Moulin Rouge

Who knows why it's taken me this long to blog about moulin rouge, considering it's one of my favourite films ever and might be my favourite musical (I'm constantly torn between this, grease and les mis!)

I don't think I can find a fault with Moulin Rouge, I honestly don't. Baz Lurhman built the musical around already fantastic love songs- One Day I'll Fly Away is, to this day, my favourite song from a musical and I have a quote from it tattooed on my back. The merging of many great love songs into the Elephant Love Medley is both well executed by the actors, and beautifully blended.

Speaking of the actors (I'll come back to the music), Nicole Kidman plays her role very well, at the beginning seeming aloof and unavailable, then portraying a young girl in love, she was, in the first instance, attractive and believable, and when in love, completely endearing and adorable!

Ewan McGregor also played the role of a naive young boy dazzled by Satine's beauty and aloofness very well, at the beginning I believed him to be a pathetic, doe eyed little boy that focused on someone out of his reach a little bit too much... but then he started fighting (and singing) for what he cared about and he finally became a man!

Back on to the music. I don't think the fact that the songs aren't original depletes the quality of the film, I think it makes it a unique musical that fits a beautifully scripted and well acted story.

So basically, this is a just about perfect musical and you should all definitely watch it!

Les Miserables

SPOILER ALERT

I've seen this film twice now, and on coming out of both of them I have thought 'I can't blog about this, I was too emotional.' But I've thought more about the film and decided I can! So here goes..

First of all, the actors. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne and the less well known Samantha Barks, were all amazing!

Hugh Jackman was so captivating, I had a serious mental debate about whether he was good or evil- I was also surprised by his singing voice, although people tell me he's been in quite a lot. When he came out of the sewer, half of me was amazed and half of me wanted to throw up. I thought the way he turned his life around was really inspirational, and although parts of the story were a little exaggerated (which isn't a criticism, but they are a bit) I think a lot of people with bad pasts will relate to this and be inspired by it.

I was surprised by Anne Hathaway in this if I'm honest! I don't normally like her, she seems like a bit of a barbie doll for Hollywood... One Day, Love and other drugs, Alice in Wonderland, Bride Wars, Rachel Getting Married, The Devil Wears Prada... I could go on! Her part in every single one of this films has been, in my opinion, completely shallow and exactly the same character. Her performance of 'I Dreamed A Dream', however, was so filled with emotion and genuineness that it brought me (and not only me I'm sure) to tears. Her death was also beautiful- as much as a death can be really- and as a mother myself, the words she was singing to her daughter Cosette really got to me.

I honestly wish I could say that Amanda Seyfried also surprised me, but she didn't. I'm not saying that she's a bad actress, or what she does isn't enjoyable to watch or without its merit- but it's not exactly going to change the face of movies forever is it? She was hilarious in Mean Girls, and endearing in Dear John, Letters to Juliet and Mamma Mia. She was sweet and endearing in this, but she didn't blow me away. This is partly due to the character, in my opinion, who was not written with the greatest depth of all the female characters in the film.

I had similar feelings towards Marius that I did towards Cosette really- he was a good character in himself, and Eddie Redmayne is a good actor himself- but he isn't the most interesting character in the film, and I worry that Redmayne is just going to get type cast into the same sort of roles in every film- one with little depth that falls in love early and fawns over the girl for the rest of the film- hence this, My Week With Marilyn, Tess of the D'urbevilles. I do think Redmayne has the potential to do more than this, but I'd like to see it happen. 

My favourite female lead in this was definitely Eponine. I felt sorry for her, having con artists and pick pockets for parents, but the way she fought through it and was a cool revolutionary woman was admirable- plus her death was beautiful, it was nice to see a strong independent woman dying for love, as opposed to weak soppy girls letting men die all over the place for them! Samantha Barks isn't an actress I knew very well, but she broke my heart with her performance of 'On My Own' and with her death. Victor Hugo deserves a medal for the way he wrote that character.

With Russell Crowe, I felt like they just picked him in order to get big names in if I'm honest. His singing voice wasn't great, but he did portray the character well- I was really scared for Valjean (Jackman) and Cosette! But no, I think there are better people that could have played the role, but nice effort Crowe!


The subsidiary actors also definitely deserve a mention here, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were hilarious as the Thenardier's, Master of the House was the catchiest song of the film, and they just generally lightened the mood! The lead revolutionary, Enjolras, was an inspirational character and a charismatic actor- I've never seen Aaron Tveit in any of his other work, but I'd like to after this performance! I was sad when he died, but it was a heroes death and a necessary one! Gavroche, a young revolutionary, was a lovely character! He made me laugh, and made me root for the revolutionaries. (as if I wouldn't have anyway though.) Nothing made me cry more than his death!

I can't review Les Mis, without talking about the music. Not only did the actors deliver the songs with heart and passion and love, but they were so well written! The tunes were rousing, and conveyed the different characters amazingly, and the lyrics were beautiful, sad, funny, everything.

So basically, to conclude, this film is amazing, beautiful and heartbreaking, and absolutely everyone should see it. Please follow and tweet @HotTinRoofCat

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

So I was looking at the Bafta Nominations, deciding which films I had to see and which could be avoided. I'm going to see Les Miserables and Life of Pi next week, I've seen Anna Karenina, Skyfall and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (although fuck knows why that's nominated.), and I can't really be arsed with Argo! So that mini debate in my head brought me to the conclusion, watch Avengers.

I've got to tell you, I don't regret the decision AT ALL. I normally make fairly good notes on a film, quite professional, talking about technical things that impress me- but this is just constantly like: Iron Man? Boss. Thor? WOW. Captain America? Souuund. Which basically sums up my feelings for the film- I was just constantly like "OH MY GOD THAT'S AMAZING"

But no, ranting over, it is an excellent film. The writing is phenomenal and hilarious, the actors deliver it well, as well as making the audience engage with them. The shots are also really well done, showing the outline of the city, and the prominence of Stark Towers (where necessary), and promoting the high standard of work that the special effects team have put in, particularly when the aliens start invading and the sky gets ripped apart, that was boss.

The writing though, that was really well done, some of the banter had between the Avengers and Loki, as well as between the Avengers themselves, was absolutely hilarious...

Other lines impress me as well, the banter that Tony Stark (Iron Man- Robert Downey Junior) and Pepper Potts have is hilarious and engaging- Stark has annoyed me with his ego in the past but I think it was done with the right measure in this film- partly because it gets played off the ego's of all the other Avengers! Particularly Thor... a superhero that can smash just about anything to smithereens with his hammer... which I accept sounds either like an innuendo or a bit shit... but trust me it is not. I mean look at him! (Despite the fact that he is wearing his "mothers drapes") He seems a bit disdainful of the other Avengers, but that makes him a funny character and it makes the film better, with the relationships between the characters- "You people are so petty...and tiny."

If I'm honest, The Hulk, or Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), wasn't my favourite Avenger, but that wasn't to say he wasn't a good character! I didn't find myself caring about him as much as I did towards Black Widow, or Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). I think this is because I personally didn't have much in common with his human self, and I didn't think he was THAT good a superhero- just a big ball of muscle without much personality, I prefer them with personality! That isn't to say he wasn't a necessary character in the film, and I didn't particularly dislike him, I just wasn't really bothered by him.

I mentioned Black Widow there, I absolutely adore her. She's a kick-ass, strong, beautiful woman. Not that being beautiful is necessary to make her a good character, or actress, but it does make her a bit more impressive when it comes to the action scenes. The film properly opened with one of hers for instance, and it's kind of enlightening to see a woman in a difficult situation that doesn't need saving by a man!

The last Avenger, Captain America, or Steve Rogers, was a pretty good character, he made me laugh with his interaction with Stark, and I wouldn't want to take him on in a fight! I did like him, he was a good superhero and a funny character, but I don't know, I don't think he argued back enough for me. Stark is very clear that he likes doing his own thing, and at the start he was quite clear that he didn't want to be a part of this 'team', so that's why I like him. That's not to say Capt. America isn't a good character, he's just a bit too nice for me!

It took me a while to believe the evilness of the villain, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) but when I did, I really did. He seemed so genuinely evil... the way he got into Romanoff's head and scared her was phenomenal, I thought she was made of steel. He was also really cunning, the way he tricked Thor into the cage. Similarly to my taste in heroes, in villains I like some personality, more than just muscle and "LETS TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"- I liked the scene in Stark's flat, when they were arguing... he had personality there, he was teasing Stark, it was good.

An Avengers Assemble review would not be complete without a mention to the creator of S.H.I.E.L.D (or the Avengers, which I think is a better name), Nick Fury. Samuel L Jackson outdoes himself every time I see him. I've got no idea why Loki was so brazen facing him, he's so commanding! and enigmatic, and just generally fucking terrifying!

So my conclusion to this film is, well done Whedon. Absolutely fantastic film, I couldn't keep away from it, and I just kept going wow! that's amazing! Can't think of a better comic book movie of these days, but I haven't seen The Dark Knight Rises yet!

The Iron Lady

I was kind of apprehensive towards this film if I'm honest, simply because of the subject. I'm an incredibly active Labour supporter, and was brought up just generally not liking Margaret Thatcher. Therefore, watching a film about her was never going to be my cup of tea. If I'm honest, I walked away from the film feeling a bit confused. I didn't like her, obviously because I don't agree with anything she did, but I also kind of felt sorry for her- it isn't really about her time in power, more about her dementia and her husbands death, and to be fair to the producers it does make the audience feel sympathy.

I wasn't really sure if Meryl Streep deserved awards for this, but when I thought about it she must have done, because I don't think Ms Thatcher would be an easy person to relate to therefore give a realistic performance of.. but that is completely personal opinion. I wouldn't find Maggie easy to relate to because I have completely different political views from her. Even though I wasn't born when she was in power, I have heard that there was a certain coldness about her, which I can definitely believe- however I don't think Streep conveyed this effectively... largely because I'm fairly certain she's a nice person!

The other actors in the film do give a credible performance, particularly Jim Broadbent, but I felt towards him the same as I did towards Thatcher herself. I didn't want to like him, I didn't want to feel sorry for either of them, but I did. However, I think that it is the sign of either very good acting, or the characters have been written to ignore the parts of them that I don't like... in which case I missed it. I don't think the characters have been written like this though, because they were still very clearly tories, and I still felt sorry for them, therefore, well done Streep and Broadbent!

If I'm honest, I felt a bit weird after watching The Iron Lady. I think it's because I was expecting to be furiously angry at Thatcher, but I actually felt kind of sorry for her. That, in itself, pissed me off though, because I don't want to feel sorry for her, I can't stand the woman! I do think the actors gave a good performance though, I don't think people like that would be easy to portray in a positive light.

A dangerous method

So I've spoke before on my dislike for Keira Knightley, and her general one-dimensional acting qualities. But in the last two films I've seen her in- 'Anna Karenina' and this, she has actually been a really interesting and compelling character.

I dont think her character, Sabina, was an easy one to play, considering the sensitive nature of her illness and the effect it is having on her adult life. At the start of the film, she was sufficiently insane, but grew out of that well and into a likable but still visibly unstable female lead. Maybe Knightley just suits foreign parts? Either way I liked her in this and as the tortured lover Anna.

I found the relationship between Jung and Freud interesting to watch, and well played by both Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen. They seemed to have the appropriate professional relationship at the start of the film and grew into suitable competitiors, both displaying the characters they had been assigned- particularly in Mortensens case with Sigmund Freud. As with the case of Sabina, I think that Freud would be a very hard character to play, given his views on the human psyche and his addiction to cocaine- although the film does not touch upon this aspect of the man I believe it would change the character on a whole. 

Fassbender gives an interesting performance of Jung, showing the professionalism within his character but at the same time the flaw, in falling for the patient. I've only ever seen this actor in 'Shame', where he plays a much different character, but I think it shows  that he is a versatile actor and a bloody high quality one at that.

I'm struggling to find the words to describe this film if I'm honest, mainly because I think it was so character based that they are the only things I can comment on- all in all I thought it was a good watch with an interesting story, but I'm not going to put it  up there in a 'Must Buy DVD' (post to come). It might be worth sticking on Lovefilm, but not worth paying more than £10 on.

Anna Karenina

SPOILER ALERT

So it's fairly common knowledge that I don't like Keira Knightley. In Atonement, Pirates of the Carribean, Never Let Me Go and Pride and Prejudice, I thought she played exactly the same soulless, cold, moaning bitch. I also have a strong suspicion that that is exactly what she's like in real life- similarly to Hugh Grant, he just plays himself in most films- a blithering idiot who is insecure and struggling with his love life. Anyway, Knightley actually gave a very convincing and heartfelt performance in this film. I genuinely felt for her predicament, which is something I often find hard to do as I feel she doesn't connect with the character's herself, making it hard for the viewer to identify with her. As I said though, not the case in this film! (As well as A Dangerous Method... review to come) I genuinely felt the pain she was going through, and understood her point of view, particularly in the embarrassment she was feeling about Vronsky's very public attraction to her.

While I'm on the subject of that awkward situation, I thought it was displayed quite appropriately all the way through the film, both when he was pursuing her and when they were having an affair... even more so when she had ran away with him. The part I did not believe is the sex scene, when she had a go at him for murdering her marriage... who the fuck says murderer when they're having fun. It was unbelievable, a bit weird, and hilarious... which is not what I think the writers/director were aiming for. But no apart from that I thought the relationship between the two was very convincing, particularly on Aaron Taylor-Johnson's part. I've been following him for a while now, since indie Channel 4 show 'Almost Famous', through 'Angus Thong's and Perfect Snogging', and of course, 'Nowhere Boy'. To be honest, when I heard he was playing this part, I wasn't really hopeful for his performance, as all his previous roles had been in younger, student roles. But no I was impressed! He seems to have matured since the last time I saw him, playing John Lennon. I did think he was believable and in tune with his character though... plus I'm a little bit in love with him.

The character I did feel sorry for was Karenin! He seemed really nice and loving towards his wife, and here he was getting treated like shit! I don't blame him in the slightest for fighting for her, but to be honest I'd have given up on her a long time before he did, although fair enough to him for trying to save his marriage! Jude Law was good in this role too, I was shocked when he lashed out at Vromsky, because of his character in the rest of the film being quite quiet and reserved, but I was impressed by him! Go for it Karenin.

The subsidiary characters were also impressive, providing the film with colour and making it not all about the 3 protagonists. I liked Oblonsky and Dolly, I thought they were funny and loving people. I did feel sorry for Oblonsky's wife as well, but you've got to give her credit for the amount of commitment she has to her family really haven't you.

Another aspect of the film I found interesting was the set choice- Karenin and Anna live in a theatre, which I thought really improved the standard of cinematography, as well as making some of the transitions more interesting to watch and improved the film, in terms of characters interacting with each other- as opposed to seeing hours and hours of travelling. 

Towards the end of the film, I thought Anna's death was completely obvious. She just couldn't cope with the strain of it all, being away from her son, living alone with Vronsky, being an outcast in a society where she used to be one of the inner circle. I didn't see the cause of death coming, although my friend Hollie did, so that must just have been me!

The Hunger Games

The focal point for this film is, without a shadow of a doubt, the brutality displayed. It is reinforced throughout like needles going into a pin cushion. I mean, alliances are formed within "the games" (a horrible name for what they are), but what I kept thinking of is eventually, these 'friends' are going to have to kill each other.

The first instance is the "sign in" process, where all the citizens of the districts have to have their blood taken to be processed- even small children! I did not agree with this, nor did I agree with the segregation of families- reminded me too much of Nazi concentration camps, personally. Another huge example of this degrading human trait is the games themselves- all the rule changing, providing contestants with hope and then taking it away, setting killer animals on them, and setting the woods simply to make Katniss (protagonist) turn around! I was completely appalled at what I was watching, but so captured at the same time.

I thought a definite positive was the lead character, Katniss Everdeen. I'm a harsh critic when it comes to female characters, but I really thought she was a good, strong female lead- something I feel a lot of films are lacking. Jennifer Lawrence, the actress, played her with enough finesse for us to believe the withdrawn elements of the character, but enough passion for us to believe the love she has for her family. Lawrence connected with the character with the right amount of precision for us to sympathise- and empathise to a degree- with her.

Letting the side down on the characters front was Josh Hutcherson's character Peeta. I don't particularly blame the actor, I felt he did a good job with what he had, but I thought the character was completely pathetic! Some aspects of his character was also just ridiculously unbelievable- I mean how did he paint himself in camouflage, in the middle of the forest, with no face paint! And all that from icing cakes in the bakery! Completely unrealistic and sensationalist, making him stay alive.

But apart from this character flaw, I thought the film on a whole was capturing, in that I couldn't take my eyes off it but I was completely disgusted by what I was watching. It also made me think, IS this the next step for reality television in today's culture? I mean obviously I don't think they'll actually set UK citizens against each other in a fight to the death, but what with the whole watchdog element, and the way reality TV show "Big Brother" is portrayed at the moment, it was an interesting observation for Suzanne Collins (author of the novel) to make. Look at the contestants that are picked for our reality TV shows- characters that have their negative qualities played upon. The Hunger Games flipped this round a bit, making the contestants positive qualities their key to sponsors and therefore survival, but I still do not think that what the film portrayed is a million miles away from reality TV in today's society.

So all in all, I think that film was an interesting watch and gave me a lot to think about, thereby being classed in some ways as excellent, but I can't get away from the sheer brutality, therefore making me think I didn't like it. This brings me to the conclusion that I personally didn't like it, but it is definitely worth watching.