Midnight in Paris (2011) Film Review

Watching this film makes me finally get Woody Allen. I’ve seen several of his films and have not understood why he is considered such a genius; often, I find them amusing and well made but they don’t grab me. And then, there is Midnight in Paris.

So, Gil (Own Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) are holidaying in Paris with her parents. He is a screenwriter who is working on a novel; she really likes spending money and putting him down. When he is wandering, drunk, at midnight one night, he gets picked up by an old car that takes him off to a glamorous twenties-style party – only it turns out that he has actually travelled back in time, and ends up partying with Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemmingway, Pablo Picasso – oh, and getting writing advice from Gertrude Stein. Gradually, he realises that he has little in common with his fiancé and is living a lie – but is the life he lives at night as much of a lie?

I love the absurdity of the twenties scenes, of seeing these wonderful representations of characters from the past. Owen Wilson didn’t quite work for me; I’ve gone from being a huge fan of his to really disliking him onscreen to being somewhere in the middle. But, at least it wasn’t Woody Allen himself- I really cannot stand that man onscreen.

I didn’t like that Inez and her parents were so obviously awful to Gil. I’m sure it is making a point, but I found it annoying and would have liked it if there were more subtlety to them.

Midnight in Paris won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Woody Allen) and was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing (Woody Allen) and Best Achievement in Art Direction.

Misery (1990) Film Review

 

Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is an author who has hit a high level of popularity after creating a series of books based on a character called Misery. (Best name for a character ever, I say). Upon completing his latest novel off in the mountains at a lodge where he likes to write, Paul sets home, only has a car accident in a storm. He is dragged from the wreckage by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), his number one fan. She nurses him back to health, but when she realises that he has killed off her Misery, she keeps him locked up until he can rewrite the story.

I’d dreaded watching this for years. I remember the trailer – especially the part with his legs and a sledgehammer. Eeek. I’m not a horror film lover, but when a friend loaned me the DVD and insisted I watch it, well, I had to step up to the challenge.

It is somewhat dated, though that is not a bad thing. Misery was made ten years after The Shining, and there are some obvious similarities – the isolation, the snow, the aggressive person wielding weapons on the innocent. Stephen King has written such a wide range of work with so many interpretations and for one key reason he’s extremely good at creating a compelling and exciting story. For me, I’ll stick to less scary things like Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile, but Misery is definitely worth a look, even if you watch parts of it through your fingers, or from behind a pillow. I did.

Kate Bates won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role and a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Valentine’s Day (2010) Film Review

What happens when you get a whole bunch of stars together to tell a whole bunch of stories? Valentine’s Day. And much as I expected to dislike it, being very Hollywood and corny… I loved it. I loved the romance, I loved the slightly unexpected twists (and that many of the twists were not that unexpected), it was just great.

I’m not going to try to recount the plots – there were just so many intertwining. All you need to know is that in LA on this particular Valentine’s Day, heaps of people interact. Some get together, some don’t, some break up, some rekindle their love. It’s gentle and fun and has a huge cast. If you get sick of the stories, you can spend some time trying to name everyone in the film. This is a great film to know for playing 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

 

 

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) Film Review

In 1951, a film was made which featured an alien visitor come to earth to warn the people of the planet that the planet would be destroyed if the destructive manner of the humans was not stopped. In 2008, someone decided that the message had not been received, and that the film should be remade. It was not the best decision.

Keanu Reeves plays Klaatu, the alien visitor who takes human form to report to the leaders of the planet. He leaves the secure site he is held in, helped by scientist Helen Benson(Jennifer Connelly) who believes he is not out to destroy the world. Add in her cute step-son, Jacob (Jaden Smith) and you have the makings of a mediocre disaster film. I’m not sure if anything could save this – it was corny and clichéd throughout. The special effects were pretty awesome, but neither they nor the talent of Kathy Bates or John Cleese could save it.

Failure to Launch (2006) Film Review

 

A romantic comedy with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey – what could go wrong? Well, with my cynicism, I expected this would be awful. I was pleasantly surprised.

McConaughey plays Tripp, a thirty-something guy who, like all his close friends, still lives at home with his parents. Parker plays Paula, a girl who has made a business becoming romantically involved with guys who are stuck in this situation and giving them the confidence to move on out into the real world. However, despite her plans seeming to go well, everything turns bad, and it is up to the parents and friends to save the couple.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I’m not a massive fan of romantic comedies. But, when they work for me, they really work, and this one worked. Why? I’m not sure. It surprised me. I’ve always liked Sarah Jessica Parker and I think she worked extremely well in this role. Plus Zooey Deschanel played her housemate, and was not bright and perky as usual, but dark and moody, and I liked that too.

Look, if you don’t like Hollywood romantic comedies, don’t try this one, it won’t be worth your time. But if you don’t mind them, give it a go. Just try to ignore the stupid animal attacks scenes. They were crap.