Thursday, 1 January 2009

Top Ten Films of the Season That Aren't Seasonal...







These are some of the best films that I have seen recently, some for the first time, others for the millionth time, some new, some not so new!!

1) Mamma Mia

After dragging my brother to the cinema to see this and embarrassing him horribly with my loud, amazingly out of tune voice and dance moves, I find it almost needless to say that I loved it! I was working with two other ladies today, who both received this film for Christmas too and we were having a bit of a sing song at work which was nice... and breaks up the monotony of working on New Year's Day (which is appeased also by the gorgeous smell of beef wafting up the stairs at home and me now in bed with my pjs on listening to the repeated DVD menu soundtrack of The Edge of Love!!)
I feel another urge for Mamma Mia to be put on for that ultimate feel-good factor. You may not be able to bottle it, but you sure can put it on a DVD!!

2) Wilde

Having already mentioned a bit about this film before, I shan't say too much except that Stephen Fry is an absolute legend and it is has spurred me on to read Oscar Wilde which I am ashamed to say I have never read before. I have just read Lady Windermere's Fan!! haha i loved it- It is really very easy to read and because it is a play you flick through it and it moves very fast! (gawd, I love my xmas presents this year!!)

3) Blood Diamond

I have also mentioned this film before. Although I wasn't entirely sure I was convinced by Leonardo DiCaprio's accent (I am naff on really knowing whether an accent is right, except for American/English, and especially when it is supposed to be British and it is clearly very American... anyway I am deviating...)
This film is dark, sad and pessimistic, but it is rivetting and really opens up one's eyes, whether it is entirely factual or not... Human nature is seen at its worst and at its best in this film. Based in Sierra Leone and set during their dreadful Civil War something, which if you hadn't been alive or old enough to understand at the time, has now missed the younger generation's notice. It was truly educational as Hollywood gets. Great movie though... drama, love, violence, action, etc... great film...

4) The Dark Knight

I have succumbed the greatness of this film. My brother got it for his brithday in the end and I was astounded. Excellent performance by Heath Ledger as everyone has commneted but the plot of how far can you push the law, how moral is it to do this, that or the other... is it worth it to stop crime? The morality and psychology of it was compelling and of course, with the late Heath in it... just watch it!

5) Under the Tuscan Sun

A daft RomCom that I bought my mam for Crimbo- we had seen adverts for it and said we should see it... It is about a woman who's marriage falls apart and goes randomly on a gay trip of Tuscany, buys a villa and learns how to live her life. It just shows that life will work out eventually but not always in the way you expect. You will find what you wanted does come to you, but in a different way tha how you thought. Just a nice exotic film, which slightly reminded me of A Room With A View in the sense that you have to mature and live life... Lucy certainly learnt to do so in Italy (in RWV).

6) The Edge of Love

Beautifully shot, set in London/Wales during the Second World War starring Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller in, it is based on Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, broadcaster and short story writer's life. Although it was "too dark" for my mam's tastes, I really enjoyed it. How it is shot though is lovely... cliched as it may sound breathtaking at times...

7) Goodnight Mister Tom

Classic!! Enough said! Read it then watch it! You will cry everytime!!

8) Chocolat

Johnny Depp. Again probably enough said (!), but I will elaborate. Based on Joanne Harris's book of the same name this film does what the book doesn't do for me. Resolve. All the way through the book and the film, Vivien is trying to resolve her life through resolving other's misfortunes (with chocolate I may add!) as has been her family's calling for generations. In the book, she scuttles off with the North Wind, never finding that inner peace and sense of belonging that she had hoped for, but in the film she does find it and stays in this once-bigoted-now-suddenly-liberated village through her chocolate. Good film, not so great book. Another book to join the "Charlotte Gray" list (see for analysis my blog here, where the film is way better than the book!!)

9) The Departed

Good modern gangster/police film!! Leonardo DiCaprio again as an Irish American acting as a spy for the police in the Mafia. Matt Damon also stars as the gangster disguised as a cop to be a spy for them!! Genius plotting and a great ending, though very shocking and abrupt!! Not for the faint hearted!!

10) August Rush

A sweet family film with some wicked music included. It is about a young boy who doesn't know his parents and ends up busking with Robin Williams (a role model, albeit a bad one) to earn money. He has an amazing natural ability to play instruments and understand music and he is doing it to find his parents. A bit twee I will grant ya, but I watched it and fell in love with it! The guitar solos (ok, done by an amazing adult guitarist in real life) are awesome! The kid who played Charlie in the most recent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is August Rush, and the hottie who plays a very unrealistic looking Henry VIII in The Tudors is his dad! yum... probably one for the girls... but my brother was the one who was watching it when i sat dow to watch it... but this is from the guy who got me hooked on High School Musical!! haha... gawd bless him for that! Summary of August Rush: Cheese balls covered in cheese on a cheese stick!

1 comment:

? said...

thanks for the review