My Movie Biography: Paul Newman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Changes in 2009

(2006, 2007, 2008) Wow, 2009. Seems like just yesterday that 2009 happened. I'm not kidding. I blame this on high school. High school is so short that everything goes really fast. Sometimes I feel like I started just yesterday, but then I realise that I'm one year out from finishing. It is quite scary. Anyway, 2009:

• The first day of 2009 was extremely good. Why? Because I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the first time. And that introduced me to the hotness that was Paul Newman. Now, I was really sad when he died in 2008, but at that point, I wasn't really aware of who he was. When I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, I literally saw the most perfect looking man who ever lived. Not to mention that his performance is this huge melting pot of angst, masculinity on the edge and a general distaste in living. The way he reacts with Maggie is so fascinating to watch. You know how those Tumblr people like to say that a certain good looking person made their "ovaries explode"? I know it is a bit extreme, and I don't think it really happened, but that's exactly how I felt when I saw Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Needless to say, I was in love with him for most of that year. Even so much so that my mother went halves with me on this Paul Newman boxset...which to this day I've only watched two out of the five films. I should really get going on the rest. 
• Ah yeah, high school happened. I honestly don't remember too much of the early days, although I soon realised that high school was better than primary. What was pretty awesome, though, was that my tutor group (you may know that as a form room or homeroom or something like that) was in the Drama room. I was determined to make Drama my favourite subject since at that time I wanted to be an actress, so having my tutor group in Drama was just meant to be. When you're year nine, though, you have little seven week modules of all of the subjects (excluding the core ones like English, Maths, Science and Social Studies, which you had to take), so in the future you'd know which ones you'll be interested in taking. I didn't get to take Drama until the very end of the year, which was a bummer. And it was only seven weeks. I have taken Drama ever since, though, and it is my favourite subject. I did take Speech and Drama, though, which was an extra class kinda thing. I did a speech on classic movies (I was oh so predictable in those days) and a monologue as a mother who has just lost her son. I managed to get a Merit, which is the second highest grade. Back in those days, I used to be such a Drama freak.
• Continuing on my quest to be an actress, I took part in the local production of Grease. Those were the best days of my life. Even though I was just part of the chorus, it was so fun to dress up and sing and dance and stuff. I did love being up on stage and stuff. Especially because it was one of the biggest hit shows that Dannevirke ever had.

Lame Trailer Clichés: They Don't Talk in Foreign Films

Due to racism (or something), we don't get many foreign films at Blockbuster, but some trailers for them occasionally pop up on the trailer disc. It seems that the trailer Gods have the same view of subtitles as Dannevirke does: subtitles are death. To solve that problem, they just don't let anyone talk in the trailers...or they throw in a few words here and there. A few examples:

16 Days of Birthday, Day 15: Movies that Mean Something to Me

Well we're nearing the end. Tomorrow I will be a legal 16 year old. Today I'm just a young 15 year old.Aren't birthdays just wonderful things?
For today's topic I've chosen something which I can get really sentimental over...the movies that mean something to me.What do I mean by this? The movies which I look at and have all of the sentiment for. To put it in simple terms these movies feel like pets to me. Nice fluffy ginger kittens if you want to get specific.

My first obsession with a movie.

Back in the early days of my interest in film I got a magazine which listed the top ten scariest horrors ever. I became obsessed with this page even though I never really had the balls back then to watch the movies on the list (although if I remember correctly I've probably watched at least half of them by now). One of the movies on that list that interested me the most though was Brian De Palma's 1976 classic Carrie. I was so interested by that iconic image of Sissy Spacek in a prom dress soaked in blood. So I got the movie out - this was probably in early 2007 - and watched it with my Mum. After that I was obsessed with the movie: I had to know every little detail of the movie and I read the book several times. The worst thing is that I don't even know why I was obsessed with the movie...

A movie which I have an undying love for.

Back in April 2008 I watched Gone with the Wind for the first time. At that point I didn't actually know that it was nearly 4 hours long so I was a little confused when it just stopped in the middle and then there was a little hand on the screen asking me to flip the disc over. That day I watched the whole thing thinking that I hadn't seen anything like it before. Truth is I still haven't seen anything that comes close to the sheer epicness and the masterful piece of film-making that it is. The technicolour is enchanting, the story is amazing and the acting is brilliance...it's truly one of a kind for me. It affected me so much that I made this huge booklet describing everything about the making of this movie (and no one, to this day, has ever seen it).

My favourite Christmas movie.

Some of you might like to watch a particular film on Christmas day. I usually catch The Wizard of Oz as it is always on TV that day. But the movie that I watch every year without fail is Meet Me in St. Louis. I don't really know why...it just fills me up with joy every time I watch it. My Christmas day just isn't the same without Judy Garland singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas', Tootie getting up to all sorts of mischief and the final scene showing the Saint Louis World's Fair. Rather than being like a fluffy ginger kitten, for me this is more like an old friend who likes to bring around honey all the time

The first movie that I ever blogged about.

This movie just so happens to be in my top ten favourite movies of all time. Back on October 21st, 2009, I started this blog by writing this review:

Today I watched a Swedish Horror movie called 'Let the Right One In' (2009). I'd heard many good things about this film, by reading reviews on imdb.com and in Empire magazine. This movie sure was great. You see, people tend to think that Twilight dominates the vampire genre, but it doesn't, not compared to this film. Sadly, I think people don't watch subtitled films because 'they're too hard to keep up with'. Well, this was the first subtitled film I'd ever watched, and I didn't find it hard at all. In fact, I completely forgot that the characters were talking in some language that sounded like gibberish. The story revolves around a young bullied boy, who meets a strange girl in the courtyard outside their block of apartments. The girl has a secret though...she's a vampire who feasts on the blood of innocent people in Stockholm. While watching this, I didn't feel that it was that freaky, but after thinking about it, it was quite a violent and sadistic film. I will remember this film forever as the best vampire film. Don't knock it until you've watched it.
10/10

If my reviewing skills haven't become any better since then, I sure do write a lot more! I love this film a lot more than I did back then, though, thanks to it's beauty and thrilling cross between horror and arthouse.

My favourite experience at the movies.

Technically, there are three favourite experiences that I've had, and they're all for the same movie. You probably already know what they are: the three times I watched Inception. It's pretty much impossible for me to choose which screening was my favourite. The first time was amazing, because well, it was my first viewing of the movie after months of anticipating it, and it turned out to top my expectations. I like the effect it had on me afterwards, too: I cried once the credits rolled and I was shaking for quite a while after leaving the cinema. The second time was cool because I got to take two more friends, and everybody started clapping at the end. The third time may have been the most fun because I got to take six friends with me for my birthday party. We had a grand old time, but the funniest thing was when the audience all got really pissed off at the end.
So I guess I should thank my friends for making those experiences awesome: Maxine (who saw it with me all three times), Kieran and Megan (who saw it with me twice), and Cassie, Tania and Georgia.

And, of course, my favourite movie...

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking that Schindler's List might be my favourite movie, but I really can't place it over Christopher Nolan's Memento. While Memento may not be a film that I have watched that many times, nor a film which I feel like watching often, I still absolutely love it. I really do like movies that aren't in chronological order. Memento is the king of movies that aren't in chronological order. I always feel like I have this movie all figured out, but then I remember that it's going in the opposite direction to me and I have to figure it out all over again. Usually I forget small details that make this movie make sense, so it's always like watching a new movie for me. Such a rare trait that it possesses - and that's why I love it.

So what are some of your 'fluffy ginger kitten' movies?

16 Days of Birthday, Day 11: You Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Make Me Happy...

Yes, I did just quote Tropic Thunder. I still find the fake 'Simple Jack' trailer one of the funniest things ever. As much as I'd like to sit here and talk to you about why Robert Downey Jr is the best at being an American playing an Australian playing a black dude etc etc, that won't be the case tonight. No. It's gloomy outside, the polar blast is still lurking around New Zealand (but no snow for Dannevirke...grrrrrrrrrrrr), and I'm feeling a bit under the weather. So I thought I better write a happy post!


You know, there are rarely any moments when I watch movies just to be happy. Usually I just stick a movie in and there you have it (I shall be watching Biutiful later tonight, which doesn't look like it will be a happy ride at all). If I had a type, I definitely do like watching movies which make me cry or really sad. But there are some movies which just make me happy. They make me smile like an idiot at the end, even if they aren't jovial right the way through.

At the moment, everybody seems to hate romantic comedies. Which is probably a good thing, considering that 99% of them are a load of crap and watching two people being in love isn't as interesting as it was back in the days of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. But you know one pretty recent romantic comedy that is actually awesome? (500) Days of Summer. Okay, so maybe it's more of an anti-romantic comedy, but either way, it still speaks the truth about many relationships and why they sometimes don't work out. While I wished that Tom and Summer could have been together at the end, I'm always smiling ear to ear once the credits roll. That's probably because this film, after all the depression that Tom goes through after being dumped by Summer, takes one last stab at happiness right at the very end. It comes in both the form of Tom finally realising that there are more things in life than the love of Summer Finn, and a very clever inside joke between the viewer and the film.

I'll admit, I'm secretly a hopeless romantic. You know, one day, I'd love a guy like Tom Hansen. Yet, another reason why I love (500) Days of Summer is the fact that it is so coy about love, as it's essentially about learning that love isn't the fairytale it seems to be. That's what really makes me happy. Yes, the film looks at a romantic relationship between a man and a woman. But in this one, Katherine Heigl doesn't get the guy who she really hated at the beginning. Instead, we see love happen. It may not be true love, but it's there. Then, we see the ultimate heartbreak through the brilliant expectations/reality scene, as Tom's fantasy falls down around his ears by seeing what actually happens. Yeah, reality will always be there to make sure that we don't live our lives through a fantasy. This is when I feel pretty sad for the guy, which makes the end all the more happy. And while Tom spends most of his post-Summer days in a state of depression, when he finally meets Summer again, he was able to take it like a man. (500) Days of Summer may have it's twee glossy coat, but really, there's a world of depression and sadness underneath it all. But it still manages to make me smile in the end.

Like I did with (500) Days of Summer, I can usually find happiness in the most unlikely films. For example, I always feel really happy when I finish watching Let the Right One In. This film, to me, is one of the most beautiful portrayals of friendship in a film. It features two outcasts, one being a young bullied boy and another being a young vampire who has lived for hundreds of years. Sure, it's unlikely, but this movie is essentially an allegory for having a friend who will always be there for you. My heart always shatters when I see the note Eli wrote - "I must be gone and live, or stay and die" - because this means that poor little Oskar has no-one yet again. But every time I see that amazing swimming pool scene, I'm instantly lifted. I think the bond between Eli and Oskar is so sweet, especially because of how Eli could help Oskar when he was in so much trouble. The final scene, showing Oskar in the train using morse code to communicate with Eli who is in a box, always makes me happy. Mainly because I love how they can help each other so effortlessly, whereas before they met each other, they were struggling to help themselves.
 
There are plenty of other weird movies that make me really happy (seriously, Inglourious Basterds will never fail to make me smile like someone on drugs). Oh yeah, and there are movies which make me happy once they finally end (uh, Sucker Punch, anyone?). But hey, I'm strange like that.
 
What are some movies which make you happy?

Top 10 Favourite Films of All Time (well, as of January 2011...)

So, guys and girlies, I am back from escaping to the city for a wee holiday. Not much to report about that, apart from the fact I finally bought myself an iPod Touch, saw a few movies at the cinemas (including my first 3D...TRON: Legacy) and now have a huge amount of movies to review. And because my holiday has sucked some creative juices out of me, I had to do the easiest topics for this weeks Top 10: my favourite movies of all time. Well, hey, I haven't exactly told you them, have I? But you probably won't be surprised by this list...

Honourable mentions: Pulp Fiction, A Single Man, Fight Club, (500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Animal Kingdom, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Wizard of Oz, The Shawshank Redemption, An Education, The Hangover, Up in the Air, A Streetcar Named Desire, Batman Begins, The Prestige, All About Eve, Sunset Blvd., Forrest Gump, Revolutionary Road, The Aviator, The Departed, It Happened One Night, Rear Window, Psycho, District 9, Juno, Waitress, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

"You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go."

Some may call it a Forrest Gump wannabe, some may call it boring and overcooked, some may call it one of the worst David Fincher creations out there. I disagree with those three statements. When I first saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button around a year and a half ago, I was struck by it's beauty and the way it pulled off the aging process. But most of all, the story really got me. We've seen so many romantic dramas of late, but none manage to come close to the beauty of Benjamin and Daisy's relationship, which is precisely played with undeniable chemistry from Brad Pitt and the oft-snubbed Cate Blanchett. I revisited this film just recently and it is so weird to compare this to other David Fincher creations, particularly because of how spellbinding this journey is through the film. It isn't all Fincher by himself, though, there's that score by Alexandre Desplat which makes this film as magical and as sad as it is.
 
9. Let the Right One In
 

"If I wasn't a girl... would you like me anyway?"

Unfortunately, I think this movie will now be most associated with the American remake, Let Me In, but I'll always be in love with this Swedish horror film. It's practically perfect and just the way I like it: very slow-paced, taking time to take in the story and the scenery surrounding it. The best thing about it? It reminds me that cinema is still the greatest art form. And it also reminds me that vampire love stories aren't just a fad to keep the Twi-hards happy. The love story between vampire Eli and human Oskar is one that is different, often confusing and really sweet. If only more people could see this Swedish gem...

8. The Social Network

"The internet's not written in pencil, Mark. It's written in ink."

I feel like it's a bit of a gamble sticking this movie in my top favourites, but it totally deserves it. Last week I went to go and see it again, and I don't know whether it was before I even knew about this project I was pretty much an expert on Facebook, but I really enjoyed it. Like, I was genuinely entertained by a movie which shouldn't have been entertaining at all. From the amazing performances from Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer and even Justin Timberlake, to the wonderfully subtle and timed direction from David Fincher, The Social Network may just be a masterpiece. Thank God a man like Aaron Sorkin lived to make an interesting story even more interesting by creating a script which was unlike anything I had heard before. And I can't not mention the really awesome score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which is currently on repeat on my (new) iPod. Coming out of this film for the second time, I could only think of two things: I want to start a million dollar business or make a movie similar to this one. I can't say whether either of those plans will be successful.

7. Inglourious Basterds

"My name is Shoshanna Dreyfus, and THIS is the face...of Jewish vengeance!"

I love Quentin Tarantino, so of course one of his films had to be in here. And it just so happens that I love Inglourious Basterds the most. He had a lot of guts to make this film. I mean, it takes something that actually happened and gave it a fictional twist, compiled his story of World War II in to what could have been five short films, and gave us the most epic ending scene that I have ever seen. All of which couldn't have been possible without the discovery of Christoph Waltz, who gives literally one of the best performances ever as the slightly sadistic, multilingual nutjob villain Hans Landa. It may be a long ride, but I enjoy every single gut-wrenching second of it.

6. Mean Girls

 

"On Wednesday's we wear pink!"

 

While a real cinephile will probably have some black-and-white Russian film that no-one has ever heard of in this spot, I have chosen to go with my favourite comedy ever, Mean Girls. Yes, I do feel kinda strange about putting a Lindsay Lohan movie on my list. But, regardless, this movie is like the bible to surviving 'girl-world', and we have one woman to thank for that: Tina Fey. Her script is an absolute cracker, and it's so true that you can't help but like it. We all know a Regina, a Gretchen, and maybe a Karen, and we've all at some point in our life felt a little victimised like Cady, which is why this movie is so great. Seriously, I could watch this movie over and over and over (and so on and so forth), and it would never get old.

 

5. Meet Me in St. Louis

 

"It'll take me at least a week to dig up all my dolls at the cemetery!"

This movie deserves it's place here because I watch it every Christmas, and it, without fail, always makes me happy. There were so many musicals that came out during that era, but none of them stand out as much as Meet Me in St. Louis. Firstly, because this movie isn't really a musical, as there are only a few songs scattered through the film. Those songs, which include 'Trolley Song' and 'Have Youself a Merry Little Christmas', are simply sublime with the voice of Judy Garland making them what they are. Secondly, this movie has a real heart. It shows the dynamics of a family and sees what happens when everything is turned upside down. And finally, this movie deals with the 'no place like home' theme, which, in the end, reduces me to tears. Gosh, there is no more syrupy fun then there is in Meet Me in St. Louis.

4. Memento

 

"Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts."

 

You know how I had to watch Memento? On youtube. And you know how I had to buy it? As a DVD which has a different region, which I can't play on my laptop. But neither of those slight annoyances stopped me from absolutely loving this movie. I guess it was with this movie that I kinda became really serious about being a screenwriter/director, because I loved the way Christopher Nolan played with a simple narrative and flipped it around so it transformed into something that had to be pieced together, bit by bit, as if you were the main protagonist Leonard. I often just randomly start thinking about this film and jumping for joy (not literally...that would be a bit strange) because it is so great. It just makes me happy that there are some great filmmakers out there who take risks and make enriching viewing experience which give you a lot more if you put in the effort.

 

3. Gone with the Wind

"With enough courage, you can do without a reputation."

Even though I may not watch it as much anymore, I will always love Gone with the Wind to death. I think watching it around the time you are 12 is quite a good way to do it for some reason, because there is just something about it which is so romantic and grand scale epic which manages to sweep you away. It would be nothing without it's heroine Scarlett O'Hara and her performer Vivien Leigh, who dares to do things differently, which is both entertaining and heartbreaking to watch. Say no more, this is filmmaking at it's utmost best.

2. Inception

"She locked away a secret, deep inside herself, something she once knew to be true...but chose to forget."

Y'all probably saw this coming, and I must say, this isn't very 'eclectic' of me. But who says I can't have Inception on my list? This movie is literally my dream come true, and it's definitely one of the films which I have been affected by the most. I mean, I have never walked out of the cinema crying. Inception really did it for me. At least a modern blockbuster can actually be entirely fulfilling at the hand of master Christopher Nolan. I can't really add more...just search Inception on this blog and you'll find at least a million reasons as to why I love this movie so much.

1. The Dark Knight

"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight."

A few months ago, I came to the conclusion that I had to pick one favourite film. At first, I may have said Inception, but that was really just a phase I went through which may just blow over one day. So I went through a big process of elimination (similar to the one I just painfully went through to make this list), and discovered that there is no film I love more than The Dark Knight. This film is almost perfect...there's only one thing I don't like: the line spoken by Dr. Crane "Not in my diagnosis" (it's a little cheesy). Otherwise, I love the intensity, the drama and the awesome scriptwriting that comes with this movie. It's so much more than a comic book movie. It's a dark tale which is masterfully done by Christopher Nolan (he seems to be appearing a lot around here), and isn't without that amazing performance from Heath Ledger. One watch isn't enough. Neither are fifty watches.

What are some of your favourite films? Please drop some comments in, lovely people!

A couple more pics from Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Just thought I'd post a couple more pics from my Halloween which happened to be yesterday.

There's a wee comparison of me and the real Eli, Lina Lendersson. Yeah, I know, I have nothing on her. But it was fun dressing up!

Me and my fellow colleagues in our Halloween costumes. We look pretty awesome!

My Halloween experience...

Yes, I realize that Halloween isn't until tomorrow, but at work we had to get in early coz everyone works on Saturday. Our challenge was to dress up. Everyone else did some simple scary things, I took a movie character (I wanted to dress up as Hit-Girl, but that's too much work). Which movie character?

Eli from Let the Right One In.

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures of me as Eli. Might post some of the group pics later when they get sent to me.

There's my Halloween effort...we don't really get too into it here in New Zealand, but I take any opportunity to dress up. What are you dressing up as this Halloween, if you're dressing up at all?

Thoughts I had while working in Blockbuster for a week...

Seriously, working a video store all week, it really gets your game up. Like, I had to clean every shelf in that shop, and I kept finding all these movies I had no idea existed. Same with the trailer loop disc...there were all these trailers for these movies which I once had no interest in seeing, but then the trailers made them look kinda interesting. So here are some things I noticed and things that happened in my week of labouring to pay my Dad back for all the money I spent on my holiday...

Aaron Johnson is frickin gorgeous.


There were two trailers of him on the loop disc: Nowhere Boy and Kick-Ass. I knew exactly when they were coming on, too (Nowhere Boy after New York, I Love You and Kick-Ass after Iron Man 2), so I would stop what I was doing and just watch them. Like one of those chicks who like to gawk at Robert Pattinson every time they see something mildly like him within a ten metre radius of them. Okay, so maybe I wasn't kissing the TV screen or anything...but Aaron Johnson is simply...perfection. Oh, and he has a really good Top 5 Favourite Movies too...check it out! He loves Tarantino and Fincher! I think I just fell in love with him...again.

Rob Schneider just...pops up...out of nowhere.


Particularly in teen movies, looking like a real perve. Just look at the posters for American Virgin and Wild Cherry. And while we are on the subject of American Virgin...well, I haven't seen it, but, by judging by it's DVD cover, there are three reasons why I don't want to see it:
1. Jenna Dewan, on that cover, looks strangely like Katie Price.
2. I'm pretty sure I have seen it all before in another movie.
3. Why is it called American Virgin? I mean, I get that the chick is a virgin, and she's American, but is that supposed to mean that she is the only American virgin? I just don't get it.

People still wanna watch Robin Hood.


It has been out for like, two weeks? And people still go up and grab it as soon as they walk into the shop. God knows why. I mean, surely that cover with Russell Crowe's face isn't that appealing, is it?

Sex and the City 2 looks like it has more CGI than Avatar.


Like, in some scenes, Sarah Jessica Parker's face looks like it is going to fall off, and she looks a little too old to be wearing whatever it is she wears in that movie. Kim Catrall, however, looks like a person who has been attacked by photoshop and is stuck like that. And seriously, did we need a movie about whiny middle aged woman in Abu Dhabi? No. But despite all this, I am looking forward to watching this movie upon it's DVD release next month. Coz, you know, I can RIP IT TO SHREDS!

The horror section is always a mess...


...but I make the time to dig up Let the Right One In and display it in the most prominent way. That movie has rented out a lot since we I got it. That movie wouldn't have been in the shop if it weren't for me. I ordered it for myself, got sick of waiting and found it elsewhere, and then it just turned up in the store so they had to put it out for rent. It gives me such pleasure when I see it isn't there.

Sequels happen.


I, until last month, was totally unaware of three sequels which happened. The first one was Stomp the Yard: Homecoming (do we have to talk about how ridiculously stupid the cover looks?), a movie which they had ordered 14 copies of. And guess what?! The most I ever saw rented of it was one copy. One copy per day...loads of profit. The second was St. Trinians II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. It features Rupert Everett making jokes about Lady Gaga, Colin Firth being 'sexy' with a soaked shirt, the guy off Doctor Who, Gemma Arterton with a longer version of the hairstyle she wore in the first film, Talulah Riley who was Eames in Inception, girls screaming, a big dance off somewhere in Britain, slutty outfits, and the annoying dumb chicks who have this 'oh my God' thing. Sounds like good fun. Not. And last, was Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Looks like pure Disney crap and exactly like High School Musical 2...but in a camp! Unfortunately, I had the song off the trailer stuck in my head all day, which I'm pretty sure contributed to my agonizing migraine.

Nicholas Hoult is really cute.


Once, when I had come into work before the shop opened, the TV was turned on and the first thing that came up was Nicholas Hoult in the trailer for A Single Man. I felt so special. Then I had to explain the movie to one of the people who I work with what the movie was about. Which pretty much failed, because there isn't a right way to explain that movie. She told me that someone thought it was strange, and my happiness from starting work to the cute face of Nicholas Hoult was kinda deflated. Oh well...I guess A Single Man just really isn't Dannevirke's thing.

AAAAAAND...for the most exciting thing that has happened all week (apart from getting the Inception script, of course)!


So, I just read The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, and it's fair to say, I am obsessed with the Facebook story (that and I am writing an epic article all about Facebook for the local paper). I am also in love with Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield at the moment. I have been wanting to see The Social Network ever since I found out that David Fincher was directing it (because I couldn't quite process that thought). Even more so seeing all the rave reviews it's getting. But it wasn't set to be released here until November 25th, which would suck for me becuase I would be going on a stupid school camp then and wouldn't be able to see it until ages after. However, today, I found out, that the release date had been pushed up a couple of weeks and it will be here on November 11! Which means I don't have to wait so long! Trust me, the countdown has already started...
(Dear Movie God, if only Never Let Me Go's release date could be pushed up...maybe four months? I have to wait 10th February 2011 to see it...and I'm not sure my Andrew Garfield obsession can wait that long. Amen.)

Day 02--Movie I think more people should see

It's so hard to correctly answer this question. What I mean is, instantly when I look at the question I think what I'd like all the people in this town to see. But then I realise that there is 'filmworld', where all the cinephiles such as myself live. So, my answer is purely based on what I think more New Zealander's should see, and if there are any of you readers who haven't seen it, I suggest you go and find it.
Let the Right One In is one of my most favourite modern horrors of all time. The first time I saw it I was overwhelmed by it's astounding beauty and resonance. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the 'Twilight' films, this vampire tale was forgotten about. Just because it's Swedish and has subtitles, doesn't mean it sucks. Quite the opposite, actually.
This movie has been the subject of a few of my posts through the past months. It was actually the first film I reviewed on here...check out how small the review was and how bad I was at writing them back in October! Then, just a couple of months ago, I did a pretty nasty post on why America shouldn't have remade the film. And when the trailer for that remake was released, I unleashed my anger again. I always have problems with American remakes, but this one shouldn't have been touched. I don't care if Let Me In is really good, the American's ruin what wasn't theirs in the first place.
So before everyone goes and sees Let Me In, which they will, I definitely recommend that they watch Let the Right One In again. It is an underseen gem of a movie, which for once does justice to the vampire genre. For the complete experience, watch this on a laptop with your headphones in, and have the rest of the room dark. It is so creepy!
This is a great mind bending psychological horror (it is, actually, if you think about it) which stays with you long after you've watched it. Don't let the subtitles put you off. I barely even noticed they were there when I was watching it!

Let the Right One In remake gets a trailer, and what a fail it is.

Remember that blog post I did a while back about the Let the Right One In remake? Well, there's now a trailer for the upcoming Let Me In...and now I have more evidence to suggest why it wasn't a good idea to remake such a great film.


List of things that are wrong:

• Remake. FAIL.
• Chloe Moretz. Talented but not Lina Leandersson. FAIL.
• Kodi Smit-McPhee. Um, I don't know what to say about that one. SEMI-FAIL
• The music. WTF?! FAIL.
• It's American. MAJOR FAIL.
• The hoodie is present. I know it's cold, but actors get paid to act, right? Lina Leandersson didn't need a hoodie. Despite that, the hoodie is a great addition to any wardrobe. ACHIEVED.
• That blouse Chloe Moretz is seen wearing. FAAAAAAAAAIL.
• "I need blood to live." Uh yeah, you're a vampire. We've seen that all before in Twilight. FAIL.
• Stalking the she-vamp. The she-vamp who looks pretty much like an average girl I'd see in this town. FAIL.
• "Among ordinary people." Well done. Vampires do live around ordinary people these days. See: True Blood, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries...ACHIEVED (based on the fact that they established vampires live among ordinary people).
• That scene where the blood comes out of her head. Eli made it freaky, Abby makes it a freak show.
• That floating white sheet. What is it? MERIT (I want to know what it is)
• Morse code. Swedish people make it look better...and that was just weird. FAIL.
• Looking forward to it factor? ACHIEVED (for comparison reasons only)

Okay, okay, I'm biased because I absolutely love the original and I hate it when Americans steal other stuff. But hey, this is one they shouldn't have touched because the film really only works in Sweden--it captures the beauty of it.

This is one film I'll be waiting for when it comes out on DVD...until then I can make do with Let the Right One In.

Trailer grade: FAIL.

America: 'Hey Sweden, why don't we just remake your great films?'

Americans need to get their own ideas.
So yeah, remaking The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is understandable, because:
1. It is a critically acclaimed book series, which anyone-whose-anyone has read. So, if these people are a bit tired after reading those massive books, then they probably don't want to read the subtitles to a movie, which probably isn't as good as the book in the first place.
2.David Fincher's directing it. At least he's a director who knows what he is doing, not some guy who last directed a comedy which was 'Rotten'. If David Fincher is directing it, you know you have a winner.

But America has got their paws on Let the Right One In . Which is possibly the greatest vampire movie of all-time. And also one of the creepiest. This movie does not deserve to be given the American treatment. Because the Americans will literally take the idea, dumb it down to the lowest common denominator, and the magic left in it will be ruined by their idea of popular culture. Now, I don't mean to hate on the person that is the director of this- Matt Reeves , director of Cloverfield-because I'm sure he means well. But he just isn't David Fincher.

Let the Right One In has been changed to Let Me In, and the lead characters names have been changed from Oskar and Eli to... Owen and Abby.

Seriously?

Chloe Moretz will be playing Abby, and so far she has been proving to be one of the greatest young smart-ass actresses ever. Not that I hold that against her. She was terrific in (500) Days of Summer and has been getting quite good reviews for Kick-Ass. But can she handle the role of the she-vampire with the right intensity just as Lina Leandersson did? Well, she's been given a hoodie, so I guess that's starting a new punk look for the vampire...or maybe she found it too cold to be parading around the snow in a white blouse.

Chloe Moretz, complete with hoodie, as she-vamp Abby. Not quite the Eli we remember, but you know, I'd imagine that this 400 year old girl is quite down with the yong ones. Which is why she's in the hoodie, and making faces with her breath on the window, you see.

Lina Leandersson, playing the original 400 year old she-vamp Eli. No hoodie, just white blouse with a bit of blood coming out of her. You gotta love her for that.

Kodi Smit-McPhee will be playing Owen, who is a bullied young boy who befriends the she-vamp (haha, I like that way of putting it). Smit-McPhee is a young Australian actor who got his big break opposite Eric Bana in Australian flick Romulus, My Father. But you've probably seen him in the apocalyptic film 2012, just kidding, The Road. Not bad for a little Australian guy, starring in a film like this, which will get all of it's publicity from the controversy surrounding it.

Abby and Owen puzzle over a Rubik's cube-and possibly why they chose to remake this film-out in the cold courtyard. Look like a fine coupling to me. A little like a younger version of Bella and Edward. So if K-Stew and R-Pattz quit Breaking Dawn due to pay disputes, you know where to find Chloe and Kodi!

The director of the original, Tomas Alfredson, is understandbly not to happy with the Americanization of his film. That's because his film is a masterpiece, and he know's it. Everyone knows it. You just can't beat the originals, even if they are made in some funny language and require you to read for one and a half hours of your life.

Will I be going to see Let Me In? Probably not in cinemas. I understand it is going to be given a wide release, which is unfortunate because Let the Right One In was given a really small one. But I will see Let Me In one day. What I imagine it to be is full of gore and blood--just plain sillyness you get from average run-of-the-mill horrors these days. There will be an uber-awesome soundtrack, filled with rap music and possibly Justin Bieber (to, you know, keep up with the cool crowd), instead of the lovely harmonious pieces of music which can make even the hardest heart go soft. And Abby will become the next style icon--she will do for the she-vamp what Carrie Bradshaw did for the maxi-dress. Trust me, after you have seen Let Me In, you'll want to be seen in a hoodie (as pictured to the right, the simple black hoodie can make you look so much cooler).

So anyway, I did mention The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the beginning of this post. I'd love to see Carey Mulligan playing Lisbeth Salander. Ten dollars says that they will change her name. It'll be interesting to see sweet Jenny playing a pierced computer hacker. And she'll still be going for the older men. Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Johnny Depp are all rumoured to be playing Mikael Blomkvist. This could be alternatively called An Education 2: Jenny Moves On? Because, you know, Americans like changing names of other peoples stuff so it seems like their idea.

Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. There's a really fun-loving, Care Bears watching, pink princess under all of that tough guy act, somewhere.

Ah, there's our Carey Mulligan playing Jenny in An Education. The Americans will water the role of Lisbeth down a little, because we would hate for Jenny's repuatation and look to be diminished! (oh right, she was having an affair with an older man...)

Just in case you were wondering:
Let Me In will be released in America in October 2010.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is slated for release in 2012. But the next two parts in the trilogy (all Swedish) will be coming later this year. However, critically speaking, the sequels haven't been doing well.