Monthly Movie Round-Up: September
So yeah, I'm cutting it very close this time round, but finally, here are some quick thoughts on the films I saw last month! Or almost two months ago :-P.
Inglourious Basterds - 1944, Nazi-Occupied France. Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt) and his Basterds, a squadron of ruthless Jewish soldiers, must help the Allies try to wipe out the German High Command at a film premiere. The cinema, however, is owned by a vengeful Jewish survivor (Laurent) with plans of her own.
I actually LOVED this film. I mean, I always thought I'd enjoy it on some level, but I ended up being even more entertained by it than I originally anticipated. It's very typical Tarantino, with loaded, witty dialogue, no historical accuracy, crazy explosions, twists and an elaborate plot (not to mention some of the gore), but it's also so ridiculously entertaining, I don't see how you couldn't like it. And the cast was excellent - Brad Pitt was just hilarious with his over-the-top Southern accent and his facial expressions, and Christopher Waltz was a very formidable villain. I just loved it! I really want to see it again.
Funny People - When world-famous comedian George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he recruits wannabe stand-up Ira (Seth Rogen) to write material for him. He also tries to re-ignite the flame with ex Laura (Leslie Mann), despite her marriage to Clarke (Eric Bana).
Surprisingly, this was within the realm of Observe and Report, in that it wasn't a straight-up, laugh-out-loud comedy, it was actually more of a drama with comedic elements. But it was still a very decent film. The funny bits made me laugh, while the more serious scenes either made me feel subdued or sad, so it does what its meant to. If you're a fan of Judd Apatow then it's definitely worth a watch, though you should keep in mind that it's a bit different from his previous directorial efforts. Adam Sandler proved he's actually a decent serious actor, and Seth Rogen was just awesome as always. Plus the cameo with Eminem and Ray Ramone is hilarious!
The Time Traveler's Wife - A Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) suffers from a genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time when stressed. Despite this, he tries to build a relationship with an artist (Rachel McAdams).
Ehh. Quite romantic and poignant, which isn't my kinda thing generally, and I haven't read the book so I had nothing to compare this to, but I thought it was a decent enough film on its own. If you're not well-versed in time-travel, then it can be a bit confusing, but otherwise it was fairly straightforward, and the leads were pretty good. It's alright, probably more for fans of the book.
500 Days of Summer - Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) falls in love with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) but things don't go quite according to the romantic dream he has in mind.
I really liked this, because it's very different from typical romantic comedies - it was offbeat, individual, quirky, funny (but also quite sad) and fairly realistic in showing that love doesn't always pan out the way you want or expect it to in real-life relationships. I liked the way the timeline was out of order, which made it interesting, and the soundtrack was pretty. This is one "rom-com" I'd actually recommend!
District 9 - An alien movie set in South Africa shot partly in a faux-documentary style.
LOVED this!! It's a fresh, exciting new take in the sci-fi genre and it worked so well. I know it sounds stupid considering it's a film about aliens but the shakycam and documentary-style shooting makes it feel so real when you're watching it. I loved how the aliens were humanised and how the legitimate dark side to humans themselves was portrayed, especially through how quickly they became villainous - appearances aren't always as they seem. The parallel to apartheid and illegal immigration is blatantly obvious but I love the idea of using literal aliens in the metaphor to get the point across, it's a really clever and original technique. It was just gripping and exciting, I really loved it. Awesome film.
The Soloist - LA journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is in search of a story. And, thanks to a cycling accident, he finds one in colourful tramp Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), who has a secret history as a musical prodigy. Over time, though, Lopez becomes more than a story; he becomes a mission.
This was all about the performances, and wow, were they brilliant. RDJ and Jamie Foxx both individually shone in their separate roles, probably Jamie Foxx a little more so but that's just because of the added complexity in his character's schizophrenia. I really liked the way the film dealt with the issue of the mental illness, and how there isn't necessarily one "cure" or solution for whose that suffer with it. Also, the tentative friendship that bloomed between the two characters was sweet and tumultuous all at the same time, it was interesting watching that unfold. Definitely worth a watch if you're fans of either actors, or if the story sounds appealing, it's really good. Very dramatic and serious, obviously, but worth watching.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is a would-be inventor with a string of disasters behind him. But when he invents a machine that turns water into food, and that machine goes a bit haywire in the upper atmosphere, he seems to have hit on salvation for his depression-struck fishing town.
Loved it! This cracked me up so much, I thought it was hilarious, probably because the humour is very similar to mine in real life. It's just cute, genuinely funny and a lot of fun to watch. You'll get a kick out of Steve the Monkey and Mr. T as the local law enforcement in the town, it's a decent kid's film!
So yeah, the new one for this month will be coming fairly sooner than this entry! :-P
Inglourious Basterds - 1944, Nazi-Occupied France. Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt) and his Basterds, a squadron of ruthless Jewish soldiers, must help the Allies try to wipe out the German High Command at a film premiere. The cinema, however, is owned by a vengeful Jewish survivor (Laurent) with plans of her own.
I actually LOVED this film. I mean, I always thought I'd enjoy it on some level, but I ended up being even more entertained by it than I originally anticipated. It's very typical Tarantino, with loaded, witty dialogue, no historical accuracy, crazy explosions, twists and an elaborate plot (not to mention some of the gore), but it's also so ridiculously entertaining, I don't see how you couldn't like it. And the cast was excellent - Brad Pitt was just hilarious with his over-the-top Southern accent and his facial expressions, and Christopher Waltz was a very formidable villain. I just loved it! I really want to see it again.
Funny People - When world-famous comedian George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he recruits wannabe stand-up Ira (Seth Rogen) to write material for him. He also tries to re-ignite the flame with ex Laura (Leslie Mann), despite her marriage to Clarke (Eric Bana).
Surprisingly, this was within the realm of Observe and Report, in that it wasn't a straight-up, laugh-out-loud comedy, it was actually more of a drama with comedic elements. But it was still a very decent film. The funny bits made me laugh, while the more serious scenes either made me feel subdued or sad, so it does what its meant to. If you're a fan of Judd Apatow then it's definitely worth a watch, though you should keep in mind that it's a bit different from his previous directorial efforts. Adam Sandler proved he's actually a decent serious actor, and Seth Rogen was just awesome as always. Plus the cameo with Eminem and Ray Ramone is hilarious!
The Time Traveler's Wife - A Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) suffers from a genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time when stressed. Despite this, he tries to build a relationship with an artist (Rachel McAdams).
Ehh. Quite romantic and poignant, which isn't my kinda thing generally, and I haven't read the book so I had nothing to compare this to, but I thought it was a decent enough film on its own. If you're not well-versed in time-travel, then it can be a bit confusing, but otherwise it was fairly straightforward, and the leads were pretty good. It's alright, probably more for fans of the book.
500 Days of Summer - Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) falls in love with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) but things don't go quite according to the romantic dream he has in mind.
I really liked this, because it's very different from typical romantic comedies - it was offbeat, individual, quirky, funny (but also quite sad) and fairly realistic in showing that love doesn't always pan out the way you want or expect it to in real-life relationships. I liked the way the timeline was out of order, which made it interesting, and the soundtrack was pretty. This is one "rom-com" I'd actually recommend!
District 9 - An alien movie set in South Africa shot partly in a faux-documentary style.
LOVED this!! It's a fresh, exciting new take in the sci-fi genre and it worked so well. I know it sounds stupid considering it's a film about aliens but the shakycam and documentary-style shooting makes it feel so real when you're watching it. I loved how the aliens were humanised and how the legitimate dark side to humans themselves was portrayed, especially through how quickly they became villainous - appearances aren't always as they seem. The parallel to apartheid and illegal immigration is blatantly obvious but I love the idea of using literal aliens in the metaphor to get the point across, it's a really clever and original technique. It was just gripping and exciting, I really loved it. Awesome film.
The Soloist - LA journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is in search of a story. And, thanks to a cycling accident, he finds one in colourful tramp Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), who has a secret history as a musical prodigy. Over time, though, Lopez becomes more than a story; he becomes a mission.
This was all about the performances, and wow, were they brilliant. RDJ and Jamie Foxx both individually shone in their separate roles, probably Jamie Foxx a little more so but that's just because of the added complexity in his character's schizophrenia. I really liked the way the film dealt with the issue of the mental illness, and how there isn't necessarily one "cure" or solution for whose that suffer with it. Also, the tentative friendship that bloomed between the two characters was sweet and tumultuous all at the same time, it was interesting watching that unfold. Definitely worth a watch if you're fans of either actors, or if the story sounds appealing, it's really good. Very dramatic and serious, obviously, but worth watching.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is a would-be inventor with a string of disasters behind him. But when he invents a machine that turns water into food, and that machine goes a bit haywire in the upper atmosphere, he seems to have hit on salvation for his depression-struck fishing town.
Loved it! This cracked me up so much, I thought it was hilarious, probably because the humour is very similar to mine in real life. It's just cute, genuinely funny and a lot of fun to watch. You'll get a kick out of Steve the Monkey and Mr. T as the local law enforcement in the town, it's a decent kid's film!
So yeah, the new one for this month will be coming fairly sooner than this entry! :-P