Away from Harry Potter, here are the films I've seen since last posting:
Bad Teacher. It definitely needed a lesson in comedy. The story was a bit over-the-top, the comedy was seemingly non-existent (I laughed once...and that was at a toilet joke...I know, I'm disappointed in myself) and overall it just wasn't very good. It'd have been better billed a drama to be honest...
5/10
I watched
Good Night, and Good Luck which was based around the ideas surrounding McCarthyism and the fall of it and it is considered an important part of recent American history (what a good day to watch it - 4th July, USA Independence Day
). I know a good amount about McCarthyism and the film was a brilliant piece of docu-drama with excellent acting all around, stylistically shot in black and white and beautifully directed. I love the jazzy soundtrack heard throughout the film which really added to the atmosphere of the film itself.
A great watch - 8/10
X-Men: First Class. I'd been reluctant to go see this despite all the good reviews for a few reasons: 1) I like to see films in the order they were made, and if a prequel follows after a series of films, I'd have liked to have seen the series first - I have seen none of the X-Men films in full. 2) It's in the IMDB top 250, and I feared that I wouldn't enjoy it as much without seeing the other films (I've been assured by many for weeks it stands as a film on its own) and 3) I don't like action/comic-book type films too much.
However, I was surprised. It was actually better than I anticipated, the action was very good, it took a little while to get going, but I ended up quite enjoying it. I think it's not IMDB Top 250-worthy (I thought that for Star Trek too - another 'prequel') but it was definitely a good film.
8/10
Rain Man was very '80s, and the first thing that stood out for me was the cheesy, electronic score from Hans Zimmer. Thank goodness he's as epic as he is now, and that was a bad early start to film scores
The film itself was quite good - I really got into it, the acting was superb (even from Tom Cruise :|) and I really engaged with the characters. Great to watch.
8/10
The Tree of Life. People I know who have seen it have either not enjoyed it or wanted to walk out, and I could see why from the outset. Unlike most films, its intentions are not to entertain, nor are they to please, to make you laugh, to cry, but it is a film which both amazes and you and leaves you to ponder.
The first hour of the film is slow - very slow. With seemingly little-to-no plot and an array of confusing and seemingly unrelated shots and voice-overs, the film really does not come into its own. the film can be credited for simply superb visuals of space, creation of life, the universe and everything and the amazing story that is told itself without any dialogue whatsoever. This cumulates with the ultimate death and destruction of the universe later in the film. However, it is all about the visuals and no wonder it can be deemed slow, pointless and boring by some viewers.
The second half of the film focussed on a 1950s family, particularly at the relationships between the characters. Although focus is on the children, the father (played by Bard Pitt) and the relationship he has with the children as a figure of solitude and also of punishment is key to the development of the children throughout the lives - we are shown at various points of the film a middle-aged version of one of the children unable to cope, feeling very lost and isolated in a now developed and modern world. Another relationship which is significant is between that of the mother and the father - mother providing the caring role to the children, often quiet and with no voice to speak above the father, having to reluctantly see her children punished by her husband when she knows they don't deserve it. The fathers willingness for his children to succeed when he put his dreams aside and ultimately didn't drives the fathers over-the-top punishment to the children.
The last segment of the film looks at life moving on - the family move ship leading to a series of confusing, charming and very surrealist scenes.
The whole film itself is beautiful from start to finish - it is clear to see that care has been taken to create a visually stunning film, both with the use of the camera and the mind-boggling visuals. It is, however, a film which has been created not for your general cinema-goer - expect not to be entertained while watching this film, expect not for a film which makes sense, expect not a film that you can sit back comfortably in your chair with your popcorn and view with your mates. This is a film for film fans - this is a film for those who wish to view a piece of art, to open their minds and to explore the depths of film-making. The silence of the audience from the moment the credits started rolling until we left the screening reflects the masterpiece's pure amazement.
8/10
Holy Rollers. This film only ever got released because of Jesse Eisenberg's success with The Social Network last year, and if I'm honest, Holy Rollers wasn't that good. It felt as if instead of me being able to engage with the story, the story was just shown in front of me and I was only able to sit and watch. I couldn't engage with the characters, the story wasn't strong nor interesting enough and the film just didn't feel entertaining in the slightest. A shame, as it had a lot of potential.
5/10
Mega Snake. It was dreadful - the plot was predictable, badly written and was laughable. The CGI was terrible - I can make better on After Effects. The acting was poor and it dragged on for the whole 90 mins, however, what else do you expect from a crappy B-movie anyway?
In the end, it become so bad it was somewhat enjoyable. Worth the £1 I paid for it.
3.5/10
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. I enjoyed it quite a lot actually - very good plot, excellently done, well directed, slick and quite funny. I liked the narration-style and Robert Downey Jr. actually did a very good job. I'd recommend this film, it has everything!
8/10
