Movie of the week.

West Side Story.

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere! 

Russell's dream of being bathed by Helen Mirren came true.

What do we think of this? Another vehicle for old Russ to play himself? Do we mind?
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2575079961/

Big people.

Nicholas Hoult is set to star in a re-thinking of the fairy tale Jack and The Beanstalk. He will lead an army of people into the land of giants to rescue a princess. Also rumoured is the radical Bill Nighy and Stanley Tucci. Sounds right up my alley. I'm excited!

The Kids Are Alright....but the Mom's are overacting.

The Kids Are Alright.
This film was recommended to me by a number of people. I was interested in seeing it as the cast is made up of some of my favourite actors.
Both Annette Benning and Julianne Moore are flawless in nearly all their films. Mia Wasikowska holds a special place in my heart as she was one of the first people I worked with and such a treasure. Finally Mark Ruffallo stars and he is still someone I think is largely undervalued in hollywood and is yet to find a role worthy of his talents.
The Kids Are Alright is about a family of four: Benning and Moore are married and have both Mothered a child by sperm donation. They live a perfectly normal life and it is this that you are reminded of every step of the way.....until a man arrives.
I was annoyed from the outset. Do I have a right to be? I'm not gay so I don't know if it was offensive across the board. For for me, it just felt so forced, so cliched and so overacted. Why does Julianne Moore have to lower her voice register and sound like a man? Why does Annette Benning have to dress like Ellen? Why can't people play gay people without both forcing the stereotypes AND playing against them so obviously? Why when in so many other roles they are somewhat themselves do they feel the need to completely transform their voices etc?
I found the children really natural and lovely to watch and their complete unaffected attitudes towards their same sex parents felt far more real to me.
But what really really irked me was something that was pointed out to me before I saw it. Mark Ruffalo is quite simply the bad penis!
Ruffalo plays the kids' sperm donor. Mia's character turns eighteen and with her brother decides to track down her donor Dad and get to know him.
All goes well until  Ruffalo's laconic charm brings already formed cracks to the surface. An affair ensues and the family is driven apart.
When everything comes out in the open, Mark is hastily banished from the family circle. Understandably the children would find it hard to accept what he did but it really felt to me like the females could do no wrong and he was this evil 'Man' who came in and recked everything with his penis! It takes 2 to tango.
I'm sure many people will disagree with me. But this film did nothing to dispel the notion that Lesbians are essentially man haters.
Ahhhhh I could go on. I did not like it. Not one bit.

OK so ANY credibility I have is about to vanish.....

Hop.
It's about bunnies.
Russell Brand is the easter bunny.
It looks stupid
I will see it opening day.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4034435609/

Pre Hugh.

Excited? I don't know. Generally, I like the original cartoon more than the films. But I think this could be good....
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1434032665/

I forgot about these gems.

I'm going to keep this simple. Have you seen the following three films by artist and director Julian Schnabel? They are three of my favourites. I am also looking forward. to seeing his upcoming release Miral starring Freida Pinto (beautiful girl in the boring Slumdog Millionaire). I wrote the blog entry: 'Mixing it up' about artists and photographers who move into the world of film. Julien Schnabel is someone I forgot to mention and was pointed out in my lovely comments section.

Basquiat documents the explosive but brief artistic career of Jean Michel Basquiat. His street smart art captured the heart of the infamous Andy Warhol and they went on to create some radical pieces together. Jeffery Wright is amazing as Basquiat and Gary Oldman stars as Julien Scnabel himself.

Before Night Falls is based on the autobiography by Reinaldo Arenas. Reinaldo was an openly gay poet who struggled to express himself both artisitically and sexually in a strictly communist 70's Cuba. Javier Bardem is (of course) amazing and Johnny depp makes a great cross dresser.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon) is an incredible film based on the true story of Jean Dominique Bauby. Jean-Dominique was the editor of French Elle magazine. He suffered a stroke and was left paralysed, speechless and only being able to move his left eyelid. Sounds ridiculous, I know but his story is completely inspiring. I won't say anything more....just make sure you add these three to your list. I want to watch them all now.....in a row.

The Iron Lady

Gosh she's good.

Check out a pic from the upcoming biopic The Iron Lady.
Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher (clearly!). I'm intrigued.

yada yada

First image of Rooney Mara who is starring as the incredible Lisbeth in the American remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I'm still not happy about this remake but she does look the part. You may have seen her in the brilliant Social Network. She played Mark's girlfriend who participated in some of the best opening dialogue I have seen in a film. She may be one to watch.
Wish it wasn't in a stupid remake.

I

Don't..........Mess............With..........ME.

No no no no no no no no no.

Christopher Nolan has begun casting his next Batman instalment The Dark Knight Rises. GUESS who is gong to play Catwoman/Selina Kyle.....Anne Hathaway! nooooooooooooooo! NO!
Not right not right not right. Not sexy, not evil, not anything!!!
I trust Mr Nolan but he will have to work very hard to convince me this is the right choice. (That's why he makes movies....for me.)
Other cast members include Tom Hardy as Bane and rumoured Joseph Gordon Levitt as an unknown.
I don't know what to think.
Deep down I just wish Heath was here.

Yes.

No.

I heart Bellucci.

One of my all time favourite actresses Monica Bellucci has released a book of photos. She has to be one of the most beautiful woman of all time no? If you haven't seen her in a film- be brave (be very brave) and watch the completely disturbing but utterly incredible 'Irreversible'. She stars in this 2002 French film with her husband Vincent Cassel (Who you no doubt all saw in Black Swan). 

Their intimacy and comfort is so apparent in the film. Oh gosh....I almost don't want to recommend it as it is such a hard watch....but so worth it. Anyhoo.... aside from Irreversible, take a look at this Italian beauty at her best.

O

Imagine all the girls

Nowhere Boy
Director: Sam Taylor Wood
Starring Aaron Johnson, Kirsten Scott Thomas

Here's the thing about this film. If you took away the fact the troubled youth in this movie becomes one of the greatest song writers of all time John Lennon, would it be a great story?
Of course knowing that he does indeed leave his trouble's behind and become one of The Beatles is of interest but this small melodramatic story left me feeling very little.
Aaron Johnson is very very lovely to look at. So lovely in fact, that the director Sam Taylor Wood fell for him and they are now together and with child. This was quite the scandal in the UK as he is more than 20 years her junior. This garnered a lot of interest in the film at the time of it's release.
People wanted to see, not only Lennon, but the formidable Sam Taylor Wood's new muse.
This is her first feature film. She is famous for her beautiful photography and moving art which I'm a big fan of. She has a huge following and many fans already.
I went to an amazing exhibition of hers years ago. She set up a camera in David Beckham's bedroom and filmed him sleeping for days on end. Sounds odd I know, but it was mesmerising to watch something so beautiful and so intimate with someone who's face you know so well.
Another series she did that I loved was pictures of actor's crying. If you get a chance to check out her work- do.
I was interested to see her first foray into film. But I wasn't blown away by this at all.
I didn't dislike it. I just didn't love it. Lennon's relationship with both his estranged Mother and strict Aunt was interesting but it didn't emotionally win me over. I felt like I was just going through the narrative motions without truly feeling for him and his situation.
I'd be interested to hear what people thought of this.
Sam....you are one lucky lady.

Chuck Chuck....it's your cousin Marvin....Marvin Berry....

Aren't there some great bands in films that don't actually exist!
Here are a few of my favs:

Spinal Tap from This is Spinal Tap
The Louisiana Gator Boys from The Blues Brothers
The Soggy Bottom Boys from Oh Brother where Art Though?
Still Water from Almost Famous
The Kinky Wizards/Sonic death Monkey from High Fidelity
Marvin Berry and The Starlighters from Back To The Future
Crucial Taunt from Waynes' World
The Commitments from....The Commitments
Sexual Chocolate from Coming To America
And what about Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes from Return Of The Jedi ha ha ha.

Gosling less Notebookish.

About a month ago I got home to with smudged make up and teary eyes.
I quickly explained to Beth that everything was ok, I had just seen Blue Valentine.
Sometimes movies come at the right time in your life. Sometimes I see an animated movie and it reignites the child in me. It opens up the little cupboard in my heart and lets me see the world the way I used to see it. Sometimes I see an action packed film and am reminded why I am, at heart, a tom boy who revels in explosions and martial arts and general kicking arse. And sometimes I see a drama about love and I remember why I have love tattooed on my wrist. This film came at the right time.
Blue Valentine reminded me why I love love and why it also consumes me.
Blue Valentine follows Cindy and Dean, a young couple who's deflated marriage is intercut between a blissful and youthful courtship and a suffocating and exhausting decline.
As you watch both their beginning and their end, you are confronted with a very real film about two people who fall in and then out of love.
I often find myself sitting in a movie theatre crying about things that bare only a thread of resemblance to what I'm watching.  I've said it before: films are my emotional outlet and as someone who finds it hard to open up, sometimes my heart just bursts when I watch something moving. I found this film very very sad and very very real. I haven't experienced this exact story but it did touch a few raw nerves.
Blue Valentine is at times completely uncomfortable to watch. It's always frustrating to see two human beings tear each other down when there was once so much love and wonder.
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are equally amazing. Ryan especially, as a man who found an identity as a father and a husband but ultimately lost his appeal when Cindy found his 'small' life  uninspired.
It's hard not to side with him but I found myself also empathising with Cindy. Her life hasn't turned out as planned and her big dreams are just that: dreams.
These are two people who have done nothing wrong but can no longer do right by each other.
The sex scenes are a particularly hard watch. To see them almost mourn and commiserate through sex is both sad and incredibly hard to act out I would imagine. These two actor's deserve many accolades for their performances.
I don't recommend Blue Valentine as a first date film. I don't really recommend it as an any date film. See it with someone you love and high five once you leave the cinema.