January: Film List

1. Elysium - maybe

The film was ok. Amazing idea but just an ok story and its mainly for one reason. Why can't the hero or as it started off in this film, the anti hero, just be out to save himself. Why does there always have to be a woman he used to know involved? And why does this woman always have to have a child, who is sick or dying? By the way these aren't spoilers, you find these things out in the first few minutes of the film. The idea behind the annoying characters is brilliant, two societies, the wealthy who live in space on Elysium, run by a corrupt government and the those who live in poverty and constant sickness on Earth. The film sold to me on the grounds that Max, the 'hero' of the story was dying of radiation sickness and had days to live. Once notorious criminal, he uses his past connections to get to Elysium to use their machines that can cure literally anything. But then the woman and child gets involved and I started to lose interest in the plot, I started rooting for the evil Jodie Foster and her crazy accent on Elysium. Its worth a watch, besides it has Sharlto Copley in it, its worth watching the film just for him. 3/5

2. Pacific Rim - maybe

If you have seen the Honest Trailers trailer for this film then you know exactly what to expect, big robots fighting big monsters. The original trailers said this, the poster screams this, basically, the film does exactly what it says on the tin. There is a sort of story about one pilot who loses his brother, the other pilot and its about him coping with his grief then he is asked to come back and fight. But the action sequences take up most of the film, and the fight scenes are good but long. The basic plot line is, monsters from another dimension emerge every few months at first from the beneath the Pacific ocean and attack cities, the attacks become more frequent so Earth builds giant robots to fight back, these are piloted by two people who have to be 'drift compatible' meaning they have to share minds. I suppose its just a fun action film with science fiction thrown in. 3/5

3. Admission - maybe

Love Tina Fey so when I saw this for very cheap in HMV, home it went. Typical set up. Tina Fey plays an Admissions Officer for Princeton College. She has been living with a professor from the college for years and live a quiet unexciting existence, this is until Paul Rudd shows up. he runs a progressive school, where the children are taught how to make things, like shelters and how to look after animals. He tells her that one of his students, the only interested in attending college, is her son. From there, the film snowballs, things get worse then hopefully but ultimately I felt that the film had too many negative ending points. It needed at least one lose end to be positive. Still, a funny film featuring a very awesome and funny lady and Lily Tomlin who was hilarious. 3/5

4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - HIT

This film was far more than I expected it to be. It made me want to travel to Greenland and Iceland, the landscapes are amazing. Walter Mitty is a quiet guy who works at world famous (actually real) magazine called LIFE, that actually did shut down in 2000. He takes care of all the negatives, the photographs and has built up a friendship with famous photojournalist Sean O'Connell through his work that he sends to the magazine. Walter is shy and has a crush on temp worker Cheryl. After the magazines plans to turn to digital everyone is under threat of losing their jobs. The managers have decided to have the cover of the magazine be Sean O'Connell's photo but its missing. This spurs Mitty on to search for Sean and the missing negative. It is such an inspiring film, with mixture of daydreams and reality that doesn't come across as tacky or annoying and well thought out and feels right. I was surprised to see that Ben Stiller not only stars as Mitty but also directed, I think I can give Stiller a lot more credit than I had in the past. 4/5


5. 47 Ronin - maybe

Based on Japanese folk tales and legends, it looks spectacular but the story, woe the story. The film was ok but it could have been a whole lot better. All the Japanese and Asian actors were great, wish they could have just spoken in their own language, it would have made the film more authentic. I know most will question the presence of Keanu Reeves but unfortunately he has a sort of annoying purpose and the ending is unbelievably ridiculous and I don't mean foolish, I mean tragic. There are some good fight scenes and the costumes are beautiful but as I said the story lacks drive and there is little passion in the narrative that in some parts, makes it difficult to care. This film could have been so much better. 2/5

6. August: Osage County - HIT

I didn't realise this was originally a play until 10 minutes in. It felt like there was too much dysfunction for it not to be. Family doesn't gather without the purpose of certain truths coming to light, starting with the funeral of a character who makes such an impression yet is only in the film a few minutes. Based on the play of the same name by Tracy Letts who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The Weston family gather at the home of Violet, the domineering, loud foul mouthed mother of three daughters, Ivy, Barbara and Karen. Bervery, their father has died, suspected suicide, and the family including Violet's sister, Mattie Fae and her husband Charles come for the funeral. Truths are found out, chaos ensues and ultimately, most of the families' lives are ruined. A brilliant film, I would have liked to se it on stage. 4/5

7. American Hustle - HIT

This film was brilliant. The story, the cast, the clothes, it was worthy of all those nominations and wins. I don't want to ruin this film in any way because I think it's a film you have to see for yourself, plus its too complicated to sum up in a paragraph. Christian Bale and Amy Adams are two con artists, small scams but get caught by an arrogant FBI agent who is too eager to move up in the ranks. He forces them to set up an elaborate operation to trap corrupt politicians in order to gain their own freedom. The con artists are a team but things almost all go wrong due to Jennifer Lawrence's character, the wife of Bale's. She hilarious but awful, truly awful. She uses her young son who is adored by Bale's character, as leverage. Its a con artist, drama about trust and knowing who you are. 5/5

8. Blue is the Warmest Colour - maybe

I had heard so much about this film, all the controversy about the director abusing his actors, such as forcing them to do certain scenes and such. I'm sure everyone had heard of the controversy about it being a love story, a lesbian love story. It's just a love story from its beginning to its middle and then after that (trying not to ruin anything). I'm glad I saw it as I wanted to see what the fuss was about, it did win the Palm d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and that's a pretty big deal. But, this film was 3 hours, way too long for a film like this. Too long. There were so many scenes that needed a serious edit or could have been cut out. The two leads were very good, especially during a fight scene, they both were impressive, even if one did annoy me throughout the film, she never closed her mouth. It was a good realistic love story and never want to see it again. 3/5


#Film #Cinema #Videorental #WatchList #Elysium #Admission #TinaFey #PacificRim #WalterMitty #AmericanHustle #Blueisthewarmestcolur 

Magic Is In The Air And The Studio

Its been open a while now and I admit I only really liked the 3rd and 4th films but hey, we all read the books when we were younger and we all secretly want to go see the studio.

This week I went to the Warner Brothers Studios, the Harry Potter studio tour to be exact and it was great day out!

Going to the studio reminded me of all those days out I went on when I was a child and with my family. There were quite a few families on our tour going round together. It was a mixture of tourists and families, unfortunately school groups and small groups of friends. It sort of reminded me of the exhibition of the Lord of the Rings films at the Science Museum.

It was very exciting walking onto some of the sets and looking at how each prop was made, really fascinating. I even had a go at the broomstick ride across London in front of green screen. Very uncomfortable but seeing as I knew I would buy the video or photo (too expensive) I went all out, going crazy and over the top on the broom. It was exciting wearing the cloaks too.

I was really bold over by the artwork. There was a cabinet full of the graphics created for the films, including posters, the Daily Prophet newspaper and the wizard magazine, The Quibbler. My friend and I had our noses pressed up against the glass, starring eagerly at the Marauder's Map. The coveted prize in the middle of the cabinet. We both said;

'this is what I wish was in the gift shop, we'll take this please'.

Not giving any secrets away but you get to see some major sets, such as The Great Hall, Griffindor rooms, the Potions Classroom and you actually get to wonder around, a little bit, in Dumbledore's office. The back lot has a few sets but I was most excited about the Knight bus, triple decker purple bus. Most of things I got excited about were from my favourite book in the series and favourite film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Had my photo on it, like you do. then we enjoyed something I'm sure all people who read Harry Potter, a cup of Butterbeer and it was delicious.

After the cold outside, we wondered through the creature workshops and on to another highlight for me, Diagon Alley. The shops were all set up and if only we could have gone in to each of them. Again I just wanted to buy the set, one of those sets that you would want to live in.

After the alley it was some the most spectacular concept artwork on display. I really wished there had been some postcards of the art on sale in the shop but alas, nothing.

The tour ended on a definite high note. After being able to stare at the scale model of Hogwarts and explore it through interactive computers, we were all lead into Ollivander's Wand shop, where a very jolly and Harry Potter film expert welcomed everyone. All the wands had names on them, and we were told that each box represents a member of the cast or crew, there were 4,000 boxes. Very impressive. It was a fantastic end to the easy going tour.

I'm not the biggest Potter fan and I had a great time, I highly recommend going along to have a look round. If you love films and want to take in the splendour of British film crews' work, go visit the studios.

The Unwatched Mountain

I should have made one of New Year's resolutions to watch all my unwatched films, especially those still in their wrappers because there are quite a few.

I have tried my darn hardest not to buy loads of new release DVDs. I've tried just renting films I missed and I've actually saved money, believe it or not. I've actually waited to buy films and TV I really want until its cheaper. I've been good, at least by my standards when it comes to buying films.

I have a MOUNTAIN to get through.

Of course, I have actually seen many of these films but never opened them. A couple in this pile I won in fluke competitions, some I waited ages to buy then never watched them. To be honest I didn't realise how big a pile there was! Going to add a resolution, get through this pile and any new additions there after.

I have a similar pile of books too, but that's a whole other story.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory vs Willy Wonka

Technically this is not a straight out remake, its another version. But as I said, thats getting technical.

I've also gone against the rule of foreign languages remade in English, I'm focusing on Roald Dahl's favoured source material, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The films, the classic 70's film starring Gene Wilder; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory vs Tim Burton's film; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Beginning with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, made in 1971 and directed by Mel Smith, straight away this feels like an afternoon film to watch with the family. It also indicated, from the title, that this is Willy Wonka's story but in fact it is Charlie Bucket's. In Tim Burton's, the title is the original, but feels the opposite, more about Wonka than Charlie. The story, same in both films, is about an eccentric chocolate maker who had closed his factory for years after spy tried to get in and steal world famous chocolate recipes. Then one day it is announced that Wonka, the chocolate maker is opening his doors to just 5 lucky people who find the 5 golden tickets hidden in his chocolate bars. The winners are from Europe and America. Five very different children, four awful, one good. They are taken on a tour of the factory and one by one fall foul and end up, some of them, disfigured, after not listening to Wonka. The only one to not disobey is Charlie Bucket who is rewarded by Wonka who gives him the factory. In truth he held the competition to find a heir to his life's work. He invites Charlie and his family to live in the factory and live happy ever after. The 1971 classic, as it is indeed a classic, follows this story roughly to a tee. The film is also a musical but actually only has a few songs, most of which are sung by the mysterious Oompa Loompas, the workers in the factory. Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka is just perfect. As comedic actor, he portrays the humerous moments with a sinister edge, which in my opinion is what the roles calls for. The cast of children and parents are good, but don't leave a last effect. Once they meet their demise, they are easy to forget. You tend to remember how they disappeared but that is all. Unfortunately, the film does show its age and feels dated. The typical 70's family film feel is there, which is why I think it would an excellent edition to the afternoon movie. But as an adaptation, its lacks depth past Wonka's exciting character.

Tim Burton's version of Road Dahl's beloved classic, made in 2005, was rather more in keeping with the story. For example Veruca Salt, the little brat from London does in fact end up in the nut room, unlike the 70's films where she is deemed a 'bad egg' in the chocolate egg room. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a brighter, colourful film but still manages to show the darker side the story. The Oompa Loompas sign their songs, but the characters point out that the songs sound rehearsed, as if they predicted these events would happen. It feels as if Willy Wonka planned the demise of the children, setting them up. He knows Augustus is greedy, he would be first to go, he knows that Violet could not resist new gum, Veruca is spolit and would demand something impossible and finally he knows that Mike is just a mean child who would try anything related to technology. The last point is thin but a valid point. The dark side and purpose to Willy Wonka is better played out in the Tim Burton's film but there are still several aspects of the film that don't quite fit together. Mostly the added storyline about Wonka's past. That was added nonsense.

The question of where the factory is in the world both infuriates me and puzzles me. All the inhabitants are obviously British, they even dress like Brits. They may sound off, but you can tell if characters are British by their clothes. So, all British, but they have American words coming out of their mouths, like candy and dollars. It's not candy its CHOCOLATE!! I don't understand why Tim Burton did this. Is this film set in alternative future where America invaded the UK? Or is the factory and the town actually in USA and the entire inhabitants just emigrated together to live there? The only American living in this town is the woman in the shop where Charlie finds the ticket and she offers him $500. That is literally it.

Apart from the shiny and new look to Tim Burton's film, the film does have an excellent cast. All the children play their parts perfectly, even the well matched parents. Of course Charlie Bucket is sickly sweet and Grandpa Joe is an enthusiastic old man, but there is one role I didn't take to and he really was a deal breaker. Johnny Depp just wasn't Willy Wonka. He was crazy character and no doubt played on the dark side of the story very well, but he just too weird and I could not empathise with him over anything.

Verdict: Even though Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a classic, it deterred from its source material. It was great film but this round goes to Charlie and Chocolate Factory. Overlooking its 'is this in UK or US' debate, it felt like the book had come to life.

However, if I was to decide on the deal breaking character and make this decision, the outcome is different.

Wonka vs Wonka

Even though I've read that Gene Wilder's Wonka looked like a serial killer and you wouldn't leave your children alone with him, he still wins this Wonka off. In my opinion, Johnny Depp's Wonka was the serial killer with father issues and should in no way be allowed to see the light of day. Wilder's Wonka was how I imagined a Roald Dahl character to be. Wonka has a heart and is eccentric but he has a sinister side, like all Dahl creations.