Ruby Velour

So this is a bit late. What can I say? I’m slack as hell and never gonna change! But that’s part of my charm, right???

COWBOYS & ALIENS

I had been looking forward to this film for some time. I saw the trailer a while ago online and couldn’t wait to finally see it. Daniel Craig as a tough (sexy) cowboy who doesn’t remember who he is, combined with the likes of Harrison Ford AND aliens? It was too good to be true. I took mum to see it as she was just as eager as I was, and it surpassed our expectations! Thankfully it wasn’t in 3D (have I told you just how OVER 3D films I am now?) and instead relied on a great story line and awesome special effects as well as fantastic casting.

The year is 1873 and a man wakes up with no recollection of how he wound up in the middle of nowhere, who he is, nor where the fancy metal cuff got onto his wrist. He quickly learns he is a wanted man and as he’s about to be carted off to be tried for his crimes, the town is attacked by aliens who steal people away, leaving the town devastated. The remaining citizens then go after the aliens to retrieve their loved ones and get rid of the evil aliens. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but I am telling you now, it is fantastic. I also loved how authentic it was, there was no need to glamourise that era of make it trendy by being a bit steampunk (which is something I normally love, but it would have been tacky if done in this particular film).

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

When I first saw the trailer for this I was a little bit sceptical. After all, the remake of Planet of the Apes by Tim Burton was an absolute travesty and he’s a damn good director so I kind of assumed there was no hope. But then the reviews started rolling in and they were all excellent so between that and the fact James Franco is a dreamboat, so I went to see it with neutral feelings, hoping for something amazing but accepting of the fact it might completely blow.

Fortunately, it was EXCELLENT! The CGI as mind-blowing, to the point where you were absolutely certain that most of the apes (particularly the orang-utan’s) were real. The story line was pretty simple but very well told and as hopes, James Franco was his usual charming self and John Lithgow’s did a terrific job as his aging dad who was the catalyst for much of what happens in the film.

I really hope they don’t make a ”sequel”  as the ending explains how the world becomes the Planet of the Apes in the 1968 classic. But based on its success and the way Hollywood can;t leave a good thing alone, I’m sure one will be in production soon.

RED DOG

Now this is a film I never thought I’d see, let alone love. I saw the poster for it back when HP: DH2 was out and I recall slinging off at it and saying “I’d rather die than see that”. This is a definite case of  ”don’t judge a book by its cover” because the poster did not reflect the beauty of the film one bit, and believe me, Red Dog was one of the most wonderful films I’ve seen in years. It’s very, very Aussie but not in an alienating way that only Aussies will get. It was just really authentic without going overboard with the cliche’s or the “zany” Australian style of film making that can make our films hard to market overseas.

Red Dog is the main character and is a kelpie whom the residents of the rural town of Dampier fell in love with in the 1970s. They retell his story to a truck driver who happens to stop by their only pub as Red Dog has been found gravely ill (don’t worry, this is the very first scene so I didn’t just spoil the film horribly for you). They recall his grand adventures which include his wanderings through Western Australia‘s Pilbara region, as well as the many wonderful ways that he impacted their lives.

I really don’t want to go into more detail because I want everyone to go see it and enjoy it for themselves. Ignore the lame movie poster and take some tissues because it gets really bloody sad, more than once. I really hope this film does well because it deserves to be shown all over the world and appreciated by anyone who loves dogs or just enjoys well-made Australia movies. I seriously got a tear in my eye from just reading the synopsis of the film, which means I’m probably going to have to see it again. Oh darn!

It’s been a little while since my last movie review, but let’s just say I was saving it up for three really good and varied films for your review-reading pleasure.

PAUL

I knew I would like Paul no matter what. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are amazing together and have so far picked some of the best film genres to poke fun at. And now it’s time for them to get really geeky. In case you’ve been living under a rock or on the moon or some such dark, fun-less place, Paul is about two geeky English friends who go on a  road trip across the USA after attending Comic-con, to see all of the famous alien sites. Along the way they meet a real alien called Paul who lacks manners, class and tact. They end up being pursued by scary government people who are hell bent on catching Paul and naturally, hilarity ensues.

This film is not for kids, there is a LOT of swearing and general adult themes. But it is a terrific comedy that makes you go AWWWWW at the end because everything works out perfectly as we all knew it would. I managed to miss the very start and one of the key scenes thanks to my lame bladder, so I am looking forward to seeing it again soon.

MAD BASTARDS

I read a couple of decent reviews about this film, and then managed to score myself a free double pass to see a preview screening. I didn’t know what to expect, and in all honesty my expectations weren’t very high. I was expecting it to be depressing and all about the agonies Aboriginal people endure every day. In some respects I was right but I was very pleasantly surprised by how it didn’t make me feel sad at all. In fact I would say it made me feel hopeful, which is a far cry from walking out of the cinema with puffy eyes from sobbing too much. The film is essentially about a young Aboriginal boy who lives with his mum in the Kimberly region of WA. He’s starting to get into trouble so gets sent to type of camp for naughty kids to try and remind them of their heritage and help them avoid jail in the future. Meanwhile his father who he’s never met travels all the way up from Perth to finally meet his young son.

It was beautifully shot, the cinematography was just divine and I thought the pacing was really good. The acting wasn’t exactly top notch, but they used real people from the region and I think they did a magnificent job considering they’re not professional actors. It was a little bit sad, but it was mostly bittersweet and you know things were going to work out well in the end, though they didn’t delve into that and kind of let left it so you make up your own mind about what happens next. I also liked how they had candid interviews with the actors during the credits, telling their stories which the film was based on. I highly recommend it.

THOR

I had some pretty high expectations of Thor and I am delighted that I wasn’t disappointed.  admit I always found the idea of the Thor comics kind of odd, I mean he’s not a superhero really, he’s the god of thunder! But I guess the definition of what a superhero is can be very varied (after all, Batman is just a rich guy with lots of cool gadgets and Superman is actually an alien who is just average on his home planet). I didn’t realise this was directed by Kenneth Branagh, but in hindsight it was so very Branagh (aka excellent).

In the film Thor is set to become king but his dad realises he’s a bit too much of an arse with a lot of growing up to do after he incites war with an old enemy. So he banishes him to Earth to learn a few things about life. Thor quickly discovers he’s not a god on earth and when he hears bad news from back home he grows up quick-smart while also falling in love with the girl who discovered him. Then he and his cool troupe of friends do some serious arse kicking and also he takes his shirt off to the delight of women everywhere.

Without giving much away, the only flaw I found was that he learned his lesson a bit too quickly. But then again, I wouldn’t have sat through three hours of him being a pratt before he eventually realises he needs to grow up if he’s ever to go back to Asgard. But aside from that everything was wonderful. Chris Hemsworth was excellent, and although I was disappointed that Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t to play Thor, Chris more than made up for it by being equally handsome and possibly an even better actor.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

While writing this (let’s just say WordPress and I are not on very good terms right now so this has taken a lot longer than the average post) I saw yet another film which I thought I will add on the end here…

SOURCE CODE

I saw this film on a whim and am glad I did. I hadn’t heard much about it and had only seen a snippet of the trailer which had piqued my interest. I love sci-fi and I love action movies so I really, really liked this. The plot is quite complex so you do need to think a fair bit throughout, but it’s so different and engaging that even the laziest film-goer would find themselved immersed in the story.

I could spent ages trying to give you a decent enough synopsis of the movie, but I recommend you just go and read this review and then take my word that it was great. Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job, which is lucky because after Prince of Persia I have been wary of his acting (luckily that was just a one-off that we will all forget about soon enough). I kind of felt the ending pandered a bit too much to the audience who always needs a happy ending, but then again it was such a twist that I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw the film which I guess is a sign of a good ending after all. I still don’t quite get how it all worked out, so I am going to have to make my smarter friends see it so I can pick their brains afterwards.

I love movies. I go to to see them all the time and prefer going to a cinema than downloading them and watching them at home as I love the whole experience. As such I’m not sure why I’ve never really bothered to review any of the films I go and see. I thought I might change that though and give you all a little run down of the films I’ve seen lately. I’m definitely not a film critic, in fact I am very easily pleased and find most film reviews kind of boring by getting too deep and intellectual about everything. I’ll keep mine shot and sweet and avoid spoilers as much as possible.

BLACK SWAN

I wasn’t sure what to expect because of all the hype about this film. First and foremost I was more than a little bit curious about the alleged lesbian sex scene between the two main characters, after all both actresses are very attractive and it’s not something you hear much about in Hollywood (except for the occasional girl-on-girl kiss). I was quite surprised by how the film turned out. It was implied that Mila Kunis was the antagonist and was playing mind games with Natalie Portman when all along it was Natalie Portman just being crazy as hell. I loved that little twist, and I loved the end sequence when she goes nuts during the Black Swan routine and then the demise of the White Swan. Ahhh, I love crazy lead female characters.

TRON

I hate to admit it, but I was kind of disappointed with this film. I loved the look of it (I was delighted by how the 3D only kicked in when he was in the game) and though the costumes were amazing but aside from that, it was kind of dull. I really need to watch the original again, I can’t even be sure if I’ve ever seen it in full, because I’m sure there was a lot I missed as a result of my ignorance. It was a little bit too complex at times and there absolutely could have been more action. I loved the character Quorra, as she has the best haircut ever (I am seriously contemplating getting it myself) and was all round very cute and sweet, but they could have probably developed her character a bit more. I’m still considering dressing s her for Supanova though ;)

127 HOURS

I only just saw this and really liked it. Admittedly I have a soft for for James Franco, but I really think he did an awesome job. For a film where the character is trapped by a rock for most of the film, a surprising amount of stuff happens. I’ve done a little bit of reading up the film and am happy to hear the real Aron Ralston not only loved the film, but said “the film is “so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama.” I’d be pretty chuffed about that if I was Danny Boyle (the director who also did Slumdog Millionaire). The scene where he cuts off his arm is realistic but not as graphic or sickening as I expected. Definitely cringe worthy though! Go see it if you haven’t already.