September in Movies

This month has been pretty all over the place, with exams, a break from blogging and spending a great deal of time not feeling good enough for anything...but that's another story. I've still had a pretty good month with the movies, though!

Movies I'd never seen until the month of September...

Melancholia

Melancholia - Damn, I still can't get this movie out of my head. That ending...WHOA.
Whale Rider - I shamefully admit I'd never seen this Kiwi classic before. But I'm kinda glad I hadn't, since we had to study it for our film unit in English. I, of course, got an excellence for the essay I wrote on it...the only excellence I scored in any of the exams. Go figure.
Country Strong - Oh, the joys of being sick and having to stay home. I got to watch this melodramatic crap that I'm sure Gwyneth Paltrow was doing with an Oscar in mind, except, it was so bad that just about everyone stayed away from it.
Arthur - Surprisingly funny movie. Well, I enjoyed it. Much better than I expected. I just wish that Greta Gerwig was more exciting.
The Roommate - Still the worst movie I've ever seen. I'm over thinking about this movie.
Drive Angry - That storyline, Nicolas Cage's hair...what a mess. But a surprisingly enjoyable mess, nonetheless (wow, that rhymed...I should become a poet).
Another Year - Ah, these slice of life movies. They're always the best. Nah seriously, this movie was awesome.
Trainspotting - I've always loved Danny Boyle, but finally I can put one of his movies in my top 100. This was absolutely brilliant.
Panic Room - One of the only David Fincher movies that I hadn't seen, so I caught it while it was on TV. The worst thing was that I spent the entire movie trying my hardest to breathe. Stupid cold.
Everything Must Go - Hmmmmm, this was a dull movie. But Rebecca Hall was adorable, as always.
The Shining - Stanley Kubrick, round two. I can't believe that this was met with the 'meh' response when it first came out. I wonder if there have been any films that have come out this year that got the same response but they'll end up being classics in the future. I think Abduction has a good chance. Hahaha.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans - I still feel weird about spending my Friday night watching a silent flick. I'm glad I did though - this has most definitely earned it's place in my top 10.
My Man Godfrey - Decided to watch this as soon as I got up on Saturday morning. I was having a mini old movie weekend, alright? This was hilarious, by the way.
The 40-Year Old Virgin - Gotta love movies being on TV. Usually they play some stuff that I should have seen but haven't so I really just feel obliged to watch them!
Dogville - Oh gosh. This movie was...interesting. You'd have to pay me like, $500 to watch it again, though. It was exhausting. But I liked it.
Take Me Home Tonight - Jeez, why did such a fun looking movie have to be so dull?
Your Highness - Gosh, I'm watching this again tomorrow when me and a couple of friends have a movie night. This night is different from our usual nights when we only watch the best...we're just watching pure crap.
Hesher - Still can't get over how much I loved this movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is my hero!
Stolen Lives - Just coz it has Jessica Chastain in it. But no shit, on the cover of the DVD, it spells Jon Hamm's name as 'John Hammm'. Wow, how'd they stuff that one up?
Shaun of the Dead - Funny funny funny. Funny funny. Funny. Funny funny. Funny funny funny.
Wuthering Heights - The one with Ralph Fiennes in it. Who was hot back in 1992. But, with this being my favourite book, the adaption kinda paled in comparison.
Rio - So much colour, so much fun. Oh, how I love animated movies!
Catfish - The *other* Facebook movie. Facebook isn't as fun without the lawsuits and the forced cannibalism towards chickens. It's just bizarre.
Freaks - I really wish I could have seen the uncut version of this. But despite the fact that this movie was made in 1932, it was still scarier than half of the 'horrors' I've seen.
The Help - Just watched this with Mum today. I cried like, five times. Even though I knew what was going to happen since I've read the book. More tomorrow.

Films I've seen before but felt the strong urge to watch again because I am cool like that...

Gone with the Wind

Black Swan - I can't go too long without a dose of Black Swan, otherwise things just ain't right.
Shutter Island - Decided to rewatch it on Blu-Ray for no reason at all. Liked it even more the second time. Why was it completely ignored at Oscar time?
Tropic Thunder - Thanks to my sick day I had some time to rewatch this, as I'd just bought it the week before. Oh, Simple Jack never fails to crack me up.
The Hangover - It was on TV. Which made me feel old, because it feels like just yesterday that I was calling this my favourite movie of all time. Jeez, I know this thing off by heart. I need help.
Source Code - It was the only thing out on DVD that week (well, there was The Conspirator, but I still haven't felt in the right mood to watch that), and I wasn't gonna skip out on a Tuesday Movie Night even though I've already seen it before.
Gone with the Wind - My annual rewatch. I got home from work at about 9pm and I felt a strong desire to watch this, so I attempted to watch this all in one night. That didn't work very well, though. It took me two days to get it completed. I still love this movie to absolute bitty bits though!
Up in the Air - I felt like rewatching something, so I picked out a handful of movies and played an intense game of 'eeny-meeny-miney-mo' to see which one I could watch. This one survived to the very end. You gotta love this sparkler of dialogue: "He broke up with you via text message?" "That's kinda like firing someone over the internet."
Heartbreaker - Despite the fact that this movie is totally predictable and it ends just the way any other romantic comedy should, I love it to bits. I had such a huge smile on my face once it finished.

So, what do you think of these films? Seen anything good this month?

What's Happening Where I Am: Cinema and DVD releases here, 29/09/11

Cinema Releases

Abduction - So by now we already know that this movie sucks, Taylor Lautner sucks and the only people who like it are unfortunately people who are around the same age as me (okay, maybe a little younger, because I'm pretty sure that everyone I know hates Twilight). Which is such a shame, because this is Michael Nyqvist's  post-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo break into America. But good lord...that trailer warned me straight away to steer clear of this unlikely and totally money-grubbing flick all in the name of Taylor Lautner. I seriously wanna go crash a screening filled with teenage girls and just take the piss out of it. Because I'm a nice person like that.

The Beaver - I kinda feel like this movie deserved more. I know a lot of people didn't like it, but considering it's amazing director, alright cast and interesting premise, it should have really got more attention for the film it is. Instead, people just see Mel Gibson and they turn off. Since his scandal, this movie has slipped under the radar, so much so that I didn't actually know until tonight that it was released in cinemas today. Maybe that's because it hasn't been released anywhere near me. Sadness.

The Round Up - It's strange because this movie is supposedly coming out on DVD next month (like, literally in maybe a week or so), and yet it's also being released in cinemas now. I'm kinda pissed though, because father refused to put it on the order, so we won't be getting it in the shop. Which sucks, because I'd really like to see this film, as it is about the infamous Vel d'Hiv round up during the Holocaust that I found out about in Sarah's Key. After seeing that, I did a bit of research about it and I'm interested in this particular event. And I'll stop right there before I change this blog from a movie one to a history one...

What's Your Number? - Take a look at the still frames from this movie on IMDb. In every single photo that Anna Faris is in, apart from the set photo, she has her mouth gaping open in a totally unnatural looking way. It kinda freaks me out! This looks like just another romantic comedy. I mean, we all know that even though she's searching through all of her exes to find the 'one', the 'one' is actually Chris Evans. If that is not the end, I will eat a tube of wasabi.

Zookeeper - Live action kids movies aren't as cool as the animated ones.

DVD Releases

Rio - It just occurred to me tonight that there aren't any animated features still to be released, and most of the animated films this year have been less than impressive so it's extremely slim pickings for this years Oscar Animated Feature race. So much so that Rio will probably get a nomination, even though I reckon it just slipped by. Rio does deserve some recognition though, because it was so colourful and funky I couldn't help but fall in love with it. Not to mention that Jesse Eisenberg sings like, two lines, at the end. Well, it's really him just speaking a couple of lines to the tune of a song...but you know. I forgot how much I love Jesse until I watched this one.

Catfish - Well...this was interesting. Far different than what I was expecting. You really gotta watch out for that Facebook business, huh?

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil - Uh, yeah. What's with all of the sequels to movies that nobody really liked in the first place? And why does this one look extremely cheap?

So, what do you think of these films? Got any idea of what films we could see in the animated category at the Oscars? Anyone braved Abduction? Anyone seen What's Your Number and can save me from eating a tube of wasabi?

Linko

Today was my first day back at school after a week of exam leave. Which means that all of my results came in...and let's just say, they weren't good at all. Good thing they're only mock exams, huh? Anyway, while I think that in order to succeed in the real exams I have to stop watching movies and stop blogging, I am determined that school will not ruin my Tuesday Movie Night. What's on the menu for tonight? Rio and Catfish. Hopefully either of these movies will give me a bit of a happiness boost after a particularly bad day.

Anyway, while I listen to Jesse Eisenberg's voice (which I love because it is so nerdy and cute, just like him) and watch The Social Network's companion, check out these lovely posts...

I've seen a few reviews coming in for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy...you know, from those lucky Brits who have already got it. Film Intel does a pretty positive one.

Now this post was written a while ago, but I horribly forgot to add it in my last links post because I'm quite useless. Anyway, Nikhat at Being Norma Jeane did a brilliant comparison between Schindler's List and The Pianist, two of the best movies about the Holocaust. I love both of these movies dearly, but when I release my new top 100, you'll see which one I love more...

The brilliant blog Bonjour Tristesse just celebrated it's first birthday, and the day after, had a review on Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless on tap, which is a movie I'd like to see very much.

I love Knocked Up. It seems that Andy at Andy Buckle's Film Emporium really liked it too.

As part of his Noir-a-thon, Toby at blah blah blah gay watched Double Indemnity. Barbara Stanwyck was absolutely chilling in this.

Another day, another review of Drive. I need this movie in my life. Surrender to the Void gives me a few reasons why.

Abduction has not been treated kindly. Too frickin right though...it looks awful. Tom Clift wrote a hilarious review for Cut Print Review. The review is probably better than the movie!

Best list ever? Well, my cuzzie from Invers Tyler at Southern Vision compiled a totally epic list of the 100 essential foreign films. Which is an amazing bloody list. And it's amazingly helpful for someone like me!

Speaking of epicness, Front Room Cinema's brilliant 'World Icon Tour' has made it's way around the world and is now finished. Be sure to check out all of the posts!

Wow, someone has finally written about something that I've thinking about for such a long time! The Elusiveness of Cinematic Greatness...it's all at Anomalous Material, and you need to read it. Pronto.

So, the Toronto International Film Festival finished a little while ago, but I'm still practically obsessing over the films that were shown over there (when can I see them?!). And Ryan's coverage at The Matinee was awesome, and it can never get enough love.

Have a good week!

"We were never friends."

Film: The Roommate
Year: 2011
Director: Christian E. Christiansen
Written by: Sonny Mallhi.
Starring: Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Billy Zane, Frances Fisher, Danneel Ackles, Tomas Arana, Nina Dobrev.
Running time: 91 min.


NOTE: This review will be extremely negative...I haven't done a review like this in a while. If you liked the film, I'm sorry. So so sorry.

"Uninspired", "devoid of...", "flat"...these are all words that we see often in film reviews. Those words have never been as true as they are when they describe The Roommate. In fact, if there was a dictionary of every word you could use in a negative review of a film, I would use every single word to describe this movie. The Roommate exists in a world that has hot girls being hot, a slightly off-her-knocker girl who uses her hotness a little bit to unleash evil on everyone, and there are some hot guys too. It's all pure eye candy, which is used to try and hide the atrocious story it has. In fact, does it really have a story? No. But if you're looking for a layered film, this one still qualifies. It has layer upon layer of thriller clichés, unanswered questions and lacklustre thrills. Sounds like a masterpiece, huh?

“So you lost your wife, and you lost your mom. I lost my nut.”

Film: Hesher
Year: 2010
Director: Spencer Susser
Written by: Spencer Susser and David Michôd.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Devin Brochu, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, Piper Laurie, John Carroll Lynch, Frank Collison.
Running time: 106 min.


Joseph Gordon-Levitt was once a child star. As Hollywood seems to go, these child stars usually end up being wayward adults who end up doing community service coz of some bad thing they did. But Joseph Gordon-Levitt? That's not him. He did his dash as a child/teen actor, went and got a good education, and then came back to star in small independent films. In 2009, along came (500) Days of Summer, an indie rom-com that was adored by many, and suddenly Joe was a hot ticket in Hollywood. While he was running around hallways in Inception and has been roped in by Chris Nolan again for The Dark Knight Rises, Joe has still found time among his life as a formidable leading man to star in a little independent film called Hesher. With Hesher, Joe plays the titular character, but this isn't the sweet, lovable Joe that we all know. This is a version of Joe that doesn't often wear a top, showing off his home-made tattoos, with long unruly hair that probably has more grease in it than a fish and chip shop, and a smoke constantly hanging out of his mouth.

"Life is much the same, sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet."

Film: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Year: 1927
Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing, J. Farrell MacDonald, Ralph Sipperly, Jane Winton.
Running time: 94 min.

Yes, I do love films. But cinema is one medium which never fails to amaze me. While there has been multi-layered dream sequences in Inception and beautifully mind-blowing cinematography in Avatar, the modern technology is not the thing which puts me in a state of amazement. In fact, it's the older films that do this, as they obviously knew what they were doing and did it much better. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, as far as I'm concerned, is the most amazing movie I have ever watched. Everything from the remarkable technical achievements to the acting to the story is just so perfect. You know, before I started watching this, I felt so weird because it was Friday night and I was watching a 84 year old silent film, and that's not what normal teenagers do. Afterwards, I had a happy feeling that I probably had a better night than any of them.

What's Happening Where I Am: Cinema and DVD releases here, 22/09/11

Cinema releases

Jane Eyre - After two weekends of 'advanced screenings' and week's delay, the latest adaption of Charlotte Brontë's classic novel starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael 'Shark' Fassbender has finally hit NZ screens properly. I have a confession to make, though. Back in 2008, I read Wuthering Heights for the first time, and since then it has always been my favourite book (hey, I don't read a lot, so this was an achievement). So I thought that just for fun I might buy Jane Eyre along with my copy of Wuthering Heights since they're by a pair of siblings. This was back in 2009. I still haven't read Jane Eyre. I've tried and tried and tried, believe me. I've picked it up so many times and I just never seem to get past the 200 page mark. It's not that it's a bad book...it's just that I'm a bad reader. But I will get there sometime soon!

Chalet Girl - So, up until last week, I'd never heard of this movie. It just seemed to pop up out of nowhere. But hey, it has Felicity Jones (who I can't wait to see in Like Crazy) and Tamsin Egerton (possibly the prettiest girl ever), so I'm kinda in. However, it looks pretty formulaic and the poster is pretty lame, but you know...I'll give it a go when it's on DVD.

The Devil's Rock - This is a NZ horror, based around World War II and the Nazi's apparent occult plot to unleash demonic forces so they can win the war. On the news last night, the director said that this was actually a happening thing. It looks like it could be fun, but then again, I'm so weary when it comes to NZ films. Which is weird because if I get my way and I become a director, I'll probably be making NZ films. Then again, on the realistic side, I'll never become a director. So I should stop being so weary around these homegrown films!

The Lion King - I don't know why I find it funny that a movie that was made 17 years ago is at the top of the US box office at the moment. All I can say is thank God they re-released this. Now it's out of Disney's vault, Blockbuster Dannevirke can finally get their hands on a copy that they should have had in the first place. Bloody hell, that place disappoints me sometimes.

Little White Lies - Marion Cotillard. YES.

DVD releases

Hesher - I watched this movie last night. Oh good lord it was brilliant. And then in the credits I was reminded that this was co-written by the guy who made Animal Kingdom. Then it got ten times cooler. How is this rotten on Rotten Tomatoes?!

Mars Needs Moms - Is it bad that I forgot this movie even existed? And is it bad that I didn't even bother to give it a try? 

Take Me Home Tonight - When I looked at the poster for this movie, I thought this would be a fun and flashy comedy that just reeks the 80s. But unfortunately, when I watched it, it was a pretty toned down comedy that really only had the soundtrack making it like the 80s. It just really worried me that I knew most of those songs off by heart (thanks, Mum).

Your Highness - I watched this because, well, I'd had enough of studying and I had no better way to spend my Tuesday movie night. My goodness, can't any of these people hold a British accent?! Even my British accent is better! And yeah, it was pretty atrocious. Just shows that a film filled with cool people like Portman, Franco and Deschanel isn't particularly a good one.

So, what are your thoughts on these films? Seen Mars Needs Moms? Can you do a British accent? Read Jane Eyre? 

A Whole Lot of Stuff + An Announcement

Hey guys. How goes it?

As Tuesday is the night for the links post, I will still do that. What's in store for Tuesday Movie Night? Source Code, which I really liked when I saw it in cinemas four months ago. It's the only thing out this week...apart from The Conspirator, which I do want to see, but I don't think I'm in the mood for it at the moment.

So while I watch Jake Gyllenhaal be another man, here's some posts for you to entertain yourselves with:

Now, maybe you all know just how much I love Schindler's List. One of the amazing components in this film is the music, and there's a splendiferous post about it on Anomalous Material.

Scott at Front Room Cinema has owned up to his man crush on Ryan Gosling. I mean, who doesn't love the Gos? The first film in the 'Goslathon' is Lars and the Real Girl.

You know that book '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', which every film lover should swear by? Well, Tyler at Southern Vision has had a brilliant idea and has listed all of the films on his blog and checked what he has seen. It's a brilliant idea because you can get a good idea for what people have and haven't seen.

Ryan at The Matinee has been very busy at the Toronto International Film Festival and making me more and more jealous by the minute. He got to talk to Joseph Gordon-Levitt today!! Here's his brilliant coverage...he also makes me jealous with how much he's covering!

I'm pretty sure Jane Eyre was supposed to be out this week, but they're doing more advanced screenings this weekend (what the hell is that about?!) Lesya has seen it, and she quite liked it.

Phil at Phil on Film got an interview with the lovely Kiwi Melanie Lynskey, best remembered from Peter Jackson's brilliant film Heavenly Creatures.

As for the Tumblr recommendation of the week, let's go with something awesome that you've probably already heard of but if you haven't you need to get your ass on here now. The site is Movie Barcode. It's amazing.

Now the links are over, onto the other stuff...

Small notes on my life at the moment:
-I've been rewatching a lot more than fresh-watching. Which is annoying.
-Fatso keeps sending me Stanley Kubrick films instead of Days of Heaven which I actually really want to watch. Is Fatso trying to say something to me?
-I'm in love with Jessica Chastain.
-I wish I was at TIFF. I really do. I sit in ICT looking at photos and keeping up with the coverage and I'm so jealous it hurts.
-I passed level one NCEA yesterday! Basically, that means I have achieved the required amount of credits for our school qualifications. Which is awesome, coz we haven't even had exams yet.

And for the announcement...
I'm very sorry to inform you of this, but Cinematic Paradox is taking a short break. It may be as little as three days, maybe a week, maybe two weeks, geez, maybe even forever. It's just that school has been pretty hectic of late, and we're rolling into mock exams next week (where we do get study leave so I will have a bit more time to blog), then we have a couple more busy revision weeks at school before two weeks of holiday. After that, we have two weeks at school before the actual exams. So I just need to take a while to be able to do study and still have a little bit of time to myself, and still watch movies without having to rush them. It'll be hard living without blogging (this is the first actual break I've taken in my nearly two years of blogging that hasn't been due to a camp or a family holiday), but I think I can do it!

So, see ya's all soon. I'll respond to you comments tomorrow!

"Look in my eyes. Look at my face. Remember me, please."

Film: Biutiful
Year: 2010
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Written by: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo and Nicolás Giacobone.
Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib, Guillermo Estrella, Eduard Fernández, Cheikh Ndiaye, Diaryatou Daff.
Running time: 148 min.


Life is hard. If there was any point that Biutiful wanted to get across, that was it. Uxbal (Javier Bardem), seems to be going through it all. His estranged wife, Marambra (Maricel Álvarez), suffers from bipolar disorder which leaves her seemingly unable to look after their two children. He's trying to keep his operations with several Chinese immigrants afloat, while they live in poor conditions. Uxbal himself doesn't live in the greatest of conditions. His brother is sleeping with his wife. He can communicate with a dead body's soul. He's also dying of prostate cancer. Yes, there is a lot that Uxbal and his audience have to feel bad about. And it's like Alejandro González Iñárritu wants you to feel as terrible as ever about it all. For 148 minutes. Doesn't sound like fun, does it? No. But while the film has divided audiences and critics alike, I still found the energy deep within my soul to like this movie. Not an easy feat at all.

"Everyone has something they're good at. I've always been stupid, but I'm good at this."

Film: Breaking the Waves
Year: 1996
Writer/Director: Lars von Trier
Starring: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins, Sandra Voe, Udo Kier.
Running time: 159 min.


Before watching Melancholia at the NZFF, I decided that I should probably get myself familiar with the work of Lars von Trier. First stop: Breaking the Waves. Where Melancholia is a more, how do I put this, Hollywood kind of von Trier, the now 15 year old Breaking the Waves exhibits von Trier's talent under the influence of the 'Dogme 95' movement. The grainy, hand-held photography gives this film a very dated, yet natural look that isn't really used that much anymore - but it is very easy to admire. There was a certain air to this movie which struck me as kinda cheap; especially with its title cards which had scenic yet sullen paintings on them, and the music that played between chapters that was the kind my mother listened to when I was a kid (I used to hate it). But it's these naturalistic touches I like to see in movies, and the fact that von Trier accompanied them with a love story made me like it even more.

What's Happening Where I Am: Cinema and DVD releases here, 08/09/11

Cinema releases 

The Change-Up - Just the one release this week, even though there are advanced screenings of Jane Eyre and The Help (oh please Mother, we have to see this NOW!) this weekend. I actually forgot that this movie even existed up until today. It doesn't really look particularly promising. Even if it does have Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds in it.

DVD releases

Another Year - As this was the only movie I actually wanted to watch this week (the other four were just to waste time), I had high expectations. I can't say they were exactly met, but I really liked the movie all the same. It was delightful...in fact, that adjective fits this movie like a glove. It should have got more recognition around Oscar time, but the Best Screenplay nod was well deserved.

Arthur - I feel kinda bad for liking this movie as much as I did. We cinephiles aren't supposed to enjoy comedies, unless they are the kind that are disguised as dramas. I've had enough of the cinephile stereotype though: I enjoyed Arthur quite a lot. Except I was a little disappointed by how bland Greta Gerwig was in the movie. She basically made Greenberg, but here she just faded into the background.

Brighton Rock - One of the lessons I've learned this year: don't watch movies when you're terrified of the power cutting and you're hoping that it's actually snowing outside instead of the sleety crap that doesn't settle. Especially if you live in Dannevirke and snow excites you more than anything. Okay, so, the movie wasn't terribly great...to say it was a mess would be a bit of an understatement. But I guess I could have given it more of a chance had I not been checking the window for snow or lighting heaps of candles just in case the real lights went out (they didn't).

Country Strong - I had very low expectations for this movie, considering the huge negative reception it got when it was released. Hey, it wasn't all bad...it was just bloody mediocre, that's all. Until the end. Now that ending was something awful. If that was supposed to be a final grab for the audience's attention, it worked, but for all the wrong reasons.

Drive Angry - NICOLAS CAGE IN ANOTHER MASTERPIECE! Oh wait...that sentence can no longer be said with a straight face. Mind you, his bottle blonde hairdo was a masterpiece in itself. The movie was pretty meh, a lot better than some of the other stuff the Cage has been in lately. Except, seeing as this was released in 3D, they kept throwing stuff at the screen. I hate having stuff thrown at me...it's not cool at all.

The Roommate - I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that The Roommate is actually the worst movie I have ever seen. Okay, so The Room is technically the worst movie I have seen (like, it doesn't make sense and it's awfully made and blah blah blah), but at least I could actually laugh at that movie. The Roommate, however, was bad and it was bland. My goodness, it was just awful. I think I might have to review it just to get it's awfulness out of my system.

So, what do you think of these movies?

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

Film: Sucker Punch
Year: 2011
Director: Zack Snyder.
Written by: Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya.
Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn.
Running time: 110 min.

If there was a lesson that I've learned this year, it would have to be all thanks to Sucker Punch. You see, at the beginning of the year, this was my most anticipated film for 2011, because the trailers I'd seen made it look really pretty. As soon as it came out, everyone was trashing it, so I decided not to go and see it in cinemas (I didn't have time either). Okay, so I wasn't exactly excited for it to come out on DVD, but I still held on to a little shred of hope that this movie might actually be as cool as I thought it would be. Now that I've watched the film, I am doubting myself and the decisions I make. I'm sorry, why the hell did I want to see this movie so much?! Lesson learned from this mess: never choose the huge blockbuster movies that are really just made for teenage boys as your most anticipated. Sucker Punch is the reason why virtually all of the movies I want to see in the remainder of the year are festival favourites that don't have budgets over $5 million.

Another Link

Well, unlike last week, there are a lot of DVD releases this week. And thanks to a sick day yesterday (another one, I have such a terrible immune system), I've been able to catch all of them. Yesterday I watched the extremely mediocre Country Strong, the surprisingly funny Arthur and my new least favourite movie ever The Roommate. Tonight I'm watching Nicolas Cage's latest cinematic masterpiece Drive Angry and then one of the last great 2010 movies I have left to watch, Another Year (in fact, that was going to be the only film I watched out of all of them this week). Talk about variety, huh?

Before I launch into some links, I have a couple of questions:
1) Do you think I, the innocent 16 year old I am, could handle watching Antichrist? It's just that I'm really digging Lars von Trier movies at the moment and that's one of the only ones we have at Blockbuster.
2) Is the new review format fine? Okay, I know I haven't really changed much, but do you like?
And an apology:
I'm so so so sorry that I don't comment on your blogs as much. I'm still pretty busy at the moment and I don't often go on my laptop, but I do read some of your blog posts on my iPod at breakfast time (but my iPod isn't so good with commenting). Sorry! I'm getting seriously slack with blogging!

Anyway, while I watch Nicolas Cage in another great film and a movie that I should have watched ages ago, check out these posts...

One of my favourite Tumblr blogs at the moment is 'Fuck Yeah Directors!' which has a lot of cool set pics of directors. That could be me one day...

What is one of your most iconic movie images? Nick at Anomalous Material has chosen his 13...some very iconic images indeed!

You know me, once I hear the name Christopher Nolan associated with a movie my bum is automatically on the seat at Downtown Cinemas. Kai from Man, I Love Films doesn't like going to the cinemas (and I just can't go that often), so he looks at 10 directors who get him into the theatres.

Custard...ah, Scott from Front Room Cinema quite liked Friends with Benefits, a movie that I've been secretly looking forward to (and it's coming out next week, too).

Don't we all love a good rant? Tyler at Southern Vision does too, as he rants about the word 'pretentious' being applied to some films unfairly.

A movie that was strangely missing from the Palmy division of the NZFF, Beginners, was reviewed by Ryan at The Matinee. I still really want to see this movie.

Reminding me that a) I need to update my top 100 and b) I need to watch more eclectic movies, Cherokee releases her top 100 movies. I love this list so much.

I wasn't the only one to publish a Melancholia review on the weekend, as Lesya at the newly designed Eternity of Dream published hers too. Lesya and I love making people jealous.

I'm actually reading a book for once (I'm useless at reading, I never find the time), and that book would be 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett. Such an awesome book so far, and I'm even more excited to see the movie when it comes out next week. Andy at his Film Emporium has recently seen it and quite liked it.

Coolies. Have a great week, y'all!

"Cheer up. The world's about to end in ten minutes anyway."

Movie: Strange Days 
Year: 1995
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: James Cameron and Jay Cocks
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio, William Fichtner.
Running time: 145 min


Despite being alive at the time, I don't really remember the huge event that was the turn of the millennium. Well, yeah, I was four years old at the time and I was probably more worried about reading books (apparently I was good at that). All I actually remember of this 2000 event was this magnet on the fridge explaining everything that we needed just in case 'Y2K' had a devastating effect on our lives. Oh, and this song that we had to sing at school about it in 2004. But it would seem that 2000 was a pretty big deal, so much so that there was a movie made about it in 1995. With Kathryn 'First woman to win Best Director' Bigelow directing and her ex-husband James 'King of the World' Cameron writing, the two managed to make a sci-fi/action movie, pretty much set within the architecture of the mind, against the paranoia surrounding 2000. Oh yeah, it's pretty awesome.

"Life is only on Earth. And not for long."

Film: Melancholia
Writer/Director: Lars von Trier

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Udo Kier.
Running time: 136 min


You can love him. You can loathe him. In fact, there are probably a lot more people against Lars von Trier nowadays after his Nazi gaffe at a press conference in Cannes earlier this year. Cannes booted him out, but luckily they didn't boot his film, Melancholia, out of the competition, and Kirsten Dunst ended up winning Best Actress. Lars, a Danish director with the word 'fuck' proudly tattooed on the fingers on his right hand, is not known for making pleasant films and doesn't shy away from much on screen (let's just take the genital mutilation in Antichrist as an example here...) Melancholia, however, may be one of the most tame films that he has done in a while, and apparently his first to have an unhappy ending. Still, while I don't really respect von Trier as a person, he sure knows how to make a good film.

FRC Icon World Tour

When Scott at Front Room Cinema came up with this crazy plan to go around the world collecting icons from a few countries, I put my hand up to volunteer straight away. It's taken a few weeks to get to New Zealand, but here is my addition to the awesome series...dedicated to the very awesome Kiwi Taika Waititi!

Check it out!

I was going to post a review of Melancholia tonight, but I'm a little drained from that cinema experience. So keep an eye out for it tomorrow!

What's Happening Where I Am: Cinema and DVD releases here, 01/09/11

Note: As you may have noticed, the layout for the blog has changed. To something that's bloody simple, unlike the last one. I would like to think that it is a new look for spring, but the other layout stuffed up today so I decided to get rid of it completely. So what do you think of this new layout? There are a few things I need to fix, but that can wait until the weekend. Please, give me your feedback!

Cinema releases

Hanna - Oh hello there, Hanna, nice to see you finally arriving in NZ 21 weeks after you came out in America. Jeez, I've waited so long I might as well just keep on waiting until you come out on DVD. Even if you have my three favourite actresses Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Olivia Williams. Okay, so if I get some more money to con the parentals into taking me to see this, then I will be a happy panda.

Final Destination 5 - You know there are some desperate people out there when there's a fifth sequel and you had no idea that there were four movies that came before it.

Senna - I'm a bit confused over this one: it comes out today but it is still playing at the Palmerston North division of the film fest on Sunday. I thought with it being released today they would have pulled in from the lineup, just like they did with The Tree of Life and Incendies. Oh well, if I can track it down post-film fest, I'll definitely be seeing it. Even though I don't really know that much about Formula One.

DVD releases

Fast Five - As I said on Tuesday, my regular Tuesday Movie Night didn't go according to plan because this is the only DVD release this week. Cars and Vin Diesel are generally not my type of thing (all though I did used to be a major car geek when I was eight...but you don't need to know about that).

So, what do you think of these movies? And the new layout, while you're at it...