Sleeping Beauty

Three *

It's a very unchatty performance but fueled with body language.

Language, not movement. So don't start thinking porn.

Undoubtedly, Emily Browning's beauty is beguiling. The colours work well on her sensuous body, pale and ginger never looked so good on a petite frame.

The ending was not as fantastic as the lead up to the end but I have to say it's not entirely disasterous. Because I was in a good mood that afternoon, I welcomed the a-typical, un-hollywood sterotypical close prevalent in most indie movies.

So its pretty simple really.

Struggling uni student Lucy needs cash.

Found a job as a Sleeping Beauty.

Drinks a cup of tea, falls asleep in Clara's hidden mansion.

Men invited to explore their desires with Lucy.

Strictly no penetration.

Lucy wakes up. Job completed. Gets paid.

Got pretty good at it. Need more $. Did several jobs.

Lucy's curiousity consumes her. Wants to know what happens when she sleeps.

When she eventually finds out, it's not good.

The old fart died beside her.

The recorded play back was very passive. Just a sleeping, dying, naked man.

Shame.

Lucy never got to know how unpassive the previous jobs were.

OK. I'm no story teller. But that's my best account.

Super 8 Ain't Gr8

Elle Fanning is stunning.

That's all.

X Men First Class

X Men is x tremely ordinary without Wolverine.

The cast was good, but for a movie of this calibre it needs to be eXtraordinarily mindblowing.

I can't stand Macavoy with mind reading pose though. Index finger pressed against side of head.

Love the baby smurf.

Double loved the cameo appearance of Wolverine.

"Go f*ck yourself" haha.

Babies

My favourite: Bayar

I've done abit of thinking since this movie

The difference between city kids, farm kids and kids in the wild is so apparent. How much are we really missing out by burying outselves in the concrete jungle. What is the meaning of our life outside the realm of technology. Are we able to survive out in the open in the mercy of mother nature and how will we bond with the residents of the animal kingdom. How would you define savvy, street smart and what would you consider a survivor. Are we equipped to live under diverse, changing conditions or are we too protected, too sterile, too clean.

Questions aside, this is a beautiful documentary.. and a child's innocence is absolutely magical.

District B13

I have seen this about 5x and when it aired on SBS tonight, I still HAD to see it AGAIN!

District B13 is the BEST FRENCH ACTION FILM by far!

Drugs, guns and mobs aside, the skills and technique of the fight scenes flow in a beautiful rhythm with the boom-boom music

The tats and abs were also a plus factor :)

VIVA FRANCE!

Water for Elephants

Freebie #2!

Really.. it should be: Whisky for Elephants

When I first heard of R Pat's character, Jacob.. well.. Twilighters.. you felt the irony too, I'm sure.

So to start off with something nice, Pattinson is more convincing as a neanderthal than a bloodsucker. As for his acting, the only buy in I got was the American accent, I can't vouch for how polished his Polish is.. but that's just about it. His performance was yet to be desired.. so annoyed when he does the mocking no-reason grins like the scene was a joke to him or something :P

Witherspoon and Waltz were both very commendable. She's come a long way since Legally Blonde hasn't she. All grown up, all woman and yet she holds herself with enviable stature and poise. Waltz had certainly excelled in delivering a feared, revered circus master fueled with animalistic behaviour, burning passion , fierce leadership .. all with class and vulgar like a lethal, delicious concoction of fine food (if that makes any sense?!)

So I'll rate this R for Romantic.. and I'm glad I didn't read the book beforehand.. otherwise like you, I'll be disappointed

Source Code

You know.. the sci fi movies I watch these days are not convincing because most of the ideas stem from The Matrix.

Stolen ideas aside, the Source Code reminds me of Vantage Point where there is a series of returning-to-the-point-where-it-all-happens. Except that this has a sci fi element and Vantage Point was focussed on delivering the plot from different perspectives.

Jake was pretty hot, but Monaghan was hotter.

Well to sum it up, yes.. it's just another sci-fi.

2.5 stars

Something Borrowed

Yet another sterotypical G-Goodwin desparado-gets-guy ending. Kate Hudson really reminds me of her mum Goldie as she progresses into her prime.
Krasinski delivers well as the nerdy sweetheart dumpee.
And why does Colin Egglesfield look so much like couch jumping Tom Cruise?

Value for money? None. Because I won tickets to it :)

Value for time? Maybe. A no brainer, chic flick is perhaps what we all need to get rid of Mondayitis.

Limitless and The Adjustment Bureau

2 movies consecutively
not the best idea to have one sci-fi after another!

Anyway, it's not fantastic so just a one liner from me

Limitless - this movie has so much potential with a great cast and hot looking leads so i'm not sure what went wrong but I drifted off too many times to a better place.. zzzzz land.

The Adjustment Bureau - Philip K Dick has always been rather extreme in his execution and this movie has been very mild in its delivery but slightly better than Limitless because it's more engaging and sci-fi worthy

127 Hours

You've done it again, Danny Boyle!

If I had to find something to fault about, it would be the Slumdog reference at the beginning of the movies.. the sea of indians (or the indian majority).. yeah that.. I guess we don't have to be reminded that you did well in Slumdog M.

Franco was very engaging, very good at being calm and focussed. Think with your head. Not let the emotional bullshit get into the crisis. Actually, not turning the whole situation into a crisis.

Most of all, I loved how Boyle fitted in bits of comedy and happy music where appropriate. It was so important to keep some scenes light and not over dramatize the whole film, like in Inception.

I loved the Good Morning America part. And needless to say, I peeped throughout the entire butchering session and only looked at Aron's (Franco's) face.

But will I watch another movie like this again? Unlikely.

Black Swan (January 16th, 2011)

Mental.

The movie is disturbing. (I say 'is' because it's still fresh in my mind)
I don't even want to attach the poster and be reminded of what innocent ballerinas could turn out to be.

An article I read describes the movie as "psychosexual thriller" and I can't agree more. In fact, I think it should be crowned a horror movie.

- The skin peeling from index finger
- The face jabbing by the retired Little Princess
- The physio session where the therapist massaged Nina's ribs

Ew.

Another site mentioned the Black Swan movie as a 'cinematic portrayal of schitzophrenia'
Well it's schitzo all right.. a horrific, psychotic, unsympathetic.

Take your passion one step too far and it consumes you.

I don't know what to say about Portman. Ever since her ugly side in The Other Boleyn Girl, she's been on my freak list. I think she will reign #1 for a long long time.

Freak.

Morning Glory (January 9th, 2011)

OK, there are at least a dozen movies by the same title so can someone please explain?

Fine. Morning as in the morning show.. Glory as in it gets a winning dick. I mean tick. Cliche :P

I guess it's one of those shows that guarantees a happy ending, so on a hot summer's Sunday it seems like a good idea to soak in all the fluffy (quote from the movie) vibe bursting out of McAdams in her bid to resuscitate a dying morning show with her crazy psychadelic workaholic persuasive demeanor, though we all know it's all in the great hair, the cute lacey knickers and the perfect girly frame.

If I weren't desperate to be entertained in a dark cold room on a day before the first workday of the week (no I'm not crazy about my job) it would have been hard to justify paying for this even though I had like a 30% discounted ticket price.

And I needed to kill time so my restday won't seem so irrelevant.

I am not a Diane Keaton fan so no comment. Ford is okay. I see him in that grumpy nature of a stuck up anchorman so.. yeah he did ok. McAdams.. well, the female viewers may get a shitload of inspiration from Becky and the male viewers are there just because she's hot.

The Tourist (December 25, 2010)

The much awaited, much anticipated double slam A-listers; only Jolie and Depp can pull off a movie as watchable as The Tourist.

Failed attempt on my part to watch Anthony Zimmer (yes, the movie was adapted from this Frenchy!) from start to finish on SBS because the pace was lacking but more so were my energy levels. I can't and won't compare the two because I know I will be bias, which is atypical of me to be prejudiced towards an American remake. Usually the original score gets the thumbs up (e.g. Let The Right One In)

What can I say... alone in Perth on a 40 degree Celcius day, I can't ask any less than to celebrate with the ever so charming Johnny Depp and the beguiling, sexy Angelina Jolie in a paparazzi swamped location like Venice. So what if it's cliche, over the top, predictable... there's a lot of class, a lot of ravishing (ravenous) hotties, and a lot of location shoots in my dream city. I am amazed how high pitched Angie can sound when she speaks French. It's nice to see her out of the tough love role and into the elegant, well mannered, all encompassing woman. As for Johnny Depp, I loved that he didn't have to repeat the quirks of Willy Wonka, Mad Hatter and Captain John Sparrow and just play the predictable lead male who gets the girl and everything else in the end. Perhaps I'm so used to seeing him with eyeliner now that I found his face being somewhat naked without them.

Pretty good escapism for a solo Christmas. I look foward to more movies like this.. with actors like that.

And Angie you're right.. it was hilarious that you got the Golden Globe nomination for Musical and Comedy category!

King's Speech (December 2010)

Splendid. Definitely oscar worthy for Firth and Rush.

It's hard watching HBC in such an unquirky role. She was very supportive though. Nice, but not fantastic. Her clothes were yuck.

Colin Firth really embraced the role with a lot of grace, charm and the princely role was so befitting for him.

I loved how Lionel insisted on having his sessions with his 'special patient' conducted in his own terms and stood his ground when Bertie digressed or was on the verge of giving up. Geoffrey Rush performed beautifully.

The premise of the movie is the King's curse of the stammer but it delves into a lot of personal issues surrounding family, sacrifice, fear, love and friendship. Typical of many movies you might think.. but the King's speech is very touching and classy.

==>> N A P O LEON DYNA M I T E (2004) <<==

So now I know where Guy Sebastian's fro came from.

*Joking!*

This is perhaps one of the best free rental I've pinched from the Library

(Note: I have been hunting down books and dvds from the library these days as part of the find-a-cheap-hobby project)

The movie may appear dull and unappealing but there's just so much humour behind the indie style. I loved the innocence surrounding Pedro, Napoleon and Tina.

My god, the dancing scene was such a jaw dropping moment.

Not "OMG this bucked teeth, ginger haired skinny white boy CAN DANCE?!?" but more like:

"OMG this guy has no fear, no shame and no second thoughts.. just went out there, did his gig and got his mate Pedro a gong for school President.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, WHERE DID THE GEEK LEARN TO GET MOVES LIKE THAT, TRY HARDER SUMMER, SO YOU THINK NAPOLEON CAN'T DANCE? WELL BOO ON YOU!"

check out Napoleon's dance

I'm still recovering from the joy of the dance.

It's the same soundtrack in Centre Stage, right? whoooaaa.. I reckon Napoleon's dance should be the official ambassador for this song!

This is the kind of movie that instills hope in everyone. Guys, girls and latin americans running for presidency.

If only there is a bit of Napoleon Dynamite in everyone.

The world will be a better place for all the Pedros'.

trivia: according to IMDB, Jon Heder received $1,000 for this role..??

Henry's Crime (Toronto International Film Festival: September 2010)

Will it show in Australia?

If yes, WHEN?

if no, WHY?

I've already been deprived of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.

Please don't take Henry's Crime away from me!

Key facts:

Principal cast: Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan

Director: Malcolm Venville

Screenwriter: Sacha Gervasi, David White

Genre: Comedy, Crime.

check out Keanu's cute french message to Anvil from his trailer during the filming of Henry's Crime.

Viva Keanu!!

*Update on The Social Network* (BOO)

On Saturday I borrowed 'The Accidental Billionaires' (by Ben Mezrich) from the local library
Finished it on Monday.
I never finished a book in 3 days. I think my average is 2 months.

As you may have already known, The Social Network is adapted from this fantastic book

Yes, I knew about it when I saw the movie but I was blinded by Fincher's direction and creativity and swayed by the greatness of it all that I didn't think the author played a big part, maybe just an introduction to the idea of a Harvard dude developing facebook.

So I take back what I said about Sorchin. He's not brilliant. Ben Mezrich is the legend behind the success of the movie. He did so much of the research and work, all Sorchin had to do was to dialog the whole thing.
Sorchinism my ass.
The Facemash incident didn't happen that way.
The twins did not approach Mark that way.
Sean Parker had nothing to do with the phrase 'I'm CEO, bitch'
Kelly didn't just burn her present (which wasn't even a scarf), she burnt down the whole damn place.
... and what about the Fuck Truck?

At least be true to the book. I don't mind the added character (Erica). But I am not pleased with what you did, Sorchin. Twisting the story.
I am not happy that Ben Mezrich was not credited well enough.
IF this movie scored an award of some sort (yes, the Oscars are approaching) and no mention is made about Ben Mezrich I am going to be pissed as.

I think, regardless, I already am.

Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)

It was a hot sunny day and lazy day a dark, cold, quaint cinema seemed like a good way to use up my Sunday.

I didn't even feel that the movie is one of my must haves.

I just felt like hearing french.

The european quirkiness was apparent so that was one part of the movie that i appreciated. The comedic-schizo, childhood fantasy (see that pix of the long nose, big eared guy?) blended well with the plotless movie. For some reason I kept trying to compare Gainsbourg to Nine (for which I wouldn't have bothered if Cotillard wasn't in it!) and I guess the only mild similarity is the guy gets lots of girls.

Because I had no high expectations, I just allowed the dull biography lead me on from one minute to the next. I mean, it's not an interesting story.. but made interesting (slightly) by the imaginary long nose, edward scissorhand fingers, gigantic ears freak who seemed like his lifelong comrade. The songs were ok, not overly dramatic. The promiscuity and the affairs are typical french. And like a lot of french movies, you shouldn't try to make sense of it. Just let the artwork and direction take you on an aimless journey with no destination.

I thought his real name Lucien sounded more classy than Serge.

And I just realised Charlotte Gainsbourg is his daughter. She's yuck.

I will not recommend it if you paid full price and are in a mood for a pow wow movie like The Matrix or Fight Club.

Unless you have a craving for light, un-overpowering, pointless french entertainment then Gainsbourg may tick some boxes.

New York: I don't love you

what is it with the yanks and the obsession with foreign film remakes?

laziness. that's all I can think of.

lazy production. lazy arses. easy lazy money.

because this movie starts off with zero originality, I struggle to appreciate the themes, the inter connection and how it all blends together because of the american factor. Everything feels stolen and unbelonged. It's a very packed ensemble but the mild suttle undramatic anthology did not spoil the soup, so that's the only plus I can reluctantly blog about. Is this better than a Katherine Heigl type rom-com? Maybe. Is this something I'd pay to watch in the cinema? Nah-uh.

I don't even like Maggie Q or Shu Qi. I'm glad one of them was a hooker. But the manny did a contemporary dance that was tres bien.

I don't understand why Yvan Attal succumbed to the american temptation.

So now I have this urge to watch le originale and wash away the american toxin from my system. Paris Je T'aime, j'arrive!!

Position moi c'est neutral. Hate not, love not. If you are a fan of the Big Apple or interested in the yanks attempt to do their version of frenchy, rent the dvd.

I did it again (The Social Network)

not enough
had to have more.

... and more was good.

So why did I need round two.

In the first sitting my brain didn't work through Eisenberg's lightning speed vocal execution so I'm glad that I could get more out of this time around. How I was slow to register the hoodie f*ck me flip-flops part, the fish metaphor and the China talk. I still missed bits
about China and though that was such a brilliant opener.. i could live without fully comprehending it.

and perhaps on a more personal note, I wanted to observe how Mark Zuckerberg wittingly disgraced the people who vilified and mocked him.. and how they ended up being the sad clowns instead. Actually I wanted to intravenously feed all of Zuckerberg's lines into my system. Can I be that verbally astute one day?! It definitely takes a person like Jesse Eisenberg to pull that off with class and intimidation.

Congratulations TSN, the only movie I've watched twice in the cinema was Speed. It is an honour to crown The Social Network second place on my Reel of Fame.

ok folks, I'll make sure I watch a new movie the next week. happy reeling!