I think I like him better in interviews than I do in films ;-P He’s really funny.
Anyway, this is part of the Leap Year promotion in which he talks a lot about drinking. And this is another one, in which he talks about being hungover. And finally this is like the only interview of his I’ve ever seen in which he doesn’t talk about either drinking or being hungover ;)
{FILM DIARY}
Seen: Saturday, 20th February 2010 (cinema)
Runtime: 100′
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode
Production House: Universal Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment
Plot: (from imdb)
A woman who has an elaborate scheme to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day, an Irish tradition which occurs every time the date February 29 rolls around, faces a major setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin. With the help of an innkeeper, however, her cross-country odyssey just might result in her getting engaged.
Scene From The Film
Impressions In Short
I don’t know if it was the facial hair, the accent or something else, but I actually enjoyed Matthew Goode for a change ;) Amy Adams was a lot of fun too. And the film was an enjoyable romance, but nothing special.
More About the Film
It has the sort of plot that would usually stereotype characters according to their nationalities, but here they’re written as individuals. Amy Adams’ character could have been exaggerated so easily and yet the way she played it and the way it was written was very real. I’ve known people like that.
There were some cringeworthy plot points like when Declan mopes at somebody else’s wedding and it’s so obvious that he’s nursing a broken heart from ages back. But then when Anna asks him about it, he just gets angry with her and tells her nothing, which was a lot more real, but so rarely done in these sorts of films (you’d usually have him grudgingly spilling out his heart or something). I thought this was one of the stronger aspects of the film - they were never heavy handed with the emotional development of the characters, even if the plot itself made you roll your eyes.
The weakest point is the plot and idea itself I suppose. There’s something very generic about it and one knows how the story will evolve and what kind of jokes we’re going to get from very early on.
Recommended?
If romantic comedy is your thing then you’ll probably be happy with it (unless you’re fussy ;)). If it’s not then don’t see it - you’re unlikely to enjoy it I think.
I just searched for The Hunchback of Notre Dame on youtube for no apparent reason and the number one result was my favourite ever Walt Disney scene. Apparently, it’s not just me - there’s loads of people who love this one *grin* What gets me about it is that it seems so totally inappropriate for a kids’ movie ;)
It amuses me how the imdb parental guidance states:
Frollo really lusts after Esmeralda.
But it’s so true - he really does. Even though they don’t spell it out quite that bluntly in the film, what goes on in Frollo’s mind is clearly very sexual and this song is when it gets rather intense. And it’s not even just that he’s lusting for her that makes the scene feel so weird to me, it’s the context of it too. He’s there in the cathedral, praying to Mary and explaining his lust. How on Earth is this a scene from a kids’ movie? lol Anyway, check it out:
Belatedly, but I thought I’d finally post some of the publicity they released for A Single Man leading up to the Oscars.
Clips from the Film
A lot of scenes from the movie were released. I ended up watching most of them and then getting annoyed with myself for watching so many ;)
The top most watched one on youtube is called “Carlos” and I think it proves that the distributors are unnecessarily worrying that the gay themes will put off people. So far it’s the most homoerotic scene they released and it’s had over 90 000 views (while the other clips have had around 7000-30000 views each), which just goes to show ;) The second most viewed clip is “The Phone Call”. Both of them I’d really recommend - they’ve certainly sharpened my appetite for the film. The others are very good too, but there comes a point when one doesn’t want to be spoilt quite that much. Although of course if you want to see them, they’re all up on youtube.
Finally, the UK trailer has some new shots in it and it’s nice to see that unlike their American counterparts the British distributors don’t seem to be worried about the gay theme ;-P
Interviews
There’s a slew of interviews as well. I particularly enjoyed the ones on Ellen - this is the one with Matthew Goode and here’s one with Colin Firth. Colin Firth was also interviewed by Craig Ferguson (part one and part two). Highlights of that interview include questions like “Do you enjoy pornography?” ;)
{FILM DIARY}
Seen: Friday, 12th February 2010 (cinema)
Runtime: 125′
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift
Production House: Karz Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Rice Films
Plot: (from imdb)
Intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine’s Day.
Scene From the Film
Impressions In Short
This is basically an American version of Love Actually. I mean it’s not a remake, but it’s the same basic concept - all kinds of love stories (not just of the romantic kind) squished into one movie. It was genuinely funny (we laughed a lot), but I liked the British version better ;-P
More About the Film
My favourite part of the movie were the two Taylors. They’re not in it much, but pretty much every time they appear on screen it’s hilarious. Then again their parts just happen to be exactly my kind of humour (many people on the imdb boards thought Taylor Swift was dreadful, which just goes to show that my sense of humour is weird ;-P I thought she was hysterically funny). They’re basically just totally exaggerating their images and they really do it brilliantly (and the virginity conversation… lol).
The whole movie was pretty funny though and the cast worked well.
In some ways it’s interesting to compare with Love Actually. The humour in this is somewhat more vulgar and sex ends up being a much more major component of most of the relationships. For example both films have a subplot where a married couple gets into conflict because one of the spouses has cheated on the other. In Love Actually it’s never even resolved whether Alan Rickman’s character had sex with the secretary. A lot points to the answer being no (he probably would have eventually, but he sort of got caught before it had a chance of happening). And in fact when the wife confronts him, it’s not just the idea that her husband may have had sex with another woman that bothers her, the idea that he might be in love with another woman is even more upsetting. With Shirley Maclaine in Valentine’s Day you have it spelt out - she had sex with her husband’s best friend, but there’s also no doubt about her feelings for her husband, those are still strong.
The other difference is that while both films are feel good movies and make sure there are happy ends everywhere, in Love Actually there are endings which aren’t quite perfect or quite resolved. Love may have conquered all, but just because Alan Rickman’s and Emma Thompson’s characters stay together, doesn’t mean some bitterness hasn’t been left behind. It’s left for us to interpret. In Valentine’s Day everything is fully resolved.
Recommended?
For romance lovers I think this will work very well and it is genuinely funny. For fans of any of the cast this should work as well. Most other people will probably find this isn’t their cup of tea though.
{FILM DIARY}
Seen: Wednesday, 27th January 2010 (cinema)
Runtime: 118′
Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Stacy Ferguson
Production House: Weinstein Company, The, Relativity Media, Marc Platt Productions, Lucamar Productions, Cattleya
Plot: (from imdb)
Famous film director Guido Contini struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent, and his mother.
Trailer
See it here.
Impressions In Short
I hoped for something better *sigh*
More About the Film
The musical is a sort of homage to Fellini’s 8 1/2 (which I’ve actually still not seen *blush*). The problem I had with this film was that it totally failed at capturing one of the most beautiful things about Fellini’s movies - the way he potrayed women. So the result was that they had this absolutely amazing cast of really sexy ladies of all ages, shapes and sizes and yet Rob Marshall didn’t seem to have any interest in them. It was as if what was supposed to make those ladies sexy was the lipstick, the corsets, the stockings… All the sex was about the accessories, never about the ladies themselves (I’m not saying accessories are a bad thing, but it should be the accessories showing off the lady and not the other way round :]). And that’s just completely against the spirit of Fellini :]
And what a waste of such an awesome cast! It was sad to see that all the women seemed much sexier in the footage from rehearsals which ran during the credits. Once they were pushed into the image of what a sexy woman should be they just lost so much personality :-/
Daniel Day-Lewis got the Italian accent spot on. There was a particularly good shot at the very beginning of the film where he’s in a press conference and the footage is in black and white and somehow the way he did it and the way they shot it, it really captured the atmosphere of those times. But such moments were few and far between. For the most part I felt the movie just had this omnipresent layer of fakeness.
Recommended?
Nope, not really. I mean I suppose if you really like musicals then you can give it a shot. Daniel Day-Lewis fans will probably be happy. I suppose fans of any of the actresses might find the film worth watching, but they’re just so badly used *sigh* I thought Marion Cotillard was particularly good at trying not to give into the sabotage ;) (I thought “Take It All” was the only song number, which didn’t seem so fake and vulgar even though ironically it goes the furthest - it’s a striptease basically) So I suppose I’d recommend it to her fans in particular.
My drafts say I have 18 films to review, eek… Better get to work ;) This one was originally watched in January, so I’m about 2 months behind *blush*
{FILM DIARY}
Seen: Monday, 26th January 2010
Runtime: 128′
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly
Production House: Internationale Filmproduktion Blackbird Dritte, Lin Pictures, Silver Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, Wigram Productions
Plot: (from imdb)
Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
Scene from the Film
Impressions In Short
I succumbed to the temptation of watching this despite it not being on my film spotting list because of the good reviews and because I was intrigued to hear that there’s a homoerotic vibe between Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, but was disappointed on both counts :] I should have trusted my original judgement ;-P
More About the Film
The fun part of the film was Jude Law - he was genuinely funny. And in fact the one bit of the film that did have a slightly homoerotic vibe (the clip I embedded above which is actually a bit longer and funnier in the film) was thanks to him. He really did make it sound like an old married couple bickering, which was sort of the point. Most of the homoerotic kind of lines were given to Holmes (as it’s Holmes that is jealous of Watson and keeps sabotaging all of Watson’s relationships with women), but Robert Downey Jr. just didn’t seem to get that bit of the humour :] In fact IMO he just generally wasn’t funny and did a poor job of the part (he also messed up the British accent). I don’t think the film was particularly good anyway, but it would have probably been more enjoyable if they had had a better Sherlock.
Something else that annoyed me about the film were the two women (both Holmes and Watson have romantic interests). I mean I don’t really want to complain about the actresses (Kelly Reilly was rather good as Watson’s romantic interest actually), but I hated the casting. If you take the story, both of those women have some history. If I remember correctly, Mary (Watson’s fiancée), is a widow. Irene Adler (Sherlock’s romantic interest) is a serial murderer who kills all her rich husbands. Both of them seem to be of a similar age to Watson and Holmes (in a way that even seems to be part of the attraction - they’re both men, who need women who have some experience of life). But of course, because this is Hollywood we’re talking about, they cast two actresses below the age of 30. These were parts for actresses 10-15 years older, but of course Hollywood can’t have that now can they *rolls eyes* I don’t mean to criticize the actresses themselves, they did nothing wrong. I just hate how Hollywood thinks that actresses can’t play romantic interests if they’re over the age of 35.
On a final note - the soundtrack is pretty unusual. I really hope that it gets used by some figure skaters cause it could make an awesome competitive program *grin*
Recommended?
Nope, not really. Though considering the reviews, I’m probably in the minority on this one :] It’s a good one for Jude Law fans though.
My April film spotting is well on time at least ;)
{FILM SPOTTING}
Release Date (Poland): 16th April 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 9th February 2009
Runtime: 90′
Director: Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom
Production House: Renegade Pictures, Revolution Films
Plot: (from imdb)
An investigation of “disaster capitalism”, based on Naomi Klein’s proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
There’s a whole slew of documentaries on capitalism now. I’m not sure if this one is going to be any more interesting than some of the others have been.
The excited part of me thinks that…
I’m still trying to get my head round the whole issue, so it’s nice to hear all kinds of opinions (though I suppose my natural slant is towards the left). And Michael Winterbottom is a director that interests me.
Release Date (Poland): 16th April 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 8th September 2009
Runtime: 93′
Director: Grant Heslov
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Lang
Production House: BBC Films, Smoke House, Westgate Film Services, Winchester Capital Partners
Plot: (from imdb)
A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army’s New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
This might just be really daft and not my kind of humour at all :] That’s the vibe I’m getting from the trailer at least.
The excited part of me thinks that…
It stars Ewan McGregor, the plot is promising and it has one of the best titles ever ;)
Release Date (Poland): 23rd April 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 12th February 2010
I spotted it during the Bollywood Festival, but the screening was cancelled :-/
It’s one of my most awaited films of the year - I’m very glad we’re getting it so soon after the world premiere. Usually we’d be waiting a year or so!
Release Date (Poland): 30th April 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 10th Febrary 2010
Runtime: 80′
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Production House: Zap-O-Matik, Nikovantastic Film, Volya Films
Plot: (from imdb)
Director Johan Grimonprez casts Alfred Hitchcock as a paranoid history professor, unwittingly caught up in a double take on the cold war period. Subverting a meticulous array of TV footage and using ‘The Birds’ as an essential metaphor, DOUBLE TAKE traces catastrophe culture’s relentless assault on the home, from moving images’ inception to the present day.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
Not much scepticism actually :)
The excited part of me thinks that…
I’ve heard buzz about this coming in from film festivals. IMDb says it’s a documentary, but it sounds like putting any sort of label on the film is very difficult.
I’m excited cause I get the impression it’s an extremely interesting piece of editing (very appropriate as Hitchcock was a master editor). And also Hitchcock had one of the weirdest and most bizarre senses of humour ever and it seems like this film is really going in that direction *grin*
Release Date (Poland): 30th April 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 6th December 2009
Runtime: 112′
Director: Scott Cooper
Cast: Jeff Bridges
Production House: Butcher's Run Films, Informant Media
Plot: (from imdb)
A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
The only reason I want to see this is Jeff Bridges and I don’t even particularly like him ;) The topic and trailer do nothing for me.
The excited part of me thinks that…
Jeff Bridges has won pretty much all of the major awards for this part in the US (including the Oscar and the Golden Globe) and so I thought I should see it and either join the bandwagon or at least finally be able to justify my sulking that Colin Firth did not get all those awards instead ;) (I suppose I shall also have to see A Single Man to fully justify it, but as the Polish release date is set for May, I’m pretty sure I’ll have that done within a month or two *grin*)
Now that March is coming to an end, there’s probably not that much point in posting this, but I figured I’d do it for continuity’s sake ;)
{FILM SPOTTING}
Release Date (Poland): 5th March 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 3rd March 2010
Runtime: 108′
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway
Production House: Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films, Zanuck Company, The, Team Todd, Tim Burton Productions
Plot: (from imdb)
19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.
Trailer
My reasons
I feel a bit weird writing this now as I’ve already seen it :] But basically it’s a Tim Burton movie with a very cool cast, so there was no way I would have missed it :)
Release Date (Poland): 5th March 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 8th September 2009
Runtime: 93′
Director: Samuel Maoz
Production House: Ariel Films, Arsam International, Arte France, Israeli Film Fund, Metro Communications, Paralite
Plot: (from imdb)
June, 1982 - The First Lebanon War. A lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town…
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
I don’t like the trailer much and I’m not into war films…
The excited part of me thinks that…
This won the Venice film festival, which has always been one of the most interesting film festivals to follow for me.
Release Date (Poland): 19th March 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 1st March 2010
Runtime: 113′
Director: Allen Coulter
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Lena Olin, Ruby Jerins, Pierce Brosnan, Tate Ellington, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper
Production House: Summit Entertainment, Underground Films and Management
Plot: (from imdb)
A romantic drama centered on two new lovers: Tyler, whose parents have split in the wake of his brother’s suicide, and Ally, who lives each day to the fullest since witnessing her mother’s murder.
Trailer
My reasons
I was basically only going to see this for Robert Pattinson and thought I probably wouldn’t like it that much, but I was so wrong *grin* Really glad I saw this and hopefully will put up a review… someday :]
Release Date (Poland): 26th March 2010
Release Date (worldwide): 5th September 2009
I originally spotted this in February, but the release date has been moved.
Even though I’ve not posted anykind of news about anything on this blog for ages, I felt this news was so big that I just had to share it :)
This move means the Chinese government may ban Google’s services entirely. Google seems to expect as much as they’ve set up a website showing which Google services are currently being blocked by the Chinese Government and updating it accordingly. They are also considering withdrawing from the Chinese market entirely if matters get that far.
I guess sceptics will say that Google never had that big a market share in China anyway, but AFAIK neither does Yahoo or Microsoft and we don’t see them taking such risks. So I just want to say - way to go Google! *grin*
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