The Not So Magnificent Seven

After such a good start to October I somehow managed to while away the rest of the month without seeing another film, and even worse, without making use of my trusty Cineworld Card.

Desperately trying to catch up with what I'd missed, and make use of my card, I somehow managed to cram 7 films into 3 days.

I'm not going to say a great deal on all of them but I thought a brief run down of my thoughts was required.

We shall start with the first film I saw - The Hate U Give



Incredibly important film about the current Black Lives Matter movement in the US, and the frequency with which unarmed black men are being killed by white police officers. This isn't based on a true story but it could so easily be based on any number of accounts of exactly the same situation as what happens in this film.

A strong central performance from Amanda Stenberg makes this film stand out from the crowd. It's both eye opening and incredibly moving in parts. Definitely worth a watch if it's still on near you. 7/10

Film 2 was the rather lacklustre Venom. 

Disappointingly neither Tom Hardy or Riz Ahmed are at their best here. And is it just me or is Michelle Williams acting actually getting worse (and is she becoming more breathy sounding) with each passing year? The effects are kinda ropey in places, and ultimately it leaves you wondering ‘did this film need to be made’? The end credits glimpse at the new Animated Spider-Man feature film looks great though it has to be said. 5/10

The third film I saw was Bohemian Rhapsody. I have a LOT to say about this one so it’s getting a separate review. Keep your eyes peeled for that!

Film four was the overlong and incredibly boring First Man. 

If Ryan Gosling can’t make your lead character interesting and charismatic then I think your film has problems. If this film is genuinely based on truth then I’m sorry to say that Neil Armstrong is a very dull man. The director needed reining in on the running time of this beast, and I think other characters should have been given more of a chance to shine. We know he gets to the moon so why did it take so damn long to show it?

This is by no means a bad film. The acting is top notch and I can certainly see Oscar nominations rocketing towards this one, but it's incredibly long and tediously, and just boring, and therefore I can only give it 4/10.

The fifth film I saw was the first of a horror triple bill - Slaughterhouse Rulez.

I will admit that from the trailer I was fully expecting this to be a slight step up from a Goosebumps type movie but it fell somewhere between that and a real gore fest. I enjoyed it, even if the acting isn’t always top notch, it was a fun ride and a perfect post Halloween movie. 6/10

The penultimate movie of the triple (and indeed the not-always-so-magnificent 7) was Goosebumps 2. 

I know I saw the last Goosebumps movie but I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about it. This one was loads of fun. The possessed dummy was just the right amount of creepy for a kids film, and considering this definitely WAS made for kids (it’s a PG cert) I thought it was more engaging than Slaughterhouse. I found myself enjoying it a lot more and just generally having a blast. Definitely recommend for those with kids looking for a spooky film this autumn. 7/10

Finally that leads me to him. He came home. And what a bloody and fitting end to the Halloween franchise this is (providing the powers that be don’t decide to make another one).



Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode from the original 1978 Halloween (that's right kids, that's before even I was born) returns for this sequel which effectively erases every Halloween movie that has followed in the last 40 years (including Halloween 2, H20 and Resurrection which all also featured Curtis as Laurie Strode). Forget those movies exist because this is the definitive sequel. Strode has spent the last 40 years dealing with PTSD over what happened on that fateful Halloween night, and my god has she got her Sarah Conner on.

Strode has always known the day would come when Michael Myers would again escape the mental facility that houses him, and she has prepared for the day when she would once again face him.

I won't give any spoilers away but I will say that for fans of the original this is an absolute must see. I will admit that I am nowhere near as hardcore horror as I used to be and I was scared to see this on my own, which is why I waited to see it until someone could come with me. But it's not wall to wall horror as some would have you believe.

Sure there are jump scares, and to bring the franchise bang up to date there are some scenes that are truly gruesome and horrific, but this is a Halloween movie, would you really expect anything less? Curtis and co act their socks off. It's great to see so many strong women in this movie, rather than them just being the screaming victim all the time, and for a woman in her 60s, Jamie Lee Curtis is as bad ass as they come.

As a huge fan of the original I honestly can't recommend Halloween highly enough to fellow fans. See it before it finishes in cinemas. 9/10

Spotlight and The Big Short

You might be wondering why I have chosen to write a double review on these two very different movies. 

Although their stories are different, they do share common themes. A large and very recognisable cast, which means a lot of characters to get to know, a lot of names. A complex (and not exactly riveting) subject matter. A lengthy running time. One I loved and one I didn't. Here's my reasoning for why. 

Let's tackle Spotlight first. 

 http://spotlightthefilm.com/

A movie based on a true story about child abuse and the Catholic Church doesn't sound like it will be fun. And upon seeing the trailer for the movie, one of my friends commented that it was in poor taste as the filmmakers were making money out of a horrible situation.

Whilst I agree with that on some level, I also think that you can't deny that the paper that reported on the scandal, The Boston Globe, also made money out of it. But the purpose of the article was to bring the public's attention to this epidemic of dirty priests and those who cover up for them. The film is doing that too, but on a much more global scale. 

So, a film about child abuse within the Catholic Church and the paper that broke the story. Why should you go and see it?

The subject matter is handled extremely well. It's not subtle, but then it can't be when this is the story they are telling. But it's handled sensitively. 

The other reason you should see this movie is because despite being filled to the brim with recognisable actors, they're all excellent. They all lose themselves in these characters and I honestly couldn't fault a single one of them. It's a sterling cast and a film not to be missed. My only niggle (and it really is a tiny nitpick in an otherwise blemish free film) is that the actors didn't really attempt a Boston accent. And the ones that did had mixed results at best. I think as The Town is one of my favourite movies, I have been a little spoiled where accents are concerned, and it definitely doesn't effect the overall message of the film or how good it is. 

On to The Big Short

http://www.thebigshortmovie.co.uk/

The two films are quite similar in the sense that they were potentially quite dull subject matters, Spotlight focusing on the journalism industry, and The Big Short on banking, and both films have a lengthy running time of over 2 hours. But whereas Spotlight handled it's story brilliantly and thoughtfully, creating a layered story with tension, The Big Short felt like it was having to explain things to the audience all the time. And like they were annoyed that they had to do that. 

An approach like that doesn't work for me. It doesn't get the audience on side, it just makes them annoyed, and feel a little stupid. Or at least that's the effect it had on me, and I work in the financial sector. 

The main difference between the movies is that Spotlight doesn't try to glamorise the facts of the case, it's not sexy and it doesn't try to be. The Spotlight team work out of the basement. They live in homes that seem fitting for the jobs they do. I'm not saying Spotlight wins points over The Big Short because it represents "real" people. I know there are two sides to the coin, and that the rich people depicted in The Big Short are also based on people who actually exist in the banking world. Both films are based on horrific real events, but while Spotlight handles the subject sensitively, The Big Short rubs it in people's faces. You might have lost your home but look how much these already rich people made off the back of that. Oh and these guys are the heroes of the story because they saw it coming. There's a very sour taste left in your mouth when a movie does that to it's audience. 

The cast also didn't work for me with The Big Short. They didn't really gel with one another, and why was Brad Pitt even in there? It's like someone said "hey, we need another big name" and they just pulled him out of a hat. None were particularly convincing as banking experts. Which made the whole 'dumbing down' exercises even more unnecessary. 

Ultimately my advice here is to go and see Spotlight. It's a better film, better acted, with likable characters, drama, tension and even the occasional laugh. 

You should also stay and read the sum-up in the end credits. I spotted my home town on the list of places where cover ups involving priests was discovered. One of my friends called it blood chilling. That could not be more accurate. I've never been so happy that my parents weren't religious in my life. 

Spotlight 9 out of 10 / The Big Short 4 out of 10

Viewing Dates - Spotlight 29th January 2016 / The Big Short 6th February 2016
UK Release Dates - Spotlight 29th January 2016 / The Big Short 22nd January 2016

Cast Overview Spotlight:
Mark Ruffalo ~ Mike Rezendes
Michael Keaton ~ Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Rachel McAdams ~ Sacha Pfeiffer
Liev Schreiber ~ Marty Baron
John Slattery ~ Ben Bradlee Jr
Brian d'Arcy James ~ Matt Caroll
Stanley Tucci ~ Mitchell Garabedian
Billy Crudup ~ Eric Macleish

Director ~ Tom McCarthy
Writer ~ Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy

Cast Overview The Big Short:
Ryan Gosling ~ Jared Vennett
Christian Bale ~ Michael Burry
Steve Carell ~ Mark Baum
Marisa Tomei ~ Cynthia Baum
Adepero Oduye ~ Kathy Tao
Rafe Spall ~ Danny Moses
Hamish Linklater ~ Porter Collins
Jeremy Strong ~ Vinnie Daniel
John Magaro ~ Charlie Geller
Finn Wittrock ~ Jamie Shipley
Brad Pitt ~ Ben Rickert

Director ~ Adam McKay
Writer ~ Charles Randolph and Adam McKay (Screenplay) and Michael Lewis (Book)

The Place Beyond The Pines

http://focusfeatures.com/the_place_beyond_the_pines

I'd been looking forward to The Place Beyond The Pines since I saw the first trailer for it. Atmospheric music and promises of stellar performances from the always great Ryan Gosling and the on-the-up Bradley Cooper. I had high hopes. Perhaps too high? 

*The following synopsis features spoilers*

The film is split into three different stories, the first is of stunt motorcycle rider Luke (Ryan Gosling), who returns to a small town a year after he was last there with the state fair he does daredevil stunts for. He discovers upon his return that he has fathered a child with Romina (Eva Mendes), a woman he had a brief fling with 12 months prior. Deciding to do right by the child Luke quits his job, allowing him to stay in town and build a relationship with the boy. He gets a job with a local mechanic Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), which leads to him taking part in armed robberies to get money together for the kid. Luke is tragically killed by police officer Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) after a robbery goes wrong. Here we pick up the second thread of the story where we discover that Avery is not the heroic cop that the press have lead everyone to believe. The third act of film is set 15 years later and shows how this chain of events have shaped the lives of both Luke's and Avery's sons. *End of Spoilers*

The Place Beyond The Pines was one of those films that as I was watching it I was thinking how good it was, how clever, how brilliant all of the performances were. That was until we got to the third act. Up until then I stand by the fact that it is a great movie and features fantastic performances. And if you walk out of the film then, it still will be. I however, stayed until the end, and I really wish I hadn't. I had massive issues with the third act of this story.

For one, it makes the film too long. It's 140 minutes. If you shaved off or even just cut down the third act it would be under 2 hours. Which is acceptable. But honestly, it feels about half an hour too long. For two, the performances from the teenage boys are not great. Dane DeHaan (you'll recognise him if you've seen last years Chronicle) who plays Luke's son Jason does a decent enough job, but Emory Cohen who plays Avery's son AJ is really quite a terrible actor. He's all swagger and pouty lips and he just can't pull that off. He also looks in no way related to Bradley Cooper, which is an issue because you don't ever really feel like they're related? For three, the whole story of how what happened between Luke and Avery affects the boys feels really unnecessary. They could have hinted at it, shown glimpses of the boys growing up but I didn't feel like an in-depth look at the boys psyche was required.

It's a shame as otherwise I'd have nothing but praise for Pines. Gosling and Cooper are both superb and Liotta puts in his usual menacing performance which is as enjoyable as ever. Mendes and Byrne are both beautiful and fiesty as the love interests and capable support is provided by Mendelsohn, Ali, Yulin, Clohessy and Greenwood, who is particularly watchable as ever. 

By all means see what you think for yourself but don't believe the hype. 6 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 21st April 2013

UK Release Date - 12th April 2013

Cast Overview:

Ryan Gosling ~ Luke

Bradley Cooper ~ Avery

Eva Mendes ~ Romina

Rose Byrne ~ Jennifer

Ben Mendelsohn ~ Robin

Mahershala Ali ~ Kofi

Harris Yulin ~ Al Cross

Robert Clohessy ~ Chief Weirbowski

Bruce Greenwood ~ Bill Killcullen

Ray Liotta ~ Deluca

Emory Cohen ~ AJ

Dane DeHaan ~ Jason

Director ~ Derek Cianfrance

Writer(s) ~ Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder

Gangster Squad

http://gangstersquad.warnerbros.com/

Gangster Squad seemed to be a long time coming. It was initially due for release around the same time as Lawless but was postponed by the cinema shooting in Aurora as the film featured a scene involving a shoot out at a cinema. 

I'm not sure that January was the best time to release the finished film, not when cinemas at the moment seem to be full of Oscar contenders. But I guess as it's not likely to be a contender for awards it's probably as good a time as any for an old fashioned gangster film.

The film is loosely based on the story of Mob boss Mickey Cohen and how the Los Angeles police force formed a secret squad of officers who's sole purpose was to take him down.

I know several guys at my work who really loved this film, however me and my two friends I saw it with definitely found it left us less than impressed. The acting is solid and if I'm honest I do struggle to say what was wrong with the film. It just felt lacklustre, over long and repetative in places with one shoot out after another. I guess that was the whole point, this being a gangster film, but it just got boring after a while. 

The scenes depicting the family lives of the cops were a nice touch and definitely gave the characters more depth but they felt a little like fillers for the big shoot outs and that's where the film became bland and uninspired for me.

If your a fan of those involved or have a particular love of gangster films then you'll probably think this is a great way to spend 2+ hours. If not then I'd say there's not much here for you. 6 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 15th January 2013

UK Release Date - 11th January 2013

Cast Overview:

Josh Brolin ~ Sergeant John O'Mara

Ryan Gosling ~ Sergeant Jerry Wooters

Sean Penn ~ Mickey Cohen 

Emma Stone ~ Grace Faraday 

Nick Nolte ~ Bill Parker 

Anthony Mackie ~ Detective Coleman Harris

Giovanni Ribisi ~ Detective Conwell Keeler

Robert Patrick ~ Detective Max Kennard

Michael Peña ~ Detective Navidad Ramirez

Director ~ Ruben Fleischer

Writer(s) ~ Will Beall and Paul Lieberman (book)

The Lady K Academy Film Awards Day 11 - Best Lead

The Lady K Academy only has 4 awards left to give out and tonight is going to be another double awarder as we salute the Actor and Actress who literally lead the way in 2011.

Without further ado the award for Best Actor goes to...

Ryan Gosling for Drive* 

(*although he also gave very noteworthy performances in 

Blue Valentine, Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Ides Of March)

Ryan Gosling was on fire last year with 3 very different movies on general release within 3 months of each other. 1 romantic comedy, 1 crime thriller and 1 political drama. He also had romantic drama Blue Valentine out at the start of the year. Even if he's not your favourite actor you have to admit he's hard working! As I saw each of these films I can say without a doubt that he was fantastic in each of them, but the one which made me decide he was worthy of this award was Drive.

This is what my review had to say: "Despite being the main character, the driver not only has no name, he also has very few lines in the film, with most of his feelings being played out through looks in the rear view mirror. Having said that the performances of Gosling and all of the other actors involved are faultless."

To give you a taste of Ryan's performance in the film I have attached a video I found which is set entirely to a song from the film, no dialogue. I thought it was a good demonstration given the lack of dialogue for the driver in the film.

Please note this is a clip from an 18 certificate movie and does show violent scenes. If you haven't seen the film there are some spoilers.

We follow Ryan's stunning performance in Drive with our award for Best Actress.

This goes to... Viola Davis for The Help

I pretty much knew all along that my Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress were going to come from The Help, how could they not with such a wealth of female talent on display. But the confusion came when I had to pick one. Just one. Anyone who read my review of The Help will know that I have a huge girl crush on Emma Stone. Love her. She can do no wrong. But Viola was amazing. And so were Octavia, and Bryce, and Jessica. Hardest decision EVER. But as Viola's role really was the pivotal one, I went with my gut and chose Viola's portrayal of Aibileen Clark as the winner for this category.

For anyone who missed it, this is what my review had to say: "The characters are fantastic, even the ones you hate, you can't help but admire the actors potrayal. And the actors, or rather actresses as this is a predominantly female cast, were faultless. Every single one. I know I already mentioned my girl crush on Emma Stone but she is wonderful. But then so are Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. And the supporting cast is a dream, from the likes of Allison Janney (who can do no wrong in my eyes, I've loved her for years!) to Sissy Spacek and Mary Steenburgen. Fabulous one and all."

And here is a taster of Viola in The Help.

Much as I love Meryl, can you still tell me after watching that clip that Meryl deserved the Oscar? I don't think so!

Runners Up for Best Actor:

Matt Damon surprised me last year in both Hereafter and The Adjustment Bureau. 

Jake Gyllenhaal for Source Code. Yes he's my favourite actor, yes I've met him and am biased as hell but he was brilliant in Source Code, you know it and I know it.

Runners Up for Best Actress:

While Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine and My Week With Marilyn) and Natalie Portman (Black Swan, No Strings Attached and Your Highness) were both very busy ladies last year I think the two women who surprised me the most after Ms Davis were Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids and Tilda Swinton for We Need To Talk About Kevin

So there you have it. My winners for Best Actor and Actress. Who were yours?

The Lady K Academy Film Awards Day 6 - Best Kiss

So tonight is a three headed beast of an award night. And this is the second award of the night. Best Kiss.

Up until tonight I had a clear winner in my head for this award, but as I was typing it up I had a sudden feeling that there was a better kiss out there and then I realised what film that best kiss was in.

The award for Best Kiss goes to Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan for the elevator kiss in Drive.

Now unlike the award for Best Fight, Best Kiss had a LOT of contenders. As I mentioned above, until I was actually typing this one up, I already had a very different winner in mind. I was going to go with the kiss in Thor. It was full of passion and semi tragic as he was leaving, intending to return but of course neither of them knew at the time that this wouldn't be possible. And it was a great kiss.

But then lots of films had great kisses this year, Thor aside, fellow Avenger Captain America also had a great, semi tragic kiss. In both of those films the kiss was eagerly anticipated and in my opinion lived up to expectation. Source Code had that wonderful frozen in time kiss, Breaking Dawn had the wedding kiss, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 had one of the most long awaited kisses, and in truth would have won this award (even over Thor) if it hadn't been for the awful direction in that scene that meant you didn't really see the kiss. Drive however, well Drive had a scene which kind of encompassed all of the elements that made the above kisses so great. It was anticipated, seemed to slow time down until all there was in the elevator was the two of them, it was romantic as he was protecting her from a very bad man, it had great music and was just one of those kisses that you wish would happen to you some time. But maybe without the horrendous murder that follows?

Here for those who haven't seen it, is just the kiss (I made sure it cut before the murder - this isn't that kind of blog! ;0). Enjoy.

Runners Up:

See above.

What screen kiss made you weak at the knees this year? The box below is where you get your say...

The Ides Of March

http://idesofmarch-movie.com/

My loyal readers will be well aware by now of my well documented crush on Ryan Gosling. Therefore it was a given that I'd see The Ides Of March, even if it did look a bit dull and like it might hurt my brain with all the political speak. 

Seeing it however, proved to be more of a problem than I'd anticipated as it finished at my local Cineworld after only a week on release, and when I planned a trip to the next town (which has a bigger cinema) the week after, they stopped showing it too. Just when I'd given up completely and resigned myself to waiting for the DVD, my cinema buddy told me the Odeon had picked it up for one week only. 

The Ides Of March is essentially about a governor - Mike Morris (George Clooney - who also co-wrote and directed) who is running for presidency. One of his aides, Stephen (Ryan Gosling), is asked to meet with fellow aide who works for the opposition. Once he does, although nothing comes of the meeting, he feels compelled to tell the governor and is subsequently fired. But he soon learns something about the governor which makes him question the morals of the man who would be president. Something big enough that could stand Stephen in good stead if he chooses to use it. But as that would be as morally wrong as what the governor did, will he be able to make that choice?

The Ides Of March was pretty much what I expected it to be, a well acted and intriguing film. But I found myself pleasantly surprised by it too. It wasn't as dull as the trailer implied and wasn't so heavy on the political speak that it alienated me from the story. The performances are all excellent as you would expect from a cast including Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei and the direction is slick and well paced. I also think that when George Clooney directs himself it makes him a better actor!

The story flips between politics and the people behind the speeches and decisions and this is what stops it from being boring and keeps it interesting. A taut and intelligent film, not to be missed. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 16th November 2011

UK Release Date - 28th October 2011 

Cast Overview:

Ryan Gosling ~ Stephen Meyers

George Clooney ~ Governor Mike Morris

Philip Seymour Hoffman ~ Paul Zara

Paul Giamatti ~ Tom Duffy

Evan Rachel Wood ~ Molly Stearns

Marisa Tomei ~ Ida Horowicz

Director ~ George Clooney

Writer(s) ~ George Clooney (Screenplay), Grant Heslov (Screenplay) and Beau Willimon (Screenplay - based on his play Farragut North)

Drive

http://drive.mgfilm.hr/

After the poor response I had to the supposedly excellent Crazy, Stupid, Love, my expectations on Drive went down somewhat. I still wanted to see it but I decided to try and reel in my excitement surrounding the film's potential until I'd seen it.

So along I went with the founding member of my Ryan Gosling appreciation society to see Drive. The story centers on a man (Ryan Gosling - you never find out his characters name) who does stunt driving for films. He also works as a mechanic and does some getaway driving on the side. He meets a girl, Irene (Carey Mulligan), who has a young son and a husband who's in prison. When the husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), is released it puts paid to the driver and Irene's budding romance but the husband soon finds himself in trouble with local gangsters who he owes a debt to from his time in prison. The driver, having feelings for Standard's wife, wants to help him out of his tight spot and agrees to help him pull off one last job, robbing a pawn shop, to ensure his family's safety. 

I was hooked on Drive from the super stylish opening sequence where the driver does a getaway job for two local robbers. It was a tense opener with very little dialogue but it was executed to perfection and set the tone for the rest of the film.

Despite being the main character, the driver not only has no name, he also has very few lines in the film, with most of his feelings being played out through looks in the rear view mirror. Having said that the performances of Gosling and all of the other actors involved are faultless. The film is so grounded by the characters that when it does turn violent it's all the more shocking. 

The direction is slick and stylish but the film has a retro feel about it that stems from the music and the neon style font used in the opening and closing credits. Somehow these elements work really well together and I'm sure I'm not the only one who will come away from the film with the songs still in my head. The classical music used in the elevator scene (as seen in the trailer) is also very haunting and fits the scene perfectly.

Probably one which a lot of people won't see, but definitely one they should. 9 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 6th October 2011

UK Release Date - 23rd September 2011

Cast Overview:

Ryan Gosling ~ Driver

Carey Mulligan ~ Irene

Bryan Cranston ~ Shannon

Albert Brooks ~ Bernie Rose

Oscar Isaac ~ Standard

Christina Hendricks ~ Blanche

Ron Perlman ~ Nino

Director ~ Nicholas Winding Refn

Writer(s) ~ Hossein Amini (Screenplay) and James Sallis (Book)

Crazy, Stupid, Love

http://crazystupidlove.warnerbros.com/index.html

I'm going to shock you all now by revealing yet another of my crushes, Ryan Gosling. I have no doubt that any girls reading this will not be surprised by this admission. And any guys reading will probably mumble something about 'pretty boy' or 'six pack'. Truth is Ryan is very pretty and boy does he have a fine six pack. But that's not what this review is about. The other truth is that while I openly admit to having a crush on Mr Gosling, rather than this being a recent thing owing to his prettiness or good abs, this is a crush that stems back to The Notebook and a certain scene in the rain that I someday hope to re-enact.

Admission made, it will be a further lack of surprise that I wanted to see this movie, along with Mr Gosling's other new film, Drive (which I will hopefully be seeing/reviewing over the weekend). What was surprising - to me at least - was the amount of recommendations I had about this film before I'd had chance to see it.

The movie opens on a not-so-romantic dinner for married couple Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore). He wants desert and she wants a divorce. Soon after Emily admits to having an affair with her co-worker and Cal moves out of the family home. Cal's life is on a downward spiral until he meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a self confessed ladies man who decides to mentor Cal and turn his life around. Cal has soon learnt all of the tricks Jacob has to show and is a huge hit with the ladies. Meanwhile Jacob finds the one thing he wasn't looking for, a girl who could be 'the one'.

Okay, so no surprises so far right? You ready for one? I didn't love Crazy, Stupid, Love half as much as I thought I would. I partially think the endless recommendations ruined any chance I had of loving this film as they raised the bar too high. I don't deny that it's a film that somewhat pushes the boundaries of the romantic comedy genre, and I don't deny that the performances are all great. I just felt like too much time was spent on the Cal/Emily story and not enough on Jacob and Hannah (Emma Stone).

I am a huge fan of Emma Stone (see, it's not all about Ryan!) and she was almost as underused in this as she was in Friends With Benefits, but at least in that movie there was an excuse for her underuse as her role was only a cameo. Her comic timing is impeccable (as witnessed in Easy A, seriously, if you haven't seen it please go and rent/buy it now!) and she should have been featured a LOT more than she was. Kevin Bacon is also woefully underused.

The other thing I felt went against this film was the trailer. As you will see below, the trailer clearly puts the emphasis on the relationship between the younger couple and this simply isn't the case with the film. Don't get me wrong, the Cal/Emily story is well told and acted as I said above, it's just not what I was there for. It was the more depressing of the two storylines and for me, could have been better balanced by having more of the Jacob/Hannah story.

I don't want to put people off as it is a good film. Just don't expect it to be hilarious because it's not, though it has got funny moments. And don't expect it to tug at your heart strings because it's not all that touching, though it has moments of clarity. Do expect to see a slightly more realistic take on marriage and a slightly less realistic take on guys who sleep around. 

It's one of the better films in a month of distinctly average rom-coms. 8* out of 10.

*It's more of a 7.8 but as I've only ever given whole or .5 scores I'm rounding up. It only just gets an 8!

Viewing Date - 28th September 2011

UK Release Date - 23rd September 2011

Cast Overview:

Steve Carell ~ Cal Weaver

Ryan Gosling ~ Jacob Palmer

Julianne Moore ~ Emily Weaver

Emma Stone ~ Hannah

Analeigh Tipton ~ Jessica

Jonah Bobo ~ Robbie Weaver

Marisa Tomei ~ Kate

John Carroll Lynch ~ Bernie Riley

Kevin Bacon ~ David Lindhagen

Liza Lapira ~ Liz

Director(s) ~ Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Writer ~ Dan Fogelman

Blue Valentine

http://www.bluevalentinemovie.com/

As mentioned previously, I am a big fan of The Notebook. In developing a love of that film I also developed a fondness for it's stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. And as such I tend to look forward to their up-coming projects. Blue Valentine is no exception to that rule. 


Blue Valentine had the added bonus of also starring Michelle Williams, who I've been a fan of since her Dawson's Creek days. I was eagerly anticipating the film's release when I read a fascinating interview with Ms Williams in Empire Magazine (http://tinyurl.com/6hq9toh). In the interview Williams talks about how committed she'd been to telling this story, ever since she first read the script when she was in her early 20s*. The interview also sheds light on the director's methods of enabling his actors to get to know each other well enough to hate each other. Williams explains how she and Gosling prepared for their roles by living together for a month, in between filming, in order to find out what would annoy them about each other if they were a real couple. For example, what would make them argue etc.


By the time the film's release date came around, it was obvious that none of the cinemas in my town (or surrounding area) were going to be showing it. I find it's always the way with the ones you REALLY want to see! Thankfully I have an amazing best friend who not only wanted to see the film, but also didn't mind taking time out of her Valentines Day plans to go to London, and see the film with me at the delightful Prince Charles Cinema.


The film flips between present day bitterness and the bittersweet early days of Cindy and Dean. They met by chance when he was working for a removal firm, moving an elderly man into a home. She happened to be visiting her grandmother at the same home on the same day. As Cindy had a boyfriend, she turned down Dean's offer of a date. They meet again a month later when Cindy has become disillusioned with said boyfriend and decides to give Dean a chance. In between these flashes of the past we also see Dean and Cindy as they are now, embittered and worn down by life, family, jobs and each other. The film continues to switch between Cindy and Dean then, getting to know each other and falling in love, to now, knowing too much about the other person and falling out of love. 


While I concede that this is not the cheeriest of films, I thought it did accurately portray the way that people drift apart and how sometimes, love just isn't enough. The interwoven flashback scenes of how Dean and Cindy met and fell in love are so believable. So much so that I felt a little uncomfortable watching the more intimate scenes, as though I were peeking into a real couple's private life through a keyhole. This only speaks of how good Williams and Gosling are, and how much they put themselves into these characters. Their director clearly had method to his madness in having them live together during filming, as I'm sure it was this prolonged time together that made their performances so grounded in reality. 


I can't go so far as to say that the film was enjoyable, as watching two people fight for their love rarely is. But I will say that it was a fascinating insight into the lives of a realistic and thoughtfully portrayed (dis)functional couple. 8 out of 10.

*For the purpose of grasping how long writer/director Derek Cianfrance has been trying to get Blue Valentine made and released, Michelle Williams is now 30.

Viewing Date - 14th February 2011

UK Release Date - 14th January 2011

Cast Overview:

Ryan Gosling ~ Dean

Michelle Williams ~ Cindy

Faith Wladyka ~ Frankie

John Doman ~ Jerry

Mike Vogel ~ Bobby

Director/Writer ~ Derek Cianfrance

Writer ~ Cami Delavigne

Writer ~ Joey Curtis