Film Love - Footloose

It's kinda weird that movie studios feel they have to remake movies, especially when they were successful the first time around, but I guess it means a whole new generation of people will enjoy the stories in a modern context. 

We watched the 2011 Footloose recently and were not disappointed. As soon as you hear the opening music, you can't help but be swept back to the 80s and the fun of dancing. The lead actors, Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough are very cute, and had us oohing and aahing at their bods. 

You know the story; city boy, Ren, moves to a small town to live with his aunt and uncle after his mother dies from leukemia. He falls for the Reverend's wild daughter, Arial, whose brother died in a car crash 3 years earlier, leading the town council to enforce curfews and rules on the youth of the town, including no public dancing. Arial and Ren can relate to each other's grief and feelings of oppression, so they rally to have the no public dancing rule lifted.

As with the original film, the music and dancing in this version are so uplifting and fun, you just gotta sing and dance along. Even if you've never busted a move in your life, you'll feel your toes tapping with this one. Even the bootscooting scene made me want to take up dancing again!

This film could be enjoyed by kids, but just keep in mind that there are a few sexy moves between Ariel and her boyfriend, as well as a scene where they physically abuse each other. There's no nudity though, and I don't recall there being any swearing. Besides those two scenes, it's all pretty harmless fun, with some lessons about family, grief and trust, to add depth.

My favourite scene in the movie is this one, where Willard learns to dance.
 I loved this scene in the original film too!

The little girls are too cute!

xx

The Hunger Games - Film Love

I'm back from my holidays in Melbourne!  I couldn't work out how to post from our iPad while away, so I'll be catching up on some pre-planned posts before I give my travel report. :)

Firstly, a film review for you:

After reading The Hunger Games series I had to watch the film. This film had a greater impact on me than the book. After watching years of  reality TV like Big Brother and Survivor, The Hunger Games made me realise how cruel it is to celebrate competition for our own entertainment, especially when people are placed in difficult circumstances, under the watchful eye of millions. Okay, so with normal television shows, the contestants volunteer, and they are trying to win prize money or fame, and they do not have to kill anyone, but the entertainment-at-other-people's-expense element is still there. 

And there are still moments of torture in those shows; ridicule, isolation, embarrassment and physical trials.

I had felt the Nazi Germany references in the Hunger Games book, but these became more apparent in the film, especially in the chilling, and deathly quiet reaping scene. 

It was sickening to see the people from the Capitol dressed in their outlandish costumes, congratulating the contestants, or tributes, for being chosen

and it was devastating to see the Gamemakers and technicians happily manipulating the games arena to add dangerous elements for more exciting viewing.

The terror felt by the contestants was more apparent in the film, the running and running to avoid fire and wild animals was heart-quickening, especially when their fast breathing and panic were so evident.

I felt the romance actually growing between Katniss and Peeta in the film, while in the book it was pretty much all fake on Katniss' part.

Jen Lawrence played the part of Katniss perfectly. Determined, but terrified. 

She reminded me of Emily Blunt, heaps.

You might remember Jen Lawrence as Mystique in X-Men:

Peeta Mellark was played by Josh Hutcherson, who was kind of hard to relate to, in a way, because I've seen him in so many kid's movies, that he still seemed like a kid to me.

Liam Hemsworth's role as Gale was short and sweet, but, by gee, he is good-looking!

Woody Harrelson played the role of the eternally drunk Haymitch to a T:

and the tyrannical Professor Snow was impressively portrayed by Donald Sutherland:

I hadn't heard anyone mention anywhere before that Cinna was played by Lenny Kravitz!
That was pretty cool.

The Effie Trinket costumes were spectacular, in a Lady Gaga kind of way:

But, ultimately, I didn't like the way this film made me feel; disenchanted and chilled. 

It is a powerful visual piece, that made me reflect on megalomaniac leaders from our past, 

and hope for a future that will be as far from this as possible. 

And I would recommend everyone to see it, for that reason.

Just don't expect to come away with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

xx

The Smurfs - Film Love

If you're looking for a fun film for the holidays for the kiddies, The Smurfs movie is as sweet as pie! 

I got all nostalgic watching this, remembering the Smurf cartoon 

and all the Smurf toys we got from BP when we were kids (remember that??) 

and adoring their little toadstool homes and bridges. Cute, cute cute!

The film is pretty much the adventures of the Smurfs in New York, 

and is a combination of 3D animation and actors, including the funny, Neil Patrick Harris, 

as Patrick Winslow: 

Jayma Mays as his wife, Grace:

Sofia Vergara as his boss, Odile and 

Hank Azaria, as the infamous Gargamel (seriously prefect casting!)

His cat had some great moments too:

Katy Perry features as the voice of the only girl Smurf, Smurfette,

and embodies the Smurf personality exuberantly!

This is a fun, fun, film and we (hubby, son and myself) all got right into it.  

I don't think the movie generated quite as much Smurf mania as the original cartoon and merchandising, 

(even though McDonalds produced Smurf toys this time around), but the kids of today certainly know who the Smurfs are. And they should! 

Uber adorableness!

xx

Red Riding Hood - Film Love

On Fridays I like to share a film I've watched and loved in the past week. This one is not brand spanking new, but we watched it last night for the first time. The setting is wild and medieval, and the visuals stunning - how can you not love the red cloak against white snow and the dark wood of the forest?

 The story is of course based on the age old story of Little Red Riding Hood, but this time the wolf is a werewolf, and is someone who lives in the village. Red Riding Hood, or Valerie, is quite tortured trying to figure out the identity of the wolf, and I must admit, we didn't work it out before the reveal, but if you think about the original tale you should be able to at least eliminate some of the suspects. 

Valerie (played by the beautiful Amanda Seyfried) has two cute beaus from which to choose:

Peter played by Shiloh Fernandez

and Henry, played by Max Irons

Gary Oldman stars as the witch and werewolf hunter, Solomon:

and Billy Burke and Virginia Madsen are Red Riding Hood's parents (clever, mother/daughter match!)

Werewolves and love triangles seem to be a successful formula for films, and it was effective here too!

Gorgeous visuals, a great cast, an age old story and a mystery to solve make this film a definite one to watch! 

Film Love - The Adventures of Tintin

 I loved reading the Tintin books as a kid, so was excited about seeing the film, especially as it set in the 1930s.

When the film started, I could see the 3D animation was brilliant, but I thought, why didn't they just make this film with actors? 

Then I realised that this little guy is the true star of the show and had to do a whole lot of stunts that would have taken a real dog a lot of training to achieve!

It was a laugh to see the dippy Thompson Twins in action:

And there were heaps of stunts to keep us engaged. Lots of swashbuckling and sword fighting, and adventures on the sea:

When you see this film, watch carefully for the sequence in Morocco with Tintin racing through the town on his motorbike - what a brilliant chain of events!

This is a really clever, funny movie, and is a good one for keeping the whole family entertained!

xx

John Carter - Film Love

I consider myself to be widely read, but, before last week, I had never come across books by Edgar Rice Burroughs in my travels. I'd heard of him, but never read one of his books. I realise now that he wrote
 Tarzan of the Apes. 

Well, last week, we watched the movie, John Carter, based on his book The Princess of Mars, and I really got into it! John Carter is a former American Civil War Confederate army captain when he stumbles across a cave that is a portal to the planet Mars. Here, he meets the inhabitants, both alien and human in form, and learns to survive in this unusual landscape. He realises he can bounce and jump extremely high on Mars, and he has amazing strength. 

A cross between the movies Hulk, Star Wars, Clash of the Titans, and Avatar, with a bit of the wild west thrown in, John Carter is a fantastic tale of  survival, and love. 

The lead actors, Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins, have a great chemistry and screen presence. 

I especially enjoyed the way Edgar Rice Burroughs himself is a character in the story, and I was intrigued by the part he played in John Carter's survival.

The setting at the beginning and end of the film is the late 1800s and is similar to that in the film, Sherlock Holmes, with its Victorian, industrial feel. Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Rice Burroughs were contemporaries in their time.

                                          Burroughs                                                     Doyle

I thought about the film for days after watching it, and then downloaded the book from ibooks for free. I love Burroughs writing style and know this will be a book I will enjoy.  

The book was first published in 1917, and over the years, there have been graphic novels based on the story, with illustrations like the one above. Very 70s and pulp fiction looking! But don't let that put you off - the story is brilliant!

Have you seen the film, or read the book? 

If you're a fantasy or sci-fi buff, I highly recommend them!

xx