Marley and Me

YEAR 2008

DIRECTOR David Frankel

STARRING Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and Eric Dane

 WRITER Scott Frank (screenplay), Don Roos (screenplay),

OVERVIEW A family and their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog.

OPINION  Heart -warming tear- jerker… a family, a dog, children –yep it ticks all the boxes. I was at a loss to watch anything else the night I saw this movie on the box. Lovely stuff. It helps the material to have Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston though . They work together perfectly.

RATING YYY1/2

 

Borat

YEAR 2006

DIRECTOR Larry Charles

STARRING Sacha Baron Cohen

 WRITER Sacha Baron Cohen (screenplay), Anthony Hines (screenplay

OVERVIEW Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world. With a documentary crew in tow, he searches out Pamela Anderson.

OPINION  Cohen is so clever. He is faultless. I cringe when I think of the poor folks at the bed and breakfast and the poor bastard in the China Shop. Laugh or cringe… ther is no denying the intelligence.

RATING YYYY                      

 

Walk the Line

YEAR 2005

DIRECTOR James Mangold

STARRING Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Ginnifer Goodwin

 WRITER Johnny Cash (book), Gill Dennis

OVERVIEW A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

OPINION  Joaquin Phoenix is a genius. One of a handful of actors who manage to bring to life any part they undertake…the other four fingers include…Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks,  John Travolta and Ryan Gosling.  If he is gone - then the arts have lost a wonderful artist.

RATING YYYYY

 

 

 

Hanna

YEAR 2011

DIRECTOR Joe Wright

STARRING Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana   

WRITER Seth Lochhead (screenplay), David Farr (screenplay),

OVERVIEW A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.

OPINION  Brilliant. Story, directing, locations, costumes…everything excellent. Don’t miss!!!  My 18yr old son DRAGGED me, kicking and screaming, to this. I could not think of anything worse than a ‘spy kids’ lookalike movie. This is notable from the opening ‘shots’. All acting 5 star. Jackson cast teen; Saoirse Ronan (Hanna), with the intent of having an "unknown" play the lead role of Susie Salmon, The Lovely Bones (2009), but things changed when in the middle of his filming, Ronan was nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for her performance in Atonement (2007). This girl will be the leading star of the future.

RATING YYYYY

 

The Trip

YEAR 2011

DIRECTOR Michael Winterbottom

STARRING Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Claire Keelan, Margo Stilley, Rebecca Johnson, Dolya Gavanski, Kerry Shale WRITER Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon

OVERVIEW Coogan and Rob Brydon play fictionalised versions of themselves undertaking a road trip around the UK, ostensibly working as restaurant critics but mainly winding each other up and indulging in immature battles of impressionistic one-upmanship.The film was put together using footage from their BAFTA award winning series of the same name.

OPINION  It is sheer happiness to watch a ‘documentary’(?) that has dialogue so witty that it is unfathomable as to whether it is scripted in any way- if at all. Pure happiness. Not since ‘In the Loop’ have I been so happy. Sheer brilliance. Impersonations of Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Woody Allen, Billy Connelly, Michael Sheen, Al Pacino Michael Caine. The food is never important, although beautiful ….although it appeared very important to the chefs and food servers. Was it a joke to have scallops in every meal?

RATING YYYY1/2

 

The Devil wears Prada

YEAR 2006

DIRECTOR David Frankel

STARRING Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Adrian Grenier

 WRITER Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay), Lauren Weisberger (novel)

OVERVIEW A naive young woman comes to New York and scores a job as the assistant to one of the city's biggest magazine editors, the ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestly.

OPINION  Glossy chick flick. Loosely based on career of Anna Wintour (Editor of Vogue). A slickly offered morsel. I have (female ) friends who class this as their favourite movie. I like it. I’ve seen it 4 times but personally, the romance in the movie, for me is like putting cream on the fruit salad. Kinda like  ‘Working Girls ‘ for girls who like dressing up for work. Maybe Streep and Blunt make this movie more than the sum of its parts ?

RATING YYY1/2

Sexy Beast

YEAR 2000

DIRECTOR Jonathan Glazer

STARRING Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane

 WRITER Louis Mellis, David Scinto

OVERVIEW Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.

OPINION  Superb acting. The tension is carried throughout the movie. Winstone/ Kingsley combination is a piece of genius.

RATING YYYYY

Cop Out

YEAR 2010

DIRECTOR Kevin Smith

STARRING Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan

 WRITER Robb Cullen, Mark Cullen

OVERVIEW A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop (Willis) whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner(Morgan) to track down the thief.

OPINION  Great casting!!!! Great scripting (unless it was ad libbing?) Is Morgan the inspiration for Shrek? He is fascinating to watch. He has a comic’s timing to die for and a face to match. There are 3 scenes I could watch over and over again..so far …4 times. The ‘interview room’ scene at the Police Station , the ‘Knock knock’ scene in the Police car and the ‘Italian mother ‘ at the burglary scene. Willis is perfect and modest. He gifts Morgan most of the screen time and Morgan deserves it.

The pace is fabulous.

RATING YYYY

What’s your number

YEAR 2011

DIRECTOR Mark Mylod

STARRING Anna Farris, Chris Evans, Martin Freeman and Zachary Quinto.

OVERVIEW an offbeat young woman decides, after hitting the un-magical number of 20 lovers, to re-visit all her ex-boyfriends in the hopes of finding the man of her dreams. She’s assisted in her quest by her womanising neighbour Colin (Chris Evans).

OPINION  No no no . Anna Farris is hilarious …in that bunny movie, but not this. She is too old to look so young and isn’t she supposed to be 30+? God knows. Chris Evans is worth a re-look….if he gets a better movie , which I think he will. Story hanging on by its claws and dialogue was better left on the page..

RATING YY

Happy Ever Afters

YEAR 2009

DIRECTOR Stephen Burke (feature debut)

STARRING Sally Hawkins, Tom Riley, Jade Yourell, Ariyon Bakare, Tina Kellegher, Simon Delaney

 WRITER Stephen Burke

OVERVIEW One venue for two wedding receptions and when Maura clashes with Freddie, disaster ensues and inter-marriage romance blossoms.

OPINION  Lovely tale…with great potential. Too long and tough editing would have increased the laughs and kept a jauntier flow. The co-star almost steals the show from the lead actress.

RATING YY1/2

 

 

Tabloid

YEAR 2010

DIRECTOR Errol Morris

STARRING Joyce McKinney ,Kent Gavin, Dr. Hong

 WRITER Errol Morris

OVERVIEW documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary

OPINION  Really interesting. As the tabloid reporter said” this has something for everyone, bondage, beauty Queens, kidnapping, nuns”. My own personal opinion- don’t fall in love with a wimp!

RATING YYY

 

 

Lost in Translation

YEAR 1988

DIRECTOR Sofia Coppola

STARRING Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Giovanni Ribisi 

WRITER Sofia Coppola

OVERVIEW A movie star in Tokyo to do a whisky ad and a neglected newlywed meet up as strangers.

OPINION  Bill Murray is mesmorizing…. It’s like watching bubbles float through the air…you cannot take your eyes off them, wondering when they will pop and surprise you. Such a genus!! My own personal feeling is Johansson is propped up by some very big talents, in all her movies and that her bubble will eventually burst – but not in a good way. Beautiful, compelling direction by Coppola and wonderful writing.

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Broken Flowers

YEAR 1988

DIRECTOR Jim Jarmusch

STARRING Bill Murray, Jessica Lange and Sharon Stone

WRITER Jim Jarmusch, Bill Raden (inspired by an idea from),

OVERVIEW Murray embarks on a cross-country journey to track down four of his former lovers after receiving an anonymous letter stating that he has a son

OPINION  touching and Bill Murray is understated and realistic…good choice . we wait for a laugh and don’t get one, but it keeps us waiting the whole movie. I like the thinking; putting sharon Stone and Jessica Lange together in the same movie.

RATING YYY1/2

 

 

What about Bob?

YEAR 1991

DIRECTOR Frank Oz

STARRING Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss and Julie Hagerty 

WRITER Alvin Sargent (story), Laura Ziskin (story),

OVERVIEW A psychiatrist’s most dependent patients, tracks him down during his family vacation.

OPINION  Bill Murray is a comic genius. The innocent face and the sweet demeanour hide his demonic side. I think this is one of the worst titles in the history of movie-making. Should have been ‘ Baby Steps’.

RATING YYYY1/2

 

 

The Way We Were

YEAR 1973

DIRECTOR Sydney Pollack

STARRING Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford

WRITER Arthur Laurents

OVERVIEW Two people form opposite worlds and political views and convictions find it hard to stay together.

OPINION  What to say. I watched this only a month ago. How marvelous the flow, the acting, the song-‘Memories’ made for the movie by Steisand, Barbara Streisand, Bob Redford, the dialogue, the angst, the tears. Just wonderful. a little dated but I was surprised not as much as I would have expected.  You really want them to make it.

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Little White Lies

YEAR 2010

DIRECTOR Guillaume Canet

STARRING François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard and Benoît Magimel

WRITER Guillaume Canet

OVERVIEW Every year, Max (Cluzet), a successful restaurant owner, and his wife invite a close group of friends to their beach house to celebrate a birthday and kick-start the holiday. But, this year, before they all leave Paris, their close friend Ludo (Jean Dujardin) is hurt in a serious accident. Friendships are tested.

OPINION  There are 2 of the most brilliant moments in this movie…one a shock and one a big laugh, but apart from that I have to say French comedy doesn’t often do a lot for me, with the exception of Jacque Tati. There are the predictable affairs of the heart…French-style. I felt no compassion for the friend who has the accident ; he is an arrogant arsehole. The restaurant owner is a prize prat. The slapstick is generally a little tired. All in all this heavy- handed comedy with typical French sophistication does not gel for me. Long too. Too long? ?You decide. I have to add Marion Cotillard is luminous and riveting as usual.(3 ½ because of her…otherwise a 3)

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

YEAR 1988

DIRECTOR Frank Oz

STARRING Steve Martin, Michael Caine and Glenne Headly

WRITER Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro

OVERVIEW Lawrence (Caine) and Freddie (Martin) are con-men; big-time and small time, then they meet.

OPINION  We all needed a laugh after ’87 and the worst meltdown since the 20’s .What a brilliant pairing …whoever put these two together deserves an Oscar! Dry and elegant Caine, meets goofy and quirky Martin. Terrific plot, masterpiece of dialogue and slapstick equaled- but never bettered. This movie took the lead from ‘Being There’ and  remained my favourite comedy until ‘ Four Weddings and a Funeral’ came a long…a huge 6 years later….

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Old School

YEAR 2003

DIRECTOR Todd Phillips

STARRING Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell

WRITER Court Crandall (story), Todd Phillips (story),

OVERVIEW Three men are disenchanted with their lives, try to recapture their college days, by opening a fraternity .

OPINION  Ferrell is in his element running down the road naked and arms flapping. A great college movie!!!

RATING YYYY1/2

 

 

Being There

YEAR 1979

DIRECTOR Hal Ashby

STARRING Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas

WRITER Jerzy Kosinski (novel), Jerzy Kosinski (screenplay)

OVERVIEW Chance, a simple gardener, has never left the estate until his employer dies.  

OPINION  From a simple misunderstanding ‘Chance the Gardener’ becomes Chancy Gardiner and this marvelous Kosinski story unfolds . Profound and wonderful. This comedy remained my favourite until ‘ Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ‘ arrived in 1988. a huge 9 years on the top.

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Love Actually

YEAR 1994

DIRECTOR Richard Curtis

STARRING Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon and Liam Neeson

WRITER Richard Curtis

OVERVIEW Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

OPINION  Lovely, heart wrenching, entwined, poignant, romantic and wonderful, but mostly funny. I absolutely love the intelligent Curtis dialogue and have enormous gratitude for his lack of condescension. I love Nighy and Grant and McCutcheon,  Keira Knightley…and Neeson…and more than ever Emma Thompson, who can still bring me to tears after 12 viewings.. Again Richard Curtis is a genius!!! See also ‘Four weddings and a Funeral’. America copied’ Love Actually’ in a fairly good ‘Valentine’s Day’ with Ashton Krutcher

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Four Weddings and a Funeral

YEAR 1994

DIRECTOR Mike Newell

STARRING Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell , John Hannah and James Fleet

WRITER Richard Curtis

OVERVIEW During the course of five occasions, a committed bachelor (Grant) discovers love.

OPINION  1994 was a great year for movies…this and Pulp Fiction. Richard Curtis is a genius!!! The writing, the Hugh Grant toast, the dialogue!!! Andie MacDowell ‘s gorgeousness, the writing, the funeral eulogy. This is no more than British perfection.

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Pulp Fiction

YEAR 1994

DIRECTOR Quentin Tarantino

STARRING John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson

WRITER Quentin Tarantino (stories), Roger Avary (stories),

OVERVIEW The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

OPINION  Tarantino is a genius. Also great casting. Tarantino’s muse Thurman is cool casting and Travolta is a star as usual. My own personal favourite scene is Bruce Willis and Maria de Medeiros. The classic dialogue denotes Tarantino ; clever witty reparties…too clever for the people making them.

 

RATING YYYYY

 

 

50 First Dates

YEAR 2004

DIRECTOR Peter Segal

STARRING Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Rob Schneider

WRITER George Wing

OVERVIEW  Henry Roth thinks he's finally found the girl of his dreams, until he discovers she has short-term memory loss and forgets him the very next day.

OPINION  Sandler and Barrymore are a perfect match. they were great in ‘The Wedding Singer’ too. Profoundly sensitive movie yet hilariously funny. Sandler is a genius .

RATING YYYY1/2

 

 

Step Brothers

YEAR 2008

DIRECTOR Ron Howard

STARRING Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins

WRITER Will Ferrell (screenplay), Adam McKay (screenplay),

OVERVIEW Two middle-aged sons still living at home, are forced to become roommates, when their parents get married.

OPINION  Will Ferrell found a true peer in  John C. Reilly, who seems to love ‘playing’ as much as  Ferrell . Love the slapstick situations, beautifully balanced by the parents; Mary Steenburgen(Ferrell’s Mum) and Richard Jenkins (Reilly’s Dad).

RATING YYYY1/2

 

 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

YEAR 2004

DIRECTOR Adam McKay

STARRING Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate and Steve Carell

WRITER Will Ferrell, Adam McKay

OVERVIEW Ron Burgundy is San Diego's top rated newsman in the male dominated broadcasting of the 1970's, then a new female employee arrives in his office.

OPINION  Will Ferrell is a genius. He captured the generation to a ‘T’. Applegate is adorable. The clothes, sets, dialogue, the timing could not be better. watchable up to 11 times!

RATING YYYYY

 

 

TheHangover 2

YEAR 2011

DIRECTOR Todd Phillips

STARRING Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms

WRITER Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong

OVERVIEW Two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Reliving the memory loss and the aftermath.

OPINION  I almost wish I never saw the first one so I could laugh as loudly. But that is the problem with a formula. We know what to expect. But still a laugh hard movie. Got this poster !

RATING YYYY1/2

 

 

The Hangover

YEAR 2009

DIRECTOR Todd Phillips

STARRING Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha

WRITER Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

OVERVIEW A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during the stag night, then must set about finding him.

OPINION So funny! LOVED it! want the poster on my wall! everything is good. Over the top. Not for the narrow minded.

RATING YYYYY

 

 

Bridesmaids

YEAR 2011

DIRECTOR Paul Feig

STARRING Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne

WRITER Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo

OVERVIEW Picked as her best friend's maid of honor, lovelorn and broke Annie fights for her position as she joins an oddball group of bridesmaids.

OPINION  Annie (Kristen Wiig) is fantastic-brilliant-perfect. The dialogue is terrific. Rose Byrne is under-utilized. Coming from ‘Get him to the Greek’ where she steals half the movie, Byrne has to be given more scope. The script takes off like their jet plane, towards cruising speed and then decides to stop short of the perfect altitude, stay safe and land(?). The climax of the movie should have been at ‘Vegas but the girls don’t get there. It is all set up perfectly…they are drunk, drugged and experimenting with lesbianism. This movie couldn’t decide if it was ‘The Hangover for Girls’ or a chick flick. Sorry guys you cannot use the ‘C’ word and then choose to be a chick flick. Disappointing..in a good way. I wanted more .

RATING YYY1/2

 

 

The Big Picture( L'Homme qui voulait vivre sa vie)

YEAR 2010

DIRECTOR Eric Lartigau

STARRING Catherine Deneuve, Branka Katic, Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Rachel Berger

WRITER novel by Douglas Kennedy

OVERVIEW Paul Exben is a success story -- a great job, a beautiful wife and two wonderful sons, but in a moment of madness his life is changed, he is forced to assume a new identity.

OPINION  Very clever and intelligent. After so many Hollywood-style movies I found I am not as tolerant of a lengthy movie with so many twists and turns and I  came out of the theatre wondering what kind of job Hollywood would make of this great plot,(then I find it is an American author and has been moved to Paris and Montenegro).Hollywood would hack out at least 3 scenes , shorten the rest and cast Matt Damon in the lead and it would be fantastic. but hey- this movie is fantastique too!!

I came home to google Montenegro and wish I could go there! Reminds me of the movie Matt Damon was in, set in Goa and I googled that too. Fabulous travelogues for these beautiful countries.

RATING YYYY

 

 

Holy Roller

YEAR 2011

DIRECTOR Patrick Gillies

STARRING Angus Benfield, Victoria Abbott and Jeremy Brennan

WRITER Angus Benfield

OVERVIEW Kiwi comedy-drama about a rural pastor who attempts to convert an inner-city nightclub into a church.

OPINION  Some nice touches. Pretty average overall though. Average directing, average editing, average lighting, average acting- with the exception of Pastor Luke who was loveable and the crazy evil -hunting blonde guy; quirky and has potential. Even the locations were a little strange and lacking in intrigue. Not good enough for such a great country. Although New Zealand is has out-of-this-world scenery this movie centred on very drab corners in a grey city (Christchurch pre the earthquake)

RATING Y1/2