No Strings Attached

The Synopsis
Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are two people who meet and attempt at being sex buddies without letting feelings become attached. Needless to say, they find this harder than it looks.

The Review
I physically couldn't bring myself to write more in the synopsis than that. To say this film is predictable would be the understatement of the century. What disappointed me about it though was that they sold it to sound like it wouldn't be. Guys, call a spade a spade. This film could have been predicted from simply hearing the title.

It wasn't a terrible film and I was certainly entertained throughout with minimal looking at my watch but almost as soon as it was finished I had forgotten about it.

It was all just...alright. There was one mixed CD moment that made me giggle and I thought was a neat idea but other than that I find myself really straining to remember many other moments of this film. It was cliched and although amusing at points it seemed to fall short of anything particularly interesting.

I might one day end up buying the DVD should I find it in the sale but I'm in no rush to see it again and although it wasn't exactly a bad experience watching it, I can't bring myself to give it anymore than a simple two faces. I have nothing more to say.

I am number four

The Synopsis
John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is part of the chosen nine from his almost extinct race. They were all sent to Earth when their planet was destroyed and since then he has been on the constant run from the 'Mog' who want to finish the job and kill the remainder of them. They kill in order. Three of the chosen nine have been killed. John is number four. Desperate to hide he blends in in a small town called Paradise and starts school. There he meets Sarah (Dianna Agron) and struggles with staying invisible and seeing her.

The Review
To quote Elphaba from Wicked 'Something has changed within me' when it comes to Science Fiction. I'm a heartbeat away from hanging out in comic book stores and attending sci fi conventions. I fear I may have caught the bug.

I liked this film. It's based on a novel but I haven't really heard of it so the storyline and characters of the film were all brand new to me.... of course I mean in the sense that I'd heard of Clark Kent but not of John Smith. The concept behind the characters follow the exact same line as every other super hero/alien/chosen one story line that governs the classic action sci fi movie.

I was incredibly confused at just how old our John Smith was meant to be as with his original hair colour at the beginning of the film he seemed in early twenties and then with highlights he became about 17 and was suddenly going to school (I have just imdb'd his ass and apparently the actor is 20). Number 6, a fellow alien added to my confusion as soon as she started to talk as her accent ranged over about sixteen different countries in the space of a couple of sentences (incidentally if anyone who's seen it recognises this accent please let me know as I am at a loss). All of this confusion was known to at times remove me from the movie and force me to follow my own thought pattern as I tried to answer my own questions instead of actually watching the film. But that's the great thing about a film like 'I am number four,' it doesn't really require that much thinking.

I most enjoyed the fact that it was a group film as well. So many points in it made you want to comment and make jokes etc with the person you were with. And because we had turned up late to the cinema we were forced to sit in the very first row which meant our comments wouldn't cause those in front of us to get annoyed so 'yeay to the whole experience.' Can I just say now that myself, K and P who watched this film together tonight all seemed under the delusion that we had automatically turned into the biggest comedians ever with the comments we made. However I fear if I were to try and repeat them now it would be one of those 'you had to be there' moments.

I'd like to say that although we were laughing and joking throughout this film we certainly weren't making fun of it, it was just a film you didn't have to take too seriously. It was fun and strangely left me wanting more. It had an air to it that made me think they would have been better off turning it into a TV series as there were so many places you could take it that could last them for a good several seasons.

I'm not going to marvel at the amazing acting skills or the skillful camera shots coz I barely even noticed either. It was there to serve it's purpose of entertaining and it did. I will say this though, the 'Ghost hay ride' our two main lovebirds go on halfway through the film scared the crap out of me and I'm pretty sure that if I ever had to experience something like that at a fair I'd pretty much cack myself.

On that image I bid you adieu with a happy three faces from me.

Never let me go

The Synopsis
Never let me go is about three people who grow up together Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightly)in a reality that is very different to others. The films sees them through their journey of coming to terms with the world they are in and as a result the future they inevitably hold.

The review
I've been too hasty with my reviews to this point because I think I had forgotten what it's like to see a truly stunning film. Tonight this film made me just stop in my tracks and whisper 'wow.' This is what deserves my full marks and the others I have given five faces to, although amazing, certainly fall short of this masterpiece. So from this point I measure all films up to this and will therefore be a lot more stingy with my full marks until I see a film that has this much of an impact on me.

With that little revelation over let me tell you exactly why this film rocked my world. The concept for the film was something that I had been a little cautious of prior to seeing it as I kept on thinking it sounded a lot like a storyline done before in 'The Island' but let me tell you now, although in theory the ideas are the same, the very delivery of them both could not be more different. This film told the story of these people's short planned out lives with such a beautiful hopelessness behind it that my breath was caught in my throat throughout the whole thing. There was no way out, no fight to get out, just acceptance that this was the only way they could possibly live. It was that underlying attitude that just made the film so precious.

I'm sitting here trying to think of words that will do this film justice and am overwhelmed by memories of different scenes written so beautifully and performed with such power by all three actors that I would happily sit down and watch it all again right now.

Mulligan, Garfield and Knightly are all stunning in this film but I want to particularly applaud Andrew Garfield. He played his part amazingly, his eyes were constantly filled with the innocence of a man who knew no better than the sheltered life he had been forced to live and as a result every time he was on the screen my heart just leapt out for him. To really talk about what I loved on this film I would have to give away so many spoilers it wouldn't be fair but there are loads of moments I want to applaud him in. Cryptically I could mention the showing of his art and the exploration of the ship and losing it on the road and of course the looks he shared with Kathy. All these things I could spend a blog alone talking about. I'll just have to sum it up by saying it was beautiful.

Now I understand that it is different to the book it's based on but for that part I am very glad I haven't read it because I hear people might not be happy about it in comparison to the book though to me as a stand alone piece there is nothing at all I could fault about it.

Add on that it has made me a instant fan of the Screenplay writer Alex Garland and that the genius composer that is Rachel Portman (The Duchess) provides the score for it and you have perfect icing on a gorgeous little cupcake. My favourite film of the year so far ... by a looooong stretch.

Justin Bieber 'Never say Never'

The Synopsis

Ha ha, yeah right! Like I'd actually go and see this film.

Paul

The Synopsis
Graeme Willy *tee hee* (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) are two British guys who go to America for Comic Con and expand their holiday by taking a road trip and visiting all the great Sci Fi hotspots it has to offer. Their journey is thrown completely out of whack however when they end up hiding a real life alien fugitive, Paul (Seth Rogen)from the American government and agree to help him try to get home.

The Review
Aaah, me likey me likey. I mean I went in thinking that I was going to love it because it has my fav comedy duo in Nick and Simon but of course that worried me as I feared it wouldn't live up to my expectations but you know what? It was fandabidosy.

The whole thing just reeked of geek love but being a budding geek myself I felt at home watching it. It was basically a love story to all things sci fi and it was done by two men who obviously know their stuff. Now as far as I stand with the science fiction world I would have to say I'm around just below average but the sci fi things that I do watch have been known to take over my whole life, (namely Doctor Who... I could soak in those stories all day).

What I love about Paul is the same thing that Nick Frost and Simon Pegg always seem to do in the films they do together and that is they underline all their characters with aspects of themselves. Like I could easily believe that they have probably done the tour of America's best alien land marks plenty of times before they filmed this film. In fact I like to believe that when Nick and Simon retire they might migrate together to Roswell, buy a little two bedroom space shuttle shaped house and live out the last of their years whistling the theme tune from Close Encounters into the night sky whilst secretly hoping to hear the whisper of alien life speaking back...

Hmmmm, a couple of minutes has passed since writing the above as I have just closed my eyes and imagined how perfect the world would be if that would happen.

For anyone who is a little obsessed in the world of science fiction then there are millions of little tid bits littered throughout the film for you to go 'Oh my days! I saw that on Star Trek/Spielberg films/etc etc' I would like to think that I caught about 80% of them but I'm sure if I were to see it with a hard core sci geek I would probably hang my head in shame with the amount I really missed. So with that said, if you are not a sci fi geek at all but simply a fan of the comedy duo then it does not depend on you to get all the references in order to enjoy the film, it stands on it's own as a highly funny film without a need for research first.

The alien Paul in the film is rude and very funny and somehow comes across as very loveable. Seth Rogen's voice definitely suits animation, it's very soothing to listen to and his timing is awesome. There are a few moments in the one on one conversations between him and the other characters where it seems to get emotional and automatically each time I could feel myself getting nervous as I was sure it was going to enter into cheesy town but I have to say, not once did that happen. Instead at the end of these conversations I found myself inwardly applauding the writing of this. Thinking about it, this is quite obviously a film of love from two people who know this genre very well, it couldn't have been written any other way than just perfect for the genre it was in.

Go and see it, love it and tell your friends. Well done Nick and Simon, next one to look forward to is the Cornetto Trilogy finale! An almighty five faces from me as it appealed to my geekdom so well.

Just go with it

The Synopsis

After being jaded at his wedding Danny (Adam Sandler) devotes his life to using the idea of marriage as only a tool to pick up women. This was a flawless plan until Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) comes into his life and he thinks she could be something more. However when she finds his fake wedding ring in his trouser pocket, he is forced to enter into a lie involving his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston)and her two children as his made up ex wife and kids.

The Review

I've never been much of a fan of Adam Sandler's straight out comedies but I love his rom coms. Let me get this out now, it is in no way a challenging movie and if you've seen 50 First Dates then expect the exact same gags but I tend to forgive him for this as it doesn't pretend to be anything else. I almost love that Adam Sandler doesn't change his rom coms from one to the other, the fact that they are always the same is like a security blanket that you can curl up under and feel safe.

Now it is stupidly unrealistic and sacrifices a lot for the sake of the gags involved but you don't end up too cut up about it as if you were expecting anything else then... well... do you not know Adam Sandler at all?

Having said all that, although it left me feeling all happy and warm inside I don't really have anything else to say about it. It was fun, it had a lot of jokes, (some I got, some I didn't) and it even had an A list supporting role (Nicole Kidman) but other than that it doesn't hold anything else to review.

Go and see it if you want a brainless feel good film and don't mind that it has a storyline you could have predicted from the trailer alone. 3 faces from me!

Black Swan

The Synopsis
This is a film about a ballet dancer, Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) who is cast in the role of the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. On her journey to the opening night she struggles to learn how to embrace not only the dignified white swan side of her role but also the much darker and intense black swan side. As she tries her hardest to let go and discover this side, the film explores the lengths she must go to to allow her mind to open up to the powerful and dangerous force that accompanies it.

The Review
Hands down, that was the hardest synopsis I've had to write so far. In truth there really are no words to describe this film. It is definitely one of those that can only be explained by going to see it yourself.

This is a movie I have been hyping up and wanting to see with my friend 'J' for quite some time. We waited patiently for this long to wait and see it together and so I have been subject to the many reviews and different 'words of mouth' about this film for weeks. I knew it would be dark, I knew it would be weird, I knew it would make me turn away from the screen and go "tell me when the bleeding stops." And let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

This film was weird. But in a totally amazing way. It delved so deeply into the human psyche that I feared we'd never be able to get out again. Definitely not one to see if your mind is anywhere other than in a healthy place because otherwise it will creep you out and leave you cowering in the corner of a dark room, swaying backwards and forwards and questioning your own existence and how much control you have over your mind.

But if you're able to handle that and see it purely objectively then... wow. There is no doubt in my mind that Natalie Portman will be accepting an Oscar for that role this year. She was so fragile all the way through and never dropped character making her own personal journey completely believable.

And as for Mila Kunis? Being a MASSIVE That 70's Show fan I have this fondness towards all of the cast and (in the sad, 'films and books are my life' way that I have) always hope that they do well in any further ventures. Mila has definitely landed on her feet in terms of her career. She has a very real take to her acting which almost seems like she's not acting at all... I know I didn't really explain that very well but I'm still trying to find the words I mean for her performances. It was the same thing she did in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.' There's a sense of 'reality show' feeling about her acting. Like a camera is trained on her talking and being a person rather than her being an actor with lines... Even reading that back, it sounds odd and I don't think I'm explaining myself very well. Maybe in her next movie I'll put my finger on what it is. Whatever it is, I like it.

Actually watching the film, I'm glad I went with a friend rather than chose that as a film to watch on my own. It sort of pushes the boundaries of British comfortableness and possibly the most entertaining part of the movie for me was listening to the packed cinema's embarrassed giggles as certain scenes progressed. I too let out a few embarrassed giggles and J and I were known to throw each other the 'oh my days, did that actually just happen?' look on more than one occasion.

Whilst I can fully understand that this is not a film for everyone, (a suspicion that was confirmed when we witnessed several people get up and leave the cinema on different stages in the film) there was no denying that it was very well made and with just the right tone that left you constantly confused on what was reality and what was insanity. It achieved it's goal in a style I cannot deny to be absolutely flawless and made me realise that I could never and would never be a ballet dancer because it seems like way too much hassle and pain...