Films of February - Part 2

Wreck It Ralph ****

   Although Wreck It Ralph is only Disney and not Pixar, this animated movie is original and enjoyable from the off. I loved the idea that the characters in the arcade games are real and once the arcade closed then their work shift was over they could head to 'Game Central Station' which meant catching a train through the electricity wires into the plug socket.
   I actually didn't know what was going to happen as the film built up to it's finale. This is an animated film for the kids and the grown ups and is well worth going to see.


A Good Day To Die Hard ***

   When I saw the trailer for the first time I was desperate to see the film. I thought Die Hard 4.0 was awesome and expected the same with the fifth installment, but after seeing A Good Day To Die Hard I felt strangely deflated. Bruce Willis is his usual super cool, but he is almost playing 2nd fiddle to his son Jack, played by Jai Courtney. This is bad in itself as Bruce Willis is John McClane and John McClane is Die Hard.
   The action scenes are exciting and varied. There are Die Hard style bad guys, but they are nothing compared to the baddies of the previous films. By the end of it I just felt that it was all a bit too easy. Willis didn't seem like he cared, he almost appeared tired with his role....maybe he too realised that this fifth installation in the Die Hard franchise simply wasn't up to scratch.


This is 40 ****

   Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprise their roles from the painfully unfunny Knocked Up, in this comedy about a couple who reach 40. I found that This is 40 was an excellent film. Paul Rudd played the exact same character that he always plays, but fortunately I like him. Not only is it incredibly funny through out, with many laugh out loud moments, but it is very real and is a very important story about ageing and growing up. I'm sure most people who see this film will be able to relate some part of it to their own life.

   The running joke of the oldest daughter, Sadie, watching Lost was especially funny. This is not just a film for women or couples, anyone can go and see it and find it funny and enjoyable.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunter **

   Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star in this 3D action packed fantasy based on a well known children's story. I had my hopes up that this was going to be a good film, but sadly that isn't the case. There is never any worry that something will happen to Hansel & Gretel, or that the Grand dark witch played by Famke Jansen was going to succeed in her evil plans. However, if you are looking to see a film jammed packed with action and gore then this is for you, but there is little else there for anyone else.

Films of February - Part 1

Hyde Park on Hudson ***

Bill Murray puts in an enjoyable performance of the American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in this story of when The King and Queen of England visited the President at Hyde Park. However, unlike Daniel Day Lewis' magnificent performance of another President, Lincoln, all I saw with Bill Murray's performance was Bill Murray...

This is a predominantly lighthearted film which unveils a true story that had been unknown for decades until Daisy's (Laura Linney) secret letters were found after her death.


Flight ****

Denzel Washington deserves his Best Actor nomination in this powerful performance of an alcoholic pilot, who comes under heavy fire when alcohol is found in his system after the plane he is piloting crashes. Whip Whitaker (Washington) is a character you can't help but like, even though he's a selfish alcoholic in denial. Flight is one of the best films of the month.



Zero Dark Thirty ***

It was always going to be intriguing to see how Zero Dark Thirty played out, especially with Bin Laden being killed in real life. So this had to be the ending for the film but without making it some sort of God bless America situation. Although this is a good film, well acted, tense and a true story based on real events, there's a annoying sense of generic familiarity to it.

Jessica Chastain plays the hardened female character who is career obsessed and has no personal life, while also not being afraid to swear at and argue with people in authority to her. This has been done a thousand times and in my opinion was an error by the director.



I Give it a Year ***

It was nice to go see a romantic comedy that was a bit different from the usual tripe. Nat (Rose Byrne) and Josh (Rafe Spall) get married after 7 months and their marriage is a struggle as they begin to realise that they are not meant to be together. As the viewer you are actually hoping for the couple not to end up together, which made it different. There was a lot of humour too and this is a very good Couple's comedy.

My Oscar Nominations

These are my nominations for the best that film has had to offer over the past year. Unlike the Oscars I don't neglect everything that was more than 6 months ago.


Best Film

Winner - Seven Psychopaths                                                

Runners up - Django Unchained
                    Skyfall
                    Moonrise Kingdom
                                                                           

Best Director

Winner - Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained

Runners up - Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
                     Ben Affleck - Argo
                     Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom


Best Actor

Winner - Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln

Runners up - Jamie Foxx - Django Unchained
                     Brad Pitt - Killing Them Softly
                     Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Looper            


Best Actress

Winner - Judi Dench - Skyfall/The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Runners up - Noomi Repace - Prometheus
                     Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
                    Kara Hayward - Moonrise Kingdom


Best Supporting Actor

Winner - Christopher Waltz - Django Unchained

Runners up - Matthew McConaughey - Killer Joe
                    Javier Bardem - Skyfall
                    Woody Harrelson - Seven Psychopaths                  


Best supporting Actress

Winner - Juno Temple - Killer Joe

Runners up - Emily Blunt - Looper
                    Charlize Theron - Snow White and the Huntsman

Lincoln

  Steven Spielberg has redeemed himself with his new film Lincoln, after the awful War Horse. Lincoln has been nominated for a bunch of Oscars and other awards and it very much deserves to win the majority of them. Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln is faultless. I actually forgot that it was Daniel Day Lewis, he was that good. The supporting cast were also superb, Sally Field, David Strathairn and Tommy Lee Jones were all excellent.
   Although the film was a serious historical drama set in 1865 during the American Civil War, humour was interwoven perfectly into the story. Lincoln wanted to pass the 13th Amendment by the end of January 1865, so his Secretary of State (Strathairn) hired three men to help procure the votes needed to create a majority in the Senate. These three men added an extra comedic value to the film, which helped break up the tension of the storyline.
   I really did love this film and if Lewis doesn't get the Oscar for Best Actor I will be nothing short of astonished.

For fans of history, true stories and Oscar winning performances.

Stars ****