Film Releases - September 2011

• 30th Sept - What's Your Number
• 30th Sept - The Debt
• 30th Sept - Red, White & Blue
• 30th Sept - The Woman
• 30th Sept - Shark Night 3D
• 30th Sept - Red State
• 30th Sept - Melancholia
• 30th Sept - La piscine
• 30th Sept - Broken Lines
• 28th Sept - Abduction
• 23rd Sept - Warrior
• 23rd Sept - Tucker & Dale vs Evil
• 23rd Sept - Soul Surfer
• 23rd Sept - Killer Elite
• 23rd Sept - Drive
• 23rd Sept - Crazy, Stupid, Love.
• 16th Sept - You Instead
• 16th Sept - Turnout
• 16th Sept - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
• 16th Sept - The Change-Up
• 16th Sept - I Don't Know How She Does It
• 16th Sept - Episode 50
• 16th Sept - 30 Minutes or Less
• 14th Sept - Echoes of the Rainbow
• 14th Sept - Big Fat Gypsy Gangster
• 10th Sept - Give Up Tomorrow
• 10th Sept - Darkwood Manor
• 9th Sept - Way of the Morris
• 9th Sept - Troll Hunter
• 9th Sept - The Holding
• 9th Sept - Kes
• 9th Sept - Jumping The Broom
• 9th Sept - Jane Eyre
• 9th Sept - Friends With Benefits
• 9th Sept - Colombiana
• 7th Sept - A Lonely Place To Die
• 6th Sept - The Only One Who Knows You're Afraid
• 5th Sept - What If I Was...
• 3rd Sept - Utopia London
• 2nd Sept - Weekender
• 2nd Sept - The Dead
• 2nd Sept - The Art of Getting By
• 2nd Sept - Self Made
• 2nd Sept - Robotropolis
• 2nd Sept - Kill List
• 2nd Sept - Fright Night
• 2nd Sept - Days of Heaven
• 2nd Sept - Apollo 18
• 2nd Sept - Anchor Baby
• 1st Sept - Revenge: The Movie

Warrior 25/09/11

Now I am in no way exaggerating when I say I love Tom Hardy. Not just for his aesthetically pleasing appearance and 'Jack the lad' demeanor but because his acting talent is enviable, frighteningly complex and compelling. This film is not the Tom Hardy show and that fact is a credit to the writing and direction of this sporting drama because my god does he put in a game changing turn as ex-marine Tommy Riordan.

For 140 minutes I was gripped to this exceptionally well written narrative; what made this so for me is you never truly know who you are rooting for, who's story you find more tragic or who you ultimately want to win. It is no secret that brothers Tommy (Hardy) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton) will meet in the final of an Ultimate Fighting Champion tournament (the poster tells you all you need to know in this respect) but along the way in this type of film, you always presume that there is a side you will favour more than the other by the time this final comes; this never happens. The amount of time we are given to explore each characters story is key in this. These brothers have not seen each other in 14 years, with their father (Nick Nolte - incredible) being an alcoholic and their mother not able to take the abuse she receives as a result of this anymore; they have to choose which path they will take. At 14, Tommy moves away with their dying mother and Brendan, at 16, stays with the love of his life.

Tommy is actually shown to be somewhat unlikable in the way he presents himself and the way he speaks to and treats others but what has happened in his life (this is given to you in small and teasing doses) makes you want him to prevail. Brendan is the likable teacher and family man with severe money problems, you instantly warm to him and are also firmly on his side. Australian Joel Edgerton is fantastic throughout and with this performance stamps a massive mark on Hollywood to show he is now a contender on the big stage.

Nick Nolte is mesmerising as Paddy Conlon, a reformed alcoholic and the boys' father. Paddy, in his recovery from addiction and the loss of his family has turned to God and has almost reached his 1000th sober day. In extremely gut wrenching and emotionally charged scenes we see him fighting to regain his children's trust and to get himself back in their lives and them his; their sheer resistance to allow this gives you a poignant insight into the pain he has put them through in the past.

This is not just a fight movie, this is a movie about broken families, and the dynamics between the characters involved. There is one particular scene which made me feel like I had taken a firm blow to the stomach - you will know when this scene comes; it is surprising, emotional and an important moment in the development of 2 characters.

Warrior is the best film I've seen all year and I realise how much of a statement that is. This film was flawed, at times cliche and yet no other film this year so far has put me through as many emotions and made me feel as strongly about it as I do this one. The way Warrior has been shot, the characterisation, the impressive physicality of the fighters, the fight scenes themselves and the pacing of the story, together makes for an engaging drama. You can smell the Oscar nominations now.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. 23/09/11

Purely for my absolute love of a tanned Ryan Gosling, I had been looking forward to seeing this film for months. I would honestly hate to think how many times myself and my reception compadre have watched this trailer - but we're talking seriously high numbers.

Gosling exudes wit, cool and arrogance as playboy Jacob Palmer and he executes this with perfection. It would have been so very easy for him to play Jacob as a truly unlikable chauvinist type but you never find yourself disliking the character, in fact quite the opposite, the charm he portrays makes him the most watchable and engaging character in the film. Gosling along with Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Emma Stone and Marisa Tomei all put in classy performances which combined spell an impressive cast for this quirky romantic comedy.

The characters are likeable and believable and this is the first step towards the movies success. Crazy, Stupid, Love is an intelligent and funny representation of modern relationships and while the situations might not be relatable to all, aspects of characters and scenarios are. We follow many different stories of love in different stages, forms and age brackets. The central story is that of childhood sweethearts Cal (Carell) and his wife Emily (Moore) after she requests a divorce. This is where Jacob, the ladies man extraordinaire, comes into play; he meets Cal in a bar and offers his services as 'life coach' in order for Cal to recapture who he is. Think Hitch with a twist. Cue montage of Cal's transformation to reclaim his masculinity.

 My only concern with this movie is that in the final third it becomes a little too sentimental. Throughout the story the onus is more on the seriousness of the situation rather than the comedic opportunity. You come out feeling satisfied with the resolution and the amount of clever dialogue you witnessed, sure, but you do feel fairly short changed of real laughter. Also, at almost 2 hours long, you do feel like it could have been a little more concise in some areas. I do, however, feel there is enough humour and punch in the overall product that all of this needn't be too much of a problem; Crazy, Stupid, Love is a refreshing take on the exhausted romantic comedy structure and a must watch feel good movie.

Gosling - 10/10 for torso. The above picture was always going to be the one. Win. Thankyouplease.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 17/09/11

This remake of the 1970s TV series based on the John Le Carre book boasts an impressive British cast, exudes class and is executed almost to perfection.

The Cold War is the era and the focus is an infiltrated MI6. The plot is intelligent, complicated and complex and if you lose focus for one second you may become lost. However, concentrating on this sumptuous and meaty plot is certainly no hardship because to lose yourself in this wonderful 70s setting is somewhat a treat; this film is aesthetically very pleasing and the detailed period costume, set and editing is spectacular. The whole film is a class act and very rarely these days do you come across a film with so few faults.

Credit must go to director Tomas Alfredson for taking on the daunting task of adapting a much loved British television series and novel and as a result creating such a mesmerizing feature length portrayal.

As previously mentioned, the cast is a huge element in this movies' success. The calibre of this British juggernaut of a cast is actually fairly breathtaking; this is not just a bunch of familiar faces, these actors are a mix of Academy Award winners, established film royalty and young actors who are surely the future of British performers on the Hollywood stage. When you analyse it, you have John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Philip Martin Brown, Kathy Burke and Toby Jones who have all had, and will continue to have prolific and impressively successful careers. You then come to the young guns Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch who are both ridiculously exciting talents and their careers are, by all means, only now kicking off.

Now I realise I'm gushing and all but why not? It is a year to be very proud of British talent, and that I am... No phone checks whatsoever!

Trailer Trash!

So over the weekend I have abused my newly acquired Cineworld Unlimited card and saw Crazy, Stupid, Love, Warrior and Drive. Reviews for those 3 and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to follow this little collection of trailer treats...

The Ides of March

Starring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood...

 Justice

Starring Nicholas Cage (how he still gets leading roles I will never know), January Jones and Guy Pearce.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes star in this Horror remake written by Guillermo Del Toro.

Footloose

Remake of the 1984 dance extravaganza starring Julianne Hough.

Red State

Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo stars in this Thriller set in Middle America. Sinister stuff. 

Anonymous

A wonderful British cast brings to life the conspiracy theory that Shakespeare was, in fact, a fraud. 

In Time

Justin Timberlake, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy star in this Sci-Fi Thriller. Interesting concept and cast.

30 Minutes or Less 17/09/11

Following on from his success with Zombieland, Ruben Fleischer deals out an intelligent, funny and entertaining comedy. Jesse Eisenberg's delivery makes him captivating to watch and he is the perfect mix of geek and cool for his pizza delivery driver character Nick. It is Aziz Ansari however who is the out and out comedic triumph of this film, outshining McBride and Eisenberg by a country mile. Ansari until now has played small parts in comedy films and TV programmes but will surely now be handed more leading roles as a result of 30 Minutes or Less.

In comparison to Zombieland, (which I loved by the way) 30 minutes or Less doesn't really compare in terms of originality and character establishment. This is due to the script aiming more for laughs rather than commonsensical storyline. Even though this is the case, the amount of laughs you get throughout the 83 minute duration more than make up for this short coming.

This is one of those comedies you buy on DVD and throw on when you want to watch a film that will ultimately make you laugh but you don't have to worry about concentrating too hard. A new Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or 40 Year Old Virginesque cracker to add to your collection. A perfect Sunday film!

The story line is utterly ridiculous but its concise duration makes sure that 30 Minutes or Less is fast paced, gripping, funny and entertaining. Due to its shallow nature, however, the jokes are unfortunately fairly forgettable. Zero phone checks though - I didn't have time!

The Change-Up 17/09/11

While not expecting too much in the way of depth from a body-switch comedy, The Change-Up has a fairly thin and uneven plot and disappointingly the jokes are largely forgettable.

One positive is the obvious chemistry between Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. A redeeming feature is the rapport between the leads. They do their best with often vulgar material and it is clear that they have studied each other's mannerisms thoroughly. The characters (especially Reynolds') are unfortunately rather unlikable; Reynolds plays Mitch, a struggling actor displaying obscene behaviour and Bateman is Dave a high flying lawyer with a busy family life.

Now I am usually one for crude comedies; I like them slightly crass, embarrassing, cringe worthy and with a healthy dose of swearing so I don't know if I got out of the wrong side of bed on this day but I really didn't find the jokes as funny as I wanted to. While on the surface I watched the film, let a lot of the jokes wash over me and giggled a few times, there were a few moments that irritated me and put my back up a tad. My cinema compadre laughed the whole way through The Change-Up and found it hilarious so I would say it's most probably a matter of taste.

To summarize this crude comedy leaves a rather indifferent taste in the mouth. I was so hoping for this to be a new favourite for the DVD collection but director David Dobkin and writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore have missed the mark and left me wanting. If you are easily offended - don't watch. If you like a cheap laugh or five then give it a shot but it won't end your world if you don't see it!

P.s. That process was painful because I massively crush hard on Ryan Reynolds and love Jason Bateman a little more than I should. Sob.

Trailer Trash!

So yesterday, like a super huge geek I spent almost the whole day in the cinema. I sat through 3 screenings, reviews for the below films to follow:-

• The Change Up
• 30 Minutes or Less
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

As you can imagine I saw a lot of trailers during this day so have a nice little selection to share with you...

The Help

Emma Stone stars in this Drama set in the 1960s circling around an aspiring author writing a book about African American maids and their lives working for white families.

Drive

This Action Drama stars Carey Mulligan and Ryan Gosling. Gosling is a Hollywood stunt performer who discovers a contract has been put on him. Violence ensues...

Contagion

AMAZING cast. Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne and the list goes on. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Truly cannot wait for the 21st October!

The Debt

Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Sam Worthington star in this Spy Thriller. The trailer gives away just enough to tickle the taste buds...

Warrior

I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of this film, then I saw the poster and was still slightly "meh" about the whole thing, then I saw the trailer and cannot wait to get involved! Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte star.

Killer Elite

Another Statham Action Thriller. Credibility factor heightened here by Robert De Niro and Clive Owen.

What's Your Number?

Sporting some seriously botched collagen lips Anna Faris stars in this comedy alongside Chris Evans. It all looks pretty terrible...

One Day 14/09/11

This novel is so loved and successful that Lone Scherfig's film adaptation is instantly a challenging project.

Now, one thing you should know about me before I begin is that I am a massive wet blanket - I cry when I see other people cry, I cry when I hear a nice singing voice, I cry when people win sports trophies and the list goes on. Whilst reading this book I was constantly sobbing - even on the tube, no shame here! Therefore, I was obviously sobbing my little socks off throughout the film just because I knew what was going to happen. I love being this cool - come join me!

This film tells the surface story well and gets the facts that the audience need to know out there. It pretty much does the basics. Because of this, I think if you haven't read the book previously then you have really lost out on some beautiful detail. To squeeze this complex relationship into one hour and forty seven minutes and also make the audience understand their love was never really going to work.

Now for Accent-gate! Anne Hathaway's accent does not deserve the flogging it is receiving. It isn't the best Yorkshire accent I've ever heard; it crosses over into standard RP and her own American accent can be detected at times but after the first twenty minutes or so you do tend to forget about it.

Performance-wise, Hathaway doesn't quite portray that sarcastic British self deprecating humour that readers will so love Emma Morley for, but she does put in a plausible performance. Again, it's one of those situations where there are so many talented British actresses out there, many who could have played this role, but in order to give the film transatlantic appeal they have gone with the Hollywood option. I find her captivating to watch as an actress and I love her understated style of performing but Emma has a little more punch as a character than Hathaway depicts. Jim Sturgess puts in a solid and believable performance as Dexter; he seems to really have read and understood what this character is about and who he is. He fits the character like a glove and takes us through Dex's development as a man with the perfect amount of emotional complexity required. One of the films triumphs is their chemistry as a couple. It feels natural and in no way fake. This is another factor that makes me sad that there's not more time to flesh out their development.

As a side note - Rafe Spall is an absolute cracker and has got Emma's 'comedian' boyfriend Ian off to a tee.

To round up, I would advise you read the novel before watching the film in order to gain the precious detail you're not exposed to with the film. It is, however, definitely worth a watch. If, like me, you like a good bawl then take some pocket tissues and blubber to your hearts content. Credible cast, lovely concept but not enough time to do the story justice is the cry. I only checked my phone once - not too shabby!

The Inbetweeners Movie 07/09/11

The wonderfully crude foursome is back in the shape of a feature length comedy for fans to feast on.

If there's one thing writers Ian Morris and Damon Beesley know, it's who their audience are and what that audience wants. The series was successful for a reason and this success has been carried forward into the film with it holding off competition from 'One Day' and 'The Rise of the Planet of the Apes' to be number one in the British Box Office for 3 consecutive weeks.

Will, Simon, Jay and Neil travel to Malia in a bid to get Simon over his break up with Carli and to celebrate the end of sixth form but obviously this plan goes horribly wrong. In what feels like an extended version of the show, the boys meet an unusually obliging group of girls who make an interesting parallel to the lads and chaos ensues.

If you go to this film and expect anything other than an amplified version of the toilet humour from the show then you will be disappointed. Gags that have been used in the show as standard have been bought into the film and expanded creating an intelligent continuity that strikes a sentimental chord with fans.

Personally, for me, there was only a small section in the middle of the 97 minutes that lacked a little bit of pace but all in all I felt it was as close to a perfect tribute to the series as you can get. If you go into the screening feeling shit after an awful day at work and come out after 2 hours smiling because you've laughed so much then it's been a triumph!

The whole thing from beginning to end is crude, rude, and at times vomit inducing but that's why it's loved and if it had been toned down for cinema audiences then it would not have been as comically satisfying or credible.

There's a rare touching moment when the boys realise they will no longer be together, and this is where this friendship becomes truly relatable - everyone of a certain age can sympathise with the moment you come of age (finishing school, sixth form, uni etc) and realise what that can spell for your relationships and friendships.

On the whole, I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the show and/or has a sense of humour - if you don't like crude comedy just do yourself a favour and save your cash!

Ooo and I did not check my phone once - I was too busy snort laughing like a fool.

Trailer Trash!

Four little trailers for your viewing pleasure today...

To follow very soon will be my review of The Inbetweeners Movie.

I Don't Know How She Does It

Looks like it could be a little bit quirky but potentially snore worthy. Worth a try though! Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelsey Grammer, Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Christina Hendricks.

Paranormal Activity 3

Honestly now, I'm a pussy. I think I'm some kind of tough guy when it comes to horror films but in reality I stare into a cushion for 80% of the film. This looks even scarier than the first one (having watched that, I've put off seeing the second one in expert fashion) and I will have to force myself to watch it...

Fright Night

Remake of the 1985 film of the same title directed by Tom Holland. Directing this remake is former TV commercial director Craig Gillespie. Credible cast including Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Anton Yelchin.

Real Steel

I remember seeing stills from filming of this action drama a while back. Really interesting concept. Starring Hugh Jackman, Evageline Lilly and Anthony Mackie.

Definition of a Goddess...

I have no idea what's prompted this sudden outburst of affection for my top 3 females but the love is being shared.

Now, these aren't my top 3 favourite actresses (2 are in the top 10 but let's face it, 'Hitch' and '2 Fast 2 Furious' aren't exactly works of art are they Eva?!) but they are as close to turning me gay as it can get!

1. Kate Winslet

Favourite Role - Hanna Schmitz in The Reader.

Having read the book, I found the character intriguing - She definitely captured Hanna perfectly and deserved every inch of that golden statue.

Why I Love - More talent in her little finger than I have in my entire body, hot as you like (see picture), intelligent, saved Richard Branson's 90 year old Mother from a burning building, did I already say hot?

2. Charlize Theron

Favourite Role - hands down, without question - Aileen Wuornos in Monster.

I watched a fair few documentaries on the trial of Aileen Wuornos and saw interviews with her while she was in prison. How perfectly she has portrayed this character is alarming. Mannerisms, accent and the way she carries herself are ridiculously spot on. The visual transformation is also incredible.

Why I Love - Inconceivable talent, founder of 'Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project' and supports 20 other charities including Oxfam and Red Cross, she likes football and gets me all hot under the collar in the J'adore advert - big time!

3. Eva Mendes

Favourite Role - they're all pretty flimsy comedy roles but she's pretty funny (and insanely hot) as April in Stuck on You.

Why I Love - She supports the Revlon campaign to raise funds for breast cancer and supports 10 other charities, she's funny and she's ridiculously smoking, I mean, just look...

Well I should probably cool off - Enjoy!

September Releases...

My viewing list is pretty epic this month, lets hope my funds and time can stretch to meet the target! With my Journalism course starting this month it's going to be tight...

• Apollo 18 - Footage showing 2 astronauts sent on a secret mission and the reason why no-one has since returned to the moon...spooky stuff!

•  Fright Night - Starring Colin Farrell and David Tennant. This horror comedy follows a teenage boy who suspects his neighbour to be a vampire...

• Colombiana - Following her starring role in Avatar, Zoe Saldana has moulded herself into this action role. The story follows a woman (Saldana) who becomes an assasin after witnessing her parents' murder...

• Friends With Benefits - Starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. I know I slated the trailer but I still really want to see how two almost identical films in one year can be justified...

•  Jane Eyre - Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska and Jamie Bell star in this adaptation of the Charlotte Bronte classic...

• 30 Minutes or Less - Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride star in this ridiculous action comedy. If it doesn't double me over I will be deeply upset...

• I Don't Know How She Does It - An interesting comedy cast, it could be very shit but lets give it a whirl!

• The Change Up - Look, I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to some shirtless Reynolds action...

• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch...the list goes on. Amazing cast. Please be good, please be good...

• Crazy, Stupid, Love. - Literally can't wait. That will be all.

•  Drive - A Gosling double whammy day!! Carey Mulligan also stars...

• Warrior - I've seen the poster for this everywhere... Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte star...

• Melancholia - Directed by Lars Von Trier and starring Kirsten Dunst. Lets see why she won Best Actress at Cannes...

•  The Debt - Starring Dame Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington...Why wouldn't you!?

Apologies...

...for the lack of activity the past couple of weeks!!

I've been moving house and have had zero time to cinema which has pained me greatly.

These next 2 weeks, however, it is all going to be kicking off...

I am going to be finishing off my August must see's this week and next and am also going to start on September. So I will be seeing as follows...

• Inbetweeners (THIS Wednesday)
• The Devil's Double (Next Week)
• One Day (Next Week)
• Fright Night (Next Week)

The post to follow this one will outline all the films I want to see in September - as there are 50 releases in the list on the right I give myself a massive good luck - but where there's a will there's a way :)

Film Releases - August 2011

• 29th Aug - The Holding
• 26th Aug - The Skin I Live In
• 26th Aug - Powder
• 26th Aug - Final Destination 5
• 26th Aug - Conan the Barbarian
• 26th Aug - As Blood Runs Deep
• 24th Aug - One Day
• 22nd Aug - Bicycle Day
• 19th Aug - The Guard
• 19th Aug - Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World
• 19th Aug - Kind Hearts & Coronets
• 17th Aug - The Inbetweeners Movie
• 17th Aug - Cowboys & Aliens
• 11th Aug - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• 10th Aug - The Smurfs
• 10th Aug - The Devil's Double
• 10th Aug - Hell and Back
• 10th Aug - Evil Things
• 5th Aug - The Tree
• 5th Aug - Super 8
• 5th Aug - Sarah's Key
• 5th Aug - Mr Popper's Penguins
• 4th Aug - Unhappy Birthday
• 2nd Aug - Bloomington