Nine to Five (Fantastic Comedies)

Okay, welcome to what is my first two parter, in the first half i will be listing my five favorite comedies, and then the second half will be a detailed review of Nine to Five, one of my favorite comedies!

Five Top Comedies (in no particular order): If someone was to say to me that i maligned comedies on this blog, i would be obliged to agree to them, so here goes!

• Bridesmaids: a great funny intelligent comedy, with fabulous performances by Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, plus that bathroom scene was really something!

• Crazy Stupid Love: A fun plot and script and great performances from its leads makes this film a great feel good comedy
  

• Pitch Perfect: I recently reviewed this film on this site, and this is a fun, entertaining well acted comedy, with some great music.

• Nine to Five: A hilarious original comedy with great chemistry between its three leads and an amusing premise, with Lily Tomlin's performance a real standout.

•  Baby Mama: This little known comedy with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler is a favorite of mine, showcasing these comedy giants in their pre-Palin/Clinton days, and a funny plot involving surrogacy and white trash, what could be greater!

Review

And now for the serious grueling work, Nine to Five is one of my favourite comedies, as can be seen from the list above, and i decided that it was time to give Nine to Five the a list treatment it so deserved. This little 1980 gem is a sweet little comedy that approaches the then revolutionary idea of women venturing out of the home and starting to work for the first time since the 1940's. The film stars Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin.

Jane Fonda stars as a naive woman who has recently gotten divorced, and now has to find work in order to support herself. Fonda is fun in the role, and acts as a foil for the other more eccentric characters. Jane Fonda has a surprisingly good comic timing, and is able to produce deadpan lines, without losing an of the naive personality of the characters.

Dolly Parton is also good, despite the role not being much of a stretch for her, and manages to also be slightly deadpan and seems as if the character never realy understands just how funny she is. Finally Lily Tomlin, a true star turn, she is hilarious in this movie, and manages to seem very superior to all the other characters, whilst still retaining the chemistry with her costars. Tomlin has a fantastic comic timing, and the script of this film is funny and is a great tribute to the time period in which it is set.

This is one of my favorite comedies, and showcases a fun script and a great story, with catchy one liners and a fun supporting cast. This film will always be a timeless classic comedy, which puts many modern comedies to shame, with its refusal to resort to slapstick or fart humor. Rating: A-

Saw? - A Waste of Time

What is the adjective for a franchise that is under-plotted, overacted, poorly written and undeniably self indulgent: The Saw Franchise. A series of films which lack any real kind of plot, and which simply feel like the result of the catharsis of one man's sick fantasies. I will admit that I have not seen the whole of this franchise, so i will limit my comments to the first installment.

The premise of this franchise is that a man with terminal cancer attempts to teach bad people a lesson through a series of 'traps', in which people generally have to mutilate themselves in order to escape. This paper thin premise is the canvas on which the film unfolds, with 'traps' such as the reverse bear. The shaky plot of the film revolves around two men who wake up to find themselves in a deserted bathroom, and who must work together in order to escape. A plot ensues envolving a lot of flashbacks and people who randomly seem to remember things at appropriate moments, am I missing something?

The real problem with this film is that it fails to decide what it accurately wants to be, it can't distinguish between being a slasher film which makes one guffaw at its gruesome antics, yet also fails to thrill the audience, and i must say that i was a little bored whilst watching this film. The film doesn't allow its audience to make a connection with its characters, and i didn't particularly care whether these characters lived or not, perhaps this has to do with the horrendous acting, the film contains much of what i would refer to as 'porn star' acting, however i will refrain from using this phrase here as  i feel that this is offensive to the adult film industry.

The actors in this film really are appalling, and yes, they had very little to work with in terms of a script, yet that doesn't excuse the fact that the actors in this film failed to even scream convincingly. I would tell you which actor played which role, yet i found this film so uninteresting, that besides the villain, i couldn't tell you a single characters name (the villain is called Jigsaw). Overall this is a pretty appalling film, and really should only be used as a drinking game, the acting is really really bad, and the film fails to be either funny or scary, and I have seen you tube videos that managed to cram more character development into a five minute skit than this entire film contains, even if this film had terrified me and stopped me sleeping, i would still have liked it more. Rating:D

So tell me readers, am I missing something, did anyone like this franchise? given the films box office receipts i gather someone must have! Let the world know in the comments box below.

How Talented

Jazz, a huge fan myself, what is improvisation but a moment of total chaos, and yet perfection, an infinite moment in which anything is possible. Jazz is an explosion of defined chaos, and is crazed yet beautiful. Despite the main characters love of jazz, the next film is anything but that, it is slick, polished, and calculated, and the film itself seems to be at odds with the frenetic rushing of its main characters and their actions, infinite in their craziness. The Talented Mr Ripley is a psychological thriller starring Matt Damon in the title role. The films is an adaptation of the series of novels by Patricia Highsmith, about a con artist who uses his many talents to get by in life and to finance his extravagant lifestyle, all the while clinging to control his world. Matt Damon is just perfection in this role, an manages to portray a man who is slick and calm, yet who is in turmoil.

The supporting cast is also stunning, my brother can testify to the fact that I recently had a little bit of a rant about Gwyneth Paltrow's (in my opinion) undeserving Oscar win, considering Cate Blanchett's performance in Elizabeth, however i was taken aback by her performance in this film, she is a woman who manages to always maintain her composure, yet who can feel her world slowly starting to fall apart, she is also stunningly beautiful in this picture. Jude Law plays her fiance, a man who seems to have it all together, but whose Mr Hyde personality, a creature of rage and violence breaks through at a pivotal moment in the plot.

The incredible Cate Blanchett plays Meredith Logue, a character who doesn't appear in the novels. Cate Blanchett has less material to work with than her costars, yet she succeeds in making the character intriguing and mysterious none the less, and like Paltrow she looks stunning. The film itself is set in Italy, and the film is simply incredible, and these stunning vistas provide a classy backdrop for the violence and destruction which is to unfold. The film is impressive in the way in which it presents the events of the film in a fairly neutral manner, in that it doesn't present the incidents of the film in an especially negative light, yet allows us to empathize with the main character, and presents the film from his point of view.

This film is also exceptionally well edited, and this is shown in the way that the picture fails to drag, I recently described a film as never allowing time for the audience to get bored, and the same is true for The Talented Mr Ripley, the film uses changes of narrative and changes of setting, in order to keep the film fresh and keep the film from dragging. The film also fails to go down the traditional route of ridiculous plot twists and ludicrous coincidences, and rather than the events of the film seeming far fetched, the film seems calculated, and controlled.

I can simply say that The Talented Mr Ripley is simply a joy, the film presents fantastic performances from its four leads, whom each provide a depth to their character, and show a humanity in their characters, even when the people they portray are simply horrid. The film looks stunning and has great music, and is an thrillingly entertaining romp, with a fantastic story Rating: A

Tom Ripley: If I could just go back... if I could rub everything out... starting with myself.

A comparison of a Genre

Today i will do something a little different, i recently attempted to compare two cult classics, an attempt that failed with the knowledge that the only cult films i knew were camp classics, and wholly unsuitable for comparison with dark masterpiece fight club, so i will take up the sword once more, this time a comparison of two great tv movies, and not of the lifetime kind, and both are adaptations of the life stories of famous writers, the first is The Naked Civil Servant, a film which was shown to me by my wife, and which recounts the early years of Quentin Crisp, played by William Hurt, the film recounts his years in London before his move to New York, and his many jobs, including being a prostitute and a nude model, hence the title, Quentin works for the government as a model for art schools, so Quentin concludes that he is simply, a naked civil servant.

The other film to which I will compare this opus is Christopher and His Kind, an adaptation of the memoir by Christopher Isherwood, the film tells of Isherwood himself, and his embroils in Berlin during the 1930's, in the period during which he went on to write what would become to be known as Cabaret, and stars Matt Smith (Aka Dr Who) as Isherwood himself. Both films are set around the same time, and both portray characters who are fiercely proud of who they are, and are unafraid to be despite the times or places they live in being unforgiving to people of their ilk. The Naked Civil Servant is unusual in it being presented in a series of vignettes, each as a different lesson, this narrative voice is important in the way that it translates the spirit of the novel without it feeling forced.

Imogen Poots as Jean Ross in Christopher and His Kind

Christopher and his Kind is presented in a less radical way, yet is impressive nonetheless, the film is juxtaposed with a series of cabaret performances, by Imogen Poots, playing Jean Ross, herself the inspiration for Sally Bowles. This interspersing of song is appropriate, as the majority of the songs used have a certain relevance, which gives the whole picture a musical theater like quality, and  lends comparison to Cabaret the film himself, in which the songs used are used in performance, yet have a significance in the storytelling.

William Hurt in The Naked Civil Servant

Performances in both films are strong, and William Hurt is particularly impressive in his entertaining yet grounded portrayal of Quentin Crisp, and is every bit as quirky as the man himself. Despite Matt Smith's portrayal being a little less memorable, the film makes up for it by being visually stunning, and with very strong performances by the supporting cast, an particular Toby Jones and Douglas Booth. The film also succedes in that it's source material is much stronger, however being a huge fan of Christopher Isherwood's work, perhaps I'm simply biased, the film also manages to provide more of a sense of the time in which it was set, and of the impending political revolution.

Matt Smith in Christopher and His Kind

All i can say to conclude is that these films are both equally excellent, they are simply different, The Naked Civil Servant is more of a cautionary tale, and is about a fairly long period of time, and revolves around one single memorable performance, which holds up the film. Christopher and his Kind spreads the weight over a number of performances, and indeed a number of years, and like many Isherwood novels, makes one nostalgic for the time in which it is set, and has some great musical moments. There is no simple way to distinguish the ratings for these two films, and i feel i simply must rate them equally, as they are equally as delightful as the other, and are a tribute to the lives of the great men that they portray. Rating: A-/A-

Musings on a Quartet

Last night, as all friday nights, i went to the cinema, to see a perfectly quaint little picture called Quartet, I sat in the front row, and felt more at peace than i have in months, and for that hour and a half, no one else in the world existed. I spoke recently about films that attempt to slap you in the face with their message, and films which are a tad more ambiguous. Quartet is a film which is refreshingly unpretentious, and which doesn't pretend to be a big message film, and which doesn't pretend that it's events are of a grand importance, or that it will change the world, it is content to simply be, and is a breath of fresh air in a cinematic universe where films are all attempts to say something about the world we live in, yet are unsubtle in their attempts to convey their messages, and make you feel as if you have just heard a speech by a cult leader. Quartet is a film which doesn't think that it is a great movie, it is a movie that is content to simply be, without pretending that it has to change the world.

The film is heart warming, and stars Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay along with a host of veteran british greats including Michael Gambon and Billy Connoly. The plot of the film takes place in a retirement home for musicians, Beecham House, founded upon the principles of the real life 'Casa Di Riposti per Musicisti', founded by the great composer Guiseppe Verdi, in Milan, the home holds a gala each year in order to raise money, on the anniversary on the birthdate of Giuseppe Verdi. There is a new arrivaél at the house, a famed opera singer, who sung the quartet from Verdi's Rigoletto, on a recording well known to opera buffs. Maggie Smith stars as the famed opera singer, and i simply delightful in the role. Tom Courtenay stars as her ex husband, a grumpy old man who has a heart underneath, Courtenay adds a depth to the role, and grafts a character that we care about, despite his obvious flaws. The other two actors who make up the rest of the quartet are delightful, and despite adding comic relief, the characters also have depth, and don't turn the characters into cardboard cutouts, despite the characters being a little stereotypical!

The film is beautiful, and made me really miss England, the film adds a charm to the rolling green and pleasant lands, and is a tribute to the beauty of England and its summer rain, heatwaves and classic architecture. This is surprising given that Dustin Hoffman is an American, yet is a tribute to his skill as a filmmaker. This film can in some ways be compared to Charles Dance's directorial debut, Ladies in Lavender, both were heart warming and simple films, both focused on performance and were uncomplicated in their simplicity and lack of pretentiousness, and both films took place over a reasonably short space of time, and were both shot greatly on location. Both films were also directed by first time directors, who were generally known as actors. Both films are also beautiful tributes to the places in which they are set, and star some of Britain's finest actors.

The film simply is delightful, as a musician myself and a fan of opera music, the music in this piece is simply wonderful, however for those who are not fans of such music, and young people who are not particularly interested by this kind of picture, the film still has a lot to offer, the film is heart warming and classy, and showcases some of the finest performances from some of the finest actors. Despite not changing the world, this is an refreshingly unpretentious film that is well worth a watch, top marks! Rating: A-

Jean: This is not a retirement home, it is a madhouse!

A Ballet of Madness

Darren Aronofski's 2010 psycho-sexual thriller Black Swan shocked audiences and was acclaimed by critics, and was subsequently nominated for five Academy Awards. The film is about the dark side of the ballet world, and centers around Nina, a young ballerina, who wins the lead in swan lake, and begins an inexorable fall into madness, jealousy paranoia and some great dancing.The film is stylized and bold, brash and loud, and is an imaginative insight into the world of ballet, an area i know relatively little about. Natalie Portman stars as the fragile, delicate Nina, protected and cosseted by her overbearing Mother (Portman won the Academy Award for best actress for her role) and Mila Kunis stars as Lily, her rival. Kunis' performance in the film was overlooked, and the actress failed to garner an Oscar nomination.

The film is a visual delight, with the picture being dramatic and thrilling. The film is very dark, and uses bleak cinematography and and very little color, in order to portray the impending doom. I would not usually comment on the production design i a film, except here, the film uses black and white a great deal, veering away from this in Nina's bedroom, infusing it with pink and warmth, and making it clear that this is a child's room, and inappropriate for a young woman of Nina's age. The film contains horror elements, such as Nina turning round to stare at herself in the mirror, and her leaning over the bath and looking at herself through the water, these are successful attempts by Aronofski to show us visually Nina's descent into madness, and to show us her demons in a visual graphic way, making the film visually suspenseful.

The film is in a sense a spiritual 'Film à Clef', which attempts to tell us the story of swan lake, and uses each of the characters as representations of characters in the story of Swan Lake, this is further instilled during the credits sequence, where the actors are each credited as playing two characters, their character in the film, and the spiritual role they inhabit. The two leads thus play the white swan and the black swan, each fighting for power, these two characters really exist inside Nina, as during many of the events in which Lily plays a part, we are unsure whether she is truly there, or if Nina is projecting onto Lily, her own darkness. The music in the film borrows heavily from Tchaikovsky's original score, (which explains the scores disqualification from the best original score category at that years Oscars) however with some notable exceptions, the club scene uses a piece of dance music by The Chemical Brothers, which is a reinvention of Swan Lake as a wild techno piece of club music.

Overall this film is a true tribute to Aronofski's skill as a director, like it or hate it Black Swan is bold, it is imaginative and it is fun without ever veering into camp. The film shows strong performances from its leads, and shows us a real insight into the world of the ballet, and the intense control and discipline that it requires. The director manages to give us a visually stunning film with a fun script that keeps us involved, and seems to run from twist to twist, never leaving the audience a pause in which to get bored Rating A

Nina: It's about a girl who gets turned into a swan and she needs love to break the spell, but her prince falls for the wrong girl so she kills herself.

Finding The Silver Lining

There are many films in the history of cinema that have attempted to slap viewers hard round the face with their message, with movies that scream 'we hate slavery!' and 'torture is bad!', so it was finally refreshing to see a film where the issues are below the surface, and where the film plays on two levels, as an entertaining romp and as a film with a deeper meaning. Silver Linings Playbook is an adaptation of Matthew Quick's novel of the same name, and tells the story of Pat, a man who has spent some time in a mental institution, and goes on an emotional quest, to find 'a silver lining'.

The film, directed by 'The Fighter' auteur David O Russel, who brings the film to the screen with a deft hand, jettisoning the parts of the story, which would adapt poorly to the screen, and grafting onto the bones of the story, a script which is delightful and fun, yet retains some of the more serious aspects and some of the gravitous subject matter of the novel. The casting of the film is inspired with the film becoming the first since Reds, to garner academy award nominations in all four acting categories, and the first since Million Dollar Baby, to be nominated for the top five.

The film stars Bradley Cooper as Pat Solatano, a man who has just been released from an institution, and Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell, a recovering sex addict and aspiring dancer. The pairing of these two is great, and they are a couple which the audience really wants to work out, and the audience really wants them to be together. This is surprising in a sense, given the age difference between the two actors, (Lawrence was 21 and Cooper 38 at the time of filming). The film shows us great performances from these leads as individuals, as they manage to represent characters with a lot of issues, and problems, yet they never let these characters get to the point when they start to irritate the audience, and we continue to love and care for these characters because of, not in spite of their flaws.

Overall this film is entertaining, yet has heart. It is fun yet it has a deeper meaning, and it doesn't go down the age old path of trying to slap you with its message, yet the message is still there, and it is still a film that has a clear direction and a subtle message. The performances of the leads and the development of the characters makes this an entertaining film, and an enjoyable watch. Rating: A

Tiffany: I'm just the crazy slut, with a dead husband, Hahahaha! Fuck you!

An Australian Gone With The Wind

I recently reviewed the trailer of Baz Luhrmann's epic new trailer for his upcoming adaptation of the Great Gatsby. Now i will analyze his latest theatrical release; 2008's Australia, an epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

The film is, of course, set in Australia, in the 1940's, before the imminent start of the second world war. It tells of an English lady who travels to Australia to retrieve her husband who has settled there, who finds him dead and is then left with the decision of what to do with his withering cattle ranch in the Australian outback. There she meets The Drover, and becomes embroiled in a world of racism, cattle droving, attempted murder and a dizzying romance.

The film firstly has a fantastic visual identity, like all Baz Luhrmann pictures, and the sets and vistas are simply incredible. The costumes are simply amazing, with Kidman's red kimono dress a standout. The other costumes are all also wonderful, with costume designer; long time Luhrmann collaborator Catherine Martin, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her work on this film, manages to add a realism to the costumes, yet also makes the costumes imaginative and visually delightful.

The performances in the film are also great, with Kidman, Jackman and Brandon Walters performances as standouts. Brandon Walters performance is particularly stunning, with him managing to add a great depth to the character, with the child being cute and carefree, yet also having a sense of the great power that this child holds, and with the weight of the world seeming to sit on this young boys shoulders, given the intense struggle that he has been through.

The Red Kimono Dress

The pairing of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman is simply genius, with the audience being able to always sense the intense sexual chemistry between them throughout the movie, and with the glamour and intense of fourties film icons. The films pacing is pretty good, however at 2 hours and 45 minutes, this film is more than a little long, however the film doesn't seem to drag, and i was generally entertained throughout.

Overall Australia is a good film, yet not a great film. It succeeds greatly thanks to strong performances from its lead actors, and has great visuals and stunning vistas. The film however is long, and rather fails in its attempts at an aborigine racial subplot, yet remains an entertaining romp. Rating: A-

Drover: Welcome to Australia...

I'm ready for my close up...

Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 film noir original film by Billy Wilder about the dark side of Hollywood and the film industry. The film is about a struggling script writer who stumbles upon a decaying Hollywood mansion on legendary sunset boulevard whilst looking for a place to hide his car from debt collectors, he finds a fading star of the silent screen inside, and is lured into a web of lies, deceit and obsession. Gloria Swanson stars as Norma Desmond, a once legendary silent screen star now faded into insignificance with the introduction of the talkies, and who now hides away in her decaying golden age mansion. William Holden stars as Joe Gillis, a struggling Hollywood screenwriter, up to his ears in dept an looking for somewhere to hide his car.

The film is narrated by Joe, discovered dead at the beginning of the film, as he attempts to tell us the events that lead to his demise, the narration is atmospheric, and along with the music adds to the ominous tone of the film. The film is in black and white, unusual for a time in which color was all the rage for Hollywood pictures. The cinematography is stunning and aggressive, and along with the costumes and prodution design, create a picture which not only has a great story and fantastic script, but is also a visual delight.

Costumes were designed by the legendary Edith Head, who was able to capture the fashion of the time, and the delightfully kooky nature of the world in which Joe Gillis finds himself inhabiting. Production design is also stunning, and creates a world which is exotic and strange, upon which this drama unfolds, and in which it is Joe and not Norma who looks out of place.

The actors are fantastic, and Gloria Swanson's performance as the psycotic fading star struggling to come to grips with her wallowing fame, her performance in this picture is not only the best in the film, yet one of the best in the history of cinema, she manages to inject pain, passion and yet also malice into the role of now iconic Norma Desmond. The character in the film mirrors Gloria's personal story, having been a silent screen star herself. The rest of the cast also gives strong performances, and it is almost a shame that their performances are outshined by Gloria's star turn.

In conclusion this really is an incredible movie, it is a tribute to the american film industry, and is cinematographically and visually superb, with a great suspenseful script and story and a great film noir atmosphere. Finally the film presents fabulous performances from all its leads, in particular the fantastic Gloria Swanson, as the tragic heroine Norma Desmond. Rating A+

Norma Desmond: All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.

The Paperboy - A Review

Lee Daniels, director of the lauded and Academy Award nominated Precious, brings to the screen an adaptation of Pete Dexter's 1995 novel, a neo noir novel about murder and lust in a florida swamp during the mid 20th century. The film stars Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Matthew McConauhey and John Cusack, and had its premier at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 16 minute standing ovation.

The film tells us the story of a man wrongly accused of murder, the journalists who attempt to find out the truth, and the woman who write to the man in prison, and who has fallen in love with him. The film uses a handheld camera style, which i will admit annoyed me a little less than it did in A Place Beyond The Pines, perhaps the camera doesn't shake quite as much! The film uses bright, lurid colors, which add to the films sense of heightened reality, and retrospective narrative.

The film also attempts to add a civil rights movement inspired subplot, this succeeds better than the other parts of the movie, and the addition of the narration by the maid of the family gives the film a personal touch. The other parts of the film are significantly less successful, Nicole Kidman is refreshing in her role as the oversexed barbie Charlotte, a middle class white woman with a penchant for bad men. She lights up every scene she is in, and manages to steal the film with her neurotic performance, that said many of the scenes in which she is not are more than a little dull.

This film contains many sexual moments that will make one cringe, and believe me the infamous peeing scene (done for real by the way) is believe me not the worst, whether these scenes were meant to make the audience uncomfortable is anyone's guess, the worst offender is really the scene in which Charlotte visits John Cusacks character in prison is more than a little odd, despite good performances, and leaves the audience vaguely laughing in shock.

The film seems to me to be a mess, to be honest, the material seems to be poorly handled, however the addition of a civil rights subplot featuring a sure performance by Macy Gray and Nicole Kidman's standout performance as Charlotte make this film worth a watch. However the numerous awkward vaguely erotic sex scenes, and Zac Efron's seemingly random appearances nearly always in his underwear, make this film too random yet not camp enough to cross over into cult territory, yet manages to be supremely entertaining thanks in part to the performances of John Cusack, Macy Gray and the always ravishing Nicole Kidman Rating: B

Charlotte Bless: If anyone's gonna piss on him, it's going to be me. He don't like strangers peeing on him.

That Place Beyond the Pines

This weeks cinema outing would take me to see 'The Place Beyond The Pines', a much hyped spring movie starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Bradley Cooper. The film is a vignette of three separate yet interconnected stories, all taking place in the town of Schenectady; New York. The film uses the format of three vignettes, each interconnected and set in the same place, the first is the story of a motorbike stunt rider, who discover he has a son that he never knew he had, and becomes a bank robber in order to support his child. The second story is of a cop who reveals corruption in the police force, the third vignette tells the tale of these men's two sons, who meet 15 years later.

The films title refers to the mohawk meaning for Scenectady, which is 'the place beyond the pine planes'. The filmmakers might think that the title sounds arty and poetic, when i think throughout the whole film i was simply looking for pine trees, of which there is not one, this makes the title very confusing whilst watching the movie, especially considering that a large part of the movie takes place in a wooded area of sycamore trees, making the title obnoxious and confusing to anyone who doesn't know it's meaning.

Another part of the film i dislike is the camera angles, I'm not one who usually gives much thought to the placement of the camera in a movie, except that when watching this film, i just want to scream; 'stop moving the freaking camera', thus this film suffers that same fate as Les Miserables, in that it is shot mainly on handheld cameras, giving the whole film a very personal feel, except that the shaking camera annoys me too much to allow me to see it as 'artistic'. The one redeeming feature of this movie is the acting, the film gives us strong performances form its three leads, with Eva Mendes performance as a standout, she gives us a fragile yet strong heroine, who has to struggle for her survival in a cruel world, and who early in the film has to fight with herself against her love for two different men.

In conclusion this film has lofty ambitions, yet fails to attain to its epic goals, however its strong performances from its leads, and the films interesting and tragic if confused plot all make this worth a see, even if ultimately the film falls short of its ambition, and leaves the audience confused, and with more questions, than answers. Rating: B-

Robin: If you ride like lightning, you're going to crash like thunder.

My Week With Marilyn

2011 gave us My Week With Marilyn, a picture about the time that Monroe spent in England during the making of The Prince And The Showgirl, with Laurence Olivier. The film was reasonably well received with Michelle Williams performance receiving a nomination at the 84th Academy Awards, along with Branagh for his performance as Olivier.

The film despite being a delightful romp and mildly entertaining, yet has rather a lot of issues. The film itself seems unbalanced, or rather not enough 'Marilyn', too much 'My', the films seems to have far too focused on the story of Colin Clark, and gives Marilyn Monroe far too little screen time, that said, she manages to light up every scene in which she appears. The major problem with this lack of balance is that it means that we truly only see the worst of Marilyn and never the best. We are shown her tantrums, her maneating qualities and her breakdowns, we are also shown the way she seems to break mens hearts, and the way she has week long flings with different men, hence the title of the film.

Whereas I feel that making the young assistant the center of the film gives the film focus, and the idea of the length of the film a week keeps it from dragging, i feel that in the editing, the film spends too much time dealing with this young mans story, on his plight and his dream, and not enough on that of Mrs Monroe, which is a shame given that Williams is simply a delight. The film also puts far too much emphasis on the other negative aspects of Monroe's life, such as her instability, the sicophancy of the people around, and her group of gold digging crony employees.

In contrast, there is one scene in which Colin and Marilyn spend a day together, at Windsor castle, and these 20 minutes of screen time are absolutely delightful, and Williams manages to be the perfect tribute to Marilyn Monroe's light, her freedom and her joyousness, if this tone had been kept throughout the rest of the movie, it would have been much more successful, and would have been a brighter and more enjoyable movie, as it is the film fails to delve into the mind of Ms Monroe, preferring to concentrate on her meltdowns and tantrums.

On a lighter note the film is stunningly beautiful, and manages to perfectly capture the essence of the 1950's and the beauty of England, and despite the films flaws, Michelle Williams is simply perfect in capturing the essence and fragility that was, is and always will be; Marilyn Monroe. Rating: B+

Marilyn Monroe: All people ever see is Marilyn Monroe. As soon as they realize I'm not her, they run. 

What do you think, did anyone else enjoy this film? What else could have been done better? Let everyone know in the comments section below!

Tourism and the Film Industry

2010 brought us romantic travel thriller by Academy Award winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 'The Tourist', the film tells the story of a mysterious british woman who picks up an american tourist on a train, the film was panned by critics on release, yet it went on to be nominated for 3 golden globes, including Best Picture-Musical of Comedy. Given the largely negative critical reaction, and being a fan of the films leads i was interested in what my reaction would be.

Actually i thought that it was really rather good, despite having a rather clunky script, the story is surprisingly original, and is not something we have seen for many years, spy movies not being particularly popular, and in fact besides James Bond, Angelina Jolie's SALT might be the last true original spy film in a while. The films plot is also different, whereas in many action films such as Knight and Day, it is the man who is trained and experienced, and the heroine is simply some random person whis is simply along for the ride. This film turns the tables with the heroine being the professional, and the guy being 'the tourist', and regails us with an interesting plot that has many twists and turns that manage to grab our attention and make this a thoroughly entertaining thrill ride.

The film is also incredibly slick, neither Venice nor Paris have ever looked better on film, and the editing style of the film is very smooth and polish and rather slick, which suits the clear and crisp film style.  The performances are mainly good, with Jolies performance as a standout, she somehow manages to add a humanity and personality to a character who appears at first glance to be cold and intimidating, and so closed off that she would seem to lack a personality were it not for the talents of Jolie. Bringing up the rear is a talented cohort which includes Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell and Timothy Dalton. The only exception is Johnny Depp, whose performance in the film is terrible, i mean really really Rihanna in battleship terrible. He has virtually no expressions and fails to sell the intriguing plot twist at the end, a real Kristen Stewart one might say, but with less hair touching.

Overall the film is yes, forgettable, and yes a little clichéd, but neither Venice nor Paris, nor indeed Angelina Jolie have ever looked better on film, she really looks amazing, and manages to sell the femme fatale aspect of her character even in her walk. The film is supreme entertainment and manages to be daring, stylish sexy and fun, all in the same instant, and manages to refrain from the typically unintentionally funny lines we have now come to expect and loathe from the twilight caliber of films. In short, not an amazingly good film, but a fun entertaining thrilling romp, with the divine Angelina Jolie...enough said! Rating:B+ Any chance of a comment? Did anyone else see the tourist? Did anyone else enjoy it, i know i did! Any disagreements? Let me know

Elise Clifton-Ward: You read spy novels. I'm the mysterious woman on the train, you tell me what my story is.

Pitch Perfect in Every Way

Well this is a little different,  today's post is about a film not of the type i normally write about, however this movie is so delightful that i simply must talk about it. Pitch Perfect is a musical comedy which follows an all girl collegiate accapella show choir as they attempt to win the national championships.

The film really is very successful, and has a stellar cast which includes Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Skylar Austin and a stealing performance by Rebel Wilson. The success of this movie relies a great deal to the fact that it knows its place, and doesn't take itself too seriously, and knows clearly about the fact that it is only a light hearted comedy, with some banging musical numbers.  The cast of characters in the film is interesting, the film presents us with characters who can seem to be stereotyped, and yet who say things throughout the film which seem incongruous, yet who later turn out to be exactly the way they appear, a good example of this is the butch Cynthia-Rose, who confesses that she has a really big...gambling problem...that started right after she broke up with her girlfriend! I like the fact that the film doesn't pretend that it is trying to break down boundaries or break the rules of character development or give us the message that people aren't the way they seem, and this is what is meant about it knowing its place.

Another funny element of the film is the fact that it is very self referential, and is unafraid to poke fun at itself. There are two members of the group whom we see and hear very little of, and when a character complains that the sound as if they have not been there a all, they protest that they have been there the whole time, an amusing moment which plays on the fact that we really do not see these two at all throughout the movie. The film also manages to poke fun at traditional movies, with characters about to say completeley ridiculous over the top things, and catching themselves just in time, realizing their own ridiculousness.

Next we come to the music, the music in this film is a great blend of really modern music with old classic mid 90's songs, which creates a really incongruous blend, and creates more of a timeless film, in which the music is the sound pf a certain generation, yet which is not anchored too firmly in one particular time period. I also like the fact that this is finally a film which sounds like it actually has college kids singing it, where the singing is not ridiculous auto-tuned gloss.

We simply must talk about Rebel Wilson who is incredibly funny as the fun loving Tasmanian Fat Amy,  She is charming funny and yet her lines are not ludicrously clever and improbable, they actually seem like things that someone could say in real life, this really is a true tribute to Rebel Wilson's skill as a comedian as it is really down to the fact that she improvised the great majority of her lines that she is so believable, yet so funny, and this film shows of her talents far better than say Bridesmaids, where her screen time is ridiculously short, and she is outshined by the ravishing Melissa McCarthy (take that Rex Reed!)

Overall this is an entertaining film, with some kick-ass musical numbers, a heart warming plot, some really funny characters and a great story, this really is a must see (even for guys!) Rebel Wilson alone really is worth the watch. Rating: A

Fat Amy: You guys are gonna get pitch-slapped so hard, your man boobs are gonna concave.