It's A Wonderful Life

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/

 

As many of you know, the reason I became such a huge movie lover is because my brother is one. He used to take me to the cinema when I was too young to go by myself, and he introduced me to a lot of movies that have become some of my absolute favourites, Edward Scissorhands, The Princess Bride, True Romance to name but a few. As you can see, just from those few films, my love of movies is not limited to one genre. And neither is his. 

 

I always remember that when I was too young to appreciate that black and white movies were just as good as colour ones, that one of my brother's favourite films was It's A Wonderful Life. For the longest time I had only ever seen parts of it, and although I understood that it was a classic, I wasn't ever really all that keen to see it all the way through. But it's a Christmas movie, and inevitably, one year, I ended up sitting down with the family and watching it all the way through.

 

This year it had a one day re-release at my local cinema, and when my cinema buddy told me he'd never seen it, I insisted we go.

 

For those who don't know (and shame on you!), It's A Wonderful Life is all about George Bailey (Stewart), a hard working, thoughtful young man, who for no fault of his own, ended up staying in the small town of Bedford Falls that he grew up in, instead of following his dreams to travel the world. George takes over his late father's role in the Bailey Brothers Buildings and Loan and almost goes bankrupt when the old miser of Bedford Falls, Mr Potter (Barrymore), tries to shut them down. On Christmas eve, George's uncle goes to bank the money from the Buildings and Loan when he runs into Mr Potter, and accidentally hands the money to him instead. Mr Potter deceitfully holds onto the cash, in order to get the Buildings and Loan to foreclose, and he hopes to see George in jail just in time for Christmas. With law enforcement waiting at home, George heads to the Bedford Falls Bridge, intending to take his life, but unbeknownst to George, an angel called Clarence (Travers) is looking out for him, and he's about to show George exactly what would have happened to those he loves if he'd never been born.

 

I am not too proud to admit that I spent pretty much the entire length of the movie in tears. I'm a strange creature, and if you read my review for Frozen, you'll know that I tend to take that as a good sign. You see, It's A Wonderful Life is a movie that grabs hold of your emotions from the start, gives them a right good roller coaster of a ride and then leaves you on a high.

 

Stewart and Reed are both tremendous, and as old Potter, Barrymore is so mean that you want to boo him every time he's on screen. Yes, it is sad, but only because of the fantastic writing and acting that makes you care so very much about these characters. And if the end doesn't have you weeping with joy, you must have a heart as cold as Potter. 

 

One of the best Christmas movies, and one which re-affirms the basic goodness of mankind. 10 out of 10.

 



 



Viewing Date - 19th December 2013

Original Release Date - 20th December 1946

 

Cast Overview:

George Bailey ~ James Stewart

Mary Hatch ~ Donna Reed

Henry F Potter ~ Lional Barrymore

Uncle Billy Bailey ~ Thomas Mitchell

Clarence ~ Henry Travers

Ma Bailey ~ Beulah Bondi

Ernie Bishop ~ Frank Faylen

Bert ~ Ward Bond

Violet Bick ~ Gloria Grahame

Mr Gower ~ H B Warner

Harry Bailey ~ Todd Karns

Peter Bailey ~ Samuel S Hinds

Sam Wainwright ~ Frank Albertson

Guiseppe Martini ~ Bill Edmunds

 

Director ~ Frank Capra

Writer(s) ~ Frances Goodrich (Screenplay), Albert Hackett (Screenplay), Frank Capra (Screenplay) and Philip Van Doren Stern (Story). Additional scenes by Jo Swerling. Contributor to screenplay - Michael Wilson.

 

At this time of year, and especially when I am facing personal challenges, I find Clarence's final words to George particularly poignent.

 

It's so true. So to each of my friends, who are worth their weight in gold, Merry Christmas and here's to many more reviews next year!

Frozen

http://movies.disney.com/frozen

 

Disney have had a pretty good run recently, what with Tangled and Wreck It Ralph, as well as co-producing Monsters University and Brave with their colleagues over at Pixar. So when I learned (rather late) of Frozen's imminent release, I wanted to see it straight away, not even bothering to wait until the pandemonium of kids had calmed down. It's Christmassy too, what with all the snow, so best to see it now I thought.

 

Frozen tells the tale of two princesses, Anna and Elsa. Elsa discovers from a young age that she can magically create and manipulate snow and ice. Something her younger sister Anna uses to her advantage, waking her sister in the middle of the night to build snowmen with her, at all times of the year. However, when Anna is injured during playtime in the snow, the king and queen erase all memory of Elsa's power from her mind, and Elsa retreats into her room, and into herself. She locks herself away for fear of hurting her sister, and only friend, Anna. It's only when Elsa is to be crowned queen that she finally opens the doors, not only of her room but of the kingdom too. She soon discovers that letting her sister and the townspeople in is not easy, but keeping her secret is much harder still.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Frozen, although as with many 3D movies recently, I didn't think there was a huge benefit to the 3D. If you are a large family going to see this, especially with small children, I would recommend the 2D version over the 3D as I don't think it will be that noticable to the kids and will be a LOT cheaper in 2D.

 

As with any Disney movie, the animation and voice work is stunning, especially in the case of the two sisters. The 'fun' characters for the kids, Olaf the snowman and Sven the raindeer, are two of Disney's more endearing 'fun' characters, as these are usually a bit on the annoying side for adults.

 

It's a well made animation, for kids and adults alike and has a good story at it's heart, but it didn't connect with me as well as some other Disney stories. I can't quite put my finger on why, as it was as good as Tangled, if not better, but there was some personal element missing. I always cry at Disney movies and I didn't with Frozen. I'm not saying I have to cry for it to be good, but I associate the tears with an emotional connection, and if I didn't cry I can only assume that connection wasn't there.

 

It's still a fantastic film and one for all the family to enjoy, just make sure you go 2D so you've got money for popcorn too! 7 out of 10.

 

 

Viewing Date - 8th December 2013

UK Release Date - 6th December 2013

 

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

Anna ~ Kristen Bell

Elsa ~ Idina Menzel

Kristoff ~ Jonathan Groff

Olaf ~ Josh Gad

Hans ~ Santino Fontana

Duke ~ Alan Tudyk

 

Director(s) ~ Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Writer(s) ~ Jennifer Lee (Screenplay and Story), Chris Buck (Story), Shane Morris (Story) and Hans Christian Andersen (Inspired by his story The Snow Queen)

Saving Mr. Banks

http://movies.disney.com/saving-mr-banks

Those who know me well might be very surprised to see that I saw Saving Mr. Banks, especially if you know what the movie is about. You see I have a hatred for Mary Poppins, and other musicals of that ilk are the reason I have labelled myself as a hater of all things musical for so long.

Of course, I am not immune to the power of a good musical and have since found myself to be quite the fan of musicals when they are done well, or of a subject matter that I can appreciate. But Mary Poppins will always be on my (s)hit list. 

So why did I see a movie about the making of Mary Poppins I hear you cry? Well, after Captain Phillips I was intrigued to see if Tom Hanks could endear me again, but mostly, I just liked the idea of there being a story behind the film and I wanted to see what that was.

The story centers on the negotiations for the film rights for Mary Poppins, between the book's writer P.L. Travers (Thompson) and Walt Disney (Hanks). The film also shows us Travers' young life in flashbacks, living in Queensland, Australia in 1906, as she watches her father sink deeper into alcoholism. The arrival of her Aunt Ellie is what inspired her to write about a nanny that saved the Banks family in her book. As the characters of Mary Poppins and the Banks are so close to Travers (she goes so far as to call them family), she is reluctant to let the rights go, especially to a man like Disney, who's films are bright and gaudy and rarely show things as they are. Can Walt convince Mrs Travers to let go of her book and allow him to create an unforgettable movie?

Well of course he can or I would not have been forced to endure Mary Poppins on every bank holiday as a child! Despite my loathing of Poppins, I did enjoy Saving Mr. Banks. I thought Thompson and Hanks were both excellent, although I wish the character of Mrs Travers had been a little more accessible. She's the central character and for most of the film she's quite unlikable. You know she must have pain in her past, but I don't think it makes her behavior forgivable. And I would have liked for her to be someone the audience could connect with, which I didn't feel she was. It's still an exceptional performance from Thompson that she makes you feel this way, but I like Emma, and so I would have liked to have liked Mrs Travers too, and I didn't until the last couple of scenes.

It did give me a better understanding of Mary Poppins, and although it's not made me want to see that movie again, I did enjoy the scenes with the Sherman brothers creating all of the songs for the movie. I may have even tapped my feet at that point (and if you see Saving Mr. Banks you will understand that a foot tap is quite significant). 

A good effort by all involved, it just needed Mrs Travers to be a bit less cold in order for me to love it. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 7th December 2013

UK Release Date - 29th November 2013

Cast Overview:

P.L. Travers ~ Emma Thompson

Walt Disney ~ Tom Hanks

Ginty ~ Annie Rose Buckley

Travers Goff ~ Colin Farrell

Margaret Goff ~ Ruth Wilson

Ralph ~ Paul Giamatti

Don DaGradi ~ Bradley Whitford

Robert Sherman ~ B.J. Novak

Richard Sherman ~ Jason Schwartzman

Tommie ~ Kathy Baker

Aunt Ellie ~ Rachel Griffiths

Director ~ John Lee Hancock

Writer(s) ~ Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith

Gravity

http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/

Regular readers of my reviews will know that I am a long time fan of Sandra Bullock, and as most people were, I was intrigued by the idea of her in a more serious role, set on a space shuttle with only George Clooney for company.

The film follows Sandra's character Dr Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first mission on the space shuttle Explorer. She is carrying out routine repairs on the Hubble telescope when her fellow astronauts, including George's Matt Kowalski, on his last mission, are informed of an incoming amount of space debris from a Russian missile strike on an old satellite. Dr Stone is propelled away from the telescope by the debris and with little oxygen left and no way to right herself, Kowalski, who had been floating around using a jet pack, goes in search of her. But will he get to her in time?

Although I knew I would undoubtedly see Gravity, I ended up seeing it rather late in it's release because most people I knew had seen it when I was busy. As a result, I had a lot of other people's opinions of the movie to contend with before I made my own mind up. I wasn't worried that this would sway my eventual opinion of the film, but I was expecting something rather spectacular.

I was told the film was really good, and the 3D absolutely stunning. Sadly, I found neither of these to be true. I thought the film was distinctly average. If you took away the space setting this would be a very boring film. And I don't think it's because there is only one person on screen most of the time. This film made me think of Moon quite a lot, the one man movie with Sam Rockwell set on the moon. That film is similar in many ways as it's set in space and predominantly only features one man on screen. But I liked Moon, I didn't really like Gravity. And I also don't think it is because Sandra Bullock was the one woman on display here. As I previously stated, I love Sandra Bullock, and I love when she puts in gutsy serious performances that show how great an actress she really is. 

*Spoiler Alert (although it is mentioned in the trailer)* No, for me, I think the thing that failed Gravity is the lack of character development. Quite early on the audience is let in on the secret that Dr Stone has recently lost her child. It's very sad and it's dredged up constantly from that point on. But for me, that's not enough. I need to know who Dr Stone is, I need more than her loss in order to feel something for her. *End Spoiler Alert*  And we never really get to know anything else about her, what her motivations are, other than her wanting to get as far away from earth as possible. Which she achieves obviously, but is then terrified of being in space. 

As if that wasn't bad enough, poor George has even less of a role than Ms Bullock, with only around half an hour of screen time. He is his usual charming self during this time, and as such, it was no surprise to me that the original Matt Kowalski was supposed to be non other than Robert Downey Jr (until he passed on the role). Downey Jr is a similarly charming, mid-40s chap who I have no doubt would have been as capable as Clooney as Kowalski, but I just wish he'd had more screen time. His character was a lot more interesting.

The end result is all just a bit of a wishy-washy mish-mash for me. And to top it all, the spectacular 3D didn't seem all that spectacular. I've always thought 3D was overrated but when it's done well, like in Hugo for example, it has the power to make me eat my words. Here, I could have taken or left having to wear two pairs of glasses into the cinema. 

A distinctly lacklustre effort but a solid turn by Bullock. I just wish she'd had more to play with. 6 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 24th November 2013

UK Release Date - 7th November 2013

Cast Overview:

Ryan Stone ~ Sandra Bullock

Matt Kowalski ~ George Clooney

Mission Control (voice) ~ Ed Harris

Director ~ Alfonso Cuarón

Writer(s) ~ Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón 

with additional collaboration from George Clooney (uncredited)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

http://www.thehungergamesexplorer.com/us/epk/catching-fire/

After I was somewhat underwhelmed by the first Hunger Games movie (see review here), I was actually really pleased when a member of my book club suggested it as our next read. I was curious if it was just the movie I was less than enamoured with, or if it was the story and characters in general.

After reading the book, and loving it so much that I immediately made Catching Fire my next book club choice, I re-watched The Hunger Games and found that I enjoyed it more. It gave me a greater understanding of certain elements of the story that are only really explained fully in the book, and a deeper insight into the characters. With my preparation over, it was time to see the sequel.

Catching Fire is set a short while after the events of the 74th Hunger Games, at the end of which Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Hutchinson) were crowned joint victors after forcing the hand of the games makers. Katniss and Peeta are now living in the 'Victors Village' in District 12, a special part of their home town which only contains three previous Hunger Games winners (and their families). Yet despite the small number of people, and despite the show they put on during the games, Katniss and Peeta now barely speak to one another. But their victory tour of the districts is about to begin, so they need to mend their difficulties, if just for the cameras, until the tour is over. When Katniss receives an unwelcome visit from President Snow (Sutherland) prior to the tour, she is taken aback by how direct he is when he tells her that her 'performance' on the tour is going to mean the difference between life and death to those she loves, because if she convinces the world that her insubordinate behaviour was as a result of her love for Peeta, it could stop the uprising the President is fearing from the districts against the Capitol. Sadly Katniss' performance fails to stop the spark she started in the games, so President Snow is forced to amend the rules for the 75th games - the Quarter Quell that happens every 25 years - and this means that Katniss is going back into the arena.

I had started reading Catching Fire before the film was released but sadly, I did not manage to finish the book before I saw the movie. Having said that, as with the first book/film, I think the additional information gained from what I had read helped my overall impression of the second film. 

I felt that although parts were missing, what was present stuck very closely to the book, and worked very well. I was unsure about the casting going in as I had heard that a lot of fans were less than pleased about Jena Malone being cast as Johanna Mason. I have always enjoyed Jena's performances so I was less worried about her, and more unsure if Sam Claflin would pull off playing Finnick, as I have previously found his characters a little insipid. I am happy to report that both Malone and Claflin did a great job of instilling their characters with the same qualities as their written counterparts.

The movie very much felt like a middle film, a point which has been echoed by a few of my friends, but it was also follow-able to another of my friends who had not seen the first movie, so that is in no way a bad thing. My only criticism would be that the ending is very abrupt, but then so is the ending in the book, so again, I can't really fault it. 

An improvement on The Hunger Games in terms of character development and an exciting installment in the grand scheme of the story arc. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 21st November 2013

UK Release Date - 21st November 2013

Cast Overview:

Jennifer Lawrence ~ Katniss Everdeen 

Josh Hutcherson ~ Peeta Mellark 

Liam Hemsworth ~ Gale Hawthorne 

Woody Harrelson ~ Haymitch Abernathy 

Elizabeth Banks ~ Effie Trinket 

Lenny Kravitz ~ Cinna 

Philip Seymour Hoffman ~ Plutarch Heavensbee

Jeffrey Wright ~ Beetee Latier 

Stanley Tucci ~ Caesar Flickerman 

Toby Jones ~ Claudius Templesmith 

Sam Claflin ~ Finnick Odair

Jena Malone ~ Johanna Mason

Lynn Cohen ~ Mags

Amanda Plummer ~ Wiress

Willow Shields ~ Primrose "Prim" Everdeen

Donald Sutherland ~ President Coriolanus Snow 

Director ~ Francis Lawrence 

Writer(s) ~ Simon Beaufoy (Screenplay), Michael Arndt (deBruyn) (Screenplay) and Suzanne Collins (novel Catching Fire)