen can no longer ignore the power of her beauty, inside and out.

Enter 'The Huntsman', played by our very own Chris Hemsworth. Not sure about the vague Scottish accent that he's using, but he was still pretty good. He is employed by the Queens rather freakish albino brother, Finn,  to find Snow White after she escapes the tower and heads for the Black Forest.

The CG here was amazing and on the big screen, a little frightening for younger viewers. This is definately one for the older teens and adults, not younger kids.

Thus Snow Whites adventure with the Huntsman begins when he discovers just who she is and why the Queen wants her. He vows to protect her and lead her to safety.

Along the way we meet the dwarves. Yes, the dwarves are in here, and to me, this was the most impressive make up, CG, casting throughout the whole movie. Name like Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost, Ian McShane and Toby Jones are transformed into 8 very gruff and rather dangerous looking dwarves and not a Dopey among them!

The gorgeous forest that the dwarves inhabit was amazing. The CG here was very similar to that of the garden that Alice finds herself in at the beginning of Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland, with blinking mushrooms and cute forest animals everywhere. It was truly magical. The scene where Snow White meets the White Stag is beautifully done.

The music set the scene throughout the movie and the costumes were just spectacular. Oscar winner Colleen Atwood has done a gorgeous job once again. It's no wonder this woman is in high demand, especially for fantasy films like this.

As I type, I have just discovered that they have announced a sequel. Not sure how I feel about it, but they certainly ended it in a way that they could continue the story. Where they would take it I don't know, but I'm willing to go along for the ride if it's as good as this was.

Thoroughly enjoyable, highly recommend for those who love to escape into fantasy for a couple of hours and not take it too seriously.

Brave

Brave

Starring: Kelly McDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, and every other Scottish actor in the business except Gerard Butler. :P
Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell

I've been busting to see this ever since I first saw the trailer some months back. If it's Scottish or remotely celtic in anyway, I'm generally a sucker for it and this didn't dissapoint.


Merida is a wild child and is bursting at the seems to be free from the constraints of her mother, Queen Elinor, who has groomed her from an early age to be a Princess. But Merida is more like her father in so many way, strong, fierce and independant and hungry for adventure

But her sense of adventure leads her to the cottage of a witch in the woods who leads Merida into thinking a spell will change her fate, but things obviously go horribly wrong and that's where the real adventure begins.

Set in the Highlands of Scotland, the music alone transports you to one of the most magical places I can imagine, and it has made me hungier for our trip!

The colour from the very beginning is rich and mystical and our heroine, Princess Merida, takes centre stage with her flaming red and unkempt hair.

The celtic knots and kilts were fantastic and hearing such legendary voices as Billy Connolly as King Fergus was the icing on the cake for me.

My husband and son didn't like it because they believe that Pixar has gone downhill and just can't get that magic back..............I disagree.

This movie was truly magical for me, be it Pixar or not. The scene where she stands amongst the stone circle for the first time was amazing and I'm glad I saw it on the big screen.

But, as with all my movie reviews, they are MY opinion and everyone has different taste. I recommend this movie for all ages though as it was truly wonderful.

J.Edgar v's The Iron Lady

J. Edgar
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts
Director: Clint Eastwood

The Iron Lady
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Tony Head and Harry Lloyd
Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Watching two biopics in one week was a huge stretch for me, especially ones with such hugely political figures. I really don't like politicians or the politics behind running a country. It's nasty, plain and simple. But both of these people have such a huge history attached to them and there has been such buzz about both movies that I decided I should watch them.

First up, The Iron Lady.

From the moment I saw Meryl Streep in make up for this role, I was intrigued. She looked absolutely amazing and what a transformation. Meryl Streep is an amazing actress and should be very proud of the body of work she has produced over the years, including this movie. Did I like the movie? No, not really.

I know very little of Margaret Thatcher or her role in British Politics, but was told that this movie was worth watching for Meryls' performance alone. This movie is more about her rise to the seat of the first female Prime Minister in Britain and her relationship with her husband, Dennis Thatcher than her life in general. It paints a very sad picture of a lonely old lady who is almost forgotten by the country she served, locked away in a house with a personal assistant, entertaining hallucinations of her deceased husband.


Quite frankly, the story itself was rather boring. It never quite engages the watcher enough to keep you interested. It chops and changes from a young Margaret Roberts to a frail and elderly Margaret Thatcher struggling with the onset of dementia.

The best thing about this movie was, without a doubt, the performance put in by Meryl Streep. The accent is perfect, the make up in incredible and it was most definatley an Oscar worth performance, but this doesn't make it an Oscar worthy movie.

Unless you know a lot about British Politics and the subject matter interests you, I would skip this one.



J. Edgar


Like Margaret Thatcher, I knew very little about the iconic FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover. I knew that he was supposedly a cross dresser and that he was responsible for the setting up of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as we know it today, and that's about it.

Straight up we see Leonardo DiCaprio in age make up as the very seasoned J. Edgar Hoover. Once again, the make up department have done a fantastic job, but unlike Meryl Streep, DiCaprio has trouble aging his voice. As soon as he opens his mouth, the voice of a much younger man is heard rather than the older person you see on screen.


Directed by Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, this is a very gentle look at John Edgar Hoover. It also chops and changes from young Edgar to old Edgar and we never really see his childhood or what led him to be interested in what he would become famous for in later years.

The movie centres around the  case of "The Lindberg Baby" and the infamous kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jnr in 1932, 20 month old son of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh.

It also tells us of the relationship that Hoover built with 8 different Presidents and the secrets that he kept on each one, and of the friendship between him and Clyde Tolson, the man who was his constant companion and rumoured lover right up until the day he died.

Plenty is implied about J. Edgar Hoovers sexuality and Eastwood handles it in a tasteful and respectful way. Being a homosexual in that era was very much frowned upon and Edgar doesn't want to displease his mother, played by Dame Judi Dench, who refuses to have a 'daffodil' for a son.

DiCaprio does a wonderful job, very similar to his role as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator". There is no way you can call this man an 'up and coming' actor anymore. He has more than established himself as a fantastic actor who can adapt to many roles.

This was much less boring than The Iron Lady, but I certainly didn't love it by any means. However, I would recommend this one above Meryl Streeps efforts just because it is Clint Eastwood and very well done.



Dryspell

So it's been a while since I posted, but mainly because I haven't watched anything worth talking about.

I saw "The Avengers" again yesterday and it's still my current favourite movie. A movie should take you to a place where you forget anything that may be stressing you out and this movie has the ability to remove me from all the frustration that currently surrounds me and just allow me to enjoy life for 2 hours. It is what we call a 'popcorn' film. Of course, getting my Loki fix was the main reason for seeing it again, and boy did I get my Loki fix. Weeeeeeeeeee!! I'll survive for another week or so now. :)

We did also watch "Young Adult" with Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson and I really was so unimpressed by it all. The trailers looked great and very promising, but the reality of the situation was that Diablo Cody is a one hit wonder and will probably never get the same success she got from "Juno". It was almost embarrasing to watch and Charlize Theron was not at all convincing as someone who has depression. She was just a deluded bitch really. Don't recommend this one at all.

Also in the last few days, a teaser trailer has emerged for "Les Miserables" with Anne Hathaway singing 'I dreamed a dream' and while the images themselves are powerful, I'm not convinced she is the perfect Fontine. Check it out below.

I am still very much looking forward to seeing this movie though and am sure, like the stage show, I will be a complete mess as I watch.

The MTV Movie Awards have just been shown for 2012 and every year they cement to me what a joke some awards shows are. I used to love watching the MTV Movie Awards because they were more light hearted than the Oscars, but they have become a complete slave to teenage hormones and nothing that actually deserves to win does. It was all about "The Hunger Games" this year, and I'm  more convinced than ever that this is the new "Twilight". I guess it's a sign I'm getting older, (40 today infact. LOL), and less tolerant of people pandering to the fickle teenage market.
There are still so many movies I really want to see, but actually seeing them at the cinema is expensive so I have to wait for DVD release. Look out for the following reviews from me.
Dark Shadows
My Week with Marilyn
J. Edgar
50/50
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Snow White and the Huntsman
The Woman in Black
Brave

I'm sure there will be lots more, but these are the ones that come to mind.
Thanks for reading guys and sorry for the lapse in posts. :)

Coming Soon: Stage to Screen

Les Miserables
Due Date: 26th December 2012
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Helena Bonham Carter.

Eversince I was a teenager, this story has fascinated me. I remember going to see the musical on stage in Sydney with school and it has been something that has stuck with me for a very long time. When I saw it, Normie Rowe played the main character, Jean Valjean. I loved it so much that I saw it again with my mother and a school friend not long after.

Many years later, I have seen a few stage plays, Beauty and the Beast, Rocky Horror and Phantom of the Opera the only ones that I've committed to memory, but none have moved me the way Les Miserables did.

When the 1998 movie was released with Liam Neeson in the title role, I watched it eagerly, but while it was a great movie, it didn't have the power that the stage show does. I think the songs in this musical are incredibly powerful and make this story into an incredible piece of theatre.

This week, while my husband was away on business, I sat up late one night and watched the 25th Anniversary of Les Miserables on stage at The O2 in London. The power and passion of the performers moved me so much I ended up a sobbing mess on the lounge at one o'clock in the morning. This is a stage show that must be seen to be appreciated.

And now, the remake. This movie has so many things going for it that I'm almost as excited about this as I am for The Hobbitt.

An incredible cast has been assembled with the main part of Jean Valjean being played by our very own Hugh Jackman. Hugh has a wonderful stage prescence and I think he will bring a fantastic edginess to the character. I shall remain reserved about Russell Crowes casting as Inspector Javert. I know he has a band, but I'm not sure he has the right voice for someone as imposing as Javert.

I am however, incredibly excicted that they have used some of the cast of the current London production for this movie, including Samantha Barks, who plays Eponine and brings the most beautiful voice with her.

Of course, the most entertaining roles come in the forms of Madam and Monsieur Thenardier, the repulsive Innkeepers, who will be played by Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. I can't wait to see these two together. Matt Lucas was responsible for the role of Monsieur Thenardier in the London production and I think Sacha has big shoes to fill!
Overall I think this movie will be a wonderful surprise and I plan to see it as soon as it opens. It truly is a moving story. I'm even considering getting tickets to a London performance, but not sure my kids will sit through nearly three hours of actors singing on stage. What is sure to be pure heaven for me, would be pure torture to a twelve year old boy!

MOVIE REVIEW: War Horse

War Horse (2011)
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis
Director: Steven Spielberg

This was one of those movies that I had put off seeing for a while, but curiosity finally got the better of me and I ended up watching it last week.

From start to finish this is another Spielberg epic and one that many will love, and others will, no doubt, love to hate.

I didn't know anything about it other than it was the story of a horse and his owner who go to war together, or so I thought.

Joey, is a rare and beautiful horse, who is purchased by Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan), a poor farmer in pre World War 1 Devon. Ted needs a horse to pull a plough on his farm, but he see's something special in the horse and overpays, leaving them with little money to pay the overbearing landlord Lyons (David Thewlis) who also tries to bid on the horse.

Ted's son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) takes a particular shine to the horse and hand rears him for the farm. Joey and Albert form a special bond, but unfortunately, the country is plunged into war and desperate times see Alberts father selling the horse to the British Army so that they are able to keep the farm. Albert is distraught and vows to find Joey no matter where he goes.

War Horse is told mainly through the eyes of Joey and the people he meets along the way. While still in England, Albert tries to get Joey back before he gets sent off to war, but the horse gets assigned to Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston), who promises Albert that he will look after him.



The next two hours are full of beautiful cinematography and amazing direction from Spielberg. However, I spent three quarters of this movie with a box of tissues, tears streaming down my face, and my nose blocked from intense boughts of sobbing. If you are an animal lover, this movie will destroy you. It was heartbreaking.

The one scene I nearly walked out on ended up being one of the most amazing scenes in the entire movie. It shows the Germans and the British coming together to save Joey on the battlefield and it is truly a touching moment.

I won't give away the ending as I believe this is a movie that should be watched, even if it's only the once.

I really did love this movie, no matter how much my heart ached and no matter how much I sobbed, but I will never watch it again for those reasons. Spielberg is a fantastic director and he really is one of the best in the business, but as my husband pointed out, he has a problem with making movies that you really love, but are so heartbreaking, that you'd never have them in your collection. Schindlers List is another prime example. I watched that movie once and due to it's harrowing nature, I will never watch it again.

The actors were fantastic, and Steven builds his cast out of relative unknowns and it works brilliantly as you tend to concentrate on the story rather than the actor.

War Horse is a stunning piece of film making and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Avengers

The Avengers (2012)
Starring: Robert Downey Jnr, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo.
Director: Joss Whedon

For months and months now I have swooned over the idea of this movie. Since seeing Thor, I drooled over the thought of more Loki action and last week I kind of worried myself into thinking that maybe I was building it up too much and would walk out very dissappointed. In the back of my mind I figured I wouldn't care how bad it is, I can spend the whole time salivating over Thor, Captain America and my bad man, Loki.

Today, I saw The Avengers and walked out wanting to sit down for another 2 hours and watch it all over again. It was THAT good.

For those that don't know him, director Joss Whedon, is probably most notable for the tv series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One of the things I loved about the Buffy universe were the quick quips, the one liners and the way Joss seemed to make us feel for the characters. In The Avengers, he does it all over again without a vampire in sight!

If you haven't seen the pre-cursor movies, Thor, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Captain America, it's probably a good idea to go out and do so. The Avengers is set in the Marvel Universe and it brings all of these heroes together in two hours of pure fun. Getting all the same actors together just makes it even more magical in my opinion.

My one criticism would be not knowing enough about Hawkeye and Black Widow. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) or Natasha Romanov as some know her, has an interesting story, but we have to guess at her past as we haven't really been properly introduced. We got a taste of her in Iron Man 2, but not enough to know her story. The same with Hawkeye. Agent Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) was glimpsed for about a minute with his bow trained on Thor in the movie Thor, but it was a tiny cameo and again, we know nothing about him.

I also felt Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was slightly under-used, but he still did a great job and I love his intensity. Check out this clip below.

I have never seen any of The Hulk movies so I'm  not sure that seeing those before this would make any difference at all, especially since Mark Ruffalo didn't play Bruce Banner in either of the movies available. Mark does a fantastic job as Bruce, the shy scientist with major anger issues. He works very well with the rest of the cast.

Nice to see a little less blonding creme in Chris Hemsworths eyebrows and I love how he comes to his brothers defence throughout the movie even though Loki is clearly hell bent on revenge.

Ahhhh Loki. Tom Hiddleston was absolutely brilliant. He was so menacing and so full of hatred for humanity and his evil grin was so great. I can't wait to see more of him in Thor 2. My husband wouldn't let me steal the cardboard cut out of him from the cinema's...spoilsport. :(

We stayed until the end of the credits because movies like this have a reputation for putting little surprise bits at the very end of the credits. This one had the all important surprise about 1 minute into the credits so stick around, just not until the very end. I have to mention though, this was one hell of a huge team of people that put this together. There are a lot of special effects which would have kept a lot of computer graphics businesses very busy for a long time and they seem to have named every single one of them!

I can't really say much more about this movie without giving it away. I asked my kids today what their favourite parts were and the 7 year old daughter said "the bit where Thor was standing in the meadow with all the flowers looking for his hammer and then all the lightning afterwards. It looked so pretty." And my 12 year old son, "When Loki gets bashed by The Hulk." Probably normal reactions from kids their age.

 

A long time ago, before we had kids, my husband and I were comic book nerds. The end of this movie really did make me wish I was one all over again.

MOVIE REVIEW: Dream House

Dream  House (2011)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Marton Csokas
Director: Jim Sheridan

Will Atenten (Daniel Craig) is a successful businessman who, when we first see him, is wrapping up his last day on the job to spend more time with his wife Libby (played by real life spouse Rachel Weisz) and his two gorgeous daughters. The Atenten family have just moved into a new house and are looking forward to having Will around more often as he begins a new venture as a novelist and his wife begins to transform their house through renovation.

SPOILERS AHEAD

But their idyllic life of renovating and writing is soon shattered by a mysterious figure who appears to be watching the house at all times, peering in through windows and leaving footprints outside the house in the dark of night.

Will decides to get to the bottom of it and after disturbing a group of teenagers in his basement one night, he soon discovers the truth about the house he and his family are now living in.

He begins to question the neighbours about what happened and ends up on the doorstep of Ann Patterson (Naomi Watts) who lives across the road with her daughter. Will learns that the man that lived in the house murdered his wife and children 5 years previously and now he thinks his family have become his next target.

Will tried to trace the steps of the murderer, Peter Ward, by going to the psychiatric institution where Peter has been living for the last 5 years, but this is where we find out that Will and Peter are one in the same and that the fantasy life he has been living, is all in his head.

He still swears that he did not kill his family and goes back to the house to try and find any clues that may have been left behind, but his family continue to drag him back into the fantasy life and he switches from reality to fantasy on a regular basis.

But someone is watching him and trying to stop him at every turn.

I won't spoil the ending for you, but my overall opinion of the movie was that it was a Hallmark version of Shutter Island with fewer twists.

Daniel Craig was good as the grieving supposed psychopath, but I feel Naomi Watts was mis-cast and very flat. Rachel Weisz was ok, but I find she is one of those actresses that only ever really plays one role.

Give it a go if there is nothing else to rent one night, but it's just a generic thriller with fewer thrills than want. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Machine Gun Preacher

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
Starring: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, Michael Shannon
Director: Marc Foster

When I first saw the trailer for this many months ago, I was excited to see Gerard in something that seemed to have a bit of depth to it instead of these wishy washy Hollywood RomComs that he's fallen for in recent years. I also really hate that for most of these Hollywood movies, he's lost his Scottish accent and is putting on an American one, but that's beside the point.

This movie only came out yesterday on DVD (19th April 2012), so I grabbed a copy as soon as I could as I was looking forward to seeing this.

This is the story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a drug dealer, a bikie, a thug, a heroin addict and really, a pretty horrible person to be around. After a stint in gaol, Sam comes out, greeted by his wife Lynn (Michelle Monaghan) and within hours, he is back to his trailer trash ways, telling his wife she shouldn't have given up the stripping job for a job at a supermarket as the stripping job made more money. He throws a bit of a tanty and goes off to get drunk and high with his mate Donnie, who is also another low life scumbag biker who only cares about where his next hit is coming from. In the first half an hour, you get a real sense of what kind of person he was before he found God.

His wife convinces him to come to church where he is baptised and all his sins forgiven. This is the start of a new life for Sam who gets into construction and after listening to a preacher who has spent time in Uganda, he decides to go over and help them rebuild their houses.

Sam gets very involved after touring a clinic that takes in the victims of violent attacks by the LRA (Lords Resistance Army), led by the warlord, Joseph Kony (sound familiar?). He sees first hand the senseless violence and the aftermath of these attacks and decides to do something about it, spending more and more time in Southern Sudan building a church and a refuge for the children that are being abducted and turned into soldiers against their will.

This movie is based on a true story. It is based on the life of Sam Childers and his struggle to save 1000's of children from becomming victims of a civil war that is raging out of control. At times it is harrowing to see what these children have gone through, and even more harrowing to know that this is but a Hollywood version of what is really happening in a country where their children become their enemies. I sobbed a couple of times because of the reality of the situation.

Then I looked up Sam Childers on Wikipedia, which was probably a big mistake. A few months ago, a video on YouTube called Kony2012 went viral, exposing the plight of the Ugandan people who are being terrorised by this mans army made up of their own children. I have no doubt in my mind that this is really happening. I also have no doubt in my mind that there are people who live in Western countries like Australia and America who would want to take a stand and do something about it. But what aren't we being told? Where has the money gone that has supposedly been raised to help these people?

A powerful movie and a very thought provoking one. A great quote from the real Sam Childers at the end asking what we would do if it was our children being taken, our families being torn apart? I couldn't answer, can you?

MOVIE REVIEW: Mission Impossible 4

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (2011)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Jeremy Renner
Director: Brad Bird

I've always liked the Mission Impossible movies, apart from the second one, which really was rather forgettable. Tom Cruise seems to ooze secret agent sex appeal throughout the franchise, and it's no different with the fourth installment.

When we last saw Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), he and his wife were going through a somewhat tough time but Ethan came through and rescued his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and all was well in the world of IMF.

Until of course the next bad man comes along to ruin Ethans day. They only know his as 'Cobalt', but he is determined to launch a nuclear missile stating that the world needs to be 'cleansed' and he will stop at nothing to get the codes to help him in his quest. Ethan and his team meanwhile, are sneaking around the Kremlin, trying to get the codes ahead of him so that they can stop the dastardly Cobalt in his evil plans. Unfortunately, all does not go well and the Kremlin has a slight mishap in the shape of a large explosion which is blamed on Ethan and his team, resulting in them being dissavowed.

But this doesn't stop our corageous Ethan Hunt who puts his 'dissavowed' team together to continue in their mission to stop Cobalt from nuclear domination.

In this mission we see some new faces in the form of William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) who team up with Ethan and his techno wizz pal from the previous movie Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), who has just received his field pass. They work well together and there are some amazing action sequences in this installment. I really felt quite sick when Ethan is dangling from the windows on the 119th floor of the Burj Khalifa. Some spectacular shots and this would have looked stunning on the big screen.

All in all, a very enjoyable action movie. This should have been Mission Impossible 3 as the second one was just so out of place amongst the others.

Well done to Brad Bird in his first live action directing job.

MOVIE REVIEW: Pirates - Band of Misfits

Pirates:Band of Misfits (2011)
Starring: Hugh Grant, Salma Hayek, Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, David Tennant.
Director: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt

If you are into Aardman Animation, those wonderfully clever people that do Wallace and Gromit, then you will love this.

The Pirate Captain, voiced by Hugh Grant, is a bit of a poor excuse for a pirate really. He tries hard and his crew do encourage him, but his crew really aren't up to scratch either. Poor Pirate Captain starts to get a bit down as the Pirate of the Year Awards are edging closer and he's way behind in the Pirating handbook. Every year he enters, but every year it goes to someone else, so this year, he's determined to win!

This sets him and his crew off on a rollicking adventure, trying to plunder gold from various ships that they attack on the high seas. Unfortunatley, each ship they attack has no gold on board and they end up penniless, until they meet Charles Darwin (David Tennant).

Darwin has been searching for something that will earn him high praise in the Science arena but alas, months at sea have left him empty handed. Enter The Pirate Captain and his parrott, Polly, well at least he's mistaken Polly for a parrott, for indeed, Polly is the rare and elusive Dodo Bird!

This chance meeting see's Charles Darwin, The Pirate Captain and his crew off on a dangerous mission to London where Queen Victoria lurks around every corner, making sure no pirates enter her city.

This was 88 minutes of good old fashioned pirating fun. The kids enjoyed it and laughed a lot. Definately worth a look, especially for the monkey. :)

MOVIE REVIEW: New Years Eve

New Years Eve (2011)
Starring: How much time do you have?
Director: Garry Marshall

So when I first saw the trailer for this a few months back, I was pretty underwhelmed to say the least. I really don't like movies that spend all their money on the getting a huge, well known cast, and forget to actually develop a decent storyline for these people to dwell in! Love Actually suffered from this even though it was an ok movie, The Expendables was terrible and Valentines Day made me want to reach for the puke bucket!


Finally!! An all star cast in a movie with a relatively decent storyline. I ended up really enjoying this and truly lost count of the amount of stars in here. Ok, I really want to do this so here goes, in no particular order.

Jon Bon Jovi

Katherine Heigl (who I really don't like by the way, the dress she wears at the end is awful and she really can't act to save herself!)

Halle Berry

Jessica Biehl

Abigail Breslin

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sofia Vergara (this woman is BRILLIANT, I LOVE her. I wish I'd watched Modern Family now)

Zac Efron

Michelle Pfeiffer

Lea Michelle (yes, she sings!)

Ashton Kucher

Hillary Swank

Hector Elizondo

Josh Duhamel

Alyssa Milano

Robert DeNiro

Cary Elwes

Ludakris (or however you spell it)

James Belushi

Carla Gugino

John Lithgow

AND..........wait for it....................

Joey McIntyre (Come on all you NKTOB fans, you know he was your fav!)

Honestly, the movie was 1 hour and 11 minutes in and there were still famous people popping their heads around corners. At one stage we even see Penny Marshall, the directors sister.

The stories developed well between the characters and for once I felt like part of the movie rather than watching a series of coffee commercials. Robert DeNiro's story is very touching and probably my favourite.

Give it a go, even if, like me, you hated the other 'all star cast' movies. Let me know what you thought!



MOVIE REVIEW: Moneyball

Moneyball (2011)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymor Hoffman
Director: Bennett Miller

When movies are nominated for several Oscars, or when there is a lot of Oscar hype surrounding a particular movie, it generally peaks interest. Some movies, upon watching, scream Oscar, others leave you wondering what drugs the academy are on and where you can obtain said drugs.
Movies that have not only screamed Oscar but have been very worthy of their Oscar nods recently include The Kings Speech and The Help, but is Moneyball worth the hype?

In a word.............maybe?

Based on the true story of the numbers game that changed the way baseball teams were run, Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, ex-player and now General Manager of the Oakland A's. Billy is sick to death of not having the enormous budget that other teams have, and sick of seeing his best players being poached by the teams that can afford them, so he decides to do something about it.

He poaches an Economics major by the name of Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), from another team and enlists his expertise in putting a new team together, but not just any team, one based on statistics not skills.
There are parts of the movie that were boring, the personal life of Billy Beane, his ex -wife (Robyn Wright) and his 12 year old daughter, but all in all, if you love baseball and don't mind not seeing much of the actual sport, this is an interesting movie.
Brad Pitt is aging well and Jonah Hill put forward a worthy performance, but really, nothing spectacular.

MOVIE REVIEW: Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill (2011)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino, and all Sandlers usual mates.
Director: Dennis Dugan
If you're not a Sandler fan, then really, stop reading right now and just walk away, because if you're not a Sandler fan, you will never watch this movie no matter what I say.
Ok, now that we have those of you who will watch Sandler movies, let's continue.

For a Sandler film, this is pretty PG. Very little swearing and just lots and lots of toilet jokes. Basically when Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, sets out to make a movie, it's an excuse for Sandler to get his mates together and just have fun.

Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler), is a successful advertising man with a gorgeous wife (Katie Holmes), two cute kids, one of them an adopted indian boy with a tape fetish, a Mexican gardener and a house to die for. This guy is living the dream, well, until his twin sister Jill (Adam Sandler in drag) arrives to stay for the holidays.

Jill has been incredibly lonely since their mother died, living with her cockatoo Poopsie in the Bronx. But when she comes to visit her brother Jack, all hell breaks lose.

I was a little bit worried about just how convincing Sandler was as an annoying middle aged woman living on her own, it was quite frightening, but incredibly funny. This is NOT a movie you should have your brain switched on for, so yes, go ahead, unzip your skull and remove your brain for an hour and a half and just relax and have a laugh.

Some great cameo's, especially from Johnny Depp wearing a Justin Bieber t-shirt and Al Pacino as himself.

Great fun, nothing more.