Penelope is a strange film starring Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow, Adams Family) as Penelope, an upper class girl, due to a curse put on a family, is born with the face of a pig. The only thing that will break the spell is to be liked by one of her own (ie a blue blood). Due to the embarrasment, and to protect her daughter, Penelope's Mother, played by Catherine O'Hara (Beetle Juice, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, A Series Of Unfortunate Events.) hides her away from the world. When Penelope comes of age Penelope's mother employs A Matchmaker (Ronnie Ancona, Alistair McGowan's Big Impression) to find an eligable blue blood suiter. Unfortuneatly most run at the site of her. That is until, Max (James McAvoy,Atonement,Last King Of Scotland, Narnia, Inside I'm Dancing, Shameless) comes along, but is he all he seems to be?
This is a really good moving, and not really what I was expecting. I was expecting a simple enough romantic comedy. But it is far more than that, it is moderm day fairy tale that sparkles on the screen. It has a fantastic cast, including Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line, Legally Blonde, Cruel Intentions) who also produced the film, and the supporting cast reads like a who's who of British Acting, including, Richard E Grant, Lenny Henry, Nick Frost, Nigel Havers and Russell Brand.
This film is a delight, and has a very clever plot. It was a wonderful surprise. Go to see it, 5/5
This was a film I meant to put in the films to look forward to but slipped my mind when doing it, so here it is now.
I don't know whether this film, coming out later this year, disturbs or intrigues me, it stars Antony Head of Buffy fame. plot line below:
An epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Panic erupts and scientists feverishly make plans for a massive organ harvest. Out of the tragedy, GeneCo a multi-billion dollar biotech company, emerges. GeneCo provides organ transplantation for a profit. In addition to financing options, GeneCo reserves the right to implement default remedies, including reposession. For those who can't keep up with their organ payments, collection is the responsibility of "organ repo men", skilled assassins contracted by GeneCo, ordered to recover GeneCo's property by any means necessary.
This Film has an excellent cast, starting with Steve Carrell, star of Evan Alimighty, Bruce Almighty,and the American version of Ricky Gervais in the US version of The Office. as well as Juliette Binoche famous for the film Chocolat. Diane Weist (Edward Scissorhand, amongst many other famous films), and John Mahoney (Fraiser)
The story is of Dan, a single father of three girls (aged 9, 13 and 17) and his life is dedicated to them ,keeping them safe, and away from boys. Then on a trip to a family reunion he meets Marie in a bookshop and they talk for hours and fall in love. but once the family arrive at the reunion Dan find out that Marie is dating his brother.
the duration of the film then focuses on the family reunion, Dan balancing deciding what to do about Marie, his daughters terbulant emotions, and his family trying to tell him what he should do with his life.
I have heard a lot of things about this film, mainly that it wasn't that good, but I couldn't disagree more. Sure the plot you could say is predictable. but I don't think you go to this film wanting twists and turns, sometimes it is nice to experiences nice characters dealing with the situations they are placed in.
Most of all this film has heart and atmosphere. Most of the time I find when I go and see films like this- films with romantic themes with a heart - they spoil it with the characters having sex at somepoint, and so going against the idea that the connection they have is a spiritual one and it is all about lust. But this film is not like that, in fact there is only one kiss in the film, and that is it. and you feel that thier connection is a real one.
I loved this film, and encourage you all to go and see it, I give it a 4/5
I have heard a lot of things about this film, mainly that it wasn't that good, but I couldn't disagree more. Sure the plot you could say is predictable. but I don't think you go to this film wanting twists and turns, sometimes it is nice to experiences nice characters dealing with the situations they are placed in.
Most of all this film has heart and atmosphere. Most of the time I find when I go and see films like this- films with romantic themes with a heart - they spoil it with the characters having sex at somepoint, and so going against the idea that the connection they have is a spiritual one and it is all about lust. But this film is not like that, in fact there is only one kiss in the film, and that is it. and you feel that thier connection is a real one.
I loved this film, and encourage you all to go and see it, I give it a 4/5
Marie: You don't have to smile.
Dan Burns: It's better than the alternative.
Dan Burns: It's better than the alternative.
This film is about Rexxx, a pampered holywood Stunt Dog, who after an accident during filming gets himself lost and on the street. due to him being in character he has none of his own identification on him. Josh Hutcherson plays Shane, a boy who, because his mother is gone, and his father is Captain of his own firehouse (after replacing his brother, who was killed in a fire before the start of the film) Shane finds himself feeling alone, and rejecting the world. after a rescuing Rexxx from a burning building Dogpatch (the fire house)
end up adopting the dog. who because of his stuntman past is very good as a rescue dog, and Shane is put in charge of the dog, now named Dewy.
the film follows a well worn plot line, a child, feeling alone and rejecting the world befriends an animal and they both learn from it.
but there is something different about this film, there is a lot of surreal comedy when it comes to the Rexxx side of the dog, including the fact that he, and other dogs seen on the Hollywood scene all have hairpieces. and that the film industry employ a rain machine to create atmosphere for the memorial service for Rexxx.
Hutcherson performance again is very good for an actor his age. Though I don't think it is his best performance , but that is probably more to do with the material than him himself.
the sattirical look at Hollywood is great, and I felt it was a shame they didn't make more of that,
Over all I felt this was much better film than I expected, it was a film that has been done before, but they have brought something new to it to keep you interested. I felt this film was good, but not great. I give it a 3/5. but mainly for the fart jokes lol.
Okay, this film has to have special mention. I haven't yet seen it, as it only comes out on DVD on Monday (I already have it on order, that is how important a film it is.) it is from the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, and is extra special as it is not only just a new directork, but that director is Goro Miyazaki son of founder of Ghibli, and my favourite director Hayao Miyazaki. The film is based on serveral of the novels in the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. From what I have read Le Guin has had problems with the film, because she really wanted Miyazaki Senior to Direct the film, but was told that he had retired from film making, so gave Miyazaki Junior the go ahead, only to find out after the film had been made that Miyazaki Senior had not retired (indeed his new film is out latrer in the year.) it will be interesting to see what it is like.
The Dark Knight
Mamma Mia
August Rush
Ok, so this one is out on DVD in March, but I haven't seem it yet, so that is why it is here
Juno
This is meant to be really good
Inkheart
Looks like one of the best young casts in a long time.Looks like an interesing film.
Penelope
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Penelope
When going into this film I had high reservations as I knew they had removed the iconic song, 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd.' and I couldn't see how a film musical could work without the big iconic song. But yet I knew it was in the safe hands of Burton and Depp,
I was pleasently surprised, Burton's gothic style perfectly suited the style of the story, and Depps performance harks back to his earlier performances in Edward Scissorhands and From Hell, with a nasterful dose of the sinistrer in the mix.
It also has some wonderful performances from it's supporting cast, Alan Rickman, Timonthy Spall, and Sacha Baron Cohen, and newcomers Jamie Campbell Bowe, Laura Michelle Kelly, and Jayne Wisener. and it was a real suprise that Rickman and Baron Cohen could sing, unfortuatly this did show up Spall's singing, though Spalls performance and character were, apart from Todd and Lovett, the best in the film. I just wished you saw more of his demise, he was suich a sliimey character.
It was nice to see Depp and Bonham Carter eventualy sharing the screen with the same amount of power. they had both been in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though Carter had only really been a bit part, and Depp was the lead role, and because the Corpse brie had been an animated film, neither really gets the recognition, and you forget they were in it at all. I hope to see this paring again, with Bonham Carter's role in the Harry Potter franchise increasing, perhaps they can find Depp a role for film Seven.
My only major dissapointment with the film was the climax, after keeping you hooked for the whole thing, I felt the ending was an anti-climax, not exactly in the events, as they felt satisfying, but I felt it could have been portraid far better on screen, for this Sweeney Todd gets an 4/5.
Do look out for Anthony "Stewart" Head's cameo appearance, and the reference to the poster for the original broadway poster.
Zathura: A Space Adventure is pretty much the same premise, except this time, as the name suggests, set in space, and taking place virtually all within the walls of the house. I have to admit that I have avoided this film for sometime, mainly for that reason, it had been done before, and done well enough then, so why do it again? But i have recently become aware of the work of a young actor called Josh Hutcherson (who weirdly has a strong resemblance to my cousin James), through the film Bridge to Terabithia (a review of this film will appear at a later date, but I wish to finish the book first.) and so after seeing Terabithia I thought I would seek out some of his previous projects, including Polar Express, Which I have seen, not realising he was involved. Firehouse Dog, Little Manhattan (released the same year as Zathura, but given Hutcherson's difference in voice and height I presume made a while before) and most excitingly for me, hutcherson was also involved in the English Dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle. So I found a copy of Zathura, and thought I would give it a try.
What i hadn't realised was that both Jamanji and Zathura are based on books by Chris Van Allsberg, an artist who has written stories based and , inspired by his artwork. Apparantly on the last few pages of Jamanji you meet Walter and Danny, who have a board game with them, and this is what enspired Van Allsberg to write/draw Zathura.
Unfortuneatly because of the changes in the ending in Jamanji, they couldn't really follow on, so Zathura the film has become less of a sequal to Jamanji than a variation on a theme, and to be honest I think this has worked in it's favour, because if it had been a proper sequal then it could well have been one of those carbon copy movies which we have too many of. but instead they have been able to take the general bones of the idea and make a new being out of it.
Saying that, I am not sure it altogether works, one of it's problems is that it lacks a substatial female character, sure you have Lisa, but she is chriogenically frozen for much of the film. but also until the arrival of the astronuat I felt it struggled to get going, it felt like someone revving a car with each turn, until, as I say the engine finally starts going as the astronaut appears, and because of this i felt the theme of loving your siblings was not developed enough. and the character of the astronaut wasn't explored enough.
Though there were good moments, including the two boys having to deal with their frozen sister while their house was being bombarded by robots, aliens, and other scifi creations. and the twist at the end was great, and I certainly didn't see it coming. There were more laughs in this film I feel than in Jamanji, and Tim Robbins bookend appearances help ground the film. but ultimately it is a flawed film, and you do sit there thinking you have sort of seen it before, and are left fairly unsatisfied. I would give it a 2/5, but it would have been a 1 if Josh and Jonah hadn't been so good, to hold a film as the two constant characters at such a young age is no mean feat, and they did it well.
