 The first time I saw Blake Lively was in the Green Lantern movie, and I have to say, her beauty sizzled.
So when I finally got around to watching this movie, she was the main draw; and in that respect, the film delivers. Blake Lively, and especially her wardrobe and fashion in the movie, are a visual treat. The film in general, however, was only “okay”. The love story seemed forced and superficial. Harrison Ford steals the film, and his character’s love story was far more convincing. The romantic lead had no charisma, and his charm was simply that he was rich and wouldn't take no for an answer. Surely Adeline would learn to judge people by more than their wealth and outward appearance? Or maybe not. The rich guy ALWAYS gets the girl, and if he’s handsome too? He gets ALL the girls. With a few tweaks of added realism, this film could have been good; but much like the lead actors, it only has a superficial beauty.
0 Comments
 I remember when this film came out; I was already weary of M. Night Shyamalan’s gimmicky style of storytelling, so I gave it a miss.
I reckon I should have kept it that way. This film was slow, and didn’t offer much in the way of suspense or a sense of dread. Mel Gibson was good, as he always is, but his performance alone isn’t enough to make this film a satisfying viewing experience. If you haven’t seen it, you’re not missing anything.  This is an iconic dance film from the 1980’s; one where you basically know the story, and you definitely know the music, just from the way it’s permeated the culture.
I’d seen the show in the Theatre, but I’d never actually seen the movie, so partly for research purposes, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Adrian Lyne, the director, comes from an advertising background, and that definitely elevates the film, because adverts in the 1970s and 80s were art! The film has the look of a glossy magazine from that period; smokey haze, rich blacks and high contrast. That combined with a good-looking lead actress (who’s clearly there for the way she looks and not her ability to act), and some brilliant costume design, makes this film a pleasure for the eyes. It perfectly captures the look of a glossy magazine, with great fashion and attractive visuals. Add some absolute ‘fcuking choons’ to the mix, and you can see why this film still resonates some forty odd years later! I mean the songs are absolute bangers! I still rinse the soundtrack to this day. As for the dance sequences? They didn’t really do it for me. The story, on the other hand, is pure trash! But look at how simple it is to make an iconic dance movie! (Famous last words...)  I didn’t actually mind this film.
It’s clearly an old-fashioned ‘vehicle’ film for the film’s two stars, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and just an excuse for them to share the screen and have a bit of a lark. Take it for what it is and enjoy it. If you’re not a fan of either actor, you won’t like this film, because the story isn’t anything to write home about. The chemistry between the two leads is what it’s all about, and it’s good; it’s also quite humorous. It’s not bad.  I attended this talk, and I can’t for the life of me remember what it was about. Cool name though.
 Wow, what a contentious film this turned out to be! One of the greatest filmmakers of all time spends his own cash on making a film that defies conventional story-telling, and pretty much everyone berates him for it!
I went to see this with three other people; two of them absolutely hated it, whereas me and my mate didn’t think it was too bad. Coppola absolutely deserves respect for even attempting to do something different; in an age where filmmaking is the most risk-averse, and “safe” it's ever been, it takes a filmmaker in his 80s to try and push the medium forward. Who cares if he wasn’t that successful in doing so? The film should be seen as a concept piece. Would I watch it again? Absolutely not! But did I enjoy the experience of watching it? Yes. It provided a novel experience. Would be I be this ‘forgiving’ if it wasn’t a film by Francis Ford Coppola? Probably not. Still, if you love film, you definitely have to watch it at least once. Kudos to Coppola for having the temerity to do something different!  I like Mel Gibson. He’s a brilliant filmmaker; one of the best in fact. His persona as an actor is also thoroughly charming and likeable.
I remember when this film came out, and I remember purposefully avoiding it. It looked sh!t, and romcoms weren’t my thing. Fast forward a few decades, and films are in such a dire state that a sh!t film from the 90s is now considered decent (in comparison to modern movies). Well, most of the time anyway. This film was still pretty bad. The characters, the character arc, the chemistry between the actors, not to mention the story… yeah, none of it was really my cup of tea. There are plenty of trashy romcoms from the 90s that you’re better off watching before getting to this one, even if you are a fan of ol’ Mel.  One of the (many) things I love about London, is the fact there are so many FREE things to do; whether they be intellectually stimulating or hedonistic, there’s something to suit all tastes!
When it comes to the former, the big Universities host many free talks open to the public, and the London School of Economics (LSE) does a better job of it than perhaps all the rest. As you no doubt know, the UK is a proper sh!t show at the moment, quite literally. Our privatised water and sewage system is a global disgrace, with water companies pumping sewage into our rivers on a regular basis, because it’s much cheaper to do that than invest in the infrastructure needed to treat the waste. I mean, obviously a private company is interested in extracting as much profit as possible with the least amount of expenditure! Which is why essential public services should never be sold off!! Anyway, this was a great talk, and I actually found myself siding with the guy who represented the Water Companies, which was a shock to the system! The fact of the matter is, we’re in the situation we’re in, and all the people that designed and profited from this ludicrous situation have long since laughed all the way to the bank, with their bags of cash. A different set of people are now in charge, and punishing them will do no good. I don’t see why there’s never any accountability or persecution of corrupt officials; it seems as though you can embezzle as much as you want, and then resign and you get to keep all your ill-gotten gains; whereas if Joe Public so much as tweets in the wrong direction, he’s carted off to prison! British society is thoroughly anti-revolutionary; they moan and complain in pubs, but do nothing to hold the authorities to account; meanwhile continuing to deteriorate as a society, and blaming migrants for everything that’s wrong in the world! Where were we? Oh yeah, water. So apparently the gold-standard when it comes to water and sewage treatment, is Denmark. Their water waste is separated at source into three different pipes: one for rain, one for domestic water waste, and another for sewage. A great system, but their water bills are twice those in the UK. The guy representing the Water Companies made the point that if you want a world-class system, you have to pay for it. The problem is, we have been paying for it, and our system is atrocious! What needs to happen is renationalisation AND investment in infrastructure. Unfortunately, what WILL happen is, our water bills will continue to rise, and our infrastructure will continue to decline, until some eventual future government will be forced to deal with it. Welcome to life in the UK. Seriously folks, who wants to meet me in Dover and get a dinghy to France?  Disclaimer, I like Russell Brand. I’ve followed his comedic exploits since his early days on MTV, and then on Big Brother’s Little Brother, where he seemed to perfect his persona of funny, charismatic lady’s man.
Brand’s foray into Hollywood tried to capitalize on that persona, rather unsuccessfully, I feel; this movie being a prime example. It was not good. I felt like I was watching a documentary about Hollywood narcissists. All the characters are dicks. Nothing to like whatsoever. Worse than that, it wasn’t funny.  I remember watching the original ‘Twister’ in the cinema when it came out in the late 90s. I never re-watched it since then, and now, with the magic of Hollywood reboots and remakes, I’ll never have to!
That’s right, another soft-reboot/remake of a film from not so long ago! How do those geniuses in Hollywood do it? Still, as something to switch your brain off to, it wasn’t bad. Of course, the female protagonist is practically flawless, and the male character is a bit of a dick, but that’s the formula now, and we have to accept it. It was entertaining though, and I respected the fact that the male and female lead don’t end up in some unrealistic romance by act three, despite hating one another all throughout act one and two. Worth watching I’d say, especially if you just want to switch off for a while and enjoy the spectacle. |
This page is...
A chronicle of films, shows, and theatre I've seen, as well as books I've read, and talks I may have attended. ArchivesCategories |
RSS Feed
