Film #101: STAND UP GUYS (2013)

This was a really good concept, I like older actors taking on action films as they are so much better then the young plastic Hollywood type of people that grace out screens in more recent years. The film is about a gang of ageing criminals in a last night of craziness all working together. It features the brilliance of Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin. I thought that there are moments of it being really funny as well as a lot of action to it which is always good for an action comedy but it's not as good as other action comedies like The Heat.

Film #100: THE NINTH GATE (1999)

Again, another film which required a lot of my concentration but it was another great film with the fantastic Johnny Depp. Depp plays a satanic worshiper who starts to look into a series of books and figures out a mystery. Ooooh spooky. I don't really know the best way to describe this film without giving a lot of the plot away. But it was a really good watch, it was kind of Tim Burton style with the plot but also had features of films like The Da Vinci Code so if you like those films then this is the film for you. I did enjoy it.

Film #99: THE DA VINCI CODE (2006)

I had never seen this film all the way through as I would get to the part where the guys starts to abuse himself and I would have to stop watching. But this time I powered through it and finally watched this film all the way through and it was so worth it. I loved it, it required a lot of my concentration but it was so intense with the possibilities of the meaning behind the biblical texts and everything. I know it's not real but it still makes you question religion and what we believe and know about it. I really liked this film but I actually preferred Angels and Demons which I ironically saw before this film.

Film #98: MONTY PYTHON LIVE (MOSTLY) (2014)

As I counted the other Monty Python film as a real film so this is being counted as a film. And by God was it fantastic! I loved every second of this brilliant last performance by the Pythons and I have nothing more really to say about it as what comedy is really about. The work of the Pythons is something of a genius.

Film #97: BLUE JASMINE (2013)

This was a surprisingly good film but I hated the ending. It literally just stopped and I hate films that have no conclusion to them as the whole film then becomes a waste of time. But I loved the concept and the whole idea of the film from having everything to nothing and trying to get back on your feet after something major happens to a person. Cate Blanchett who plays Jasmine goes to stay with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) so she can sort out her life after her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) is sent to prison for fraud. However Jasmine has to learn about the real world and how the other half lives without luxury houses and expensive clothing. It was a good watch but like I said I would have liked some sort of conclusion to it.

Film #96: THE DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014)

So another trip to the cinema to see one of the greatest film series ever. I was equally as impressed with this film as I was with The Rise of the Planet of the Apes and I loved animation of the apes. Seriously every close up looked just like an actual ape, all the detail and time that has been put into the animation of the apes is extraordinary. The story is set after the end of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes and shows how the virus has killed off the majority of the human race and has left people with no resources for means of life. The film shows how a small community of humans attempt to find fuel in order to survive and how the apes have to try and figure out whether to trust them or not and if the ape community is able to stand on its own. I loved Caesar as much as I did in the first film and he has become so much stronger as he lives his life with his family and has to protect his family and the rest of the apes from any dangers.

Film #95: ROMEO AND JULIET (2013)

I feel torn with this film as I don't know if I liked it or not. I think I liked that it was using the actual Shakespearean dialogue but I didn't like the rest of the film. It was so wishy-washy and I didn't feel any sort of emotions in the final few scenes which are meant to move grown men and make the audience weep like small children. Yet I remained with my default face. Also I wasn't so keen on Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet she seemed the wrong pairing with Douglas Booth as Romeo. I also think as well that this particular Shakespeare play has been overdone and that the film industry should start looking more at the other extraordinary plays of Shakespeare. My favourite is Hamlet but also there are the historical wonders of Richard III or to do another film based on the plays such as She's the Man based on Twelfth Night and is one of the funniest films I've seen.

Film #94: ONE DAY (2011)

I had never seen this film all the way through and I was stupid not to have. It is a wonderful and beautiful romcom and I was blown away by the performances of Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. The film follows the lives of the two main characters Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Sturgess) and shows their lives on one particular day, the day they met, throughout the course of their lives. It's a remarkable encounter as their relationship kind of does a Ross and Rachel from Friends of being friends to liking each other but not being together, to one of them liking the other while the other likes someone else and vise versa. I loved this concet as it meant that a whole lifetime could be established in the film within a couple of hours as the dialogue then was concise to what they had been up to on the other days of the year when you don't see them. Also I thought that their physical evolution to signify the change in time was really well done so well done to their costume and make up departments. I really liked this film, even though I cried, but the tears were worth it the film was brilliant.

Film #93: REGARDING HENRY (1991)

This film was lovely as it was different to other films that Harrison Ford has done and I loved the idea of the film. However like all American films made in the 1990's there was a really cheesy ending to it. The film is based around Ford's character Henry Turner being in a shop robbery which results in him getting shot. As a result he end's up being in a coma and when he wakes up he has lost his memories and his abilities to do certain things like he did before, for example he has troubles reading and has to be taught how to again by his daughter. Although the plot twists that happen within the film is the more the audience finds out about the family's relationships and their relationships with others and so causes a stir. For me the thing that made this film so wonderful to watch was the performance of Bill Nunn as Bradley his carer when he's recovering, Bradley is such an uplifting character with a sparky energy to change the mood of the film so you don't feel terribly sad throughout the entirety of the film.

Film #92: JACKASS PRESENTS BAD GRANDPA (2013)

Honestly I hated this film, it wasn't funny. In the beginning there's a scene where the Grandpa gets his penis stuck in a vending machine and was trying to get people to help him get unstuck but it just wasn't funny. I many have a very weird sense of humour but I love intelligent comedy as appose to stupid and childish humour. Penis jokes are not funny! I had to stop watching this after about an hour I just couldn't take it any longer it just wasn't funny.

Film #91: SUNSHINE ON LEITH (2013)

So this was a very strange modern musical. I really liked the whole ideologies behind the musical, it wasn't sappy and full of these giant musical numbers with people who have white middle class problems but was based around the deeper issues in life that most musicals fail to look at. I loved the concept of the boys coming home from the army and spending the time with their families and loved ones before they have to go back and the music used was very well fitted to the film. I'm glad it wasn't a horribly cheesy film like what I suspect the new musical Walking On Sunshine is like.

Film #90: THE INTERNSHIP (2013)

This film was another conventional American comedy with little imagination to the unlimited number of ways that comedy can be created but it never is as directors and writers in (mainly) American comedies depend solely on the actors performances of their dialogue in order to create humour. But if you look at writers/directors such as Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, The World's End) he uses the camera to create comedy over dialogue. Simple executions such as how something enters and exists a shot, the use of travelling for the camera, the transitions between shots, the quick pace editing, the use of music and sound used to the actions of the characters and the beats of the music. All of these methods are ignored by American comedies and makes them dry, repetitive and boring. So in question to my opinion of this film I have to say that I think I laughed once properly throughout the rest of it was sappy dribble and I got bored. I was so annoyed by the end of this film as it received high praise in reviews and a few people I know went to see it and sung that praise also. But I didn't feel it.

Film #89: WE'RE THE MILLERS (2013)

I surprisingly liked this film I thought the actors performances were really something else. It was funny to watch and was unconventional with it's narrative and the jokes were incredibly adult but extremely funny. It's the story of a drug dealer trying to smuggle drugs into America and so hires people he knows to pretend to  be his family in order to look less suspicious. Therefore they create this image of the ideal American-dream family.It was a really funny watch and was one of the better American comedy films that there has been in recent years.

Film #88: FRIDA (2002)

So I watched this film as my sister made me, we did a swap with each other on one film we felt the other should watch. I gave her my Kill Your Darlings DVD (yes I brought it and I love it) and she gave me her DVD for Frida, the strangest film I've ever watched in my life. It's based on the life of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The first stages of her life I found really interesting and she was so brave as she was in an accident on a bus that crashes and her spine ends up messed up as a result meaning that she can barely walk when she goes through lots of different treatments and physiotherapy but she would spend the rest of her life in pain when walking. But as she was recovering she found a love of painting and her work was really interesting the view. However the part of the film that then weirded me out was they portrayed her as being sex obsessed and that her husband also, maybe she was like that but it seemed strange to me and it didn't make sense to me as to why she was when she had a husband. But it was an entertaining to watch, I'll give my sister that.

Film #87: ATONEMENT (2007)

This was a sweet but weird film. I liked the concept of it but I have one small tiny detail which I think should have changed in order for me to grasp the narrative immediately. Basically the film looks at the life of three characters, Cecilia (Keira Knightly), Robbie (James McAvoy) and Briony (Saoirse Ronan/Romola Garai). As Briony looks at the world and only sees her point of view and jumps to conclusion she accuses Robbie of being a sex addict and of forcing himself on their friend Lola (Juno Temple) and from her walking in on him and Cecilia (her sister) together in the library, resulting in Robbie's imprisonment. However the bit that I think the film should have made more clear is the jump in time between Robbie's imprisonment and the rest of the film (basically) as there is a jump but is not immediately made clear until the audience sees an older Briony. Therefore I would have loved a simple "5 years later" or however long into the future it is. But other than that it's a really well shot film and McAvoy and Knightly worked extremely well opposite each other. Joe Wright shot the film beautifully also.

Film #86: CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (2013)

I finally got the chance to see this film and thank God I did. If the World could have seen the excitement I got when I found it was released on Sky On Demand, I was literally bouncing off the walls. And I was right to this film was perfect. I'm so glad they won the awards that they got. I loved the fear and panic I felt throughout the whole film, hoping that they would be safe. I got so into the film that I kept forgetting that Tom Hanks was acting and it wasn't him and kept shouting at my screen "Be careful Tom Hanks, don't die!" My family just laughed at me. It was so shocking that this was a true story and I feel for the people that got put through the trauma on that ship. But Hanks' performance was out of this world, he aced it. I won't spoil what happens except that the ship gets taken over by Somali pirates who try to steal the ship to take it to their boss in order to sell it. There was a beautiful scene towards the end of the film and Hanks' performance made me weep, here's a clue without spoiling it, he is tied up and says that he's sorry (almost Castaway style) and that he loves his family when in a complete state of shock and fear for his life. It was a beautiful film.

Film #85: THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958)

I liked the narrative of the film and the idea behind the ideologies of the film but it was such a long film. In my opinion there were many scenes that could have been cut and made shorter to give the film more pace and it would have kept my attention more. I liked the idea of a women being so determined in her dream to help people that she stops at nothing to make sure that it happens. I also loved her selflessness to help the children once the trouble started. But like I said, the film lacked pace and it became almost like Lord of the Rings in the sense that there were so many scenes of them just walking and talking and it gets boring (although the Lord of the Rings films are amazing and can't be faulted). It was a good film overall but I won't be rushing to watch it anytime soon.

Film #84: HITCHCOCK (2012)

I thought this film was really nice. It was nice to have a film that looked at the greats within film as the main narrative and Hitchcock was definitely one of the greats. As much as I love films like The Young Victoria and The Duchess which look at the historical royal figures and their lives, I loved that we got a film about the other greats that the world has seen through the film industry. I was also pleased that the film focused on Hitchcock's career defining film of Psycho and the difficulties he faced to get the film accepted by the various institutions. I loved the performance by Dame Helen Mirren as Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville; she brought a strength to the character that other actresses would not have been able to bring as she was a strong parallel in personality to Alma. I loved Mirren's performance with Anthony Hopkins who played Alfred Hitchcock, in particular there was one fantastic scene where they were editing together the famous shower scene and arguing whether or not to add music in the scene. I really liked this film, it's a great easy viewing film but not a great like what Hitchcock defined with his films and in particular with Pyscho.

Film #83: CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)

Seriously, this is one of the weirdest films I've ever seen in my life. I was intrigued to watch this film as I have seen a documentary that was about the BBFC and how censorship works, within this documentary was an example using Clockwork Orange and it spoke about the scene at the beginning where the guys beat to death the homeless guy. So I decided to watch the film and that was a weird mistake. It was so bizarre and horrible to watch scenes of these men doing horrible acts to women and men. I didn't like this film because of this strange nature despite it being very  famous and a popular film, it just freaked me out a bit which I'm sure was probably the intention of the film.

Film #82: MRS BROWN'S BOYS D'MOVIE (2014)

I'll be honest I'm the biggest Mrs Brown's Boys fan and I only really watch when I have to. I went to the cinema to see this film because my mum and my sister are really big fans and really wanted to see it so I was nice and went with them to watch it.
It was good, completely different to the TV show as it was a film and so had no live audience, which I thought took away some of the comedy to the film. It was funny but not brilliant, nothing really happened and pretty much ended the same way it started.
The funniest thing was being in the cinema with elderly women who found every slight thing hilarious.

Film #81: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)

I have to say I was slightly disappointed with this film. A lot of people had told me that it was wonderful and brilliant and that I wouldn't regret watching it. I mean, I don't but I thought it would have been a lot better then what it was. But it was a really nice heart warming film about bringing people together and to not give up on any dreams.
The film is about a girl called Olive, Abigail Breslin, who gets through to a beauty final called the Little Miss Sunshine competition. In order for her to compete her and her family have to travel to California in order for her to compete. The film then follows their journey and them getting to this competition and how the trip changes the families lives in different ways.

Film #80: PHILADELPHIA (1993)

Tom Hanks again. I loved this film it was really lovely to watch the truth behind the prejudice of a typical case for people with AIDS. It was a beautiful performance from Hanks and he very much deserved the Oscar he received for this role. 

The story follows Hanks' character Andrew as he tries to fight AIDS and to sue his company for terminating his job to which he believes is because they found out about his illness. Therefore he seeks the help of Joe Miller, Denzel Washington, to help him fight his case. I also loved the relationship between the two character; as well as the performance also given by Andrew's partner Miguel, Antonio Banderas. 

It's a beautiful film but is also to a particular taste of film, it's very serious so if you have a comedy bone then this isn't the film for you. 

Film #79: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (2014)

Well, this was just....just. I loved the first film and I love the film series but this was just infinitely better. Hiccup is my favourite animated (human) character from any animated film, he was just as funny and well Hiccup as he was in the first film. There was a big plot twist to the film (apart from Hiccup finding his mother, which is reveled in the trailer) which I am not going to spoil but it made me cry quite a bit.
If you like the first film this one is bigger and better as Hiccup tries to stop Drago Bloodfist from taking all their dragons to create a Dragon army.
I loved this film so much that I went back to watch this film for a second time in the cinema, it was super amazing second time around!!!

Film #78: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (2014)

This was a beautiful film that I absolutely adored. It was so lovingly written and it wasn't a completely predictable love at first sight film. But it was great to see a friendship first before the wonderfully sweet romance that blossomed from it.  The film was amazing and after watching it the next day I brought the book and sat in Cafe Nero reading it for hours on end, although I had to stop half way so I didn't cry in public. However when I was at home I finished it and it was one of the best books I've read in a while, my friend who read it said to me that there's a point that you get up to where you can't stop crying and she was so right. I had to take regular breaks to calm myself down and clear the tears so that I could actually see the pages.
Seriously, this film is the film for this summer, not a single person came out of the cinema with dry eyes. But I know lots of people who haven't gone to see it as they think that it's going to be so sad that they're just going to cry the whole way through, but they were wrong. Yes, it made me cry massively but it also gave me a heartwarming motivation to do all I can in life and to spend my with people that make me truly happy and loved.

Film #77: A FEW GOOD MEN (1992)

I know a lot of people say that this film is really great and that its a classic, but in all honesty I got bored. I know unpopular opinion. It was just predictable and conventional. I thought the film needed more pace as the first half hour or so is simply talking and being introduced to the characters but they could have cut half the dialogue there and made it a quicker opening to the film narrative. I don't think I would watch this film again but at least I've now watched it.

Film #76: THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (2009)

This was literally the real life The Devil Wears Prada (great film). It was a documentary about Vogue creating the September issue, which is the biggest magazine of the year (start of the fashion year) and shows their preparation for getting the issue done. It was quite interesting to watch as the amount of work that goes into making sure every little detail is perfect. But also there were some elements that were unnecessary like having to redo shoots because they want one detail to change. However like I said it was interesting, especially Anna Wintour, she was so sassy it was wonderful to watch.

 

Film #75: AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997)

This was a good film and was quite funny but I don't agree with the ending. The story is about Melvin, Jack Nicholson, who has extreme OCD and spends his life alone as he has no social skills and basically insults everyone he meets. When his neighbour Simon, Greg Kinnear, gets robbed and attacked in his house Melvin has to help look after him and his dog. As well as his new acquaintance Carol, Helen Hunt, who works at the cafe that he visits every day. The film shows the development of Melvin and how he is able to find friends and sort out his life. The part of the film I didn't agree with is the ending which had a very predictable love interest which I didn't agree with for reasons which I won't write about as it will spoil the ending to the film which isn't fair to those who haven't seen it.

Film #74: BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

I had watched this film ages ago and so I thought I should re-watch it as I honestly couldn't remember most of it. I love Marty McFly I think he's such a funny character especially with his interaction when he travels in time with the other characters. For those who don't know the film is about, it's the story of a teenage boy who befriends a professor who sends him back in time to when his parents were teenagers. But due to his presence he gets in the way of certain events which change the future. It's a very funny watch and it was as good as I remembered, however I do feel uncertain about watching the sequels as normally the sequels are never as good as the originals. 

Film #73: MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)

What a film?! This was beautiful. When I first read what the film was about I thought I wasn't going enjoy the film. It's about the journey of Hilary Swank's character, Maggie, and her training to becoming a wrestler with her coach Frankie, Clint Eastwood. However there is an unexpected ending which made the film more moving then most other films. It was the stunning performances from Swank and Eastwood which made it so, as well as the help from the extraordinary Morgan Freeman. I found it endearing to watch as it's not the typical sports film with it being completely predictable and super boring.

Film #72: COLD COMES THE NIGHT (2013)

This film was a rather odd film and it was very thrilling as it was hard to know what the characters were going to do next. Especially Alice Eve's character Chloe, who was the main character that the narrative revolved around. The film is about Eve's character who owns a motel and one evening a murder happens in one of her rooms between a man and a women, the next day a man named Topo (Bryan Cranston) threatens Chloe and forces her to find a package that was with the man who got murdered in her hotel. The film shows the decisions that Chloe makes in order to make sure she keeps her daughter safe.