Films I've seen recently

There was a Guillermo del Toro season on Film4 recently, so I watched this. I enjoyed it and the characters were very well developed.

I normally go to watch films once I'm certain that it looks good after watching the trailer. I didn't even see one trailer for this and went to see it and loved it. Although, as always, the 3D didn't add much to the film.

This is a French film about growing up within a synchronized swimming group. I'm all for obscure films, but this was a little too weird for me, and I ended up fast forwarding through the last half hour. I wouldn't recommend it.

I'd been looking forward to this film for a long time, mainly because of Simon Pegg. Before seeing it, I was uncertain because I'd heard some quite bad reviews on it. However, it exceeded my expectations and is the perfect dark comedy. John Landis is the director, and while it's no An American Werewolf in London, it's a great film with lots of comedians in it!

Thelma and Louise - Personal Response

Having seen this film previously and really loving it, I found that on this second viewing it failed to live up to my expectations. I like that it focuses on female characters, but the whole film feels fairly cheesy. Thelma and Louise are likable characters and the change in the way they view life is well portrayed throughout the film. The soundtrack set the scenes perfectly, but again, I found it got a bit irritating after a while. I would recommend this film to certain people, but I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Films I've seen recently

Inglourious Basterds - This is one hell of a film, I really loved it. It's so unique and raw, I loved how most of it wasn't even in English, because it made it feel much more realistic.

The Descent Part 2 - I wanted to watch this because the first Descent film was one of my favourite horror films of recent years. This sequel has a very similar feel to it, which is good, and I certainly didn't find that it got repetitive, because one would think there'd be only so many ways to scare the audience when it all takes place underground. I liked it a lot, but not as much as the first.

Home - I hadn't even heard of this, but Film4 have been showing a French film every week, and I enjoy foreign films, and considering that I'm doing French AS level, I thought it'd be good to watch it. It's about a family who live out in a remote area of France, blissfully enjoying the quiet, until a motorway is built directly outside of their house. It causes a lot of disruption and gradually causes the family to fall apart. It's an interesting study of family life, a little surreal at times, but I liked it nonetheless.

The Emperor's New Groove - I always heard everyone saying how great this film was, and when I saw it was on TV this week, I had to watch it. It was really great; the characters are hilarious and just the randomness of it all made me love it. I now know what all the fuss is about.

The Lovely Bones - I remember before this came out, everyone thought it was going to be one of the best films ever, because they loved the book and Peter Jackson was directing it. Then when it came out, it got bad reviews and disappointed a lot of people. I haven't read the book, but now after seeing the film I don't even want to. There were parts of this film I really enjoyed, some of the scenery was fantastic, plus Saoirse Ronan is a great young actress (I loved her in Atonement). However, I think it could have been better if it went for a 15 certificate as opposed to a 12, because it could have gotten darker, rather than just hinting on dark themes. 

Film to see - Let The Right One In

I recommend Let The Right One In, it's a swedish film from 2008, that portrays vampires in a different way to what we're used to. Oskar is a 12 year old boy who is bullied, and then he meets Eli, a vampire who appears 12 years old (but is in actual fact a lot older). It's a really stunning film,  but unfortunately the American remake 'Let Me In' is coming out around now too. From the trailer, it doesn't look as good, but it has had some good reviews, and plus, the awesome Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick-Ass) is in it. 

Here's the trailer for Let The Right One In

Also, if you have a lovefilm.com account, it's available to watch for free online, legally :)

Personal Response - Ronin

Whilst I enjoyed the majority of it, I decided that Ronin is not my type of film. At the beginning, I tried to engage with the characters and understand their motives and relationships with each other, but I found that a lot of the story was hidden from the audience. The film is about a group of former agents trying to get hold of a suitcase, but what is in the suitcase, we do not know. I found that the lack of knowing was engaging to begin with, because it made me want to find out what was going on, and why so many people were after it. However, after a drawn-out story lasting over 2 hours, I'd lost interest unfortunately. It's clear that the director had a desired effect, which I'm sure works well on the intended audience, which I would say would be adult men. The car chases are very well portrayed, and knowing that no special effects are used makes it even more spectacular, plus Robert de Niro is brilliant as ever. But unfortunately, these kind of crime thrillers don't tend to interest me.

Daybreakers

I love when I don't expect a movie to be very good, but end up actually really enjoying it. That's what happened last night with Daybreakers. It's a different take on vampires to the usual, it can be a bit silly at points, but generally I found it an entertaining movie.

Strangers on a Train - Personal Response

Having seen this a year ago or so before, I can still say that I enjoyed it the second time. I always find the premise of Hitchcock films interesting, even if they're not actually written by him. I think it's a dark film, but it's got some comedy in it, like at the end. Bruno is a really great character, he's so 'in his own world' and I think that his unpredictability makes the theme of the movie even more tense.

A Single Man

This was one of the best films I've seen recently. It follows the day in a life of George Falconer (played by Colin Firth) who loses his partner in a car crash. Something I especially liked about it was how near the beginning of the film, the colours were very dark, but when something 'lit up his life', it got brighter - it was subtle but interesting. The scene when George receives the call that Jim has died is just heartbreaking, it's really intense.

Top 10 films

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Sweeney Todd (2007)
3. Amelie
4. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. Let The Right One In
7. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
8. Monsters, Inc
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
10. Atonement

Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown is a lesser-known Quentin Tarantino film starring Samuel L Jackson, Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton and Pam Grier, amongst many other stars. The acting was superb, Jackson was definitely the right choice for Ordell, a man who, even though is not the title character, has the whole film revolve around him. Jackie Brown is an air hostess who regularly helps smuggle money Ordell's money over to him, but is caught in the act. She ends up putting her life in the line as she    gets involved in a game of deception between the police and Ordell, which makes for interesting viewing. It's a smart film, with well established characters and a great plot. However, it's over 150 minutes long, which I think ended up being too long for this kind of film, and at points it is very slow-paced. A lot of the time, it didn't feel like a Tarantino film, because there was not as much dark comedy as I had anticipated. It did, of course, include Tarantino's signature trunk shot.

One reason I did enjoy it though, was that it focused on a woman's independence, she could clearly stand up for herself against all the male characters, and knew what and what not to do. My favourite scene in the film has to be the money exchange in a shop fitting room, because it's replayed in each character's perspective, and it builds up until we have a clear idea of what is happening. 

I wouldn't recommend this for everyone. Many would compare it to Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, but if I'm honest, I think it has a completely different feel to it. It's not a masterpiece, but it's definitely a well produced film, with some scenes standing out from the rest. 

Film Profile

1. Which is your favourite film?
I have to go with Shaun of the Dead, there's so much I love about that film. It may be about zombies, but it's my feel-good film.

2. Which is your favourite British Film?
Well, obviously that'd also be Shaun of the Dead. Apart from that, I'd say Atonement. I'm not normally into romantic films, but Atonement is more than that in my opinion. Plus I love Keira Knightley's green dress.

3. Which is your favourite film genre?
Hm, well I do enjoy horror films more than I should, but generally I think I'd say drama, dramas are usually the best films.

4. Who is your favourite film actor?
I'm going to go with the 12 year old in me and say Johnny Depp. I had a huge obsession with him, it's not completely gone, but it's definitely faded (I still keep up to date with his new movies, and I will always continue to buy the DVDs)

5. Who is your favourite film director?
I think I'll say Edgar Wright. He's only directed 3 films (plus A Fistful of Fingers but that doesn't really count) and the TV show Spaced which I adore. I just love anything that Edgar, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg do. His direction style is unique and I don't think anyone else could have made Scott Pilgrim as amazing (hence why I went to see it in the cinema 3 times)

Bunny and the Bull

I watched this last night, I enjoyed it. It's completely surreal and I had no idea what was gonna happen next, but it kept my attention. I especially liked Richard Ayoade's (Moss from The IT Crowd) appearance, as well as Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh.