I loved it and now I’m going to review it. (CONTAINS SPOILERS.)
Month: May 2013
Shameless Last Episode.
Wallander
(CONTAINS SPOILERS.)
I got this DVD for an 18th birthday present back in November. I only got round to watching it today, when I was at a loose end. Please note, if I get characters names wrong then I apologize. Don’t read this summary if you haven’t seen 1st episode of the 1st series. If you have, then please read on.
Shrek 2
Just a totally random post.
The Legend of The Scarecrow. (CONTAINS SPOILERS.)
This isn’t a film. It’s a Spanish 7-minute long short about a scarecrow.
A Matter of Life and Death.
I was tootling through my posts and to my horror I hadn’t written a blog post on this fantastic film from 1946. So here goes!
Withnail and I.
I watched this film in my college class. The basic premise is about two friends: Withnail and Marwood, who are both out-of-work actors living in Camden Town and they ‘accidentally’ go on holiday, staying at the house of Withnail’s gay uncle, played by the late Richard Griffiths.
What I love most about this film is its irreverent black humour, the inevitable situations that the two friends find themselves in. Other memorable situations involve them being thrown out of a tea-shop because they were drunk; Uncle Monty’s unrequited love affair with Marwood and the inevitable struggle for food and supplies gleaned from nearby farmers. But overall, it was the character of Uncle Monty himself which I found most amusing – indeed, a cliche unto himself. That of the eccentric gay old-boy of Harrow School who quotes Baudelaire and falls maddeningly in love with Marwood. This leads to a variety of close-run sitatutions before Monty professes his love.
Richard E Grant plays the role of Withnail, who is the alcoholic flatmate of Marwood. One of my favourite quotes (and there are many) from the whole film is when Withnail tries to explain to the farmer that they are staying at the cottage, and he says that ‘we went on holiday by accident,”
I think that I’ll definitely use that quote in the future.
North and South
I watched the whole 4-part drama yesterday and I fell in love with it. (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.)
The Illusionist
Top 10 Favourite Movies.
Just a really boring one today, sorry. Compiling TOP 10 Lists is probably one of the hardest things to ever do because there are so many films to choose. Here goes, and thank you very much Two Large Glasses of Lemonade (http://danielsugarman.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/my-top-10-films/) for the inspiration to do this.
1. Tarzan – I am a big fan of Disney films (90s!) and I recently re-watched this film. I love it. Simple as. I know that a lot of 90s films haven’t aged well. But Tarzan is almost immortal, and so is Phil Collins’s fantastic score. I love the scene when Tarzan has to decide his fate. Does he belong in the jungle, or with the humans?
2. Painted Veil – I just love this movie because Ed Norton is a fantastic actor and all of his facial expressions say far more than his lines ever could. I also like it because ultimately it has a happier ending than the book does, and most notably of all I fell in love with the trailer and watched it from there, and that barely ever happens to me because I always look at trailers with mistrust. I have also written a book vs movie post for Painted Veil. I would appreciate feedback!(http://iwasadisneykid.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/painted-veil-the-book-vs-the-movie-spoilers)
3. Ladder 49 – A fireman looks back on his career. Simple enough premise, right? Well, it probably plays on 100 different cliches but I loved it because it had a lot of heart. It is as cheesy as a triple cheese pizza with cheese on the side but so what? Joaquin Phoenix triumphs in the role where stars such as Leo Di Caprio would’ve overplayed it. John Travolta plays the loveable fire chief who is often drunk and / or trouser-less.
4. Schindler’s List – I love this film (despite nasty claims that it was propoganda) and I don’t know why I like it; despite having seen it only about four times because any more times would just ruin it. I manage to cry almost every time, mainly in the scene when they all visit Schindler’s grave. Ralph Fiennes also adds his fantastic voice talents to the role of Amon Goethe.
5. Sin City – I only watched this again recently but its a great film due to its neo-noir influences. The shots of colour in the black and white is just mesmerizing. However, I have only just realized how scary Kevin is.
Kevin.
6. Atonement – Great leading cast, this film far surpasses the book. This always requires a second viewing and it tugs at the heartstrings, and its only recently that I’ve appreciated the claustrophobia of the scene in the flat between Robbie, Cecelia and Bryony.
7. The Aviator – Both my sister and myself both love this film for some reason. Maybe its because the spiralling nature of Howard’s OCD is just so sad? He is clearly tormented by it and can’t stop it. If he lived in the late 20th, early 21st century, he could’ve got some help for his OCD and perhaps his story would be very different. He also comes across as quick-thinking and clever. That is, when he’s not building planes and having summits about actresses’ breasts.
8. Mary and Max – Its about two people who start writing to each other after one of them finds an address in the phone book. A clay animation. A moving, tender film.
9. Carve Her Name with Pride – The end scene does it for me. Enough said.
10. All Quiet on the Western Front – Fantastic battle scenes. Quite long, but worth it. The image of the butterfly, and the end symbolism far surpasses modern war films.
So, there you go…hoped you liked it and what are your top 10 movies?
Movie and Television Blog (2013- 