Searching for Sugarman

I listened to Rodriguez in the park on the way to school where we would stop for a sneaky smoke before school. I'd downloaded his music on my ipod and I had no idea about his story until I saw this great film. What a story!

The Reader

'The Reader' was full of surprises for me. Films can really challenge you sometimes and this was full of challenges for me. My favourite review was from Peter Galvin on Filmink. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was an experience to watch.

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!

August Rush

If you want to be totally transported by a modern fairytale, pick this. Sure it's a huge suspension of reality, but just the kind I love. The music connects the orphan with his talented musician parents, comparisons can be made to the Oliver Twist tale. I really enjoyed it.

I must also confess I find Jonathon Rhys Meyers quite attractive.
As with many films of this nature, critics weren't impressed, but viewers rated it higher.

A suspension of reality in the opposite direction to last night's movie. Balanced me out!

Planet Terror

I loved Deathproof and have only tonight managed to watch 'Planet Terror'. I started to watch it once, but the horror genre is not my thing and I got a bit put off by the zombies. After a conversation with my son, I had another attempt tonight. It was great. I am glad I persisted. The final scene was my favourite though. Great characters as you can expect from Rodriguez.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Fluffy, light and delicious. Historically innacurate with a great sound track. This Kirsten Dunst film was exactly what I was in the mood for tonight. I love the colour and costume. The food and scenery were great as well. Let them eat cake indeed.

Lars and the Real Girl

This film was recommended to me by two guys and because it's a romantic comedy and I love these men, I couldn't wait to see it. It's not every day men recommend the romantic comedy genre. I should have known there would be a blow up doll involved!

Seriously though, it is a touching story and much more than a funny love story. If only there were communities like that. People that didn't judge or become repulsed by peoples weirdness. Communities that tolerated and cared instead of medicating or ignoring others pain.

It was a beautiful story and I highly recommend it.

Run Fatboy Run

I would never have picked this DVD if it weren't for my sister's recommendation. The title didn't appeal to me at all. She dropped the names 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Shawn of the Dead' as a comparison and I couldn't resist. This romantic comedy had some very funny moments. It was a little more mainstream than the other two, but still quite funny and enjoyable.

Dennis is not as fat as the title suggests, but quite flabby in the heart muscle, yet completes a marathon to demonstrate an ability to commit to the woman he left pregnant at the altar.

My favourite review is Claudia Puig's.

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.

There Will Be Blood

This film is great without a doubt. There are wonderful scenes and remarkable scenery and Daniel Day Lewis does a fine job. I marvelled at how the baby in the beginning scenes survived in such a polluted environment.

My favourite review is by Richard Schickel in Time. Not many negative reviews to be found on this one.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

This was a dark and facinating film. The characters, all despicable strangely sad due to their desperation. They made a bigger mess than you could see a way out of. The actors were great and the film well made. Not for the kiddies I might add.

I'm Not There

Todd Haynes ambitious portrait of the many lives of Bob Dylan is facinating if only for the device he has used. I enjoyed each of the characters depicted. It's worth watching. Realistically I think you would need more than 6 characters to make up the lives of anyone, yet I guess as public persona's go, this is acceptable. I enjoyed the music and the acting. Aussies Kate Blanchett and Heath Ledger take on a character each.

I recommend it.

The Painted Veil

This film was the kind of love story you can believe, complete with human frailties and errors. I want to read all W.Somerset Maugham's books now. It was so beautiful. The setting was great. It was set in China. The political and historical background was interesting. I loved the scene where the Nationalist soldier was negotiating/interpreting with the local warlord. It was clever.

I read 'The Moon and Sixpence' a couple of years ago and found it so rich in it's characters and their transformations and I found this story to be similar. They are very authentic....touching, human and moving.

I recommend this film. I totally enjoyed it.

Into the Wild

I absolutely loved this film. Sean Penn did the screenplay and directed it. It's based on a true story about a young man who adventures out into the world leaving behind comforts to travel and survive on his own smarts. It's a beautiful film, revealing natural and human treasures.
'Into the Wild' tells the story of my favourite kind of people. Self sufficient adventurers, I find very attractive. I highly recommend it.

Sex and the City

Went to see 'Sex and the City' tonight with a couple of girl friends. There was one man in the cinema. I felt sorry for him. It was very much like the TV show, I've watched enough random episodes to know who was who. It was light entertainment and I laughed a fair bit.