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A classic 1990s rom-com! Featuring the mum and dad of 90s rom-coms – Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
It’s from the writer/director Nora Ephron – the brain behind When Harry Met Sally, the similar 90s story of Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie & Julia. (She must have really loved Meg Ryan – I wonder if Nora considered her for Julie & Julia because she has a striking resemblance to Amy Adams.)
You’ve Got Mail is the ultimate feel-good film… Continue reading
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Sex and the City has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary since the TV series of the same name was aired. Coincidently, I watched the Sex and the City movies for the first time ever merely a week ago (and have only just learnt it was based on a book and a TV series!).
Basically, I had to see what all the fuss was about. I always hear references to it, but was never entirely sure what it was about so I watched both movies in one sitting.
The reason why I’m combining the reviews of Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2 is because I found them to be very similar stories, with neither one more enjoyable than the other… Continue reading
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Eat Pray Love is about Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) who has a large home, a husband and a great job, but she feels empty and without an ‘appetite’ for life. She soon instigates a divorce from her husband (Billy Crudup) whom she feels no connection to, before having a rebound relationship with David (James Franco).
So Elizabeth decides to go travelling for a year to Italy to find her appetite again (eat), then India to experience peace (pray), and then Bali for balance, which turns into love… Continue reading
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Initially reminding me of other star-studded, multi-storyline films like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day and Love Actually, I didn’t have high-hopes for this ‘dramedy’. However, I was pleasantly surprised – it’s very funny indeed.
It follows several storylines that all end up being intertwined. But it begins with Emily (Julianne Moore) who cheats on her husband Cal (Steve Carrel). Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes pity on a moping Cal and gives him a fashion and ego make-over.
Steve Carrel – who is also a producer of this movie – wanted the film to be called ‘The Wingman’ as it accurately described the main storyline. But it was eventually decided that it was a boring title and Crazy, Stupid, Love was chosen instead. (Even though it’s a girlie title, and inaccurate as there’s not a lot of ‘crazy’ in the film.)… Continue reading
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Speaking of Disney live-action remakes and royal weddings, I remembered that I never wrote a review about Cinderella. There are so many Disney princess films and wedding movies on the tellie at the moment, so I thought I’d join in.
As with every Disney princess movie, one must take it with a pinch of salt. It will be a little cringe, over-dramatic, a little too perfect and very girly. But isn’t that what princess films are all about?… Continue reading
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Based on the Brothers Grimm classic, Rapunzel, this modern tale Tangled brings the comedy back.
A notorious thief called Eugene Fitzherbert AKA ‘Flynn Rider’ (Zachary Levi), finds a tall tower to climb and hide in while being chased. But he soon realises he’s not alone. Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is energetic and naive, but well-trained in self-defence. Skills that come in handy when Flynn intrudes… Continue reading
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I love Melissa McCarthy, but I lowered my expectations after reading a fair few below-average reviews about her new film Life of the Party.
This didn’t deter me though, so my brother-in-law and I went to the cinema. Within ten minutes we were choking on our popcorn during fits of laughter, and getting stitches as we tried to stifle our chortles! Almost every scene was hilarious. By the end of the film, I had mascara streaked down my cheeks and a mild headache from trying not to laugh too loud… Continue reading
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As part of an upcoming post about the top 10 wedding movies, I realised I had a lot of research to conduct.
I had originally disregarded Father of the Bride, but a few people told me it’s actually worth a watch. It’s based on a film of the same name, which was made in 1950. All in all it’s an enjoyable enough film, but unfortunately it’s also my worst wedding nightmare come to life.
It’s about a father, George Banks (Steve Martin), and his comedic journey of organising a wedding for his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams). A lot of unfortunate yet funny things happen, particularly when the in-laws meet for the first time and when George has a break down in a supermarket… Continue reading
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I’ve watched Peggy Sue Got Married with Dad before, and I remember it being quite an enjoyable film.
I had forgotten about its existence until Kathleen Turner was on the television (as she’s now a singer) and I was absolutely transfixed by the way she spoke. Not only was the sound of her voice hypnotising and famously distinctive, but also the way she told stories.
It wasn’t long before they mentioned ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’. I Googled her to find out which character she played, and couldn’t believe she was the Peggy Sue!
I immediately bought the film and we watched it on the weekend and how we laughed… Continue reading
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This is our Christmas film because it’s set at Christmas time in snowy New York – so magical!
It’s a fantasy romance film about fate, and whether you should act on impulse or allow life to take the wheel. When Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan (John Cusack) meet on Christmas Eve by chance, Jonathan falls in love with her straight away, but Sara believes they must leave it to fate… Continue reading
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From the brain behind The Boat that Rocked, Notting Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones comes a warm and fuzzy, all-nice, all-good, hot chocolate and cuddles on a rainy day kind of story. It’s called About Time. (If you loved Driving Lessons, then I think you’d enjoy this film.)
I love coming of age films, there’s nothing better than seeing bog-standard, everyday man-on-the-street kind of characters on the tellie, accomplishing the extraordinary and telling you that everything will be alright in the end… Continue reading
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The Girl on the Train is up there with Gone Girl! A mind-twisting psychological thriller, through the eyes of Rachel (Emily Blunt) – a frail alcoholic who is the last person to see Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett) alive… Continue reading
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This was actually quite a funny film!
I was expecting a super dramatic biopic, but as compelling as the storyline absolutely is, it is intertwined with down-to-Earth humour.
A fantastically inspiring movie based on three real-life black women who worked at NASA in the sixties. It follows their triumphs and successes, despite being completely discriminated against for being black, and for being women… Continue reading
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IT’S SO MAGICAL!
Despite the trailer making me expect Glee meets Grease, I had heard so many rave reviews about La La Land, that I simply had to see it for myself.
I was not disappointed.
A story about a boy and a girl, with grand dreams (already a refreshing storyline in itself). Ryan Gosling’s character, Sebastian, wants to be a jazz musician, playing in his own bar. Emma Stone’s character, Mia, wants to be a successful actress. Two strong-minded people going in different directions, yet refusing to let go of each other… Continue reading
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I am ashamed how close I came to watching Tina Fey’s new movie, Sisters, rather than seeing this touching drama. (I still reckon Tina Fey is a genius, though.)
After seeing the Brooklyn trailer I was prepared to see a slow-paced, sullen and potentially grim film. But this was not the case!
I walked out of the cinema feeling uplifted, positive and encouraged. I felt as though I’d been wrapped up in a big, fat duvet, sung a lullaby while sipping on hot cocoa inside by the fire during a blizzard… It gave me the warm and fuzzies, and made me feel happy… Continue reading
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A heart-breaking story about, not the person who leaves, but the person who’s perpetually left behind.
I like this unusual perspective, particularly since time-travel is such an attractive, but foreign, concept. Yet, the story is focused on the more human and deeply relatable themes.
I’ve heard the book is fantastic – I’m going to read it this summer. But, the movie is exquisite. If you haven’t seen or read The Time Traveler’s Wife, the low-down is that a man is a time traveller and his wife is not. The time traveller, named Henry (Eric Bana) can’t control his travelling, so his impromptu disappearances and reappearances become a way of life for his wife Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams)… Continue reading
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As you may know by reading my “Looking forward to: Suffragette” post, I have been obsessed with this film for months. I’ve watched every movie clip, interview and behind-the-scenes glimpse.
Unfortunately, it appears the film company have actually released the entire movie throughout their promotion of Suffragette… I felt like I had already seen it by the time I watched it in the cinema.
If you too have watched the trailers that have been released, you have actually seen the beginning, the most scandalous and shocking scenes, as well as the final scene… Continue reading
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I can NOT believe I haven’t reviewed this! I was so certain I had because this movie was the inspiration behind me starting this very blog!
So! Julie & Julia, it is a typical rom-com drama, with a twist! The twist being the gorgeous, wonderful, classic Meryl Streep.
It follows two story lines – both of them based on true stories:
One is about Julia Child (Meryl Streep), an American living in France during the 40s. (That means trilling accents and beautiful dresses). She is struggling to adapt to French culture, so we follow how her love of food provided a comfort, and her plans to write a cookbook.
The second story is of Julie Powell (Amy Adams) in the modern day, a government worker by day who starts a cooking blog as an outlet. She uses Child’s cookbook as a guide: 524 recipes in 365 days… Continue reading
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Another classic Diablo Cody script! I love the dialogue she writes for characters who are (for lack of a better word) ‘real’. Jason Reitman is the director of this comedy-drama, who is responsible for the likes of Juno and Up in the Air.
Young Adult is about a ghost writer, Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), who returns to her home town to try and get back with an old flame, Buddy. Buddy, however, is married and has just had a baby and is in no way interested in what Mavis is so obviously implying… Continue reading
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If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s about two women who needed a break from their respective husband and boyfriend, and took a weekend away. Except, after getting caught up in a major kerfuffle, the women find themselves on the run from the law. They have never experienced such freedom, and use the lack of rules to their advantage by going on a crime spree. But, they do take moral responsibility for everything they do. They are able to fully explore who they are without the moulding of a man in their lives. Continue reading
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This film is up there with Bridget Jones’ Diary, I reckon.
I got this DVD because there was a ‘buy two, get one free’ deal on. Since the choice was limited, I thought I’d give this a whirl.
I was concerned because I had no interest in any of Jane Austen’s romance novels and had little knowledge of the stories and characters. So I wondered if a film about people discussing these books would be confusing…
Not the case, surprisingly!
The first time I watched it, I was just like ‘meh’, better than a chick flick… But kind of average. So it gathered dust on my shelf until one day, boredom and exhaustion from watching my DVD collection five times over resulted in me indulging in The Jane Austen Book Club once again.
I have to say, I really love this film now. The six main characters are empowering and strong, they all… Continue reading
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Visually, this film was MIND BLOWING! This is Moulin Rouge on steroids.
The party scenes are phenomenal! The lights, the atmosphere, colours, fashion and music… It is ground breaking. Just beautiful sets, like we’re being sent to another world.
The sets and feel of the movie are very similar to the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Edward Scissorhands (the garden scenes) and of course, Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and Romeo & Juliet. I think it’s because all of those movies are fantastical and unbelievable.
The actors were very convincing, Leonardo DiCaprio gave another ground breaking performance. Although his accent was a little confusing on occasion, his dialogue was incredible! I feel like speaking formally, like an upper class person from the 1920s now.
Come on, old sport!
I wasn’t expecting much from Toby Maguire, and for a while believed that Ewan McGregor could have done a better job, until it was mentioned to me that his “pluckiness” was what made his character convincing. Which I thought was a good point.
I’ve never been a huge fan… Continue reading
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Okay, it was NOTHING like I thought it would be like.
This is not a happy-go-lucky, up beat and freeing movie like the trailer makes it out to be. In fact, it has a lot of very serious themes, making this high school drama rather dark, and not at all light hearted.
Despite the totally unexpected storyline, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a very emotional journey – you laugh just as hard as you cry in some parts. So it evens out into a humbling story.
The main character, Charlie (Logan Lerman) and both of his friends Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), each go through massive emotional roller coasters. Huge changes to their lives that are developed incredibly well. Feelings and emotions are messy, unexplainable and complicated, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower accurately represent them this way… Continue reading
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I love this movie. This is my happy movie.
Rachel McAdams plays Becky Fuller, a workaholic who is made redundant. She eventually gets hired by a breakfast show that’s going down the pan. The story follows her struggles to rebuild herself, and the show.
There are some fantastic lines! Harrison Ford is so dry with his delivery. It’s so perfect!… Continue reading
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I was put off of seeing this movie when it first came out because it just looked like The Hangover – but the female version. However, after seeing a few scenes of it over the last couple of years, I decided to buy it in the sales.
And boy am I glad! I haven’t laughed this hard in ages! It is a truly hilarious journey that these wacky characters go through – any one of them could have been the leading lady.
Nothing is going well for Annie (Kristen Wigg). Her bakery closed down due to the recession, she’s in her mid-30s and a hopeless spinster. Thankfully she still has her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), though…
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NZ Film Freak 