February 27th, 2011 by Ozz

Well, Natalie is back. And with another star of “That ’70s Show”, this time Mila Kunis. So anyone who’s read my previous post, scratch that, Ashton Kutcher is not the only one from that show to get on big screen, although Mila Kunis maybe isn’t quite there yet, but definitely on her way.

This movie nothing like Rosemary’s Baby, yet I get a similar feeling watching it. And quite approriately so, goosebumps throughout the film (there’s no such thing as swanbumps is there?), that’s how good it is. And Natalie Portman is great. A lot of people would say perfect, for reasons I’m not getting into right now. But I don’t think she was perfect, just really great. To be perfect she’d have to have danced ballet since she was born and somehow led a double life out of body experience to get all the acting experience as well as I don’t think you can perfect both, there’s not enough time and talent in the world for that. But to be fair, she’s brilliant, amazing and dedicated to a degree most people would find impossible. So dancing aside, she’s deserving all the statues and prizes and the rest, and it’s oscars today so there we go, not sure she needs any luck with that one.

As far as films go, Black Swan is definitely something you should consider seeing. It’s probably not competing for the best film of the year with some other strong contestants out there, but Darren Aronofsky‘s latest is definitely one of the best of the decade, although the decade is surely very young still. Well shot, really cool special effects (maybe surprisingly), and amazingly intense acting from all parties, not forgetting that Natalie Portman alone is the one true star of Black Swan. I’m not sure about the cinematography at times, especially the graininess of it, but I’m not really complaining. Just saying that it’s not quite there with the likes of True Grit, but then again some might say Roger Deakings isn’t easy to beat.

Vincent Cassel is great as usual, his accent maybe suitable as well, although does annoy me a little bit. I know there’s been some criticism regarding his role and the realism of the whole dancing and coaching and all, but after all, it’s only a movie. Barbara Hershey is also amazingly good, Mila Kunis is ok, as well as Winona Ryder, and the rest of the dancer’s just deal with dancing really, as they should.

Black Swan is beautiful, the dancing and the music mesmerising, the story is gripping and everyone should see this film.

And after you’ve seen Black Swan, and definitely not before, check out these two links about visual effects in Black Swan. http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/watch-stunning-visual-fx-featurette-for-aronofskys-black-swan/ and http://www.fxguide.com/featured/black_swan_takes_wings/. I know it’s no Inception or Avatar 3D, or Black Swan 3D, but still.

February 27th, 2011 by Ozz

I’ve started to think that Ashton Kutcher is probably quite a nice guy, and he can do a bit of acting as well, even if just on a limited scale. Can’t say that I like him though. I think it’s because of his role in the seventees show, or just the way he looks. But I like his films better than I like him, or maybe how he looks. But nevermind, I’m a guy, I can’t be expected to like other guys. I’m just saying I’d rather be watching someone less annoying act in films that are actually watchable. Then again, it’s just my opinion about him, and most people would probably rate all his films fairly low. And yet “That ’70s Show” is such a cool show and he’s almost the only person of the whole cast to be acting in some pretty big films. And then there’s Demi Moore. What’s that all about then… Long story short, I’m starting to tolerate the guy, and No Strings Attached is slightly above average when it comes to these rom com romantic comedy movie thingies. I’t s really no oscar material, but hey, nobody said it would be. It’s just a bit of light entertainment to pass some time, possibly with friends or your girl or boy friend.

Natalie Portman is the executive producer of this flick as well, so I guess she may also like Ashton Kutcher, considering the plot which requires them to spend a lot of time what most people would consider fun activities. And for someone who apparently does not want to do nude scenes at all, and even managed to leave some topless scenes from her film Closer on the cutting room floor, she sure seems to like acting some sexy roles.

No Strings Attached is a fairly usual type of American comedy, maybe aimed at slightly older teen agers and young adults and maybe not for the grown ups as such, but it’s still witty at times and not completely silly, although you can’t avoid that with these movies. Ivan Reitman is back with a film that does not reflect that he would’ve grown old, but the film seems fresh enough to be directed by a younger film maker. Although considering the amount of sex I guess you could say Ivan Reitman is a dirty old man. So it’s rated R in the US then. When I say Ivan Reitman is back, I don’t mean he’s really been away, but he did have a short break from directing since his last film, and his films haven’t necessarily been as memorable as  Ghost Busters since 1984. Ok acting from Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman who do most of it anyway. Kevin Kline has a supporting role and he’s supporting it well. The rest don’t really need mentioning I think. So, to sum it up, it was funny enough, it’s making a shitload of money, and I didn’t feel like I’d wasted my time, but I can’t really say I remember anything in particular about it.

November 14th, 2010 by Ozz

How cool is that? Annette Bening,  Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo in a refreshingly different kind of movie. And Yaya DaCosta. Can’t wait to see more of her!

Funny and touching, inspiring and different. I didn’t like Josh Hutcherson very much, but I think it’s just his character. And well cast one at that. Did you spot Steven Spielberg’s daughter Sasha Spielberg? I didn’t.

One of the better stories of this year I think and not that predictable like most movies nowadays. Mark Ruffalo had quite an interesting approach to his character, which made the film all the more worth seeing. The kids are allright!

November 14th, 2010 by Ozz

I’m not a fan of the American The Office, I think I might be a fan of the British The Office – I’ve seen some small clips of Extras, which I really liked, and since it’s still Ricky Gervais, then I guess I might like that one as well. As much as I’m interested in these British TV series, I haven’t bothered to get more involved. And if you haven’t noticed, this is more of a movie blog, so let’s not get sidetracked. So, I mentioned The Office, because Steve Carell is in The Office and I wanted to mention that I don’t watch that, because I never got into it really. And I haven’t seen The 40 Year Old Virgin or any of his other movies either (ok, I have seen Bruce Almighty). But I did see Despicable Me and really really liked it.

Another (so called) actor in Despicable Me, that didn’t ruin the experience for me was Russell Brand. Can’t say anything bad about him regarding this film, and if Katy Perry likes him, he can’t be all bad.

Maybe also worth mentioning that Julie Andrews plays a part in this movie too.

As far as animated 3D movies go, this is somewhere at the top of my list. While not quite as good as Pixar’s Up, Despicable Me was genuinely funny, and heartwarming as any of these type of films that use every trick in the book get some tears flowing. But in this case I’d say they didn’t overdo it quite like Toy story 3.

Nothing unexpected here, but throroughly enjoyable.

October 9th, 2010 by willow

Two hours well spent. After seeing this film I had the weirdest feeling that instead of watching a movie I had just finished a great book. I really can’t say why and I think there’s no point in going there more than this.

Watching this flick won’t cause you epileptic seizures, nor shall it pop your ears. You will also not be sitting on the edge of your seat wondering who did it, because it is kind of obvious from fairly early on. But you shall be enjoying those couple of hours from a movie that is in its most simplest and honest forms. All the tricks and special effects are in the script, editing, camerawork and performances. And all these are beautifully coordinated by mr. Polanski.

But don’t panic, this isn’t a movie just for movie buffs in film school. (Though it would make great material for teaching the basics of story telling in the art of cinema) The story keeps you interested, it has all the elements of a good thriller. I’ve always liked Ewan, and he doesn’t let you down. No complaints about the rest of the cast either. It is also nice to see that someone still remembers that you don’t necessarily have to cut every few seconds. All in all this piece of art will probably not be in the top movies of the decade, but it is well crafted and enjoyable – good entertainment.

February 7th, 2010 by Ozz

Jim Sheridan, Tobey Maquire, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal; that should be enough reasons to go and watch it. Or rent it.

Here’s another great little film. They’re all great actors in their limited ways and especially Tobey Maquire delivers. He is absolute amazing and his transformation during the film is really quite shocking. I’d say it’s his best performance since The Ice Storm or Deconstructing Harry, or perhaps ever.  Sam Shepard is in it too by the way.

Maybe this film doesn’t offer much new, but the way it’s told, it’s not exactly your average senseless entertainment. There’s definitely more to it than that. Considering the structure of the film, it works surprisingly well. Great drama. Even a few funny bits like every films should. But it’s still not quite the same as Trading Places.

February 7th, 2010 by Ozz

John Hillcoat may not have directed a lot of films, but The Road is definitely one to remember him by. Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Charlize Theron star in this stunning interpretation of Cormac McCarthy‘s book. Robert Duvall also has a small role, I should mention that since he is somewhat known actor.

Now this film is not a film set in post apocalyptic hell, telling a story about something else that could be set in any other place, like usually is the case. This film is set in this type of hell for a reason. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are the stars here and they do a great job with their performances. They are both amazing and the story is heartwarming and heartbreaking and powerful, although pretty slow paced and again there’s not that much happening really, it’s more about what’s going on in the characters’ heads.

There’s the usual post apocalyptic stuff too, but it all holds together quite well. Somehow the good characters of Post Apocalyptic films are always on they way somewhere whereas the baddies are happy where they are.

There’s been some discussion about the ending and comparing it to the novel, but I haven’t read the book and would like to think that the film makers have a right to add their own interpretations and offer their own options to the viewers as well, regardless if it’s something or other explicitly or implicitly in the original novel.

February 7th, 2010 by Ozz

Surely Denzel Washington is one of those actors who don’t end up in bad films? Well he is absolutely great actor, but you must admit Denzel Washington is a very busy actor and nobody can pick the winner all the time. Although even in  a bad film he’s still the best thing about it. And I thought American Ganster is beautiful, amazing really. But there’s a couple of films nobody ever seems to remember. And for a reason.

I have a feeling The Book of Eli will become one of those for Denzel Washington. What’s the Book of Eli and what’s it for, where is it going? Can anyone guess?

It’s a shame really as the Hughes Brothers have done a couple of decent films in the past. The film has it’s moments, the fight scenes are fairly graphic, but that’s about it. Denzel’s character isn’t very interesting, Gary Oldman doesn’t seem all that interested. Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman, he’s just doing what he does best, which isn’t bad, but it’s not really memorable as such, not the way his Dracula or act in Leon was. Mila Kunis is cute but remains in the background. The story itself is just pretty pointless. There’s a couple of funny moments, but really, compared to Mel Gibson, Denzel isn’t really that funny. Nor is he trying to be. It’s very dry. But then again, it’s mostly taking place in the middle of the desert.

February 7th, 2010 by Ozz

I tell you, it’s no winter wonderland, it’s Zombieland. In Zombieland there’s no snow, no Santa Claus, but nonetheless a clown or two. Or three, if you count Jesse Eisenberg.

Now don’t get me wrong, Zombieland isn’t all that bad. It’s actually quite funny, if not even a little bit clever. And have you seen a bad film with both Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray in it. Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray? Ok, so they’ve both made quite a few films. And Bill Murray mostly good ones. Well, Kingpin? Anyone?

It’s not Dawn of the Dead, it’s closer to Shaun of the Dead. There’s this weird adult comedy genre where you can splatter the blood and gore all over the place and swear all you want, but the content is still more or less the stuff an average teenager would find tacky and childish. It’s just missing sex really. But I can think of a couple of reasons for that. Cute girls though.

So maybe I’m not a fan of Jesse Eisenberg or the type of films he does. And maybe nobody’s ever heard of Ruben Fleischer, the director, and maybe there’s really not so much going on in this film (that couldn’t have been shown in 30 minutes or less), but it’s still ok when you’re in need of brainless popcorn filled entertainment. There’s obviously lots of brainless activity in this film.That’s zombieland, that’s why it’s called Zombieland.

And it is, as it should, quite different from the other post apocalyptic season films here. It’s the dessert. Let’s try some starters next with Denzel and The Book of Eli, followed by main course, The Road. I’m not sure this will stay three course meal.

I just really don’t understand who likes these nerd/geek type of films. Can anyone please tell me?

February 7th, 2010 by Ozz

Absolutely amazing cast, what could possibly go wrong? My high expectations of Nine were crushed.

If you consider this an original piece of art, there’s quite a few things to point out, but I think we’ll have to stop there. If something has been done well, should it not be left alone? One of the writers (it’s a joke really that there should be several writers behind this film), Anthony Minghella, is working on The Lives of Other, which is most likely a remake of a very very good German film by the same name. Can’t you just leave the good films alone. Can’t you come up with your own good ideas? Or at least combine ‘your’ good ideas from several other films, like Quentin Tarantino does. I’m still not convinced musical is a genre that’s actually working. There aren’t many good examples of popular musical films in the last ten to fifteen years or so. Daniel Day Lewis and his bad Italian accent don’t exactly inspire me, Judi Dench has done better, Fergie should stick to what she knows best. Nicole Kidman at least appears to have realised what’s best for her, so we don’t get to see her for more then a minute or so. Penelope Cruz is the only bright star shining here, her performance is as good as it can be. But no one can save Nine. But I can tell you the film is very ironic. Which kind of makes it funny. But not funny enough to actually enjoy it.