Beautiful Creatures

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Paul, Kelly, Belinda

The most important thing this film has going for it is the two leads, neither of whom I've seen before, who actually manage to create a believable relationship and one that you want to root for succeeding. Unlike Twilight, it's a relationship between two warm and charming kids which makes all the difference. Despite all the fantasy supernatural visual effect overload, it's still more believable than Safe Haven.

And they assembled a supporting cast with a hell of a pedigree. Everything Emma Thompson does just delighted me to no end. Big characters allows for some big choices and they seem to revel in it all, which only Michael Sheen managed to do in the Twilight series.

It's hard not to compare the two, but as witnessed by no less than 5 of the trailers before the feature, this is just the first of many many teen supernatural romances to come. That series really was a monster and will have a lot to answer for. At least it's not hard to improve upon. And Beautiful Creatures does that in spades.

I doubt we'll seen any of the other books turned into films but contrary to my fears they made this one self contained and it works beautifully as a stand alone, unlike so many of the kids fantasy novel adaptation boom of the 00's that ended with unsatisfying cliffhangers, never to be continued.

The film looks beautiful. The characters are big, the romance is sincere, it has humor, it's fun and entertaining. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. If you love your teen romance or even if you can just stomach them, this one won't offend nearly as much as past titles.

The Sweeny

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Based on the UK television series from the 70's. Never seen an episode, but this did feel an awful lot like current UK television cop dramas. Albeit with slightly larger scale action, but apart from that nothing special.

The Last Stand

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Yes, great fun. A solid action film, a bit of an old school Western Stand off between the sheriff and an outlaw. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the big screen (Im' not counting the extended cameos in The Expendables) and Jee-woon Kim first Hollywood film is just as stylish and well paced as his other films. This is more along the lines of The Good, The Bad and the Weird in terms of tone. Just a lot of fun.

And there's a good supporting cast too that all get their moments. The plot is nothing special, it's a classic set up but the film just flows.

There is a big focus on gunplay, I'm sure all the republicans will love that. Along with that comes some brief moments of violence, pretty over the top but always with the intention of entertaining. And Arnie gets one or two one liners.

Really solid and entertaining action B-movie. I hope Jee-woon Kim sticks around and makes more.

Safe Haven

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I didn't think they could try less hard than The Lucky One, but I've been proven wrong. The Nicholas Sparks formula is so apparent by now that even the trailers that show the whole movie aren't spoilers anymore.

This time they got in Lasse Hallström and the whole production for everyone involved feels like just another paycheck. The cinematography was not great and it the weather obviously didn't help them out much either. The all importing getting to know you scene takes place on a sunny day at the beach where it was obviously overcast and raining all day. But no-e seemed to be bothered to wait or to spend any money to go back and re-shoot any of it, they seem pretty confident their target audience won't care.

They blatantly use some very low res digital areal photography that looks like utter crap with no qualms whatsoever.

The biggest problem though? Julianne Hough is not empathetic and Josh Duhamel is not endearing. I was more focused on my delicious gold class sundae than the film. At least it felt like effort went into its creation, and I got something out of it.

This one can't even be recommended to fans of this trashy romance stuff. Even if they did find some enjoyment in the film the out of left field twist end will just leave them scratching their heads.

Anna Karenina

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Never knew the Anna Karenina story, but I picked up the basics from the trailer before going in. Due to budget constraints, Joe Wright goes the slightly experimental route with Tom Stoppard's adaptation and sets the whole story inside a theatre, using the rafters, the lobby, the stage and the stalls dressed up as the various locations, only venturing outside into the real world when we leave the aristocracy and see life in the countryside.

The first half really foregrounds this conceit, with Wright's usual one-take stedicam shot found very early one whiles scenes transition from place to another through the action and dialogue. There are some very stylised acting and choreography and the beautiful score by Dario Marianelli is also woven into the action as well.

Slowly though this energetic and fanciful staging recedes and the focus becomes the story and the relationships. And after such an exciting opening it also feels like it starts to drag, particularly towards the end. It felt a lot longer than it actually was.

I did enjoy the performances though and one can't help but marvel at the cinematography, even when things like slightly misaligned anamorphic lenses and focus issues get in the way. The story comes through and Stoppard has made a strong emphasis on all the different kinds of love on display. Having not read the book or seen any other adaptations, I can't tell you what was shortchanged or left out, but it felt pretty complete to me. I didn't enjoy this as much as Pride and Prejudice but it was still very engaging for material that would usually make me run for the nearest action film. More than anything it makes me want to see a fully fledged musical from Joe Wright, he obviously has it in him.

Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tara

Never seen a Cirque du Soleil. They's taken a few bits from the various shows performing around Vegas and made a compilations that feels as much a 3D tech demo real as a circus showcase.

Andrew Adamson weaved a thin little story through the acts to try and bridge them together and for someone who clings to narrative it was hard for me to let go of that and just enjoy the spectacle. I feel like nothing would beat seeing this in person. But the 3D in the film is really great and the theatrical lighting and costumes really pop.

The different shows become very apparent as the look and style of them differ greatly. It's kind of patchy. And as snobbish as it sounds, I must admit a bit of fatigue after the 40th time you watch someone  contort their legs over their head.

But for people like me that have never had the drive to go out and see one of the shows in person this will give you a great taste of what they have to offer.

The Imposter

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Whoa, 2 documentaries in a month. This one is slickly produced, the re-enactments are beautifully created and having the titular imposter speak directly to camera makes for an interesting effect. It's one of those great stories so bizarre it could only be true.

Towards the end it starts to lag a bit and the mystery introduced then is unfortunately still not resolved. But it has a sense of humor that comes from some great real life characters that keeps things engaging.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Paul, Tyler

Write Up.

Such a marvellous film. Everything that's good about movies is here.

Pinocchio

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No

That's right, I've never seen Pinocchio. Well I have now. I thought there was going to be more to the story, I figured I only knew the basic beats but no, rough outline I had was in fact the entire movie. But besides that, what really stood out to me was the effects animation in the film. It's chock full of them and some really nice work too.

What a bizarre story.

Pocahontas

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Michael

Ok, I've tried to watch this one a few times before and I could never get through it. The first time I decided I should give it a go I rented the dvd and it was scratched and couldn't get passed the first 20 minutes. The second time I started it immediately after watching Terrance Malick's The New World and the cutesy creatures really annoyed me for ruining what I thought was also going to be a very serious story, considering all the stuff that I had just seen. And when that willow tree started talking I turned it off in disgust.

Time to try again. Well, like Hunchback, I have no idea why anyone thought this was a good story to tell with Disney Animation. It's not exactly a pleasant one and they have to tamper with it so much to make it palatable that it barely resembles the story I knew, which normally would be ok but in this case it's history they're rewriting.

One thing is for sure, the animation is quite stunning, they've gone for a very stylised look this time, much more like the flat Sleeping Beauty look for the background, and very stark colours for their lighting. And they've gone for a very realistic human animation, very tricky subtle stuff and impressive work.

Out of the songs, well, the two I knew from the film, Colours of the Wind and Just Around the River Bend were the only two that stood out. They are pretty cool.

Well I made it to the end this time. It's a beautifully produced animation, telling a slightly warped version of a story I've seen told much better.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Michael

Been out of commission for a week doing a show, but time to get back into it. Recent discussions lead to watching the handful of Disney films I've never properly seen. This one I'd seen bits and pieces of before but never sat down and watched the whole way through.

What an odd story to make into a Disney musical. So dark. Even with them changing the original story and lightening it up considerably it's still a pretty grim tale. They add in talking gargoyles and a burping goat for the kids and they feel very out of place. A somewhat misleading trailer that one...

I remember this at the time of release because everyone was going on about how it was the first Disney animation to have a male lead that sports facial hair. Also the computer composited crowd animation. That was pretty neat.

As it's not one of the films I grew up with none of the songs really popped out for me, except the comically high and epic Bells of Notre Dame. The film has great animation but I wished the tone was a little more consistant. It really could have used the darker ending, or do away with it completely and go for a more lively tone like the trailer suggested.

Idiocracy

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Really love this one. I was watching it this time thinking how closely it resembles Planet of the Apes, especially in the music. Fitting really.

Movie 43

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Matt, Tim

The Farrelly Brother's very own Kentucky Fried Movie. Except each segment had it's own creative team, making this more like an anthology movie made up of comedy shorts rather than a bunch of sketches. 

And as is the case with all anthology films, there are hits and misses. Unfortunately the misses far outweigh the hits. Like horror, comedy can play very different for an audience depending on personality. For me, far to many of the jokes just fall flat. 

They pretty much all have a great central conceit for each segment. Just the ideas alone are funny enough. The Farrelly's idea of humour is to take an idea and keep playing it out to ridiculous extremes, they seem to think if something is more outrageous it is funnier. This structure plays out through all the shorts, and NONE of them have a good punchline, which is my biggest problem with the film. The set ups are great but then they just add in absurdity and then they can't go any further so they end and go on to the next. 

It's no surprise that the funniest segments are all very short mock advertisements that play between the longer shorts. None of them overstay their welcome and they only need time to set up one funny idea without getting too ridiculous.

That's not to say that I'm against ridiculousness, I'm all for it, and there were a few segments that had some really great moments. But overall they fall flat and without that strong finish they just seem ridiculous for the sake of it. The best reason to watch this film is it's you're a keen 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon player. 

Mac and Me

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Michael, Tyler

Well, they tricked me when I was a kid. I saw the cover and thought it looked like another E.T. I fell for it. And all these years later I still remember this stupid film. It's basically just a cheap imitation, not so subtly sponsored by McDonalds. 

But it does have some hilariously terrible sections. The 80's dance number in McDonals is infamous. And Paul Rudd has put that wheelchair-over-a-cliff scene into the zeitgeist. 

Christine Ebersole does what she can to add any kind of credibility as the mother. Alan Silvestri provides a great score that is far too good for the film it's paired with. These two are just trying too hard.

I think the aliens are meant to be cute but they come across as stupid and perverted. It doesn't help that as the film continues it looks like the appliances are falling apart and they didn't have any money to fix them. 

Hilariously terribly film that promises a sequel that thankfully never came. Good for a laugh though. Or if you really enjoy uber-80's dancing. (Which I do.)

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Tommy Wirkola's been shipped over from Norway after the success of his somewhat uneven Dead Snow. This film is just as uneven. There's a whole lot of stuff I want to say is cool and bits here and there I enjoyed but in the end it just never connects. 

A real shame, because the artistry and technical ability (horrific post conversion 3D aside) displayed is just fantastic, utterly wasted on an average story with just a few too many idiosyncrasies to feel cohesive in any way. There's some great looking witches and a beautifully designed troll. The fight scenes are all pretty fun and inventive. Supporting players like Famke Janssen and Peter Stormare do what they can. 

I feel a little sorry for Gemma Arterton, she seems like she could be a great actress but so far all her big american films have left much to be desired, and the roles she plays in them are not a great showcase. And being stuck with the most uncharismatic guy ever to keep getting leads in Hollywood films is another blow to add to the list. 

This feels a lot like last year's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It either needed to be more straight laced or more off the wall. Where it sits now is just confusing and makes the audience uncomfortable.