Paul

Simon Pegg twice in one month! This time with his buddy Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). I enjoyed Paul so much I watched it twice. It was hilarious and silly and clever. It was a road trip film and one of several I've seen lately set in a motor home. I wonder if  these films are sponsored by that industry, pretty good product placement.

I recommend it for a good laugh. 

Hector and the Search For Happiness (2014)

Hector's a bit discontented and restless so he burns his bridges and heads of to find happiness. Great story and lots of laughs and insights.

When I see Simon Pegg in the list of actors I expect to laugh. He's a funny man.

Here's a link to Hector's list of Happiness. http://www.jocaonstuff.com/2011/01/hectors-list-of-happiness/

I loved this film.

Chef

Chef (2014) was a great film about food, critics, pop up shops and social media. It was also a beautiful story of a father reconnecting with his teenage son. I enjoyed the characters as well as the delicious local food handled well by a chef who knew his business.

 

Leaves of Grass

This film was funny and dark. I enjoyed it.

Second Hand Wedding

'Second Hand Wedding' is a New Zealand film. It gets off to a pretty rocky start and as one of the comments I read said, "The irony here as you begin to watch Second-Hand Wedding is that you feel as if you are watching a second-hand copy!! ". Stick with it though - it is full of treasures. The story is beautiful. I went to see it in the Stratford theatre for International Women's Day this week. The film shows a range of relationships and experiences and I would highly recommend it. Lots of laughs and a few tears. Margaret and David reviewed it here - At The Movies: Second Hand Wedding

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Still fabulous even the second time around. I went to see it last year and blogged about it a couple of times on my other blog. Solid gold actors, gentle challenges humorously handled. Love it!

Mental

Love! Love! Love! This film is a must see for a great belly laugh. The women I went with don't want to go to the movies with me again cause I laughed too loud. There were so many hilarious moments. If you love the soundtrack from 'The Sound of Music', 'Muriel's Wedding' or Toni Collette, this is for you. Don't miss it. I als 

The Intouchables

The Intouchables is one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time. It's irreverent and uplifting and I highly recommend it. The version I watched is French with English subtitles and it was worth putting aside all distractions to watch and enjoy. This film is my favourite so far this year.

Django Unchained

It's hard to anticipate a film you are looking forward to seeing. As a big fan of the writer/director, you can have high expectations. I totally enjoyed 'Django Unchained'. I'm too biased in favour of Tarantino to give a decent review, so here are a coupl from professionals:

The Australian: Tarantino is unrestrained
ABC: At The Movies




 

The Boat That Rocked

'The Boat That Rocked' is a film I know I will watch again. I viewed it on DVD this week and even the deleted scenes were enjoyable. It is based on an era in the late 60s when pirate radio stations brought music to the UK. It was a comedy with lots of great music and a rebellious spirit. I enjoyed it. For a variety of reviews, check out Rotten Tomatoes.

I want the The Boat that Rocked soundtrack.

Martian Child

John Cusack is great in this film. I expected more comedy, it was funny, but not in the way I expected. It was a touching story about a science fiction writer, grieving for his wife, who adopts a kid who thinks he's from Mars. A perfect match. It's also a great story that questions 'Is it good to be like everyone else?'. Just what I needed today.



There are many beautiful moments in this film. I loved it.

My Year Without Sex

An Australian film that was a total pleasure to watch and amused me for days. It's full of funny and yet touching moments. This is Sarah Watt's second feature film and I will certainly be watching everything she makes having also enjoyed her first 'Look Both Ways'. I enjoy her characters and the warmth of her exposure of every day life. Some of my favourite moments are just little moments in the film such as in the call centre when the guy on the phone is trying to convince the customer that he's in Australia. It's fully of insights into our modern lives. I highly recommend this film. The actors are great, especially Matt Day, very likeable.



A great soundtrack with some of my favourites such as The Audreys and Little Birdy tracks.

Burn After Reading

Disappointing... I love Cohen Brothers.



Whilst it received some favourable review, one of my favourite reviewers David Denby sums up what I felt about it. Could be due to my expectations!

In Bruges

This black comedy was a very hilarious watch. It is definately for a mature audience, with lots of swearing, killing, drugs and a little sex. It's funny and dark and I really found myself feeling a lot of affection for the child murderer, which is the last thing I would expect from myself. It was full of random little amusing surprises, even if predictible in it's plot at times. I'm really not even sure what it was that endeared him to me....

My favourite review is by Tasha Robinson.

Juno

I enjoyed Juno. The characterisations were refreshing. I liked seeing the Paulie character, shy and railroaded by a stronger Juno. It was realistic of many young men at that age. The characters were well written.

The relationships were lovely and not stereotypic, yet more real than many screen relationships we've viewed.

For example the following dialogue:

Ultrasound Technician: I'm an ultrasound technician, maam.
Bren: Well, I'm a nail technician and I think we both ought to just stick to what we know.
Ultrasound Technician: Excuse me?
Bren: Oh, you think you're so special because you get to play Picture Pages up there? Well, my five year old daughter could do that and let me tell you, she's not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. So why don't you go back to night school in Mantino and learn a real trade.
Juno MacGuff: Bren! You's a dick! I love it!

For once a step mother that doesn't suck!

For more great dialogue IMDB