Silver Linings Playbook

http://silverliningsplaybookmovie.com/

As a fan of both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence I was looking forward to seeing Silver Linings Playbook as soon as I saw the trailer for it a couple of months ago. 

The film tells the story of Pat (Bradley Cooper), who was diagnosed bipolar and admitted to a mental health facility following the breakdown of his marriage. We meet him just as he is being released from the facility to the care of his parents, although Pat is unwilling to come to terms with the fact that his marriage is over. Whilst rebuilding his life, Pat becomes friends with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a depressed young woman who is unconventionally coming to terms with being made a widow by sleeping with everyone in her office, causing her to lose her job. Tiffany persuades Pat to join her in a dance competition by promising him she will pass messages onto his estranged wife, but is she looking for more than a dance partner?

I must admit that I not only really enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook but I also found it quite a refreshingly sweet natured film with very little swearing and no sex scenes. Don't get me wrong, I like a good love scene as much as the next girl, but sometimes it's nice for a film to be the kind of film you could take your mum to see. Bearing in mind the fact that film also stars Robert De Niro, I think a lot of people will be surprised to see that this is such a tame film in terms of the lack of swearing and violence.

The only issues I had with Silver Linings is that it could have been funnier, and it is a tad on the predictable side, but neither of these niggles affected my overall opinion or enjoyment of the film. Cooper, Lawrence and De Niro - who I have never been a fan of - all put in solid performances and you find it very easy to like the characters they play, genuinely caring what happens to them. 

If you like your rom coms to come with honest dialogue and a backdrop of emotional problems, but ultimately to have a warm heart, then you'll like this one a lot. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 4th December 2012

UK Release Date - 21st November 2012

Cast Overview:

Bradley Cooper ~ Pat

Jennifer Lawrence ~ Tiffany

Robert De Niro ~ Pat Snr

Jacki Weaver ~ Dolores

Chris Tucker ~ Danny

Anupam Kher ~ Dr Cliff Patel

John Ortiz ~ Ronnie

Shea Whigham ~ Jake

Julia Stiles ~ Veronica

Director ~ David O Russell

Writer(s) ~ David O Russell (Screenplay) and Matthew Quick (Novel) 

Ruby Sparks

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/rubysparks/

A few months ago I posted a guest review of Ruby Sparks with the promise of a Lady K review to follow. Unfortunately I then missed my opportunity to see the film as it was only out at my local cinema for a week.

This weekend I happened to be up in London and decided to swing by my favourite Independent Cinema, The Prince Charles Cinema. I have spoken of my love for this place in many other reviews so I won't harp on about it here. I planned to see what was on and pick up a brochure of coming events. It was then, at 3pm, that I noticed that Ruby Sparks was showing at 3.35pm. Feeling like it was fate for me to be there, at my favourite cinema, with only half an hour to go before the screening of a film I'd missed and had so wanted to see, I decided to treat myself and see whether my guest reviewer was right when she said it was awesome.

Ruby Sparks tells the story of Calvin (Paul Dano), a writer who is suffering from a severe case of writers block. His shrink gives him an assignment to write about his timid dog Scottie, and how people interact with him. That night Calvin dreams of a girl who does exactly what his shrink had suggested and so he writes about her instead. Calvin's dreams become his inspiration and soon, without any idea of the how's or why's, Calvin's dream girl, Ruby (Zoe Kazan), appears before him. Thinking he's gone insane, Calvin sets off to prove to himself that Ruby is a figment of his overactive imagination. But he is soon faced with the realisation that not only is Ruby real, whatever Calvin writes about her comes true. Giving him ultimate control over her thoughts, feelings, actions and emotions. The question is, what will he do with this power?

Ruby Sparks starts out as a quirky and endearing love story but quickly turns into something much more sinister. The film raises a lot of questions about control and power and how people deal with the sudden gain, and loss, of that power. While I found the premise kept me intrigued, I have to say that I wasn't expecting the film to take such a dark path, and I wasn't prepared for it either. In that sense, I felt that the trailer somewhat misguided audiences as to the type of film Ruby Sparks is.

Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliantly acted and well scripted film, but it's also very serious and very dark in places and I don't think the trailer prepares the audience for what lies ahead of them when they take their seats. Having said that, I did like the end result and I would recommend that others see Ruby, but I would want them to be more informed before they commit to it.

If quirky but thought provoking is your bag, and you can stomach the heavy stuff, Ruby Sparks is one for you. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 2nd December 2012
UK Release Date - 12th October 2012

Cast Overview:

Paul Dano ~ Calvin Weir-Fields

Zoe Kazan ~ Ruby Sparks

Chris Messina ~ Harry

Annette Benning ~ Gertrude

Antonio Banderas ~ Mort

Steve Coogan ~ Langdon Tharp

Elliott Gould ~ Dr Rosenthal

Director(s) ~ Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Writer ~ Zoe Kazan

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/

For my review of Breaking Dawn Part 1 (and catch up on Twilight through to Eclipse) see here. Now on to Part 2.

You will know from reading my review of BDP1 that I was and still am a big fan of the Twilight movies and books. However, as BDP2 was filmed back to back with BDP1 I couldn't help but wonder why they weren't released closer together. They made the fans wait a year and a half between New Moon and Eclipse and I understood that this was due to the other filming commitments of the cast, primarily Kristen Stewart filming The Runaways (hence her awful wig for Eclipse). But there was no such reason for the year long delay between BDP1 and BDP2 so I felt like this was dragged out unnecessarily. 

In the year between movies I started to grow tired of the whole franchise. The constant noise in the press about RPatz and KStew and their eventual break up over her affair with Rupert whats-his-face. It had nothing to do with the film and if it has all been a ruse to generate publicity then I feel sorry for those whose lives have been ruined along the way. I digress of course, this is a review and not the Twilight cast biography. What I guess I'm trying to say is that my enthusiasm for the Twilight films waned. And as such I found myself feeling less than excited at the prospect of ANOTHER Twilight film. 

Having said that, I decided to give the films one last chance to win me back and I booked me and my bestie tickets to the midnight screening for her birthday. We'd seen all the others at midnight (with the exception of the first film) so it felt like a tradition we should see through to the end.

We set off at 11.30pm having watched Breaking Dawn Part 1 in preparation. All bleary eyed and wondering if we were just too old for all this nonsense. Mingling with kids half our age trying to get into the club next door to the cinema. Buying coffee to keep us awake. We settled into our seats and awaited the final film in the Twilight saga. We knew how it ended of course as we'd read the books, but as I had heard that the filmmakers had changed the ending of Stephenie Meyer's original story to be a more fitting cinematic experience, I still didn't quite know what to expect. 

Then as the opening credits appeared, I noticed something I hadn't seen on a Twilight movie before. A Producer credit for Stephenie. This immediately made me relax a little, and pushed my excitement up a notch. If Stephanie produced the film, surely she wouldn't have allowed any of the changes to be detrimental to the story she wanted to tell?

The film starts immediately where BDP1 ends. Bella wakes from her deathbed a vampire. We see straight away that unlike other newborn vampires, she is restrained and well, still her. But without the awkwardness. We meet Renesmee again who has grown substantially considering she is only weeks old, and we learn, as we suspected from the end of BDP1, that Jacob has 'imprinted' on her. We soon find out that the Volturi, the Italian vampire clan who keep the vampire world a secret from humans, have gotten wind of Edward and Bella's immortal child and that they plan to journey to Forks to kill the Cullens once and for all. As Renesmee is not immortal, a child born of a vampire but not bitten, Edward and Bella must gather those willing to stand up to the Volturi in order to protect their daughter, and themselves, from certain death.

I won't spoil the MASSIVE twist at the end but what I will say is that even those who've read the book will be surprised at how the filmmakers have manipulated Stephenie Meyer's book in order to give the film audience something that the readers were sorely lacking. I think that they've done a wonderful job of bringing the final part of the story to the big screen and I think fans of the book and those who haven't read it will equally enjoy what the film has to offer. 

BDP2 introduces some great characters to the saga and also some great actors. I particularly enjoyed the addition of Lee Pace to the cast as I've been a fan of his since I saw him in Pushing Daisies. I must also say that the existing cast look better in this film than they have since the first Twilight. I think they finally decided to ditch the wigs which were making actors like Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser look faintly ridiculous. 

So despite my trepidation, in the end I did enjoy BDP2 and I would recommend you see it. Even if it's just to put that final nail in the vampire coffin. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 15th November 2012

UK Release Date - 16th November 2012

Cast Overview:

Kristen Stewart ~ Bella Swan

Robert Pattinson ~ Edward Cullen

Taylor Lautner ~ Jacob Black

Peter Facinelli ~ Dr Carlisle Cullen

Elizabeth Reaser ~ Esme Cullen

Ashley Greene ~ Alice Cullen

Jackson Rathbone ~ Jasper Hale

Kellan Lutz ~ Emmett Cullen

Nikki Reed ~ Rosalie Hale

Billy Burke ~ Charlie Swan

Chaske Spencer ~ Sam Uley

Mackenzie Foy ~ Renesmee

Maggie Grace ~ Irina

Jamie Campbell Bower ~ Caius

Christopher Heyerdahl ~ Marcus

Michael Sheen ~ Aro

Daniel Cudmore ~ Felix

Charlie Bewley ~ Demetri

Dakota Fanning ~ Jane

Cameron Bright ~ Alec

MyAnna Buring ~ Tanya

Mia Maestro ~ Carmen

Lee Pace ~ Garrett

Noel Fisher ~ Vladimir

Julia Jones ~ Leah

Booboo Stewart ~ Seth

Director ~ Bill Condon

Writer(s) ~ Melissa Rosenberg (Screenplay) and Stephenie Meyer (Novel) 

The Sapphires

Mini Review

http://thesapphiresmovie.com/

The Sapphires tells the story of an Aboriginal girl group in the 60s that's made up of three sisters and one cousin. Whilst trying to win a local talent contest the girls are spotted by Irish music manager Dave (Chris O'Dowd), who takes them on tour to Vietnam to entertain US troops.

If the film sounds like a strange mix, that's because it is that. But a delightful one. It's based on a true story which I think says it all, a story so crazy it must be true! The film is funny, touching and will have you on side in minutes. If you aren't singing along and rooting for the girls to succeed by the end then you must have a heart of stone. 

O'Dowd is his usual charming self and was definitely the key for me as I think the story might have lacked some of it's comedy value without him. What surprised me was his chemistry with Deborah Mailman as I worried that their budding romance might feel a bit forced. Quite the contrary, despite the fact that I'd not seen Mailman in anything before, I found her to be a feisty leading lady and relished her scenes with O'Dowd. 

If you're looking for a feel good film with a funny bone, look no further! The Sapphires satisfies on every level. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 15th November 2012
UK Release Date - 7th November 2012

Cast Overview:

Chris O'Dowd ~ Dave

Deborah Mailman ~ Gail

Jessica Mauboy ~ Julie

Shari Sebbens ~ Kay

Miranda Tapsell ~ Cynthia

Director ~ Wayne Blair

Writer(s) ~ Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson

Skyfall - Guest Review

http://www.skyfall-movie.com/site/

Another guest review. But this time from my brother, Mike, instead of my usual guest reviewer:

Bond is in Istanbul, seemingly, popping in to see some fellow spies. While he is there he discovers that a hard drive containing the names and alias’ of MI6 agents around the world has been taken from a computer. Going after the people responsible Bond is shot while attempting to catch the perpetrators and falls to his certain death ...DUN-DUN DER! ...And so begins SKYFALL the 23rd film in the series, released in the 50th Year since DR NO first graced cinema screens.

For the rest of the film Bond contends with his own inner demons, a body and psyche that’s showing the rigours of the abuse laid upon it, but that’s not all! Bond’s recovery is not made any easier by the fact that he has to deal with a madman who seems to have a personal issue with M (In the great hands of Dame Judi) who herself is equally under pressure from a political system that seems to want to rundown the department because it costs money (the privatised version of MI6 sponsored by Toshiba becoming nearer a reality every day now!)

If this sounds quite dry and not your typical Bond film then you’re right it’s not. In fact apart from the stunt sequences and action set pieces at times it doesn’t feel like a Bond film at all. Bond’s meeting with Q takes place at the National Gallery ...Why? No idea, the name of the film which seems during trailers and what-not to relate to the scheme of the film relates to nothing of the sort. And the middle section seems to lag at times when it should be pulsing. This film like many other event films has been given universal five star reviews and usually that means one of two things, EITHER, it is as good as critics say OR everyone who goes to the press junket showing just gets caught up in the moment. Sadly, for Bond, it appears to be the latter.

That’s not to say there aren’t good bits in the film, the pre-credit sequence is all right, Bond’s disintegration and breakdown are both handled with aplomb and it’s here that Daniel Craig is at his best along with all his scenes with M, Javier Bardem is a fantastic villain and the end, which so many critics say is where the film lags was for me one of the most interesting bits of the film.

BUT, there are two major bad things and I will get to that now.

SPOILER ALERT

So far in Daniel Craig’s tenure in Bond films he has failed to save five women in three films and has only managed to save one. Only one ...In three films. Without being rude it is making Bond a bit crap, and Bond shouldn’t be a bit crap. Also ...Where are the henchmen? I for one miss the Jaws’, The Odd-Jobs and the Xenia Onatopp’s! Bond should test his metal against a decent henchman.

And it also fails the last test. Would I want to buy it on DVD? No.

6/10.

If you enjoyed my brother's review you might also want to check out his blog as he has opinions on a LOT of topics, not just films: http://mike-lambert.blogspot.co.uk/

Cast Overview:

Daniel Craig ~ James Bond

Judi Dench ~ M

Javier Bardem ~ Silva

Ralph Fiennes ~ Gareth Mallory

Naomie Harris ~ Eve

Berenice Marlohe ~Severine

Albert Finney ~ Kincade

Ben Whishaw ~ Q

Director ~ Sam Mendes

Writer ~ Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan

Based on characters by Ian Fleming