Film Review #8 'Clash of the Titans'

"The Clash of the Titans" is set in the Greek city of Argos where a war is about to explode between man and the gods. Perseus (Sam Worthington) raised as a fisherman, but is actually a demi-god. Perseus is the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who is about to take on the gods after the death of his family. Zeus' brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) was the one who killed his family, and Perseus wants to kill him. However, it is Perseus's destiny to rescue the city of Argos from the ruthless rage of Hades and his Kraken monster. With nothing to lose, Perseus leads a band of soldiers on a quest to defeat the Kraken. In doing this, Perseus will prevent Hades from overthrowing Zeus and in turn destroying mankind." Plot taken from imdb.com

Last Tuesday, the boy and I finally got a day off together so we ventured to the local cinema. I really wanted to see the new Ellen Page film, Whip It but sadly they weren't showing it anymore! We also fancied Cemetery Junction but the only showing wasn't for another few hours so we settled on Clash of the Titans because I'm such a Greek Mythology geek.

We decided to see it in 3D because it was the fact it was Tuesday and tickets were cheap but to be perfectly honest I probably would of enjoyed it as much without it being in 3D. There was nothing that made it particular spectacular in 3D like seeing a cartoon or something like Avatar or Alice in Wonderland. So anyone who does go and see it, don't bother paying extra for the 3D, it's not worth it.

I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews about the film, initially had had bombed at the box office in the US, but when it was released here it became a huge hit. This is what made me curious enough to go see it. As i've mentioned above I'm a huge Greek Mythology Geek, it all stems from my upbringing and the sort of films my father loved like the original Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, even up to modern films such as Troy. I loved all the stories and I've even read The Iliad and The Odyssey , however, this retelling of Clash of the Titans (and the original to an extent but since the review isn't concerning the original I'll not go into it) was so away from the original story it's unreal. Of course this doesn't necessarily make it a bad movie, take Disney's Hercules for instant that is nothing like the real story of Hercules but it's still a good movie. But still at some points I couldn't help think "where are they going with this?" Apart from that, it wasn't a bad movie. Lots of action, it was humorous in parts, and Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes made excellent brothers as Zeus and Hades.

I'll admit that I doubt I'll sit through it again for the following reasons, some of the acting was pretty bad though as were the special effects. The whole movie had a gray wash over it which made it pretty dark, so unless there was some kind of action going on I found my mind wandering. It was just a huge mish mash of random information the writers must of made up. The boy loved it though, and since he studied Media and Film I guess it must of appealed to some audiences.

Best Moment: The fight with the giant scorpions.
Best Line: 'don't look that bitch in the eye' - Perseus
Would Recommend For: No one really.. cause it wasn't anything great.
Rating: 4/10

Film Review #8 'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'

"In Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, Oscar®-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson returns to the role of the magical nanny who appears when she’s needed the most and wanted the least in the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable that has enchanted children around the world.

In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave.

Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons." - Plot taken from uk.hollywood.com

I am in the middle of writing this weeks Sunday Self Secrets but it's taking longer than I thought, so here instead is a review of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang which I saw with my mum last Wednesday. The first one is my mum's favourite feel good movie. Whenever she feels alone (which is a lot now we're all grown up and my dad works away from home) she sits and watches it then texts me and my sister to say she's watched it. So of course when I heard there was to be a sequel I asked my mum to come and visit so we could go and see it together. For me it's been a long time since I watched the first one so I couldn't remember much about what Nanny McPhee does but I still enjoyed it.

I originally thought it was an all British cast much like what they tried to do with Harry Potter so I was surprised when Maggie Gyllenhaal walked onto the screen as Mrs Green, but I can say I was pleasantly surprised. You could tell she wasn't really British but she was fun, energetic and reminded me much of what my mother was like when I was growing up. She grated on me so much in The Dark Knight but she was great as Mrs Green, however she loses a point for being married to the beautiful Ewan Mcgregor. Emma Thomson was of course her usual excellent self as Nanny McPhee. She is so diverse and plays such excellent roles, I would definitely have to say she's one of my favourite British actresses. Rhys Ifans plays the bad guy, although he's more funny than bad, which is what he should be in a kids film. Ralph Fiennes makes a brief appearance playing a hard nut uncle. Now onto the kids, who are of course the whole hinge of Nanny McPhee films. I still can't decide if I liked them better than the kids in the original Nanny McPhee film. I did love Cyrill and Celia's back story and the youngest one Vincent was really sweet. Their acting was excellent. I always find it so surprising that every other child star in a film can act so much better than the kids in Harry Potter.

Overall the film was enjoyable, no doubt my mother will be adding it to her feel good films list when it's out on dvd and I'll end up watching it every time I'm home for Christmas. The only bad point for me was the fact I went to see it on an Orange Wednesday during a school holiday. It was an absolute nightmare with a kid talking right through it next to my mum (who said she loved that but I think it's due to her working in a preschool) and a kid behind me kicking my chair. Apart from that it was a light hearted, easy to watch childrens film. The story was easy to follow, the characters likeable but it was something a bit to young to fully enjoy. It was quite predictable, but then hey, what children's films aren't?

Best Moment: The end, both my mum and I got choaked up.
Best Line: 'Small C, Big P" - Nanny McPhee
Would Recommend For: Children, the young at heart
Rating: 5/10

Film Review #7 'Kick Ass'

"Adapted from Mark Millar's hyper-violent comic book of the same name, director Matthew Vaughn's (Layer Cake) vigilante superhero film tells the tale of an average New York teenager who decides to don a costume and fight crime. Comic book geek Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) may not have good coordination or special powers, but that doesn't mean he isn't a fully capable crime fighter. After purchasing a flashy wet suit on the Internet, Dave starts busting up baddies with nothing but brute force. He calls himself Kick-Ass, and he can take a beating as good as he can dish one out. Before long, Kick-Ass has become a local sensation, and others are following his lead. Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) are a father-daughter crime-fighting duo who have set their sights on local mob heavy Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong). They're doing a decent job of dismantling Frank's sizable underworld empire when Kick-Ass gets drawn into the fray. But Frank's men play rough, and his son, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is about to become Kick-Ass' very first arch nemesis. When Chris assumes the persona of Red Mist, the stage is set for a superhero showdown that could spell the end of Kick-Ass once and for all." - Plot taken from Fandango

I alway wait with baited breath for the works rota to see if I have a Wednesday night off, because if I do it means we'll take advantage of Orange Wednesdays to go to the cinema. Even though it's always full with idiots and young kids (last nigth was a prime example) I struggle forking out the £7 odd to go on other days. Not that I can't afford it but because I don't want to pay £7 to sit in the dark for a few hours. I can do that in a power cut! So having a Wednesday off is a real treat especially since there are so many films I want to see right now. And after managing to convince the boy to wait until Wednesday this week, we finally got to see Kick Ass, and as cheesy as it sounds it was pretty Kick Ass.

From the director who brought you Stardust and Layer Cake, Kick Ass is a superhero film with a difference, the super hero isn't exactly super. Dave Lizewski is just a normal teenager who always wondered why ordinary people didn't become super heros and he of course becomes one. Next ensues twenty funny minutes of him trying to become one but then the movie takes a more serious and interesting turn. Dave, now known as Kick Ass, an internet star gets caught up in some real vigilante justice in the form of Big Daddy and Hit Girl who are trying to take down the NY mob run by Frank D'Amico. D'Amico caused the death of Big Daddy's wife and he's slowly been taking out the whole mob along with his 11 year old daughter. Once Kick Ass is caught up in it, everything starts going wrong for everyone and by the end of the film I was confused to whether I should be happy or sad! Not that my confusion made me feel like it was a bad movie, quite the contrary actually. Oh yeah and there was the hot girl, there is always the hot girl the hero has to get.

So moving onto what I thought of it rather than ruining the whole film for everyone, as I mentioned before I thought the film was awesome. The violence was quite bloody and graphic but since it only showed you a split second of it and the blood looking incredibly fake (along the lines of Watchmen and Sin City) it didn't phase me much (I did hide if I suspected something gory was going to happen!). It was almost every super hero film rolled into one, mixed in with Tarentino's Kill Bill, which no one can dispute is a pretty awesome mix. I laughed out loud quite often and I also welled up for a moment, I enjoyed the action, the story and the subtle superhero refernces (because I'm a geek). I felt the story worked well, I did at some points think "where is this going?" but the end was nicely wrapped up but with what felt like the opening for a sequel (or perhaps that was intentional as most superhero films leave themselves open for a sequel?). The humour was a step up from that found in Stardust but similarly they both masquerade as films that could appeal to younger audiences (I'm not saying children because Kick Ass is definitely not for children) but they're both more catered to adults.

The characters were excellent, but I think what made the characters so good was the acting. The girl who played Hit Girl, Chloe Moretz, was awesome and her chemestry with Nicholas Cage was really funny but sweet. They were an odd pair. The guy who played Kick Ass, newcomer Aaron Johnson was so much fun to watch and also quite adorable. Christopher Mintz-Palasse better known as Mclovin' did make a believable stuck up son desperate for daddy's affection, I didn't think he made a very good Red Mist though, but I'll admit that could of been the whole point.

All in all I can't wait to get Kick Ass on DVD to watch it again. It was so much fun just to watch and felt much more fresh than the bog standard Superman, Spiderman ect (I'm not saying Iron Man because I cannot wait to see the sequel!).

Best Moment: Hit Girl trying to save Big Daddy & Kick Ass, so sad but so awesome at the same time.
Best Line: "you just contact the mayor's office, he has a special signal he shines in the sky! it's in the shape of a giant cock" - Hit Girl
Would Recommend For: Superhero movie fans, comic book lovers, anyone who enjoyed Watchmen, Sin City or Stardust.
Rating: 8/10

Film Review #6 'I Love You Philip Morris'

"I Love You Phillip Morris is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic conman’s journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on four separate occasions – all in the name of love.

I Love You Phillip Morris stars Jim Carrey, Leslie Mann and Ewan McGregor. The film is co-written and co-directed by longtime writing partners Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Bad Santa”) from their adapted screenplay, based on the novel by former Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Steve McVicker. Andrew Lazar (“Get Smart”) and Far Shariat (“Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind“) produced the film, with renowned writer/director" - Plot taken from Movieweb

We weren't planning on going to the cinema last night even though we try and go all Wednesdays I'm off to take advantage of the Orange Wednesday offer but the boy received some bad news from home so at 8 we decided to go to take his mind off of things. We had seen the trailer for I Love You Phillip Morris and we thought it looked incredibly funny so we opted to see that. There were other films we wanted to see but nothing else we wanted to see together. Unfortunately I was disappointed.

Another film that in my opinion showed all the funniest bits in the trailer. Infact it wasn't even all that funny so I don't know how it was classed as a comedy, in my opinion it was more of a dark romance or a romance turned on its head. Either way it wasn't something I would of went to see had I known what it was like. It's sort of how I felt when I went to see Funny People, the title and trailer was very misleading and it was more of a dark humour that you don't know if you should or shouldn't laugh at it. Luckily Jim Carrey (Steven Russel) and Ewan Mcgregor (Phillip Morris) was enough to keep me in my seat and it was at them the only time I really laughed. They did make quite a funny gay couple and their acting as southern homosexuals was impecible. In some ways it was clever, witty and a brave attempt at dealing with a sensitive subject but that still didn't cut it for me probably because I was expecting the old style Jim Carrey comedy.

Since I've mentioned the only actually good points of the movie it's only fair that I explain why I didn't really like it. Apart from the fact it wasn't that funny, it was also quite graphic and I know quite a few people sitting in our row was uncomfortable about a couple of the scenes of gay sex and kissing. The boy and I weren't fazed by this since we have some gay friends but other people around us quite obviously were. The story line was both slow and fast. It seemed slow in places so much so that I found myself wishing for it to be over and then in others it seemed like things had been missed out. Then there was a whole scene where it skipped backwards and was quite uneeded. I can't really explain much more without giving the whole story away.

The saddest thing of all was how old Jim Carrey is and yet he's still trying to be Mr Elastic, he really is passed his best. I loved Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura, Liar Liar and even up to Bruce Almighty so I find it hard to watch him now in this and in Yes Man. Ewan Mcgregor on the other hand was still as beautiful as ever and this again just adds to his showcase of talents.

Best Moment: When Steven Russel has his crash and starts shouting that he's going to be gay.
Best Line: n/a (imdb doesn't have any quotes!)
Would Recommend For: Dark Rom Com lovers
Rating: 3/10

Film Review #5 'Alice in Wonderland'

"From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure "Alice in Wonderland," a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover; Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll's beloved "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, "Alice in Wonderland" comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ on March 5, 2010." - plot taken from movieweb

As promised by the boy, three months back when we were waiting for Avatar to begin and we very first saw the trailer for this, last night we returned to the new IMAX cinema to watch Alice in Wonderland. This was sort of a birthday treat for me but I'm sure had it not come out in March I'd of still tried to persuade the boy to pay the extra to see it at the IMAX, it wouldn't of been very hard since he is an avid cinema goer and movie lover (he studied TV & Movie Practice at University) plus who can really pass up a Disney & Tim Burton collaboration in 3D? For me, personally this is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, I have been excitedly waiting for this since reading about it early last year and I was not disappointed in anyway. I loved ever second of it, maybe it's because I'm completely biased to Alice in Wonderland? Probably not since I was a little anxious that Tim Burton was directing it, I love his old stuff dearly but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake is a thing of nightmares (much like Johnny Depps plastic-y look at Willie Wonka).

Starting with the plot line without giving anything away, I was so happy to hear this was not a live action remake of the 1951 Disney film, or any previous Wonderland films for that matter and I was even happier to hear that it wasn't going to be a straight make of the book instead it would be a whole new plot line set thirteen years after Alice's visit to Wonderland. Basically again, without giving anything away too much, Alice finds her way back to Wonderland to find it a mess, the Red Queen has taken the crown and is reigning with an iron fist and taking Alice's friends as slaves. As you may of guessed, Alice is here to stop all that. I felt that the story ran smoothly and I didn't feel bored or that it dragged at any point. Burton's spin on Wonderland was surprisingly not too weird, instead it was rather beautiful in an abstract way. His take on the characters was excellent and I really loved how many of the old favourite lines from Lewis Carrolls novels turned up such as the Jabberwoky poem, curiouser and curiouser and the quote about thinking up six impossible things before breakfast, it really tied the original stories and this new one together. There was also some touching moments and of course some dark humour that can only be expected in a Burton movie, the kind of humour that goes right of children's heads.

The characters themselves were excellently casted and I was very proud to recognise the faces and voices of quite a few British stars Matt Lucas as Tweedle Dum/Dee, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky, Alan Rickman as the Catapillar and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat who was by far one of my favourite characters. Johnny Depp was quite an excellent but still sort of creepy Mad Hatter, very clever and Helena Bonham Carter was made for the role of the Queen of Hearts, opposite the quite funny Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. For me, Mia Wasikowska made the film, she was quite an excellent Alice, one of the best I've ever seen and I've watched a lot of Wonderland movies. She was perfect in looks, attitudes and the way she spoke. I don't there could of been a better Alice.

It was the little things that made it for me, it was quite obvious that Burton had paid a lot of attention to the small details of Wonderland and then turned it on its head which would of been possible since the Red Queen had destroyed the place. As I've mentioned before the lines that are used, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat at the Tea Party, that even though the Red Queens cards looked like soilders so when they're knocked down they fold like a pack of cards, the battle field being a chess board. All these little things are what made the movie for me as they were all the things that were worrying me.

I could infact write so much more but I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone else planning on going to see it as it really is that good. I recommend it to anyone, because it's surprisingly mainstream for Tim Burton. In a way I do feel that is sad, Tim Burton was always a visionary director who liked to do things a bit different pushing the bounderies of fantasy and this is very normal. However if you don't think of it as a down turn for Burton, it is a wonderful fantasy film.

Best Moment: When Alice is tumbling down the rabbit hole, amazing in 3D.
Best Line: "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are." - Alice
Would Recommend For: Anyone who loves Burton's fantasy worlds, Wonderland fans, Fantasy fans, children of 3 + (I didn't think there was anything particularly scary)
Rating: 9/10

Film Review #4 'Year One'

"Jack Black and Michael Cera headline Harold Ramis' Biblical comedy about a pair of misfit hunter-gatherers who embark on a wild journey through the ancient world after being banished from their primitive village. Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera) may lack in the skills that their chieftain is looking for, but they have plans to make it big. Zed has a gut feeling that God has "chosen" him, and so he leads his buddy on a trip through the unknown countryside in search of bigger and better things, bumping into several weird characters along the way -- like a feuding pair of brothers named Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd). Unfortunately, their quest for greatness hits a few snags, like being sold into slavery, and later becoming the object of interest to a very amorous, very hairy high priest (Oliver Platt) in the opulent city of Sodom." - Plot taken from fandango

Another not so recent film, but as it's the first time I've seen it, it still warrents a review. Yes, I'm a Jack Black fan, yes I'm a Michael Cera fan but a Year One fan? Not so much. In theory I should of loved this film, I love Harold Ramis' as a writer and I must be the only person actually looking forward to Ghostbusters 3. The cast contained loads of my favourite actors and anything that puts a new spin on religion is usually a winner for me. However while watching Year One I just kept feeling like something was missing. It was funny, really funny in places but the characters and story was just so lacklust and disappointing. At some points I found myself confused as they crossed some religious characters that I'm sure never met which shouldn't really of mattered but I ended up a bit lost. Plus there was definitely not enough of Paul Rudd.

What was good about the film, Jack Black and Michael Cera's character's relationship. They worked well as a comedy duo. Abraham played by Hank Azaria was really funny, but I'm not sure the humour would appeal to all, I have a very odd sense of humour so I found his lines pretty hilerious. Sadly that's all I can say was actually good in my opinion. It's definitely only a film I'd ever watch once.

Best Moment: Michael Cera half naked and painted gold, yum.
Best Line: "I'm a virgin by choice" - Oh "Ha, not your choice" - Zed
Would Recommend For: Anyone who enjoys the sort of humour found in Austin Powers.
Rating: 4/10

Film Review #3 'Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'

"Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a comedy about two people thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living, and, live, loud music. Nick (Michael Cera) frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and a vague ability to play the bass. Norah (Kat Dennings) is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world. Though they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming the first date in a romance that could change both their lives." - Plot taken from Rotten Tomatoes

Tonight is the boy and my last night together for a week as he is going snowboarding with his brothers and I'm going to visit some friends and family. Although for the first time in three years I'm actually looking forward to the week ahead we still both wanted to do something nice especially since we had something to celebrate (more on that next week). Firstly we'd planned a meal out, but we couldn't afford that, then we'd planned to have another of those meal deals, this time from Tescos but he didn't want to waste the petrol money driving there so instead we settled on one of those take away pizzas, with 44p garlic bread and £2 chicken wings, teamed with ameretto and cheap coke. Perfect and to top the night off, a Michael Cera film.

When I first heard of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, I imagined it being like High Fidelity which is one of my favourite films but of course we don't need another version of that which is probably why I haven't bothered to watch this film until now even though it's been out for two years. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised, and the boy especially loved it!

Once again, Michael Cera plays the awkward dubious teen on the quest for the perfect girl. The perfect girl however has recently ended their relationship after spending six months cheating on him. She's blonde, skinny and sassy, and personally I felt their relationship was a bit unbelievable. He's been making her mix cds and leaving them on her door step and she's been taking them to school and laughing about them with her friends. Kat Dennings plays the unconventional friend of Cera's love who has been claiming his mixtapes and falling for him through his music. This of course turns into the usual boy meets girl that begins with mistaken identities, but although it was predictible I still couldn't help but enjoy it.

The supporting cast was excellent and enjoyable. Nick's ex Tris played by Alexis Dzenia, was annoying but I am sure that's how the audience was supposed to percieve her and Norah's other friend Caroline played by Ari Graynor, was a disgustingly hilerious and very believable drunk. Nick's friends were three gays, and having had my own gay friends these guys just tickled me! Some of my favourite moments were the conversations they would have about what to call the band. Norah has to be one of my favourite movie heroines, I completely empathised with her and Kat Dennings plays an excellent lost teenage girl. I look forward to seeing her in things to come.

I have never read the book so I cannot compare the two but Nick and Norah is a film I'm going to have to go out and buy as I feel I could probably watch it over again and still enjoy it. The story was sweet, funny and at times completely gross but like most Cera films, it was a well rounded teen indie comedy. Also it is set in NYC, that's a winner every time for me!

Best Moment: When Tris is dancing in front of Nick's car and he drives off, cleaning her lipstick kiss off his window.
Best Line: "Well, you're two penises short of a Shania Twain reimagination band!"
Would Recommend For: Indie comedy lovers, Rom-com lovers, Michael Cera fans
Rating: 8/10

Film Review #2 The Princess and the Frog

"Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (ANIKA NONI ROSE), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman." Plot taken from movieweb.com

After our Valentines day plans were ruined, the boy promised to take me to see The Princess and the Frog for orange wednesday at our local cinema. We're really skint at the moment anyway so the fact not only are tickets two for one and the fact I get discount made it really worth the trip, even in the snow. Part of me was really excited about going, as I have previously mentioned I am a total sucker for Disney, inparticular the Princesses so the idea of a new princess really appealed to me., it has been a while. On the other hand I was really quite nervous, Disney's last few attempts to bring back good ol' 2D animation had been a disaster. All those remakes, Home on the Range, even Lilo and Stitch makes me cringe! But in my opinion the worrying was actually for nothing. I'm going to say now, even with all it's faults and it's lacking compared to some of Disney's classics, I did love The Princess and the Frog.

The story was solid and put and excellent spin on the classic Princess kisses frog story. It was also very touching especially in the first few scenes, for some reason Disney love to kill off a parent (although it's in the style of old Disney and not shown on screen, only mentioned by the characters). I am a huge fan of jazz music so having the whole film based in New Orleans at the height of the jazz era really appealed to me. The characters were on the whole, enjoyable to watch with a few exceptions, the first being Charlotte who just grated on me until the end when she had her redemption. I loved Tiana, I really hope she joins the ranks of the past Princesses. She was feisty and her values were a great message. I sort of wish more of the other Disney princesses believed in dreams come true if you work a little, instead my whole head is messed up waiting on my happy ending! Anyway, the prince however didn't really do much for me. The animal characters were funny and lovable even if they were carbon copies of past animal disney characters. I especially loved Ray and his love for Evangeline. Now onto the villain, Dr Facillier or the Shadow Man, in my personal opinion he was fab and in old disney style quite creepy. I read somewhere that he was described as the love child of Captain Hook and Cruella De Ville and I totally see that. However, for it being a childrens film (not that Disney has ever been ONLY fluffy bunnies) the subject of Voodoo was a little bit close to the bone and even slightly hard to explain to younger children (I heard a little girl in from asking her mother to explain it and failing), especially as Dr Facillier has a voodoo doll. The soundtrack was superb, however I wouldn't think any of the songs we that memorable, the only one I remember is Almost There, the rest just fade into the soundtrack of the film which is a little disappointing.

I always judge a Disney film on it's ability to make me well up, if it does, it's a good one. I can happily note that The Princess and the Frog did have me choked up and it does have a good ending that keeps me believing in happily ever after for everyone and as sad as it is, that is why I enjoy Disney movies. They make you believe in love and happiness even when everything seems hopeless. This is also the first Disney film that wasn't pixar that the other half thoroughly enjoyed, that counts for something. While watching it reminded me a lot of Don Bluth's Anastasia, even the songs and especially the villain. I will be buying this on dvd to add to my collection, however I won't be paying to see it again at the cinema.

Best Moment: When Tiana finally gives in to her heart and realises what she's wanted all along.
Best Line: "She is my Evangeline"
Would Recommend For: Children (although I'd say 7+ Voodoo is pretty deep stuff), Disney Lovers who still have the faith, Out With The Girls
Rating: 7/10 (only because in comparison to some of the classics, it still doesn't measure up, more on par with Mulan and Oliver and Company opposed to The Little Mermaid)

Film Review #1 'Youth in Revolt'

"Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is a 16-year-old who is an outcast of his generation. He meets Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), an intellectual and beautiful girl. The only things really standing in his way are Sheeni's poetry-writing ex-boyfriend Trent (Jonathon B Wright), Nick's temperamental divorced parents (Steve Buscemi & Jean Smart), and Nick's mom's boyfriends. When Nick realizes she is not interested, he comes up with an alter-ego, named François Dillinger, who resembles Nick, but has blue eyes, a mustache, a deeper voice, and a player/bad boy attitude to help him with his pursuit of Sheeni. But when François makes Nick a wanted criminal, everything spins out of control." Plot taken from answers.com

This evening the other half and I made our way to the cinema in town to see Youth in Revolt as we're both big Michael Cera fans. I was a bit unsure of what to expect after seeing the trailer for it but I couldn't really face another Saturday night in. I had also recently discovered I get discount seats at the Empire near where I work. However I have to admit it was one of the funniest films I've seen in a while. Cera plays Nick Twisp, a strange and awkward teenage virgin (sound familiar?) which wouldn't really have been enough if it wasn't for his sauve French alter ego François who really just made the film. Cera always plays the good boy who doesn't want to get in trouble and here he was playing a bad boy! It was interesting to say the least and he has some great one liners. The boy meets girl, falls in love story line was not samey either, Portia Doubleday was a great lead female, funny, interesting and not one of these glam girls like Megan Fox, she was fun to watch as Sheeni Sanderson. The cast was fun, I always enjoy films with gawky teenage outcasts as I can identify with them from when I was a teenager, even though I'm a girl. Justin Long was excellent as Sheeni's drugged up older brother (like Sheeni he is rebelling from his devout Christian parents) as was Steve Buscemi as Nick Twisp's father.

Hasn't everyone felt that "I would do anything for you" feeling? Well Youth in Revolt takes it to another level where Cera's Nick Twisp does so. He sets fire to a cafe, he destroys both his parents cars, goes on the run from the police, sneaks into a French Boarding School & drugs his girlfriend with hilerious consequences. Some of the lines in the film really make it worth watching.

We both laughed out loud over and over again, along with the rest of the cinema, mainly made up a young people. It had some very memorable moments along with the memorable characters. It reminded me a lot of Juno even though they both had different directors, however I will warn that this is slightly more graphic in sexual context and slightly more crude than Juno, however the boy did point out it was told from a guys point of view unlike Juno. I do however love both films equally and would quite happily sit through Youth in Revolt again. The story is interesting, funny and I found the script to be solid. I never once felt like the film was dragging out as there was always some crazy obstacles that Nick Twisp had to cross to get to the girl of his dreams, and I'm pleased to report that the film does have a happy and interesting end. If you like Indie comedies, you won't be disappointed with this one.

Best Moment: When Paul (Long) brings magic mushrooms to Nick's house and gets him, Nick, his neighbour and his fathers girlfriend high.
Best Line: "Well, thank you for that unsolicited counsel, Trent. Now please do drop dead."
Would Recommend For: Someone who isn't offended by crude outburts, young people, comedy lovers
Rating: 9/10