Life Of Pi

Mini Blog

http://www.lifeofpimovie.com/

Right from the word go I was in two minds about Life of Pi. I wanted to see it because it's Ang Lee and generally I like his movies. I also love Tigers so that made it kind of a given. But it looked kinda dull and unappealing from the trailer. Then it had lots of good reviews and then it had lots of award nominations. But my friends had all seen it and no-one had raved about it? Mmmm. Definite quandry. 

So I bit the bullet and went to see it. And I have to say that I really wasn't all that impressed. It was pretty much the exact film I thought it was going to be. Visually quite stunning - although the 3D wasn't at all - and an intriguing if somewhat boring tale. For those who don't know it, the story goes as follows: Family travel by ship to start new life, ship sinks, boy is left alone on a lifeboat with a tiger and somehow survives. See, intriguing no? But boring, yes! There is only so much time you can spend watching a boy stranded at sea with a tiger before you kinda want something else to happen! 

Yes Suraj Sharma's performance is excellent, especially considering he couldn't swim and spent most of his time surrounded by water, and then had to react to CGI animals that weren't really there. But the film just isn't all that great. It feels long and by the end you're glad you've seen it but also glad it's over. The CGI tiger is amazing but it's not enough to make me want another slice of Pi. 5 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 13th January 2013

UK Release Date - 20th December 2012

Cast Overview:

Suraj Sharma ~ Pi Patel

Irrfan Khan ~ Adult Pi Patel

Ayush Tandon ~ Pi Patel (11/12 years)

Adil Hussain ~ Santosh Patel

Tabu ~ Gita Patel

Mohd Abbas Khaleeli ~ Ravi Patel (13/14 years)

Vibish Sivakumar ~ Ravi Patel (18/19 years)

Rafe Spall ~ Writer

Gerard Depardieu ~ Cook

Director ~ Ang Lee

Writer(s) ~ David Magee (screenplay) and Yann Martel (novel)

Les Misérables

http://www.lesmiserablesfilm.com/splashpage/

Anyone who's familiar with me or my blog knows I am not a lover of musicals. Or Amanda Seyfried. As such, Les Mis was never going to be a barrel of laughs for me. Add into that the storyline of whores and soldiers during the French Revolution and you have a pretty dire prospect on your hands. But factor in a best friend who has loved the stage show since she was 5 years old and now you hopefully understand my motivations for seeing this new adaptation.

The story is relatively simple to follow. Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) was imprisoned 19 years ago for stealing bread to feed his sisters child. We meet him as he is being released from prison by the fierce lawman Javert (Russell Crowe). Shortly after his release and unable to find work Jean soon finds he must steal again, but an act of kindness from the man he wrongs leads him down a path he never thought he'd know. He breaks parole but becomes a better man in the new life he leads. We find him years later running a factory but still dodging re-capture by Javert. A woman working in his factory, Fantine (Anne Hathaway), becomes a whore through no fault of her own and he makes her a promise on her deathbed to take in her child, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and care for her as if she was his own. A task he commits to until Javert discovers him and threatens to tear all of their worlds apart. 

Set to the backdrop of the French Revolution, the film features sumptuous costumes, stunning sets and all of the classic songs from the musical which, whether you've seen it or not, you'll find you somehow still know the words to I Dreamed A Dream, Master Of The House, On My Own and Do You Hear the People Sing? The film also features some new songs but these never quite fit with the originals.

The actors put their all into their respective roles but there is still something silly to me when they suddenly burst into song or sing lines that you feel should be spoken. I must admit though that I fell to pieces when Anne Hathaway sang I Dreamed A Dream. I'd heard that the majority of songs had been performed live on set when they were filming, and I must say that this worked perfectly in the case of this song as Hathaway's performance was so raw in this scene that you felt every emotion in the lyrics. I was literally sobbing when that scene came to an end and it took me some time to compose myself. The rousing cast numbers definitely made you want to join in and as such I think a singalong Les Mis would probably be very well received by fans.

Seyfried wasn't so bad and Eddie Redmayne who I'd previously thought of as being slightly creepy was similarly watchable. The most annoying performance for me was that of Russell Crowe. He was just too pompous as Javert and seemed to be shouting his songs. Definitely the least talented singer of the bunch but he tried and I give him snaps for that. 

I think if you're a fan of the musical, slightly curious or a fan of the actors involved then you definitely shouldn't miss seeing Les Mis. If you hate musicals or depressing films then avoid it like the plague! 7 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 11th January 2013

UK Release Date - 11th January 2013

Cast Overview:

Hugh Jackman ~ Jean Valjean

Russell Crowe ~ Javert

Anne Hathaway ~ Fantine

Amanda Seyfried ~ Cosette

Sacha Baron Cohen ~ Thénardier

Helena Bonham Carter ~ Madame Thénardier

Eddie Redmayne ~ Marius

Aaron Tveit ~ Enjolras

Samantha Banks ~ Éponine

Daniel Huttlestone ~ Gavroche

Director ~ Tom Hooper

Writer(s) ~ Claude-Michel Schönberg (book), Alain Boublil (book and original French text), Victor Hugo (novel), Herbert Kretzmer (lyrics), Jean-Marc Natel (original French text), James Fenton (additional text) and William Nicholson (screenplay)

Jack Reacher

Mini Review

http://www.jackreachermovie.com/

Jack Reacher is a film based on a series of books, about a former Army Major who is now a drifter and investigator. He's called in to investigate when a military sniper apparently kills five people in a random shooting. 

I wasn't sure that I particularly wanted to see Jack Reacher but I wanted to catch up on films I'd missed over Christmas, and this was one of the few that was still in cinemas. I'm not a huge fan of Tom Cruise but having his name attached to a film doesn't put me off either. I would usually only go out of my way to see a Cruise film if there was another person of interest involved. I think that's why I hesitated over Jack Reacher as I'm not exactly a fan of anyone else in the film.

Having said that, the film did keep me interested for the most part, the only times I waivered slightly were during the overlong car chase and the ending. I can't comment on the casting of Cruise as I haven't read the Jack Reacher novels, although I am familiar with the fact that he's not exactly the kind of actor fans would have expected to be cast in the role. For me, he did a fine job in the movie, exuding charisma and likability under that mask of mystery. Pike and Jenkins were also fine support. If anything it's the characters themselves that were the problem as only Reacher seemed to have any real depth or something different about him. Everyone else seemed to be very much a caricature and that made it hard to take them seriously. 

The stunts weren't as flashy as we've come to expect from Cruise but the fight work was impressive. I just came away from Jack Reacher without any real feeling for the film either way. I didn't regret my two hours in the cinema, but at the same time I did think they could have been better spent. And it's certainly not a film that I will rush to see again.

If you're a fan of Cruise it's a must, if you like the books then I'd see it just so you know what all the fuss is about. For everyone else I'd say it's just okay. 6 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 9th January 2013

UK Release Date - 26th December 2012

Cast Overview:

Tom Cruise ~ Jack Reacher

Rosamund Pike ~ Helen Rodin

Richard Jenkins ~ Rodin

David Oyelowo ~ Emerson

Werner Herzog ~ The Zec

Jai Courtney ~ Charlie

Joseph Sikora ~ Barr

Robert Duvall ~ Cash

Director ~ Christopher McQuarrie

Writer(s) ~ Christopher McQuarrie (Screenplay) and Lee Child (Book)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Mini Blog

http://www.thehobbit.com/

When Lord Of The Rings came out I worked in a cinema. Hard to believe that was more than 10 years ago. How time flies. And now Peter Jackson's gone and made three more incredibly ass numbing films. Yay!

I know that sounds like I don't like the Lord Of The Rings movies. I do. I'm just not crazy about them. For example, I own all three (extended editions no less) but I haven't watched them for a very long time. And I haven't seen Return Of The King other than the one time I saw it at the cinema.

But I still wanted to see The Hobbit. I have not read the book and I know for many this will be a turn off point of the review. How can you possibly judge the film without first reading the book it's based on? Well simple, because this is a film review, not a book review and as someone who has read a lot of books that have been made into films I can say that many a time, one has little bearing on the other. Endings change, entire plot lines change, characters change. So really I don't think I need to have read the book in order to judge the film-making process here.

I'm not going to go into the story as it's basically 'Hobbit goes on an adventure', just like it says in the trailer. What I will say is that if you're a fan of the Lord Of The Rings movies this will be right up your street as Jackson stays pretty much on point, with casting, with costumes, with make up, with everything. The only thing that's slightly different, and I think it's because I saw it in 3D (which I didn't think really added anything), is that the film seemed to be speeded up in places. Like they'd fast forwarded through a scene? I didn't particularly enjoy that feeling and it was all the way through the film.

Other than that I enjoyed The Hobbit. Yes it was long but it was beautiful to look at, perfectly cast and with a few surprises along the way owing to my lack of reading. And as the adventure has only just begun I can definitely say that I'll be back for parts 2 and 3. But I may take a cushion. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 6th January 2013

UK Release Date - 13th December 2012

Cast Overview:

Ian McKellan ~ Gandalf

Martin Freeman ~ Bilbo

Richard Armitage ~ Thorin

Ken Stott ~ Balin

James Nesbitt ~ Bofur

Dean O'Gorman ~ Fili

Aiden Turner ~ Kili

Ian Holm ~ Old Bilbo

Hugo Weaving ~ Elrond

Cate Blanchett ~ Galadriel

Andy Serkis ~ Gollum

Sylvester McCoy ~ Radagast

Director ~ Peter Jackson

Writer(s) ~ Fran Walsh (Screenplay), Philippa Boyens (Screenplay), Peter Jackson (Screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (Screenplay) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel The Hobbit)

Pitch Perfect

http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/

I was a little unsure about Pitch Perfect upon seeing the initial trailer. Although it looked funny I'm not a fan of musicals or musical type films with lots of singing. And it also looked kinda cheesy. Eventually though I caved and decided to give Pitch Perfect a chance.

The film tells the story of Beca (Anna Kendrick), a girl who dreams of going to LA and being a music producer but who has made a deal with her father to spend one year in college. If at the end of that year she still wants nothing more than to produce the kind of music she loves, then he'll pay for her to go to LA himself. But the catch is that she has to make an effort in college, she has to make friends. And in order to do this Beca reluctantly joins the Barden Bella's, an a cappella, all girl singing group. Their aim is to reach the final of a singing competition that they so spectacularly failed at the year before when one of the primary members of the Bella's lost her lunch all over the front row of spectators. Will Beca be able to turn their luck around?

So my reservations were that this was a singing film that looked kinda cheesy. Yes there is singing, but it's surprisingly good singing that gets your foot tapping in time with the music. And yes, the film is cheesy, but this is one of it's charms, it's intentionally cheesy in parts. It's also a charming and likable film, much like it's characters.

My only criticism would be the amount of vomit in the film. As I mentioned in the summary, the opening scene features the Bella's previous performance and due to some horrendous stage fright one of the girls projectile vomits all over the audience. I get it, it's supposed to be gross out funny. The thing is that this film really didn't need a gross out scene to work. Let alone does it need TWO of them! As someone who has a hard time seeing other people throw up I found the opening scene bad enough, but when there was a second, even more graphic vomiting scene later on in the movie I'd had about as much as I could stomach. Literally. It was unnecessary and had gone way beyond the point of funny.

This aside I genuinely liked the film. I thought it had plenty of sass, determination and heart. It was a little predictable but what films aren't these days? If you're not so fragile when it comes to 'up chuck' then I'd definitely recommend Pitch Perfect. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 30th December 2012

UK Release Date - 21st December 2012

Cast Overview:

Anna Kendrick ~ Beca

Skylar Astin ~ Jesse

Ben Platt ~ Benji

Brittany Snow ~ Chloe

Anna Kamp ~ Aubrey

Rebel Wilson ~ Fat Amy

Alexis Knapp ~ Stacie

Ester Dean ~ Cynthia Rose

Director ~ Jason Moore

Writer(s) ~ Kay Cannon (Screenplay) and Mickey Rapkin (Book)

Gremlins

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087363/

I have been a fan of Gremlins for a long time but was too young to see it at the cinema when it was first released back in 1984 (I was only 3 at the time!). So when it recently got a brief Christmas re-release I was very excited to see it on the big screen. 

For anyone not familiar with the movie it tells the tale of an inventor who discovers a small creature called a mogwai in a store in chinatown and buys it as a Christmas present for his son. The mogwai comes with a set of rules though. You don't know the rules?!?! Well the first rule is don't get the mogwai wet, don't give him water to drink, don't give him a bath, absolutely no water. The second rule is don't feed him after midnight, not even a crumb. The third rule is don't expose him to bright light, sunlight will kill him. Of course no-one ever plays by the rules so poor little Gizmo (that's what they name him) gets wet, his offspring get fed after midnight and chaos ensues as Gremlins take over the small town.

Gremlins is a classic by any standard but seeing it on the big screen made it even more magical. Sure some of the effects featuring a mass amount of Gremlins haven't really stood the test of time but it's cinema peeps! Use your imagination! It's a great story, well acted and has that wonderful Christmassy feel to it. But the great thing about Gremlins is that it still manages to give you those frights and jumps every now and again, and laughs too. It's a wonderful mix of comedy, horror, love story and fantasy adventure and all wrapped up in a Christmas bow. 

And if the last scene doesn't have you blubbing like a baby (which it always does to me), well then I wonder if you have a heart at all. A well deserved round of audience applause at the end gives Gremlins my only 10 out of 10 of 2012.

Best line: "To hear, one has only to listen." Gets me every time! 

Viewing Date - 11th December 2012

Original UK Release Date - 7th December 1984

Cast Overview:

Zach Galligan ~ Billy Peltzer

Phoebe Cates ~ Kate Beringer

Hoyt Axton ~ Randall Peltzer

Francis Lee McCain ~ Lynn Peltzer

Corey Feldman ~ Pete Fountaine

Keye Luke ~ Mr Wing

John Louie ~ Mr Wing's Grandson

Dick Miller ~ Murray Futterman

Jackie Joseph ~ Sheila Futterman

Polly Holliday ~ Mrs Deagle

Hudge Reinhold ~ Gerald Hopkins

Director ~ Joe Dante

Writer ~ Chris Columbus