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Some of these films were a larger influence on me choosing to study journalism at university than I care to admit. Morning Glory was the main reason for me deciding to take a television journalism paper, and The Pelican Brief was responsible for introducing me to the world of investigative journalism.
Here are some of the best journalistic films… Continue reading
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I love coming-of-age films. It’s the perfect mix of dark drama and bright comedy, against the backdrop of real-life circumstances and down-to-earth characters. Here are a few of my favourites… Continue reading
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Growing up in the 90s, I remember surrounding myself with VHS tapes of my favourite movies. I’d dress up and pretend I was a character in the movie as I watched it with my stuffed toy collection, and quartered peanut butter sandwiches.
It was a marvellous childhood, hence why there are a few movies I can’t watch without blubbering with overwhelming nostalgia.
I avoided the classics such as Disney’s Lady & the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty, or Matilda because while they are certainly magical I’m sure they were every little girl’s favourite during the 90s. So here are a few hidden treasures that you might have forgotten about… Continue reading
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Here are a few films that I wouldn’t recommend seeing if you’re planning on feeling remotely happy for the foreseeable future. These ‘not happily ever after’ movies will bring you down, so don’t go accidentally watching any of these if you’re having a bad day and need cheering up. Because they will not help… Continue reading
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Feeling flowery and happy and romantic? Or are you just here to get inspiration for an anniversary card? Either way, here are some beautifully romantic quotes from movies… Continue reading
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Here are my top 10 favourite ‘famous last words’ from some iconic films… Continue reading
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I was thinking about the actresses who always get cast as the motherly characters in movies, and the same names kept coming up. So I decided to put together a list of the best mum characters in the movies and the eight actresses who play them.
(I probably should have done this around Mother’s Day but I forgot.)… Continue reading
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Well. It’s official. As of June 20, I turn 25 years old and I’m experiencing what can only be referred to as a quarter life crisis. So I have found comfort and inspiration in 25-year-old films that are successful.
Here’s a list of the highest-grossing ones that were released in 1993… Continue reading
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Happy Father’s Day to the UK and USA readers!
In celebration of all the dads out there, here is a post about the best father characters on the big screen.
Keep an eye-out for a post about the best mums in movies too!… Continue reading
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Even though the majority of animated horses on the big screens are simply ‘white stallions’, many of them play prominent roles as the hero’s side-kick (no pun intended). Strangely all the horses are male… Anywho, here are the best animated equine characters… Continue reading
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I’m sure you all felt the same way when you saw the recently-released Mowgli trailer: ‘Haven’t I seen this before… Rather recently?’
The short answer is ‘yes’: The Jungle Book (2016) and Mowgli (2018)
The live-action version of The Jungle Book was released only two years ago, which was received rather successfully. So why make another? Basically, the difference is that Mowgli was made by Warner Brothers Studios whereas The Jungle Book was made by Disney Studios.
After looking into it, this ‘twin movie phenomena’ has been documented before here and here. It’s films with two identical plots that are released at around the same time… Continue reading
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Disney has been creating films since 1923, beginning with an Alice in Wonderland cartoon series. But it wasn’t until 1937 that the memorable Snow White and the Seven Dwarves animation was released. Ever since then, Disney Studios has had a fairytale film career with many major successes.
I’m sure everyone holds a Disney animation close to their hearts because of its influence on our childhoods. (Mine is Sleeping Beauty (1959), which I grew up watching on VHS throughout the nineties.) Even today, children are still growing up watching Disney films.
Disney is continuing with its successful films about princesses and magic, but more live-action remakes of the classics are in development rather than brand new animated tales.
It seems we can’t stop loving the old stories. Or, perhaps the old-fashioned animations don’t fascinate the iPad-savvy kids of today… Continue reading
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Here is the sequel to my first post, Top 10 Best Wedding Films.
This post only has five films because it was torture watching them all and I simply couldn’t continue with it. But I could imagine that License to Wed, The Big Wedding, Made of Honor and numerous other cheap Hollywood flops would be on this list if I had the strength to watch them.
So here are a few to avoid because of either their lack of entertainment or because they bring your worst wedding nightmares to life… Continue reading
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As I am in the wedding spirit, I decided to indulge in some wedding films. But which ones are worth watching, and which ones are simply too cringe? As it turns out, most of them aren’t worth watching… Continue reading
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After finding out that Kathleen Turner and Nicholas Cage weren’t the best of friends in Peggy Sue Got Married, I decided to find out what other on-screen romances were less than genuine. Apparently there are a few!
It’s a shame that our favourite on-screen couples turn out to be played by people who strongly dislike one another. But from their point of view, what an awful situation to be in! It’s hard enough working with annoying or difficult people, but imagine having to pretend to be in love with them. Ugh. I guess that’s why actors are paid so much… Continue reading
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I never considered it before, but some actors genuinely regret roles they have accepted. I guess it’s quite difficult to tell if a film will be good or not when all you have to go on is a black and white script. I suppose there’s a lot of trust involved in accepting a role.
Some of these actors regret the roles because the film was a flop, and some of them resent their character because it made them internationally famous… Continue reading
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Ricky Gervais loves being typecast, he says that actors should do what they do best and not feel the pressure to play different parts.
However, this is clearly not the view of a lot of actors who seem to be trying to shake their ‘character’. Some have not been successful, such as Jack Black and Adam Sandler, who forever play the School of Rock and Happy Gilmore type casts.
Meanwhile other actors have been successful in breaking free from their typecast, and are in all sorts of films now…. Continue reading
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I was thinking about Ant and Dec, and the unfortunate circumstances that led to Dec having to do the Saturday Night Take Away on his own. I thought how one really can’t do much without the other. You always see them together, and they are at their best together.
That got me thinking about film duos – the actors we always see together on-screen, but get the feeling they hang out off-screen too… Continue reading
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Do you ever think of a really good come-back days later, and wish you could go back in time just to put that person to shame? (Reminds me of a certain Seinfeld episode.)
It’s so irritating, but we can live out our come-back expectations through the witty characters in movies who get it right first time.
Here are just a few… Continue reading
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My two favourite singer-song writers: Fiona Apple and Sharon Van Etten need to be BFFs.
I can’t believe it – there isn’t even a photo of them together, a cover of each other’s songs, or a duet by either of them. I’m hoping they don’t see each other as direct competition or foes…
Therefore, I have collated five compelling reasons why they need to be besties forever… Continue reading
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You may have noticed I have done this post before. You are correct. This time last year, I gifted you people with a splendid collection of my personal Christmas film favourites. However, I am here to refresh this post with one additional film. Also, this time I’ve included quotes from my cat-loving, film-tolerating brother, who dresses his fur-babies up as Christmas-themed characters… Continue reading
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These may have slipped your memory because they are from the late 90s/early 2000s. But for some, they are embedded in childhood brains… Continue reading
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I have noticed the following story has been redone many times.
With slight variations, the general story lines are extremely similar:
The unsuspecting and naive child or ‘street kid’ helps a disabled or lonely adult who drinks a lot and whom nobody likes, and vice versa… Continue reading
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Because of my obsessive indulgence in movies, I have found myself to be continually underwhelmed and disappointing at every stage of life. Starting high school, turning 16, first party, turning 18 and, the biggest disappointment of all: going to university.
Of course, American schools are totally different to the likes of New Zealand schools. But these movies certainly raised my expectations… Continue reading
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For the sake of all the Abeds out there here are my annoyances with film and television… Continue reading
NZ Film Freak 