Because of BFI's London Film Festival starting tomorrow for press, I will be surrounded by pretentious films every day for the next few months, thus I have decided to take on this challenge. I will watch all the bigger films that came put in 2010, according to this list.
http://www.movieweb.com/movies/2010?pg=1
Some of them, I have seen and unfortunately some reviews that I wrote for these films are in Polish and I'm simply too lazy to translate them now, but I might stil put the link here. Others I've always wanted to see but for some reason missed it. And there is also a group of films I hid from and I prayed never to see. Unfortunately for me, the challenge includes all of them. And if I manage, I will dedicate a new page on this blog, where I will keep all the ratings of the films I've seen.
Below, Page NUMBER ONE
Page Number One
Resident Evil Afterlife 2/10
Iron Man 2 haven't seen yet
Clash of the Titans 1/10
Predators 1/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4/10
Harry Potter and the Death;y Hallows Part One 7,5/10
Sex and the City 2 1/10
Alice in Wonderland haven't seen
Inception 7,5/10
Tron:Legacy haven't seen
Don McKay haven't seen
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse 1/10
The Last Airbender haven't seen
The Karate Kid haven't seen
Toy Story 3 9/10
The A-Team 3/10
The Losers haven't seen
The Expendables 3/10
Kick Ass 8/10
The Wolfman 3/10
It's time to start the
London Film Festival
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Soul Surfer Has No Soul
I am not a fan of any of the things that Soul Surfer contains- I don't like Helen Hunt, I have never seen a potential in Charlie and Chocolate Factory's blueberry spoiled girl nor am I a fan of surfing; however, the day I went to see Soul Surfer I was definitely more open minded than when I went to see 30 Minutes or Less. It's not because there was any hope in this film. It's simply because I didn't bother to read anything about it before. The only thing I knew was that it was based on a true story of a girl whose hand was bitten off by a shark. So basically, I thought,
but no, my dear audience which probably never even thought about going to see Soul Surfer. Soul Surfer is about a robot girl whose arm is bitten off by a shark. I'm not even sure if the shark is real (it surely didn't look real to me). But let's start somewhere...
Bethany is an angel who accepts everything in her life as a gift from God. I can actually understand why, because from what I saw, she lives in Hawaii and does nothing else but surfs all days long, so I would say God likes her a lot. She has no family problems, has nice Christian friends and a handsome guy appearing in two scenes, who is probably going to be her husband in the future that this film does not show. She wins surfing competitions, plays ukulele and looks hot in a swimming suit. She lives every girly girl's dream until...actually, it never changes.
A shark bites off her arm and Bethany...continues to live consoling everyone around her, calming her parents down and not even sharing a tear over the lost arm. And what can I say...I find it amazingly irritating.
I can understand the whole message this film tries to communicate. In the worst circumstances there's always the way out and whatever horrible happens, it might always turn out good. But do I really need to see inhumanly perfect robot girl on screen for over 90 minutes (and films like this should never ever exceed 90 minutes) in order to get this message? To be honest, I got so much more from watching James Franco constantly failing before succeeding.
It's not only that I could not identify with emotionless teenage girl who has no problems accepting the lack of her arm, but also it's simply a bad film overall.
The story is terribly written- the lines are dry, predictable and cliche. It seems like actors don't know the story well themselves so they play the most stereotypical versions of their characters there are. Most of the scenes serve only one purpose- to show people surf and when they surf it's actually not that bad. The editing in surfing scenes is ok, the soundtrack is pretty powerful and the slow motion is used nicely, BUT I do not care for paper characters surfing. I do not care for surfing enough to enjoy the music videos of them performing some tricks on waves. It was suppose to be a film, so have some sort of story, for christ's sake. I have no empathy towards Bethany, so the fact that she wins or loses does not affect me in the slightest. She is the new Jesus Christ and good for her, but I don't buy it.
Soul Surfer wasn't disappointing because I had no expectations towards this film. It was bland, silly and tiring. And sorry film, but she is not my hero
1:0 to Danny Boyle
Bethany is an angel who accepts everything in her life as a gift from God. I can actually understand why, because from what I saw, she lives in Hawaii and does nothing else but surfs all days long, so I would say God likes her a lot. She has no family problems, has nice Christian friends and a handsome guy appearing in two scenes, who is probably going to be her husband in the future that this film does not show. She wins surfing competitions, plays ukulele and looks hot in a swimming suit. She lives every girly girl's dream until...actually, it never changes.
A shark bites off her arm and Bethany...continues to live consoling everyone around her, calming her parents down and not even sharing a tear over the lost arm. And what can I say...I find it amazingly irritating.
I can understand the whole message this film tries to communicate. In the worst circumstances there's always the way out and whatever horrible happens, it might always turn out good. But do I really need to see inhumanly perfect robot girl on screen for over 90 minutes (and films like this should never ever exceed 90 minutes) in order to get this message? To be honest, I got so much more from watching James Franco constantly failing before succeeding.
The story is terribly written- the lines are dry, predictable and cliche. It seems like actors don't know the story well themselves so they play the most stereotypical versions of their characters there are. Most of the scenes serve only one purpose- to show people surf and when they surf it's actually not that bad. The editing in surfing scenes is ok, the soundtrack is pretty powerful and the slow motion is used nicely, BUT I do not care for paper characters surfing. I do not care for surfing enough to enjoy the music videos of them performing some tricks on waves. It was suppose to be a film, so have some sort of story, for christ's sake. I have no empathy towards Bethany, so the fact that she wins or loses does not affect me in the slightest. She is the new Jesus Christ and good for her, but I don't buy it.
Soul Surfer wasn't disappointing because I had no expectations towards this film. It was bland, silly and tiring. And sorry film, but she is not my hero
1:0 to Danny Boyle
Friday, 16 September 2011
Warrior
I couldn't stop myself from reading some reviews before I entered the cinema, thus I knew beforehand that Warrior would be one of these epic Academy Awards films that most of people will like. I normally just watch these kind of films and remain totally indifferent towards their emotional value. I see the technical advantages, but it is usually difficult for these films to make me feel emotional. Warrior has made my throat dry.
It is definitely not a film of the year, nor is it the best film about fighting. I can come up with at least three titles that impressed me so much more than Warrior (The Wrestler is the film that stunned me completely, and to be honest I don't believe there is any other fighting movie that will ever make me feel like The Wrestler did); however, Warrior is a very strong film. Technically it obviously glows. The direction is excellent, every shot tells a story, every use of camera is a spot on and what is the most important, not one fight is boring. And trust me, in Warrior there is a lot of fighting. The script is much more complex than what the poster suggest. Below the story, there is another one and another one and some of them always remain uncover. Although we focus on the main story, and that is the story of two brothers separated in childhood and reconnected on MMA cage in the final battle of the film, however, each of the brothers has layers of stories and reason to become a fighter. Because the film is so well shot, we don't get confused by the amount of information and even after being presented with lots of supporting roles, we never lose interest in the main characters. In the final hour of the film, filled with action and intense fighting, every new fighter is presented so well and every action sequence is so well shot, that I literally couldn't take my eyes off the screen for one second.
As it happens always in Oscar nominated films (and this one will be), Warrior relies on strong performances. Tom Hardy proves that he is so much more than just a supporting actor from Inception and that he can easily take on the whole film and succeed. His character is an asshole, but he is an asshole for a reason. Although we are angry with him, it is difficult not to emphasise with him at the same time. We want him to win as much (or even more) as we want his brother (played by Joel Edgerton) to win. Not only do we support both of the brothers, but also we hope for their father's life to turn out good. It is another ambiguous character, who as an ex alcoholic decides to bury the hatchet with his sons. He is the father that failed in the past, like the father that Mickey Rourke is in the Wrestler, but here there is a hope for him to still win.
Every one of the characters in this film is the warrior deserving to win. Unfortunately, although perfectly shot and well acted, the filmmakers decided to broader the audience of the film by not showing any blood on screen. To me, this was more than distracting. Very realistic fights seemed a confusing when lacking bloody brutality. That is why it is The Wrestler, and not Warrior which wins this fight for me. Still, it is a film worth watching.
It is definitely not a film of the year, nor is it the best film about fighting. I can come up with at least three titles that impressed me so much more than Warrior (The Wrestler is the film that stunned me completely, and to be honest I don't believe there is any other fighting movie that will ever make me feel like The Wrestler did); however, Warrior is a very strong film. Technically it obviously glows. The direction is excellent, every shot tells a story, every use of camera is a spot on and what is the most important, not one fight is boring. And trust me, in Warrior there is a lot of fighting. The script is much more complex than what the poster suggest. Below the story, there is another one and another one and some of them always remain uncover. Although we focus on the main story, and that is the story of two brothers separated in childhood and reconnected on MMA cage in the final battle of the film, however, each of the brothers has layers of stories and reason to become a fighter. Because the film is so well shot, we don't get confused by the amount of information and even after being presented with lots of supporting roles, we never lose interest in the main characters. In the final hour of the film, filled with action and intense fighting, every new fighter is presented so well and every action sequence is so well shot, that I literally couldn't take my eyes off the screen for one second.
As it happens always in Oscar nominated films (and this one will be), Warrior relies on strong performances. Tom Hardy proves that he is so much more than just a supporting actor from Inception and that he can easily take on the whole film and succeed. His character is an asshole, but he is an asshole for a reason. Although we are angry with him, it is difficult not to emphasise with him at the same time. We want him to win as much (or even more) as we want his brother (played by Joel Edgerton) to win. Not only do we support both of the brothers, but also we hope for their father's life to turn out good. It is another ambiguous character, who as an ex alcoholic decides to bury the hatchet with his sons. He is the father that failed in the past, like the father that Mickey Rourke is in the Wrestler, but here there is a hope for him to still win.
Every one of the characters in this film is the warrior deserving to win. Unfortunately, although perfectly shot and well acted, the filmmakers decided to broader the audience of the film by not showing any blood on screen. To me, this was more than distracting. Very realistic fights seemed a confusing when lacking bloody brutality. That is why it is The Wrestler, and not Warrior which wins this fight for me. Still, it is a film worth watching.
Friday, 9 September 2011
LFF programme
Has just visited my house. Exciting news is
There's a lot of George Clooney in it
less exciting news is
Roland Emmerich is Hebron's choice? The world might end if his film is screened during the festival
the weird news is
George Clooney wasn't always handsome
He used to look like this
There's a lot of George Clooney in it
less exciting news is
Roland Emmerich is Hebron's choice? The world might end if his film is screened during the festival
the weird news is
George Clooney wasn't always handsome
He used to look like this
Monday, 5 September 2011
RESTLESS is a new Gus Van Sant film
There are a good few directors I really like and most of them are louder than bombs when it comes to promoting their new movies. Gus Van Sant isn't like that. He is almost invisible in between movies, but when he appears, he comes back in style.
And here it is, a trailer for his new film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9DIR0PGB04&feature=youtu.be
yep, he sees dead people.
And it looks very sentimental and doesn't have any long shots of people walking in the trailer, but god damn it, I bet it will be good.
and this is an awesome picture
And here it is, a trailer for his new film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9DIR0PGB04&feature=youtu.be
yep, he sees dead people.
And it looks very sentimental and doesn't have any long shots of people walking in the trailer, but god damn it, I bet it will be good.
and this is an awesome picture
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Four Days in Poland
I'm leaving to Poland for four days and of course, I have got press invitations for the movies I mostly wanted to see. Trying not to be pessimistic, I focused on the ones I can (after I come back), and so I will definitely go and watch and review this
even though I fucking tend to hate Helen Hunt.
I can also go and watch West Side Story for three hours the morning after I come back, so I guess I'll just pass on this one and if ever, then just review it from my DVD player (or worse, my laptop).
Besides that awful surfer movie shown within the surfer movies festival, there is literally nothing I want to see. Crazy Stupid Love is shown within these four days, The Debt as well and I just need to stop moaning I think. I still have to finish watching Lilo & Stich that I've started yesterday and it's not that bad...
so maybe Helen Hunt surfer movie won't be that bad either.
even though I fucking tend to hate Helen Hunt.
I can also go and watch West Side Story for three hours the morning after I come back, so I guess I'll just pass on this one and if ever, then just review it from my DVD player (or worse, my laptop).
Besides that awful surfer movie shown within the surfer movies festival, there is literally nothing I want to see. Crazy Stupid Love is shown within these four days, The Debt as well and I just need to stop moaning I think. I still have to finish watching Lilo & Stich that I've started yesterday and it's not that bad...
so maybe Helen Hunt surfer movie won't be that bad either.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a title that I will never remember
But everything else tells me that I will definitely remember the content of it. This is what my e-mail says about it:
John Le’s classic tale of treachery and espionage, directed by Tomas Alfredson, features a stellar cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, David Dencik, Roger Lloyd Pack, Stephen Graham, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Konstantin Khabensky and Mark Strong. The must-see big-screen version of John Le Carré’s best-selling Cold War novel, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, set in the 1970s, finds George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a recently retired MI6 agent, doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects - all experienced, urbane, successful agents – but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.
I mean, look at the cast! It's like they know they are getting Academy Awards nominations for it.
And even the poster...
is like the child of The Social Network poster with letters all around it with Inception poster with Tom Hardy looking on the side (or any other Oscar nominated film).
Shall we wait for more or put in on the list already?
John Le’s classic tale of treachery and espionage, directed by Tomas Alfredson, features a stellar cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, David Dencik, Roger Lloyd Pack, Stephen Graham, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Konstantin Khabensky and Mark Strong. The must-see big-screen version of John Le Carré’s best-selling Cold War novel, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, set in the 1970s, finds George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a recently retired MI6 agent, doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects - all experienced, urbane, successful agents – but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.
I mean, look at the cast! It's like they know they are getting Academy Awards nominations for it.
And even the poster...
is like the child of The Social Network poster with letters all around it with Inception poster with Tom Hardy looking on the side (or any other Oscar nominated film).
Shall we wait for more or put in on the list already?
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