Every year I say the same thing: I must try to review more of the movies and books I’ve seen, preferably right after I’ve actually seen them. And for the past two years I’ve ended up with a long list of all the stuff I hadn’t had the time to review. So for the next couple of days I’ll be doing a couple of posts with all the “left overs” I’ve got: short mini reviews about the movies and books I’ve seen/read in 2009.

I’m not even going to try to promise that 2010 will be any different. Instead, I think I’ll make these mini reviews a more regular thing and try to do one once every two months or so. I’ll still be doing reviews for the main movies and books I’ve read, but the smaller stuff (like things I watched on TV a full 2 years after the movie originally came out) will be just done in these mini reviews.

So here’s part 1 of the things I’ve watched in 2009:

Up

I don’t think I can say much about this movie that hasn’t been said yet. It’s a brilliant tale and if you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favour and watch it. It isn’t my personal favourite Pixar movie (that still remains Wall-E), but it’s got some great moments in it and everyone I know who’s seen it loves this movie!

Rachel Getting Married

I saw this movie around Oscar season trying to watch most of the movies that were nominated (in some way or another). This has to be one of most boring movies I saw this year. Yes, Anne Hathaway is good in it, and there’s tons of drama and tension, but really not the type of movie I enjoy watching.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Loved this movie, but I have to admit it has it’s problems. Visually it’s stunning (think the old drawings of Monty Python in CGI), but the plot doesn’t make much sense and I completely lost track of what happened in the last quarter of an hour. I know it could have been so much greater if Heath Ledger was still alive, but as it is, the story kind of falls apart.

FAQ About Time Travel

Brilliant little movie about 3 guys who get stuck in a time loop in a pub. It’s been described as a Shaun of the Dead type movie but about time travel, and it does kind of fit into that description. I had never heard about it before watching it and it pleasantly surprised. Plus it’s one of those movies that does require a 2nd viewing to completely appreciate it.

Law Abiding Citizen

The difficulty with this movie was that you weren’t really sure who you were supposed to be rooting for. Gerard Butler is kind of billed as the main character, but to call him the protagonist… no, not really. After a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free, Butler decides to take justice into his own hands. It edges on the border of being a smart, intelligent movie, but in the end fails to deliver.

Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa

Cute, easy sequel to the first animation. Nothing really special, but still an enjoyable movie.

Trick ‘r Treat

I first heard about this movie in 2007, but because of some trouble with the studio it didn’t get released properly until this year. It’s an anthology of 4 Halloween stories, all happening on the same Halloween night. I didn’t like all of the stories, but it works well together. I think my favourite was the one about Anna Paquin, who together with her friends has dressed up as sexy fairy tale princesses to pick up boys.

The Reader

The second Oscar-y movie in this list and one that I hadn’t expected to like. The movie is about Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in the late 1950s had an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp in the later years of World War II. Kate Winslet is great as Hanna Schmitz and her Oscar win is completely deserved.

The Oxford Murders

Another movie of which I had seen the trailer ages ago and then just never heard anything about. I loved the movie for its mathematic references and discussions and I really think I should read the book. Better than most movies in this genre without the assumption that the viewer is a complete idiot (which annoys me with a lot of movies).

Stranger Than Fiction

From all the films on this list, Stranger Than Fiction is a typical “me” movie; it’s a bit quirky, bordering the line of comedy and drama with an unusual. Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a slightly OCD tax auditor, who one day suddenly hears a voice narrating his life. It’s an unusual movie with that touch of fantasy and whimsicality while still remaining quite serious.

It’s that time of the year again that I’m listening to Christmas music, but my playlist always has some non conventional choices. This year I thought I’d share them with you! I love Nightmare Before Christmas, so (of course) most of the songs are in my Christmas playlist.

My favourite though is What’s This? And it has the most Christmassy feel to it. I really like Danny Elfman’s voice; I’ve tried searching, but does anyone know if he has sung any other stuff? Enjoy:

I love the BFI IMAX guys! They’ve got another cool screening planned and have again offered me a pair of tickets to give away to my dear readers. And this time it’s for a Batman All-Nighter!

It will take place on Friday 20th November, starting at 23:30. Four movies will be screened: the first two ‘old’ Batman movies from Tim Burton (Batman and Batman Returns) and the two new ones by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). That means you’ll be in the cinema for over 9 hours…

Yeah, that’s pretty long, but I think it will be completely worth it. I was too young when the Tim Burton Batman movies came out and would love to see them on the big screen. Also I never got to see Batman Begins in a large cinema and, well, IMAX is as large as you can get

The rules are the same as usual. Leave a comment behind here answering the following question: “Who is your favourite Batman villain?”. Anybody is free to enter, but you must be able to come down to London on that day to enjoy your prize. The competition ends on Sunday 15th 20:00. The winner will be contacted later that day.

I’ve already arranged my tickets to go and it would be great to see some readers there. There are still tickets available on the BFI website for £26 per person (£16 for students, £18 for concessions).

I’ve been keeping an eye on the upcoming movie Kick-Ass, based on the comic book series from Mark Millar. While I still haven’t read the comic, I’ve heard great things about it, plus I really did like Wanted and The Ultimates from Millar. It’s written (the screenplay that is, together with Jane Goldman) and directed by Matthew Vaughn, his first movie since Stardust (which I loved, so I hope this will be good). Here’s the plot description according to Wikipedia:

The plot of Kick-Ass concerns a lonely teenage boy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who decides to become a real-life superhero after being inspired by the heroes of comic-books. He soon encounters a mysterious vigilante called Big-Daddy (Nicolas Cage), and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz), who are working to bring down the drug baron, Frank D’Amico.

And of course the trailer:

I’m not convinced yet, but I am hoping this will turn out great. The trailer reminds me a bit of Condorman, which (depending on who you ask) could be a bad or a good sign. I’m also concerned about Nicholas Cage; when was the last time he made a good movie?

What do you think? Good or bad?

Via Firstshowing

I’ve been doubtful of this remake ever since I first heard of it. A remake of The A-Team? Seriously? Why? I loved the show as a kid, and it just seems such an unnecessary remake to, well, remake. And then the first casting rumours were released: Liam Neeson as Hannibal? He’s a great actor, but I can’t picture him as Hannibal. It just seems… wrong.

Other castings were Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson as Sgt Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracus and Sharlto Copley as Capt. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock. Hmm, Bradley Cooper. Could work, but not as clean or slick as I always imagined Face to be. The other two? Haven’t seen either of them in movies (yeah, I still have to go see District 9), so can’t really say much about them.

The first official photo was released last week though, and we finally get to see our characters for the first time:

Interesting. I’m liking Rampage as B.A. (although I’ll can’t be convinced before he opens his mouth) and Sharlto Copley as Murdock. Bradley Cooper still on a “could work” for me, but with slightly better odds. Liam Neeson… I know people like how bad ass he looks, and some think he’s got the Hannibal look down. But for me? I’m still not feeling it. A part of me hopes I’m wrong and I’ll await further judgment until I see footage/trailer, but so far I’m just preparing myself to be disappointed.

Via /Film

Yesterday it was announced that the Terminator franchise rights are up for sale, and now Joss Whedon has written a hilarious letter to the franchise owners to buy the rights for $10,000. The piece is just so funny I had to repost it here (you can find the original on Whedonesque):

An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul

Dear Sirs/Ma’ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where ‘hood’ was capitalized ’cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the ‘grapevine’ that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn’t miscount. That’s four — FOUR! — zeroes after that one. That’s to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here’s what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don’t ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture — and my pretend play — as any I can think of. It’s far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:

1) Terminator… of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far… back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? “Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!” RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

2) More Glau. Hey. There’s a reason they’re called “Summer” movies.

3) Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.

4) Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)

5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there’s a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.

Okay. There’s more — this brain don’t quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) — but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I’d like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including “Song of Norway” (no current franchise offer). Sincerely, Joss Whedon.

Okay, okay, I know, I’ve been really lax in posting trailers lately, and I haven’t done a Trailerrific Thursday for ages! Hopefully I’ll manage to catch up this week, but for now you have to check out this awesome trailer from Prince of Persia.

Prince of Persia was the one of the first computer games I played, and when I heard there would be a movie, I had my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t mess it up. The casting of Jake Gyllenhaal as the prince had me slightly worried, and I’m still not sure whether it would have been smarter to have gone with someone different. He looks the part, but it’s not how I imagined the Prince to be. One thing that has me optimistic though is that the man behind the original game, Jordan Mechner, is also behind the script of this movie (and he was also involved in the fourth Prince of Persia on which this movie is based).

So, here’s the trailer (although there is a way better high quality one on IGN):

It’s feeling a lot like The Mummy meets Pirates of the Caribbean set in Persia. I am liking it, but then, I loved the first installments of The Mummy and Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m a sucker for dusty, period set adventure movies, and Prince of Persia seems straight up that alley.

What do you think? Is it what you imagined a movie version of Prince of Persia would look like? Discuss in the comments.

I’m really in a Halloween mood, even though I have to stay in today to catch up on some work. So no dressing up and trick or treating for me this year (to be fair, I’ve never really celebrated Halloween before, so it’s not as if I’m missing out this year, cause normally I wouldn’t do anything anyway). Despite that though, I couldn’t resist thinking of costumes and wondering what I could put together if I had to do something last minute. So here’s my short list of last minute outfits (most of these are somewhat based by clothes I own, and which I could pull off last minute if I wanted to).

1. Lara Croft – Tomb Raider

An obvious place for me to start, especially after I got the remark last summer that I was in full-on Tomb Raider style. All you need is a simple black or brown pair of shorts, plus a black or brown tank top (although white and teal are also possible depending on which game/movie you take). Add a pair of sun glasses, boots and your outfit is complete. For extra effect, add a fake gun, gloves, and a little back pack.

2. Echo – Dollhouse

How simple can you make it? The dolls when in the Dollhouse walk around in what are basically pajamas. Loose fitting pants and a simple tank top… tada! You’re done. Now just walk around with a vacant look on your face.

3. Max – Dark Angel

I’m not even sure most people will get this, but I used to love Dark Angel (until it got cancelled… by Fox… of course). Max had a lot of different type of outfits on Dark Angel, but half of the time it was leather pants (or trousers or whatever you call it here in the UK) plus a neck high zipped jacket. Don’t forget to add the barcode to the back of your neck!

4. Steampunk

You might have seen my tweets yesterday when I realized I could use my bridesmaid dress as the basis for a steampunk costum. This is the dress I got, but anything brown and kind of long and flowy should work for this. There are a lot of ways you can go about putting this look together (there aren’t any real steampunk costume rules, I assume, it just has to be a bit victorian inspired). I’d try adding a leather vest or corset over the dress, or if you can find it a white high collared old fashioned shirt with ruffles. Add extra props like goggles or a parasol.

5. Chuck – Pushing Daisies

Again a tricky one, cause there are so many possibilities. Chuck on Pushing Daisies always had very colourfol combos on, and the main thing you have to bear in mind is to keep it as vibrant as possible. Most of the time she’d layer clothes in the same colour; for example, a bright red dress plus a bright red coat (although any colour would do). Most of the dresses were 50s inspired (although it depended per week). Add sun glasses and a head shawl to complete the outfit.

Bonus: Elle Wood – Legally Blonde

It’s not really a ‘geeky’ outfit, but I thought I add it anyway. To create the Elle Wood look, just take anything pink! Oh, and you have to be blonde (or get a wig). Extra points if you can arrange a chihuahua.

Ages ago when the first Saw came out (well, it was actually only 5 years… 6 movies in 5 years?!? Never stopped to realize that) my brother suggested watching it with the entire family. He had seen it already, and for some weird reason (which I still don’t understand how) I understood from him that it was a Japanese film… Yeah, still not sure where I got that idea from, but suffice to say I was a bit startled when the actors all turned out American and were just talking plain English.

I did like that first movie though, even if it left me feeling pretty disturbed afterwards. I never got around to seeing any of the sequels, mainly because I’m way too squeamish for these type of movies. The gore-and-blood level of the Saw sequels just seemed too much for my tastes (I wonder if there is such a thing like a toned-down cut of the movie? I wouldn’t actually mind watching it, if I knew the ickiness factor wasn’t there).

Anyhow, the lovely people from the BFI IMAX have offered me a pair of tickets to their special Saw All-Nighter on Halloween to giveaway here on my blog! They’re screening all six Saw films back to back, including the newly released Saw VI. There will be free tea and coffee available during the breaks and the bar will be open until the last film starts. The tickets are £26 (and only £16 for students), which is a great deal for 6 movies!

The rules are the same as usual. Leave a comment behind here answering the following question: “What would be your perfect Halloween costume?”. Anybody above 18 is free to enter, but you must be able to come down to London on Halloween to enjoy your prize. The competition ends on Monday 26th 14:00. The winner will be contacted later that day.

I know, I know, this movie has already been for ages in the cinema (well, 4/5 weeks), but I loved it so much, I thought I have to blog about it (and convince all you people who still haven’t see it yet to go see it). As I’ve said in some of my previous posts I’m extremely busy, mainly with organizing BarCampLondon7. I haven’t been to that many movies lately, cause I frankly can’t find the time! I’ve still got District 9 and Coco Before Chanel on my list of movies-to-watch-in-the-cinema, and this month there are loads of cool things coming out (Pandorum, Up, Fantastic Mr Fox, 9, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus).

All that aside, Inglourious Basterds is the latest film by Quentin Tarantino. Set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, it’s about a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” who are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

What I found surprising of Inglourious Basterds is that while the movie is named after ‘The Basterds’ it actually isn’t really about them. Yes, they feature quite heavily in the movie, but I don’t think I’d call them the main characters. There are a slew of interesting characters that are focused on as much as The Basterds, some maybe even more.

As most people who have seen the movie will tell you, one of the highlights is Christoph Waltz’s performance as Colonel Hans Lauda. His character walks that fine line between being genius and unbelievably creepy; some of his monologues are just brilliant and one of the main things that make this movie worthwhile. Like most Tarantino movies the dialogue in general is pretty topnotch, and the way Brad Pitt pronounces ‘Arrivederci’ will be imprinted in my brain forever.

I liked Tarantino’s previous movies, but I must admit I always found them a bit too… bloody. Gruesome. Over the top unnecessarily violent. (Feel free to disagree with me, but I seriously got a bit squeamish with his previous films) Here in Inglourious Basterds he’s toned it down somewhat. There are still one or two ‘icky’ scenes (always with The Basterds), but most of the real gruesome stuff happens off screen.

The movie has a couple of plot problems (like how does Shoshanna suddenly own a theatre?), but I’m guessing this is because of the cuts made after the criticisms at Cannes. The problems that were reported there though, like the slow pacing, are nowhere in sight. Inglourious Basterds runs for almost 2.5 hours, but it doesn’t feel that long. Still I’d like to see a longer version to straighten out those missing story lines gaps.

If you haven’t seen Inglourious Basterds, you should definitely try to catch if before is disappears from the cinemas. I loved this movie, more than Tarantino’s previous ones. And if you’re hesitant, because you’re scared it will be gory, don’t be; this is one of the mildest Tarantino movies. Inglourious Basterds provides a couple of hours of great dialogue, absurd plot and lots of killin’ Nazis.