The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain

Movie Title: Amelie (known in France as 'Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain')
Genre: Romantic/Comedy
Release Date: 2001
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/

Description of Movie: The lonely Amelie Poulain one day decides to become a better person after finding a small box of childhood treasures that belonged to the previous owners of her flat. She dedicates herself to reuniting, matchmaking, avenging and rebuilding the lives of strangers without taking any credit for herself. Her little adventures lead her to Nino Quincampoix, an odd young man who collects rejected photobooth pictures. Her love blossoms and Amelie must conquer her shyness and her cowardice to finally win the one thing she wants the most in life.

Review: French cinema at it's finest. This film captures innocence, vulgarity, heartbreak, love, passion, hatred, it's all so just beautifully woven into the two hours, I desperately wish it was longer. The first half is chirpy, quirky, Amelie out and about fixing up the lives of those around her. The second half is heart breaking as she tries to gain the love of Nino. It's also subtly hilarious, there are those gem moments scattered throughout the film where you can't help but give a little giggle. The soundtrack, words can't describe it, Yann Tiersen is a genius. Everything about this film is what I love about cinema. Whimsical dialogue, great acting, magical setting it's all here. I've watched it countless times, the first time being only around 11 or 12. It will be forever a film I hold dear and I hope, dear reader, it fares the same for you.

Overall Letter Grade: A+
Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy it, no questions asked.



"Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her."

A Hideous Authenticity

Movie Title: The Ugly Truth
Release Date: 24.07.2009
Genre: Comedy
Director: Robert Luketic
Produced By: Sony Pictures
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142988/
Description of Movie: A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love

Review:  The Ugly Truth, it's a movie that's a little less Rom and a little more Com. I have seen most of Robert Luketic's movies and The Ugly Truth is one of my favourites. This movie kept me laughing from beginning to end, and Gerard Butler was the perfect pick to play Mike Chadway. The Ugly Truth was a movie that was really, truly well written...this movie even makes the topic of masturbation be hillariously funny. A big kudos goes out to the writers of the film for making this movie one of those gutbusting movies that you can watch again and again. 2009 was the year of Gerard Butler and this movie is one that proves it. Although this movie was rated R, I would reccommend this movie to any comedy lover, simply because it can take profanity that would normally cause the audience to tsk and turn it into a roaring laughter-fest. It could've used a little less romance though... 

Mike Chadway (Butler) and his Jell-o babes

Overall Letter Grade: A
Buy, Rent or Skip?:Rent/Buy ---depending on your taste in comedy I suppose

"You have to be two people. The saint and the sinner. The librarian and the stripper."- Mike Chadway

Happy Birthday Emma Watson...

Movie Title:  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ian Hart
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Director: Chris Columbus
Produced By: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/

Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe (Ron, Hermione, Harry)

Description of Movie:  Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Review: I've mentioned before....Chris columbus is one of my favourite directors, and Harry Potter P.S. is no exception. This movie was one of, (if not) the best movie in the Potter series; the scriptwiritng for this movie was exceptionally well done, most probably because the book itself was the shortest in the series. All-in-all almost nothing was omitted from this film as heavily as it was from the others. The acting in this movie from the children was just as it should be, there was no overacting, yet the innocence of the characters is obvious. Every single character in this film accurately portrayed that of its novel counterpart, much more than can be said for other characters in later films, most importantly, Professor Snape (my second favourite character in the series) was as slimy as he was in the books....my personal favourite characteristic of his. I digress, the film itself was beautifully written and along with that, the score composed by John Williams was - as always is with Williams - masterfully written and adds to the overall fantasy aspect of the film.
In the end, this movie is a wonderfully done movie and will always be one of my favourties.

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Overall Letter Grade:  A+
Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy, and watch again and again


"It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live." - Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

Container Shuttle

Movie Title: Bottle Rocket
Release Date: 1996
Genre: Comedy
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115734/

 Description of Movie: Antony, fresh from being 'busted out' of a mental asylum joins his friends Dignon and Bob in a life of crime that Dignon has planned to span 75 years. After their first small-scale robbery they hit the road only for Antony to fall madly in love with the Spanish-speaking maid at their hotel and Bob to run off to save his brother from a drug bust. Dignon learns the hard way that he can't always be in charge, but has to rely on his friendships to help him out of sticky situations.

 Review: I love Wes Anderson's films. They are so brilliantly quirky and the dialogue hilarious but full of heart. This film in particular astonished me because this happens to be Wes's directorial debut and yet he manages to portray his unique filmmaking style that I believed only to be apparent in his later films. Owen Wilson's character Dignon is just so funny. Always thinking up mad plans, robberies and heists, never backing down and always looking for a fight. This film is full of subtle laughs and must be watched with your full attention given as to not miss a single detail. I recommend it for a drizzly sunday afternoon or something to relax to after a long day of whatever the hell it is you do during the week. Give it the love it deserves, it's such a hidden gem with genuine moments of cinema genius. 

Overall Letter Grade: A
 Buy, Rent or Skip?: I'd say buy or rent, depending on how much of an indie film connaisseur you are.

Anthony: Which part of Mexico are you from? 
Inez: Paraguay. 

A Primary Colour Starring Bruce Willis

Movie Title: RED
Release Date:  15.10.2010
Starring: BruceWillis, Helen MirrenGenre: Comedy/Action
Director: Robert Schwentke
Produced By: Summit Entertainment
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/
Description of Movie: When his peaceful new life is threatened by an assassin, former CIA black-ops agent Frank Moses brings his old team back together in the last effort to survive and find out why he's being hunted.

Review: Wow. This movie actually left me laughing from beginning to end, in between my going "Woah!" and "Holy crap! I can't believe (s)he just did that!". The storyline itself was clever...but it was really the all-star cast and their clever and amazingly funny characters that really bring the movie together in a laugh riot. Of course the addition of Morgan Freeman adds a certain 'umph' to any film...including March of the Penguins. Not to mention that damn...er...dame* Helen Mirren totally fires off an amazingly sized Rambo like gun that is totally hot. If you readers are a Bruce Willis fan who are craving for a classic Willis movie, RED definately makes up for any of the recent crappy ones...and John Malkovich just adds a hilarity to the whole moive, honestly everything he said/did, I peed a little bit each time. This movie is a great action/comedy in recent years and really is one of the funnier ones that I have seen, with the comedy bar dropping lower-and-lower with each new comedic movie that comes out to theatres; I would seriously recommend this movie to anyone with good taste.
 

Overall Letter Grade:  A-
Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy/Rent (depending on your taste of movies)

"I remember the Secret Service being tougher" - Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich)

A Trolley Called Lust

Movie Title: A Streetcar Named Desire
Release Date: 1951
Genre:  Drama
Director: Elia Kazan
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044081/

 Description of Movie: Starring Hollywood's own Marlon Brando, it follows Blanche Dubois, a woman who goes to visit her sister Stella in New Orleans. She deals with the abuse of her brother-in-law, becomes haunted by the past and ultimately loses grip with herself entirely.

Review: Stunning, just stunning. The performances given by Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando are spectacular. This film is really the definition of a 'Hollywood classic'. The screenplay written by the playwright Tenessee Williams. Fantastic. Marlon Brando being a brutish sex god. Fantastic. It's such a breathtaking journey into the mental breakdown of a woman barely holding it together. The way that Marlon and Vivien manage to create this kind of sexual tension between them even though they are enemies throughout the film is so interesting and fun to watch. All of the actors bring their best abilities to the screen to make this drama as gritty and greasy as possible, you really feel the poverty, the dirt under Brando's nails, the state that New Orleans is in, the swealtering heat. How Blanche desperately tries to stay a prim and proper lady against the wishes of an entire town is just too depressing to bear, it's so well done, a beautiful film and I truly recommend all to watch.

Overall Letter Grade: A

Buy, Rent or Skip?: Rent (rent because it's really one of those films you can watch only once and a while, plus it's pretty lengthy.)

"STELLA! STELLA!"

45,7200 Seconds

*Warning...swear usage*

Movie Title:  127 Hours
Starring: James Franco
Genre: Drama/BioPic
Director: Danny Boyle
Produced By: Everest Entertainment
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/
 Description of Movie:  A mountain climber (Franco) becomes trapped under a boulder while climbing alone near Utah and must resort to desperate measures in order to survive while being trapped for 127 hours.

James Franco as Aron Ralston

Review: Wow. Just fucking wow. That's how I felt after watching this movie. I'm not going to lie, I went in watching this movie with VERY low expectations, no matter how much I love both Danny Boyle and James Franco's work. This is probably because I've never really been a fan of one-man-shows, specifically the work of Barney Stinson. But this movie was most definately one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. The style in which this (which was essentially a one man show) movie was done was astounding and typical Danny Boyle. The part that I was waiting for the entire movie, because lets face it, we all know - the dude cuts his arm off - was really the part that made me jump out of the edge of my seat...not to mention one scene in particular (at the end of the scene in which Aaron interviews himslef) that made a "WOW" escape my mouth. Because I am one for travelling and camping, this movie - and the idea of doing what is necessary to survive - truely appealed to me. 
As I said before, I went in seeing this movie with MAJORLY LOW expectations, but left kicking myself in the ass for judging this book by its cover, and would recommend 127 Hours to anyone who I think could handle it. To believe that a real person had to actually go through this experience still blows me away.    
Overall Letter Grade: A+

Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy

Aron Ralston, the man who inspired 127 Hours 

"Hey there, Aron! Is it true that you didn't tell anyone where you were going? ... Oops" - Aaron Ralston

Cow Juice

Movie Title: Milk
Genre: Drama
Director: Gus Van Sant
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1013753/

Description of Movie: Sean Penn stars in the true story of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist in the late 1970s. It follows his campaign to become the first openly gay elected official in the state of California.

Review: A beautifully told story that gives nothing but the facts. It is unrelentless as it leers in the face of homophobes everywhere. Sean Penn (in his Oscar winning role) reels you in and makes you shout by the end of the film to end the injustice. Despite it's content, the film manages to be kept very light and refreshing. I throughly enjoyed the fact that they managed to keep the content realistic. There really isn't too much more to say, it's gripping, stunning, wonderful, inspiring and depressing all in one go and despite the grim end it left a big smile on my face and a tear in my eye.

Letter Grade: A-
Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy

"Dan White: Society can't exist without the family.
Harvey Milk: We're not against that
Dan White: Can two men reproduce?
Harvey Milk: No, but God knows we keep trying."

Mr. Hillard's Significant Woman

Movie Title: Mrs. Doubtfire
Release Date:  11.24.1993
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field

Genre: Comedy
Director: Chris Columbus
Produced By: 20th Century Fox
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107614/
Description of Movie: After a bitter divorce between Daniel and Miranda (Hillard), Daniel (an actor) disguises himself as the sweet female housekeeper Mrs. Doubtfire to spend secret time with his children held in custody by Miranda

Review: Right from the first scene, this movie caught a place in my heart. This movie really is a stroke of genious based on the Anne Fine book "Madame Doubtfire" (that I have not yet had the pleasure to read, since i cannot find it anywhere). As a little kid, I always loved Robin Williams, and this movie just heightened my love for him as an actor...the idea of a man dressing up as a woman is strange in itself, but the idea of dressing up like an pld woman, who remotely reminds me of my little Scottish Gran is even stranger! (Granted that Mrs. Doubtfire is somewhere in between being Scottish and English.) The comedic genious of Randi Singer and Leslie Dixon really comes through in this movie, not just in the first scene, but especially when Robin becomes Euphegenia Doubtfire. Unfortunately, this movie isn't all comedic and happy endings. Mrs. Doubtfire deals with a very traumatic experience in the life of a child, in a lighter way. Perhaps this is my favourite movie not only because of Robin, but becuase Daniel (Willaims) and Miranda (Field) get divorced right within the first couple of scenes. This movie deals with the idea of divorce and the hardships of a thing like this in a comedic manner that everyone, divorced parent, split families, 'whole' families, etc. can all relate to in one way or another...although men wouldn't have the means to go out and parade around town in a woman's dress...well okay, most men would parade around the town in a woman's dress.

The chemistry between Mrs. Doubtfire (Williams) and all the people that she meets along the way, whether it be the children, Miranda or even Mrs. Sellner - the social worker - is astounding, this woman really is the typical sweet British grandmotherly type that everyone would love to have. It shows again that Chris Columbus has not failed in his directorial career, from Home Alone to Mrs. Doubtfire and even to the first two Harry Potter films, Chris Columbus doesn't disappoint.

I digress, (as this is becoming a rather long winded review) this movie is a classic to go into the books, not just because of its comedy, or its plotline alone, but because the movie deals with hardships in a wonderfully woven, comedic story.


Overall Letter Grade: A+ (and I don't just hand out that grade to every movie I watch)


Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy! (and watch it every week)

"What do you mean you do voices?" - Mrs. Sellner (the social worker)

The Resist-er without a Reason to Resist...

Movie Title: Rebel Without a Cause
Genre: Drama
Director: Nicholas Ray
Release Date: October 27th, 1955
IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048545/

Description of Movie: James Dean stars in a gripping drama about the new boy in town who ends up getting the wrong people angry.

Review: I went into this movie with high expectations. After all, this is James Dean's biggest role and the film that made him a Hollywood legend. I praise the actors, the acting is impeccable. The plot is a little dry and predictable, but what do you expect in a film based on street gangs and car races? What I loved the most were the planitarium scenes, which describe the violent death of the universe and how the problems of man are trivial, which really added into realizing the worthlessness of the main conflict of the film (which I hope was intentional? The film's message is against senseless teen violence, is it not?). Also, the relationship between the three main characters, Jim (James Dean), Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo) is just wonderful. The tender way Jim treats Plato as Plato loses control and shoots a rival teen really shows a believable friendship between the two. As I said, the movie did not disappoint, and Plato's haunting words, "Do you think the end of the world will come at night time?" really leave a lasting impression as the viewer is left with the thought of why men do the things they do.

Overall Letter Grade: B+


Buy, Rent or Skip?: Buy

"You're tearing me apart!"