X-Men: First Class | Dir: Matthew Vaughn | 2011 | Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Kevin Bacon, January Jones

X-Men: First Class follows the story of Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) - better known as Dr. X and Magneto, respectively - as they get to grips with the magnitude of their own powers, as well as others like them. As friends, they form a group of fellow mutants in order to face a great enemy, as well as the threat of a third World War. However, this ultimately leads to a rift between the two of them, each wanting to use their gifts in completely different ways. 

The film delivers a fair amount of cheesiness throughout but I actually enjoyed that aspect. Set in the 1960’s, the film plays with editing techniques one would imagine to see in the James Bond movies - particularly in a training montage sequence - and this really helps to set the tone and time of the piece. There are also a lot of slightly awkward lines that could easily have been lifted from the comics themselves.

Fassbender stole the show in this film and it is wonderful to see him getting more varied roles that display what a large amount of talent he really has. While McAvoy does an excellent job as Xavier (though it is a little cringeworthy to see his terrible pick-up lines), Fassbender simply felt perfect as Magneto. The tension between him and McAvoy is present, if a little understated, and one actually finds themselves swaying towards Magneto’s way of thinking - he wants revenge and rightly so. 

The supporting cast are an interesting bunch. Most notably, it is apparent from this film that January Jones is really not much more than a pretty face (and her diamond form in the film is far from impressive). While in Mad Men, her sullen faced acting seems to fit perfectly, here she was just downright vapid and clearly got the role of Emma Frost because of the way she looks.

Jennifer Lawrence was quite good in the role of Raven/Mystique, portraying the difficulties of being a teen as well as having an incredibly difficult mutation to deal with. While most teenagers struggle with the way they look, her issue is tenfold and she feels she must hide her true form from everyone, including herself. 

My friend hated the film, I loved it. It has a few minor problems and it’s not for everyone, sure, but it’s a whole lot of fun and definitely worth seeing if you like action films or comic book adaptations.

Watch this if you liked: The X-Men trilogy, The Spiderman trilogy

The Rules of Attraction, Roger Avary, 2002.

The Rules of Attraction, Roger Avary, 2002.

Drag Me To Hell | Dir: Sam Raimi | 2009 | Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Dileep Rao.

Drag Me To Hell is writer and director Sam Raimi’s return to the horror genre after completing his Spiderman trilogy (2002, 2004 and 2007). The film follows loan officer Christine Brown as she strives to earn the promotion that is on offer at her bank. She is told that she must learn to make tough decisions and when Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) visits her for help with the loan on her house - she has already been helped twice before - Christine tells her that the bank cannot help. Though a tough decision, this is decidedly the wrong one and Mrs. Ganush places a curse upon Christine. 

The curse upon her is that of the Lamia, a demon that torments its victim for three days before finally, as the title suggests, dragging them down into the fires of hell to burn for eternity. For these three days, Christine tries everything in her power to stop the grasp of the Lamia and, as the fortune teller (Dileep Rao) trying to help her says ‘You’ll be surprised what you are willing to do…

After so long spent making the Spiderman films, Raimi clearly wanted to go back to his roots with this film. Outside of Spiderman, he is probably best known for the Evil Dead trilogy (1981, 1987, 1992) - films that mix both horror and comedy and turn out a brutal yet hilarious film. This is no exception. There are a good few jumpy moments, with a dash of humour - particularly irony - that make this film a damn good horror. There are also wonderful little touches that make this typical Raimi style, particularly his strange editing techniques and skewed camera angles.

Alison Lohman is perfectly cast in the role of Christine - Ellen Paige was cast before her but dropped out, though I can’t imagine she would have been right for the part. She isn’t over the top, which is no easy feat in a film with a premise such as this, and brings just the right amount of subtlety to the role. 

Justin Long plays Clay, her boyfriend, who manages to deal with Christine’s strange predicament incredibly well. Although he is an obvious skeptic, he goes along with it because she is the woman that he loves so it is quite refreshing to see how someone ‘normal’ would deal faced with this situation. 

There are some a couple of gruesome moments here - animals don’t tend to fare well in this film - that could well put off the faint-hearted but if that’s not you, and you like a good horror film, I would definitely recommend giving this a whirl.

This is Sam Raimi doing what he does best. Give it a go!

Watch this if you liked: The Evil Dead trilogy, The Exorcist.

Buffalo ‘66 | Dir: Vincent Gallo | 1998 | Starring: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Houston, Ben Gazzarra, Mickey Rourke

Buffalo ‘66 is the debut feature from Vincent Gallo, who wrote and directed the film. The story follows Billy (Gallo),who has just served a five year sentence in prison. The film opens with him desperately needing the toilet and while he strives to find one, he eventually ends up in a building where a tap dancing class is taking place. Layla/Wendy (Ricci) is attending the class and Billy catches her attention the moment he walks in. When they bump into each other shortly thereafter, Billy kidnaps Layla before asking her to do him a rather large favour – which she accepts. What follows is an intriguing story about revenge, family and love.

The most noteworthy thing about this film is how beautifully it is shot. Simple moments like Ricci’s tapdancing scene and Billy’s fathers singing scene are shot in spotlight, accentuating these acts that are meant to be showcased on the stage. The flashback sequences also have a grainy, ‘super 8’ feel to them that gives the brief glimpses of Billy as a child more texture. The colour is often downplayed, with hints here and there – most notably Billy’s red boots – that stand out stark against the otherwise bleak background.

As a character, Billy should be hard to like but I found myself drawn to him, much like Layla is. There is something in his look that displays a certain naivety that makes you want to take care of him, even though, having been in prison, he should really know how to take care of himself. He is rude and sometimes harsh, particularly to Layla, but then in an instant his face will soften and one gets the sense that he simply does not know how to be nice.

Ricci is perfect as Layla, she is needy and a little neurotic but packs a lot of charm. The chemistry between her and Billy on-screen is intriguing, sizzling with sexual tension from the get-go. Her character reminds me of many leads seen in Sirk-ian melodrama’s, falling in love almost too easily but also forthright enough to go for what she wants.

Not a whole lot happens in Buffalo ‘66. It takes place over one night, following the happenings of Billy and Layla, but by the end of it I felt as though everything was perfectly in place.

Overall, a strangely charming, slightly off-the-wall film that will stick with you after you’ve seen it.

Watch this if you liked: Brick, True Romance, My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy.

Black Swan | Dir: Darren Arenofsky | 2010 | Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassell, Winona Ryder

Black Swan tells the story of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a dedicated ballet dancer who finally gets her big break when she is cast in the lead role in Swan Lake. While she is perfect for the role of the white swan, she struggles to find the darkness within to adequately portray the black swan, Odile. While she battles with her own fears of failure, Nina becomes more paranoid as weird things start to happen to her. With added pressure from the new girl, Lily (Mila Kunis), who is better equipped to play the Swan Queen, Nina’s challenge is a constant battle.

Natalie Portman does a fantastic job in this film. It is clear how much she put into this role and this really shines through in her portrayal of Nina, making her performance haunting and moving. She really holds her own in the way she is postured and, while the debate over whether she did or didn’t do her own dancing continues, she feels like a ballet dancer so that, in my mind is what matters.

Credit must also go to Mila Kunis in a great supporting role. She is perfect as Lily, fun and seemingly calculating in equal measure, one never knows whether to trust her or want to punch her and that was exactly what was required of her.

Winona’s bit-part is interesting as she seems to be almost playing herself - a woman who has been usurped by a younger version of herself. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Winona but of course, as she grows older, she is going to lose out on the more sought after roles by people like Portman and Kunis.

The cinematography in Black Swan is amazing - the scenes are shot with such precision and everything is staged perfectly. There were numerous parallels and a great deal of mirror imagery that really emphasised the light and dark sides of Nina’s character. 

However, there was something that I can’t quite put my finger on that hindered my enjoyment of the film. Was it the over-the-top CGI ‘chicken skin’ that is used at every possible moment? Was it the almost desperation on behalf of Aronofsky to make it into a noticeable ‘Aronofsky-esque’ piece of cinema? Who knows. All I can say is that I didn’t enjoy the film as much as I expected.

And am I the only one who thinks that Barbara Hershey looks a lot like Mickey Rourke these days?

Overall, an interesting piece of cinema that is worth a viewing, particularly for Portman’s performance.

Watch this if you enjoyed: The Prestige, Requiem for a Dream, Mulholland Drive.

Jawbreaker | Dir: Darren Stein | 1999 | Starring: Rose McGowan, Julie Benz, Rebecca Gayheart, Judy Greer.

Jawbreaker is a story you have probably heard before. It is set in a high school that is ruled by an elite clique of popular, beautiful girls: “The Flawless Four”. There’s Courtney (McGowan), Marci (Benz), Julie (Gayheart) and Elizabeth (played by former Miss Teen USA, Charlotte Ayana in a non-speaking role), four best friends who are infamous at their school. However, when Courtney, Marci and Julie play a prank on Elizabeth the morning of her seventeenth birthday, things go horrendously awry and (I’m not really spoiling anything here) she ends up asphyxiating on a jawbreaker. Cue the three girls trying to cover their tracks to make sure they don’t get into trouble for the death of their friend. 

What follows is seemingly predictable - one girl would rather confess all to the police, another the obvious ringleader who convinces them to go along with it, and a third who is definitely a ‘follower’. 

Thrown into the fray of this story is Fern Mayo (Greer), socially awkward and clueless, who idolised Elizabeth because she had it all. Fern stumbles upon the girls trying to cover-up their misdeeds and, rather than have her blow it all, Courtney gives her the clichéd makeover that not-so-surprisingly reveals a beautiful swan beneath the ugly duckling facade. 

After all of this, there is the ultimate showdown that takes place at none other than the end of year prom. What happens? Well, you can guess.

None of these actresses really stand out here. Though I’m a fan of Rose McGowan, in particular, this is one of her earlier roles and she has certainly blossomed since then. However, I can only imagine that the direction for these girls was to act as air-headed as possible and the result is an okay film that takes inspiration from Heathers and Carrie. 

Overall, this film was okay and easy to watch but was somewhat lacking in any real charm.

Oh, and look out for a cheeky cameo from a Mr. Marilyn Manson.

Watch these if you liked: Heathers, Carrie.

Easy A | Dir: Will Gluck | 2010 | Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgely, Amanda Bynes.

I have watched this film a couple of times now and I think the thing I like about it most is that it’s a film about how awesome other teen movies can be. The film follows main protagonist Olive Penderghast (Stone) as she goes from a high-school nobody to the most talked about girl in school. Inspired by the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Olive soon becomes the talk of the school after lying to her best friend, Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) about an encounter with a college boy. This lie spirals out of control and she soon ends up helping fellow outcasts out by lying about her promiscuity and the entire notion spirals out of control.

What is also intriguingly different about this film is that the love interest narrative is actually more of a secondary strand to the main story. Penn Badgely plays ‘Woodchuck Todd’, the schools basketball team mascott who Olive had a brief encounter with many years ago and who she confesses to still hold a torch for. While this story is sweet enough, I personally think that the film would have still been great without it.

Emma Stone is one of my favourite upcoming actresses. Not only is she genuinely beautiful, she’s also hilariously funny and I find myself developing more of a girl crush on her each time I see her. It is rare to find an actress that can truly stand her comedic ground in a film and the rest of the characters are mere support that she rarely needs. Stone stands firmly alongside others like her, such as Drew Barrymore and Kristen Wiig. 

Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson both have small parts as Olive’s parents and they are simply perfect. Many teen films see parents either not around or as caricature antagonists to the teenagers so it is refreshing to have supportive and funny parents around to show that not everyone grows up with horrid parents.

By no way is this a perfect film, but who cares? It’s fun, entertaining and easy to watch so definitely worth a viewing when you are in search of some light entertainment.

Watch this if you liked: The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Say Anything, Can’t Buy Me Love.

moviesinframes:

The Fall, 2006 (dir. Tarsem Singh)

This film is truly beautiful.

diaryofafilmstudent:

RESCUE centre bosses are struggling to rehouse this ugly moggy — because would-be new owners claim it looks like evil Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter films.

Workers at the charity say visitors looking to give new homes to strays have been scared off by the white cat’s resemblance to Ralph Fiennes’ chilling character. The abandoned cat, named Charlie, had to have its ears and nose removed after suffering from skin cancer and vets say his pale skin led to him catching the disease.

I’ll have this cat, poor little tyke.

salesonfilm:

Armie Hammer and Leonardo DiCaprio filming Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar

Well, I’m just in all kinds of favor of this.

Oh. My.

totalfilm:

Armie Hammer sharing kissing scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar

Armie Hammer, who appeared as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, has spoken candidly about the requirements of his role in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover biopic. Hammer is playing Clyde Tolson, an associate, and rumoured gay lover, of FBI director Hoover (DiCaprio). Until now, it wasn’t clear how explicitly the relationship would be hinted at in the film, but Hammer has spoken to E! Online and revealed some details.

The actor said: “It’s not a kissing scene. It’s a ton of kissing scenes. I actually just met [DiCaprio] for the first time Saturday at the DGA Awards. He’s a talented actor. I’m not nervous or afraid of it being awkward. The script is great. The scenes are in there for a reason.”

I’m sure it’s going to be very well done, but it’s also going to be HAWT.

minimalmovieposters:

The Royal Tenenbaums #1 by Adam Maida