Good riddance, 2015!

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2015 is finally over.

Anyone else feel like 2015 took a few years too long to come to an end?

This time last year, I had just graduated from university to begin my career of job-hunting. I eventually landed a job in the industry I trained in – the media – which is an achievement in itself, really. I have learnt an awful lot about being a grown-up and earning a living.

However, it has meant I haven’t had much energy to do much else. Hence the pitiful turn-out for movie reviews this year… Continue reading →

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Her

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(Prepare to see a lot of screen grabs with quotes from this film around. The script is so poetic.)

Her is a sci-fi romance, drama hybrid that premiered at the 2013 New York Film Festival.

It’s set in the near future where rather than keeping one’s head down – staring at a phone screen – people now have an ear piece that respond to voice commands.

The operational system – or OS – that performs the requests now have personalities, and for all intense and purposes, are a personal assistant with feelings and emotions equal in complexity to humans.

This new update is something that the main character, melancholy and lonely Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), becomes immediately interested in… Continue reading →

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Frozen

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I’m not a huge fan of the cheese-covered conservative Disney films in general. I avoided watching Frozen until just last week, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

This was a modern story where the main characters are not searching for true love for once. In fact, it was based around friendship and family.

The trailer includes all of the cheese, targeting the younger audience with the shallow humour.

However, the humour in the movie is actually quite funny and target toward an older audience too. Continue reading →

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The Way Way Back

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The Way Way Back is a funny, feel-good film, similar to Little Miss Sunshine and Juno. It’s an uplifting tale about Duncan (Liam James) who has to endure a summer with his mum Pam (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell).

Struggling to withstand Trent’s subtle bullying, Duncan goes out as often as possible. He soon gets a secret job at the local pool, where he gains a lot more confidence and gets a good reputation… Continue reading →

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Wild Girl Waltz (Indie film)

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This cast and crew deserve applause!

This is a comedy about the adventures of two girls, Angie (Christina Shipp) and Tara (Samantha Steinmetz), who pop some unknown pills to escape boredom in their small town.

Brian (Jared Stern), Tara’s boyfriend, comes home to find the girls high. Brian ends up ‘babysitting’ them and we follow their crazy and hilarious journey through the town.
The script is actually really genuine and funny. Talking in depth about colours and other irrelevant and random subjects.

Brian provides… Continue reading →

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90 Days of McDonald’s – A Misleading Experiment?

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Recently a science teacher of Iowa ate McDonald’s three times a day for 90 days and lost weight.

Boy did the papers lap this up!

John Cisna went about proving that it’s not McDonald’s making us fat, but our choices.

Unfortunately, the articles covering Cisna’s experiment frequently compared his endeavours to Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary “Super Size Me”. He ate McDonald’s three times a week for 30 days resulting in weight gain, and deteriorating health.

However, Cisna’s and Spurlock’s McDonald’s binge diets have totally different guidelines… Continue reading →

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Au revoir, 2013!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

’tis 2014… That’s a scary thought.

This year has been a huge learning curve for me; my writing has improved and how I critique movies.

I have been accepted into my journalism major which I hope will get me closer to my dream of travelling the world and writing about what and who I discover.

Since the beginning of my blog – exactly two years ago today… Continue reading →

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Tamla Rose (Indie film)

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Tamla Rose is a pleasant reminder of what a dedicated independent film crew can produce.

This feature-length film is about three aspiring singers who transition from back-up singers for an ego-driven solo singer, to taking centre-stage as a successful trio in their own right. The group, which perform Tamla Motown-type music, experience personal struggles and conflicts as their egos inflate.
Tamla Rose initially reminded me of the 1991 film The Commitments, with its young wannabe-musicians and the strife they go through as they fight for fame.

However, the originally upbeat and energetic tone of Tamla Rose quickly resembles a Spice Girls-like film… Which is fine if you like the Spice Girls.

Lacking the… Continue reading →

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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This movie is about three hours long, but I felt like I was in the cinema a lot longer than that. Perhaps because we went to the midnight premiere. Being in a theatre until three in the morning can be tiring…

However, despite not being too fussed about the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or anything to do with The Hobbit, I did enjoy this film.

Despite not seeing the first instalment, I certainly found The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug entertaining.

Well shot, incredible visuals, powerful… Continue reading →

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A Great Speech: Shrinking Women

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This is a beautiful articulation of the differences between the societal expectations of men and women.

Lily Myers is a student who performed this spoken word poem in CUPSI 2013 – The College National Poetry Slam at Bernard College, New York.

It is about a woman’s relationship with food, and how it reflects self worth.The beautiful use of words. “the house feels bigger” rather than “my mother gets thinner”. The house feels bigger because her mother doesn’t think she deserves to take up much space. It is spine tingling imagery.

Fantastic! No wonder this has gone viral…
Continue reading →

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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What a total disappointment!

The first movie was INCREDIBLE! A breath of fresh air. A new and exciting concept – different to the usual slog. Themes of anti-corporation, anti-government and shining a light on the absurdity of focussing on reality television rather than the actual reality.

But the second movie barely mentioned these themes. And if they did, it was literally one line of dialogue which summed the whole idea up, causing an originally important theme to become meaningless and redundant. It is pretty much leaving the best parts for the third movie. Catching Fire is just a set-up for Mockingjay.

“Yes” I have read… Continue reading →

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Gravity

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This movie is out of this world!
Ha.
I saw Gravity 3D and it was spectacular. The director, Alfonso Cuarón, said movies should be a visual experience – a lot of dialogue isn’t necessary to tell the story – and he certainly did that well.

Claustrophobia, agoraphobia, isolation, suffocation and death. This is terrifying movie, playing on our natural fears. It is a very ‘human’ film – it goes back to basics – which is extremely effective in such an alien environment.

I’m not sure how to describe the epicness of the visuals… It is inviolable. Simply spectacular. The shot of the Northern Lights from outer space, and of the sun emerging from behind Earth… Wow.

Ryan (Sandra Bullock) and Matt (George Clooney) were absolutely incredible. I am a huge fan of George Clooney anyway, who played a chatty and upbeat character. But I was pleasantly surprised with Sandra Bullock! She convincingly played a strong protagonist. Continue reading →

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Thor: The Dark World

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I haven’t seen the 2011 prequel, but Thor: The Dark World was no less entertaining.

Obviously this is an action-packed, exciting and surprisingly funny superhero movie which is bound to be a hit with everyone.

I saw this movie twice, and I certainly enjoyed it more the second time around – which I think is common for superhero films. The first watch is just about the storyline, but the second time is about the characters.

Loki is my favourite for sure! He is vindictive and vicious with a quirky comedic element throughout most of his dialogue.

The best thing about Thor: A Dark World is the self-awareness of the characters. The references to Captain America and, my personal favourite, when Loki says… Continue reading →

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A Great Speech – Gay Rights

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The Greatest Speech Ever Written, by Charlie Chaplin is my favourite speech. Although, it is sad how relevant that speech still is to modern society.

The second speech that has really hit home is this one by Preacher Phil Snider. His 2012 speech creates shock and gives a fresh perspective on the pro-gay rights scene.

If you don’t have time to watch to the end of this speech, here is the surprise ending… Continue reading →

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My Favourite Character: Miranda

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I. Love. Miranda.

Not only do we share the same last name and similar place of origin, but we share the awkward and embarrassing everyday situations. The only difference being, the actress who plays the character of the same name, has made her life into a comedic series… While I simply digest my cringe-worthy days on my 40 minute bus journeys home…

Bear with… Bear with…

Miranda is the slightly more casual and relatable version of Bridget Jones. She makes my everyday situations become not an “embarrassing moment” but a “Miranda moment”… Continue reading →

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Last Night by Claus Zinger

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I was talking to my hairdresser about how tired I am with the monotonous pop songs and icons who are thrown into the spotlight until they’re wrung dry, with their music played relentlessly on the radio. We both mentioned some artists we enjoy who are quite underground in the music scene, who we hoped to hear more from in popular culture.

Any artist who goes out of their way to sound different should be applauded. It is certainly difficult to break away from the mould, and I think along with many other indie/alternative artists, Claus Zinger is doing it… Continue reading →

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Locked (Short Film)

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I wondered what I was going to be watching when I first saw it actually…
This short film is about a man who calls a lock smith to get him out of a compromising situation.

It is tastefully done and leaves most of it to the imagination – making a bigger impact! The clever thing about the film is that it is based in one room with only two characters and no music, yet it still tells a convincing story.

It will be interesting to see the final cut, so that I could comment on the lighting and audio. But certainly a solid effort was put into acting a scripting – a great start… Continue reading →

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The Jane Austen Book Club

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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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Elysium

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This. Is. Ah-May-Zing…

What a concoction! An action sci-fi film with epic fight scenes, storyline, characters and sets.

Elysium (a term from Greek mythology referring to where the blessed dwell after death) is based in the year 2154 where Earth is polluted, diseased and overpopulated by the poor and dying… Continue reading →

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Now You See Me

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Um. Yeeeeaaaah. So the reviews I had been reading before I went to see Now You See Me, basically stated that it was over-complicated and so layered that one would need to watch it more than once.

This is quite simply, not the case.

It is so clichéd, so typical, so obvious, that the ending could be guessed half way through the film.

The ‘twist’ is… Barely even a twist. It wasn’t shocking or unforeseen at all. My reaction was more like, “oh yeah. Hmm. I’m not surprised”… Continue reading →

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The Wolverine

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Average much!

I am a Wolverine fan though! Absolutely. The character is a wicked hero who didn’t fail to impress.

However, the storyline was bland, boring and predictable. Nothing special.

There were some great scenes though. The ninja scenes was rather entertaining. The fight scenes and roof jumping was cool too. But nothing really sticks in my mind as being outstanding.

I enjoyed the more… Continue reading →

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Jazz versions of pop songs (The Great Gatsby)

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I am so into the 1920s music and fashion at the moment!

It all began after I watched The Great Gatsby…

The coolest thing about the movie was that they did epic jazz versions of modern pop songs. The Bryan Ferry Orchestra perform the altered versions.

My favourites are… Continue reading →

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World War Z

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I love zombie films! They are probably my favourite kind of horror.

World War Z was an awesome, classic zombie film with big frights. It was not nearly as gruesome or cringe-worthy as many other zombie films like Dawn of the Dead or its sequel, which I think, although mildly disappointing, was an interesting change for the genre.

I won’t give away the unique trait of these zombies, but it is certainly a cool adjustment to the classic zombies you’ve seen in other films.

I can assure you, you will be intrigued with the altered storyline in this film. It’s not quite a cookie cutter zombie movie.

There was no mucking around at the beginning! There was like a five minute intro, then BANG! You’re in a world-wide zombie apocalypse.

There were heaps of moments where… Continue reading →

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Coming Soon!

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So excited to see the following films: Continue reading →

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The Great Gatsby

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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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