A version of this is posted to Just Finished Watching.
Really well done, neatly constructed and epic account of Nelson Mandela's life, the struggle and South Africa's evolution. That said, I found myself not spectacularly moved. I don't know if this is because I know the story really well, and so I knew exactly how it would unfold as a movie. I found it really interesting, and Idris Elba and Naomie Harris were fantastic as Nelson and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, but it didn't ping my sentiment bone, like Invictus. Worth watching though.
To my Saffa shame, I haven't read the book. I will now, though!
Trailers: 'Wolf of Wall Street', which seems kind of random but might be amusing. And something dire-looking called 'The Monument Squad', but as Jones rightly pointed out, if we're going to get enough out of our cinema cards, we'll need to become less discerning.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Sunday, January 05, 2014
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thursday movie reviews
I've added a few new reviews to the blog I contribute to, Just Finished Watching.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
What I've been watching
Since I got an ipad through work, I've watched an inordinate amount of stuff via Lovefilm Instant. It's just so easy to stream! Especially after I increased my broadband allowance. Cough.
500 Days of Summer
I'm so disappointed in this movie. I expected to just love it - quirky characters, The Smiths on the soundtrack. These are key things on Liz's List for Pleasurable Viewing. But it was all way too self-consciously quirky and maudlin and just...blerg. Terrible movie. A colleague at work maintains that we're supposed to hate this movie, that the characters are deliberately annoying. Not so sure about that. That might be giving them too much credit.
Men in Black 3
You can't really go wrong with an MIB movie. Same formula, same jokes, good reliable humour. I liked it, it made me laugh.
Prometheus
Because I apparently live under a rock, I did not realise that this was a prequel to Alien/Aliens. So I thought I was TERRIBLY clever at picking up the Weyland reference, and the white Android blood. I thought my geek flag was flying high. And then it turned out that was the point all along and not a subtle reference to make me look good. Still an interesting movie though! I always enjoy it when aliens turn out to not be enlightened or friendly and actually just want to kill humans for their hubris instead. It's a fun alternative to the Happy Federation Families as seen in Star Trek. High points: Michael Fassbender as the creepy, perfect android and Noomi Rapace as an arse-kicking archaeologist. Low points: Charlize Theron, but she's always a low point. The movie raised some interesting ideas about intelligent design and meeting God and the notion of the great hereafter. But mostly it was an arse-kicking Aliens romp.
Friends with Benefits
Oh, Justin Timberlake. The only thing that makes me think that you're not a bad actor is the fact that you look and sound exactly the same in interviews, leading me to believe that you just ARE wooden and vapid. That said, I though Friends with Benefits was darn funny. Filthy funny, actually. And when I die, I want to come back as Mila Kunis's bum, because it is pretty perfect. And speaking of Mila Kunis, is it just me or is she suddenly everywhere? I watched an old teen flick the other day, and there she was! Bizarre. Anyway, I have this on DVD and I think I'll hang onto it for vapid, rainy day viewing.
Movies I've started watching but still not finished
RED
Ella Enchanted
The Runaways
500 Days of Summer
I'm so disappointed in this movie. I expected to just love it - quirky characters, The Smiths on the soundtrack. These are key things on Liz's List for Pleasurable Viewing. But it was all way too self-consciously quirky and maudlin and just...blerg. Terrible movie. A colleague at work maintains that we're supposed to hate this movie, that the characters are deliberately annoying. Not so sure about that. That might be giving them too much credit.
Men in Black 3
You can't really go wrong with an MIB movie. Same formula, same jokes, good reliable humour. I liked it, it made me laugh.
Prometheus
Because I apparently live under a rock, I did not realise that this was a prequel to Alien/Aliens. So I thought I was TERRIBLY clever at picking up the Weyland reference, and the white Android blood. I thought my geek flag was flying high. And then it turned out that was the point all along and not a subtle reference to make me look good. Still an interesting movie though! I always enjoy it when aliens turn out to not be enlightened or friendly and actually just want to kill humans for their hubris instead. It's a fun alternative to the Happy Federation Families as seen in Star Trek. High points: Michael Fassbender as the creepy, perfect android and Noomi Rapace as an arse-kicking archaeologist. Low points: Charlize Theron, but she's always a low point. The movie raised some interesting ideas about intelligent design and meeting God and the notion of the great hereafter. But mostly it was an arse-kicking Aliens romp.
Friends with Benefits
Oh, Justin Timberlake. The only thing that makes me think that you're not a bad actor is the fact that you look and sound exactly the same in interviews, leading me to believe that you just ARE wooden and vapid. That said, I though Friends with Benefits was darn funny. Filthy funny, actually. And when I die, I want to come back as Mila Kunis's bum, because it is pretty perfect. And speaking of Mila Kunis, is it just me or is she suddenly everywhere? I watched an old teen flick the other day, and there she was! Bizarre. Anyway, I have this on DVD and I think I'll hang onto it for vapid, rainy day viewing.
Movies I've started watching but still not finished
RED
Ella Enchanted
The Runaways
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A few reviews
Things I've read:
Irish Rebel
Classic, formulaic Nora Roberts. I didn't realise that this was number three in a series. I loathe reading books out of order, so I'm a little annoyed about that. This is one of her Silhoutte efforts, so it's fairly short and light. A little bit of steam though. And some horses. Not together, obviously, that's a genre Nora Roberts wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
Love Me, Love Me Not
I'm almost embarrassed to tell you how long this has been sitting on my TBR pile - a long, long time. It's a compilation of short stories from various authors. It's quite the hit parade of well known names, and there are some really super stories. There is a fair amount of sap, too, but then, it is a collection of stories about love. The gems are all the more brilliant for that. And not all have happy endings, which is even better.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Confession time. I have been meaning to read this book for a long, long time. I didn't actually know what it was about, but I had heard great things. On Friday I went to the cinema to see Like Crazy, and what should I see but a trailer for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Oh, I say to myself, I'll have to read that now. Can't see the movie if I haven't read the book (that's the rule). And then I thought, damn, going to have to buy it, but I'm not allowed to buy another book until after I've finished my next essay and done the required reading for Coriolanus (that's another rule, and there are at least three books I want so you can see how hard this is going to be). And then after the movie I went home and was admiring my bookshelves (...shut up...) what should I discover but a copy of...Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. No, I don't know when I bought it either. It was terribly good though. I can usually separate myself from my experience of reading a book. I feel the book, but usually I'm quite dispassionate about it as I think about it in the real world. But this book...it didn't upset me, exactly, and it didn't give me bad dreams. But I had sad, unexplained dreams, and that was almost worse. A really complicated, painful, sad, enjoyable read.
Things I've watched
Like Crazy
This is what I wrote about this movie on the forum I post to:
Whip It
I'm not sure I could even tell you the names of the characters, the movie is a bit of a blur. I think I enjoyed it, but I watched as I was editing something, and then it was 5:30 in the morning and perhaps I need to watch it again and provide a better review. I do like Ellen Page, although she always seems to play another version of Juno.
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Sigh. I enjoyed the first reversioned Sherlock Holmes a ton - I really liked Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr, and what they did with the characters. Big fan. But I fear I have been ruined for all non-Stephen Moffat versions of Sherlock Holmes forever. The fact that this movie deals with Reichenbach Falls didn't help - I could kick myself for not going to see the movie when it first came out. Then at least I could distance myself from the different interpretations of these characters.
Irish Rebel
Classic, formulaic Nora Roberts. I didn't realise that this was number three in a series. I loathe reading books out of order, so I'm a little annoyed about that. This is one of her Silhoutte efforts, so it's fairly short and light. A little bit of steam though. And some horses. Not together, obviously, that's a genre Nora Roberts wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
Love Me, Love Me Not
I'm almost embarrassed to tell you how long this has been sitting on my TBR pile - a long, long time. It's a compilation of short stories from various authors. It's quite the hit parade of well known names, and there are some really super stories. There is a fair amount of sap, too, but then, it is a collection of stories about love. The gems are all the more brilliant for that. And not all have happy endings, which is even better.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Confession time. I have been meaning to read this book for a long, long time. I didn't actually know what it was about, but I had heard great things. On Friday I went to the cinema to see Like Crazy, and what should I see but a trailer for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Oh, I say to myself, I'll have to read that now. Can't see the movie if I haven't read the book (that's the rule). And then I thought, damn, going to have to buy it, but I'm not allowed to buy another book until after I've finished my next essay and done the required reading for Coriolanus (that's another rule, and there are at least three books I want so you can see how hard this is going to be). And then after the movie I went home and was admiring my bookshelves (...shut up...) what should I discover but a copy of...Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. No, I don't know when I bought it either. It was terribly good though. I can usually separate myself from my experience of reading a book. I feel the book, but usually I'm quite dispassionate about it as I think about it in the real world. But this book...it didn't upset me, exactly, and it didn't give me bad dreams. But I had sad, unexplained dreams, and that was almost worse. A really complicated, painful, sad, enjoyable read.
Things I've watched
Like Crazy
This is what I wrote about this movie on the forum I post to:
English girl in US meets guy, overstays student visa, much angst and separation as she is deported, they get married in the UK, US still denies her a visa, angst, angst, angst, the end. It was VERY emo. I thought the dialogue was very realistic, and very well paced. But it also reminded me excruciatingly of that phase we all go through in our early 20s, when we have those insanely dramatic and cringey relationships, with dramatic and cringey speeches and cutesy witticisms and ugh, I'm glad that's all over. She totally deserved to get deported, by the way, she knowingly overstayed her visa, and as we all know, You Do Not Fuck With The State Department or The Home Office, no matter how much you want to stay on Catalina Island and sleep with your emo, furniture designing boyfriend.Perhaps I'm just too old and decrepit and cynical for a movie like this..
Whip It
I'm not sure I could even tell you the names of the characters, the movie is a bit of a blur. I think I enjoyed it, but I watched as I was editing something, and then it was 5:30 in the morning and perhaps I need to watch it again and provide a better review. I do like Ellen Page, although she always seems to play another version of Juno.
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Sigh. I enjoyed the first reversioned Sherlock Holmes a ton - I really liked Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr, and what they did with the characters. Big fan. But I fear I have been ruined for all non-Stephen Moffat versions of Sherlock Holmes forever. The fact that this movie deals with Reichenbach Falls didn't help - I could kick myself for not going to see the movie when it first came out. Then at least I could distance myself from the different interpretations of these characters.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Jane Eyre
I went to see the new Jane Eyre movie tonight, with Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska and Judi Dench. It was brilliant. I was in raptures. The creepiness, the smouldering, the pathos, the drama, the sheer angst. They did SUCH a good job, and I speak as someone who didn't see the point of a remake when they had just remade it a few years ago with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson, a version I thought was pretty damn cool.
I read Jane Eyre obsessively in first year, but I have to say I never really understood Jane. I think she's a character you can only appreciate properly with age. She's so resolutely herself, and unwilling to compromise her ideals, and what she knows she deserves, as a free human being, despite her material situation. It's now that I'm not blinded by Mr Rochester's hotness and I can see that she's the stronger of the two, that what attracts Mr Rochester to her is that fact that she won't bend, for anyone, including him.
Something I thought the movie did incredibly well was the juxtaposition of St John and Rochester. St John is supposed to be fairly unassuming, I think, but fired with missionary zeal and blind faith. He demands something of Jane, in a very pragmatic and harsh way. He wants her, but he wants her on his terms. Mr Rochester wants Jane too, and in spite of his impetuousness, his moodiness, his intensity, he wants her on her terms. I liked that very much.
I wonder if Charlotte Bronte wrote herself into the story at all. Do you think she, Emily, Anne and Branwell are supposed to St John and his sisters?
I'm rereading Jane Eyre for The Thing, and I actually can't wait to get my mitts on it again, and see how different it is reading it at 30 from reading it at 19.
I read Jane Eyre obsessively in first year, but I have to say I never really understood Jane. I think she's a character you can only appreciate properly with age. She's so resolutely herself, and unwilling to compromise her ideals, and what she knows she deserves, as a free human being, despite her material situation. It's now that I'm not blinded by Mr Rochester's hotness and I can see that she's the stronger of the two, that what attracts Mr Rochester to her is that fact that she won't bend, for anyone, including him.
Something I thought the movie did incredibly well was the juxtaposition of St John and Rochester. St John is supposed to be fairly unassuming, I think, but fired with missionary zeal and blind faith. He demands something of Jane, in a very pragmatic and harsh way. He wants her, but he wants her on his terms. Mr Rochester wants Jane too, and in spite of his impetuousness, his moodiness, his intensity, he wants her on her terms. I liked that very much.
I wonder if Charlotte Bronte wrote herself into the story at all. Do you think she, Emily, Anne and Branwell are supposed to St John and his sisters?
I'm rereading Jane Eyre for The Thing, and I actually can't wait to get my mitts on it again, and see how different it is reading it at 30 from reading it at 19.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Short reviews of the movies I've been far too lazy to review for the past six months or so
One Day
I don't know if it's better to have read the book before seeing this one or not...it has a stunner of a twist, which is less affecting in the movie because you know it's coming, whereas in the book it leaves you gasping for air. So there is that. However, the movie does make it a terribly one-sided story, preferring to focus on this couple's life more from the guy's perspective. And it does work, to a point. Ann Hathaway's accent is SHOCKING, even worse than Leonardo Di Caprio's accent in Blood Diamond. Seriously. Jim Sturgess was a revelation though - he was a fantastic. And hot. Hotness covers a multitude of sins.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I don't see what the point of a movie is that has the main plot point play out over the end credits. So stupid. It had a few good points but mostly it was stupid.
Transformers: Dark side of the moon
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Oh my god, what a line, what a performance. It was so good! I totally called the twist, which I almost never do so I was really chuffed about that. There were a couple of heartstopping moments, but the movie fell down in the worst way around the whole love angle. Seriously, we're asked to believe that Sam will put himself and everybody else in danger for a character we only met half an hour ago and who we don't like at all. All she does is shriek and wear inappropriate dresses. Seriously. Feed her to Starscream and get it over with. If you're going to go for the damsel in distress angle, at least make the audience buy it. Other than that: epic. It was so good.
Horrible Bosses
The difference between this movie, which was ok, and Bridesmaids, which I loved with an insane love, is that Horrible Bosses was clearly written by MEN and Bridesmaids was clearly written by incredibly witty and intelligent WOMEN. Horrible Bosses was ok, but not nearly as laugh out loud awesome as Bridesmaids.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Oh...I was so nervous before seeing Harry Potter. What if they fucked it up? What if they ruined my favourite parts? It could have been awful...but it wasn't. It rocked! Four favourite things. First, Snape. He was incredible - totally owned his death scene, totally rocked the ambiguity of his character. Your heart just broke for him. Second, the Malfoys, who make a sneaky exit over the bridge right before the final showdown. I loved that no matter how evil the Malfoys are, basically it'll all about family for them, and they were going to make it through no matter what. Awesome. Three, the scene where the teachers are casting spells and bringing down the protective net around the school. It was the perfect balance of dramatic and scary, and really let's you get a sense of where they are. This is It. Also awesome. Four, the scene where Harry uses the resurrection stone and walks into the forest with his parents, Sirius and Lupin. I cried when I hit this scene in the book. Harry is so alone, and then his family is there, and what can I say, it was 4am and I was emotional. I don't know what my excuse was at an 8pm movie showing, but I cried anyway. Less than at the end of Toy Story 3 though. Those scenes made the whole thing amazing. But Prisoner of Azkaban remains my favourite of the whole series, books and movies.
Bridesmaids
Oh my god, so funny. As in nearly cracked a rib funny. My friend Laura and I were rocking backwards and forwards in our seats laughing. And it was all because of the writing. The dialogue was so spot on. The relationships between the women were so finely observed and reported, it was excruciating as well as funny. The grossest jokes told not shown, and that made such a difference, because it made it even funnier to imagine what the hell was going on. And the sweet cop and all his sweetness! So buying this movie on DVD.
Larry Crowne
I loved this movie and I absolutely did not expect to. But it was a movie with an amazing script. The writing was so stunning, it papered over some unbelievable aspects of the plot. But what this movie came down to was timing. It's about people taking risks at the right time, meeting people at the right moment, and using their opportunities wisely. It's about being a catalyst for your own success. It was so good, seriously.
Bad Teacher
I'm still vaguely ashamed that I thought this was so hysterical. I was clearly in that kind of mood. But it was funny - the Justin Timberlake dryhumping scene? It's on my personal list of funniest movie moments ever.
Pirates of the Caribbean 4
So crap. Crapper than crapper. The crappiest crap that ever crapped a crap movie out and then crapped all over it. And there are mermaids.
Green Lantern
Had a lot going for it but tried to fit entirely too much into an hour and a half, and then lost it completely as a result. I was extremely disappointed by it. And by Ryan Reynolds, who I have kind of a soft spot for.
X-Men First Class
Amazing. Incredible. Mind blowing. Emotional. So damn good and awesome, it has obliterated all the crappy X-Men movies that have been released since the first great one from my mind. And the Wolverine cameo made my day. I want to see it again, but I think it gave you the perfect explanation of how they all ended up where they were in the series. Why does Magneto despise humans? Why can't Charles ever let go of Erik? Why in spite of everything do you actually prefer Magneto for his open hatred, and distrust Charles' political manipulations, even if they are for the good. It was fascinating.
And that's it. Well, I have to do the books, but that can wait until tomorrow when I'm trying to work avoid.
I don't know if it's better to have read the book before seeing this one or not...it has a stunner of a twist, which is less affecting in the movie because you know it's coming, whereas in the book it leaves you gasping for air. So there is that. However, the movie does make it a terribly one-sided story, preferring to focus on this couple's life more from the guy's perspective. And it does work, to a point. Ann Hathaway's accent is SHOCKING, even worse than Leonardo Di Caprio's accent in Blood Diamond. Seriously. Jim Sturgess was a revelation though - he was a fantastic. And hot. Hotness covers a multitude of sins.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I don't see what the point of a movie is that has the main plot point play out over the end credits. So stupid. It had a few good points but mostly it was stupid.
Transformers: Dark side of the moon
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Oh my god, what a line, what a performance. It was so good! I totally called the twist, which I almost never do so I was really chuffed about that. There were a couple of heartstopping moments, but the movie fell down in the worst way around the whole love angle. Seriously, we're asked to believe that Sam will put himself and everybody else in danger for a character we only met half an hour ago and who we don't like at all. All she does is shriek and wear inappropriate dresses. Seriously. Feed her to Starscream and get it over with. If you're going to go for the damsel in distress angle, at least make the audience buy it. Other than that: epic. It was so good.
Horrible Bosses
The difference between this movie, which was ok, and Bridesmaids, which I loved with an insane love, is that Horrible Bosses was clearly written by MEN and Bridesmaids was clearly written by incredibly witty and intelligent WOMEN. Horrible Bosses was ok, but not nearly as laugh out loud awesome as Bridesmaids.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Oh...I was so nervous before seeing Harry Potter. What if they fucked it up? What if they ruined my favourite parts? It could have been awful...but it wasn't. It rocked! Four favourite things. First, Snape. He was incredible - totally owned his death scene, totally rocked the ambiguity of his character. Your heart just broke for him. Second, the Malfoys, who make a sneaky exit over the bridge right before the final showdown. I loved that no matter how evil the Malfoys are, basically it'll all about family for them, and they were going to make it through no matter what. Awesome. Three, the scene where the teachers are casting spells and bringing down the protective net around the school. It was the perfect balance of dramatic and scary, and really let's you get a sense of where they are. This is It. Also awesome. Four, the scene where Harry uses the resurrection stone and walks into the forest with his parents, Sirius and Lupin. I cried when I hit this scene in the book. Harry is so alone, and then his family is there, and what can I say, it was 4am and I was emotional. I don't know what my excuse was at an 8pm movie showing, but I cried anyway. Less than at the end of Toy Story 3 though. Those scenes made the whole thing amazing. But Prisoner of Azkaban remains my favourite of the whole series, books and movies.
Bridesmaids
Oh my god, so funny. As in nearly cracked a rib funny. My friend Laura and I were rocking backwards and forwards in our seats laughing. And it was all because of the writing. The dialogue was so spot on. The relationships between the women were so finely observed and reported, it was excruciating as well as funny. The grossest jokes told not shown, and that made such a difference, because it made it even funnier to imagine what the hell was going on. And the sweet cop and all his sweetness! So buying this movie on DVD.
Larry Crowne
I loved this movie and I absolutely did not expect to. But it was a movie with an amazing script. The writing was so stunning, it papered over some unbelievable aspects of the plot. But what this movie came down to was timing. It's about people taking risks at the right time, meeting people at the right moment, and using their opportunities wisely. It's about being a catalyst for your own success. It was so good, seriously.
Bad Teacher
I'm still vaguely ashamed that I thought this was so hysterical. I was clearly in that kind of mood. But it was funny - the Justin Timberlake dryhumping scene? It's on my personal list of funniest movie moments ever.
Pirates of the Caribbean 4
So crap. Crapper than crapper. The crappiest crap that ever crapped a crap movie out and then crapped all over it. And there are mermaids.
Green Lantern
Had a lot going for it but tried to fit entirely too much into an hour and a half, and then lost it completely as a result. I was extremely disappointed by it. And by Ryan Reynolds, who I have kind of a soft spot for.
X-Men First Class
Amazing. Incredible. Mind blowing. Emotional. So damn good and awesome, it has obliterated all the crappy X-Men movies that have been released since the first great one from my mind. And the Wolverine cameo made my day. I want to see it again, but I think it gave you the perfect explanation of how they all ended up where they were in the series. Why does Magneto despise humans? Why can't Charles ever let go of Erik? Why in spite of everything do you actually prefer Magneto for his open hatred, and distrust Charles' political manipulations, even if they are for the good. It was fascinating.
And that's it. Well, I have to do the books, but that can wait until tomorrow when I'm trying to work avoid.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Mark Kermode pontificates
The Doctor's five best movies of the year so far (not including the Oscar nominations which he saw last year and therefore isn't counting):
5) Julia's Eyes
4) Source Code
3) Senna
2) Le Quattro Volte
1) Benda Bilili
The only entries on this list I actually already decided I wanted to see are Source Code and Senna. I'm not to sure about Julia's Eyes, which looks frankly terrifying. I think I'd be willing to give numbers 2 and 1 a go though, so onto my Lovefilm list they go.
Next week the Doc will have his worst movies of the year. He recently promised he was going to watch The Big Lebowski and hasn't yet provided his review I don't think - maybe he'll shock the masses and pick that one. It would be fairly typical.
5) Julia's Eyes
4) Source Code
3) Senna
2) Le Quattro Volte
1) Benda Bilili
The only entries on this list I actually already decided I wanted to see are Source Code and Senna. I'm not to sure about Julia's Eyes, which looks frankly terrifying. I think I'd be willing to give numbers 2 and 1 a go though, so onto my Lovefilm list they go.
Next week the Doc will have his worst movies of the year. He recently promised he was going to watch The Big Lebowski and hasn't yet provided his review I don't think - maybe he'll shock the masses and pick that one. It would be fairly typical.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Best movie synopsis ever
A warrior priest tracks down vampires in a post-apocalypse sci-fi thriller.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)