Love and Other Drugs

Despite the general consensus, I really enjoyed this film. Love and Other Drugs tells the story of ladies man Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaall) as he competes in the pharmaceutical sales world. In order to gain the approval of a doctor, he shadows his work life which leads him to meet Maggie (Ann Hathaway) a 26year old Parkinson's disease sufferer. After a great deal of causality in their relationship, deeper feelings begin to blossom.

Other than seeing a semi naked Jake, what I enjoyed about this film was the tone of originality and the character depiction. The story was told in a refreshing way, showing a great deal of the power in Maggie's hands. Jamie's character was written well. He was set up to be the biggest ladies man around, he treated women with no respect and yet we still warm to him. The writers manage to create some form of likeability which means we let him get away with his behaviour. After his first meeting with Maggie, he is brought down a peg as she beats him round the head with her bag. Even though this action is completely deserved, we immediately feel protective of our protagonist. I really like the way this set up has been done because I think the likeability of our protagonist is one of the most important components.

Jake Gyllenhaall and Ann Hathaway are both effortlessly watchable. They don't do anything especially great within their roles, except their openness in displaying their naked bodies, but similarly they don't do anything wrong in their roles either. Without sounding superficial, it is important for these actors to be good looking with hot bodies. Jamie's character would not be believable if he wasn't good looking, and equally, we would not believe that Jamie would pursue Maggie had she not been good looking. Having great bodies is merely for the audiences comfort, it is a safe assumption that no one would regularly enjoy seeing two fat, wrinkly bodies on screen.

I liked the inclusion of Jamie's brother to provide a bit of comic relief. However, although for several parts this did make me laugh, I felt that he was included merely for the cheap laughs. He did not add anything substantial to the story and it felt like the writers were trying too hard to force this film into the romantic comedy genre, when our two leads already did this. His character was pretty much exactly the same as Zach Galifanakis's in The Hangover, and at times it was as if we were watching a direct rip off of such.

Another major downfall of this film was the horrendous choice of soundtrack. For the most part, it was bearable; however their inclusion of music during the two/three poignant scenes in the character's relationship was absolutely awful. Whoever chose this piece of music should be shot. These scenes were important in demonstrating a change in character and a progression in their relationship. The non-diegetic music that played was the worst thing I'd ever heard. It is the type of music that would have been perfect for a big sickly cheese-fest movie, however the film was not this and in playing this music, it completely destroyed the tone the rest of the film had. As a result of this, instead of the moments being heartfelt and touching, they became very laughable.

I really enjoyed this film as a whole. I found it entertaining, I liked the characters and I liked the development of their relationship. I still, however think there are major flaws in the script. Maggie was a stage one sufferer of Parkinson's disease, and even though this was an interesting inclusion, it felt as if it was only included as a mere obstacle in their relationship. Whereas I feel this should have been a big part of the story, it seemed as if it was heavily cast aside and pushed more into the background. It would have been nice to see more of Maggie's struggle with this disease, and more of Jamie's concern about it. It felt as if the writer's got carried away with the love story, and that they only remembered to push her disease as problem towards the end to have it as a third act turning point.

Yes the ending was predictable, but that wasn't so much an issue for me. Most romantic films have predictable endings, because otherwise they wouldn't fit into said genre. The public like to see a character like Jamie's change and like to see a happy ending for Maggie's lonely self. This formula works and although sometimes it gets tiring watching the same play out, it felt necessary for this. It wasn't so much for the development of Jamie, but more for the development of Maggie and her acceptance to someone else in her life.

So yes. There are countless problems with this film, but that does not divert away from the enjoyment as a whole. It is charming, entertaining and funny. It has a small sense of originality and although many would argue much of the nudity was unnecessary, I believe it was a bold decision that paid off to the filmmaker's advantage. It made the relationship between the two seem a lot more real and comfortable. As well as this, I now completely fancy the pants of Jake Gyllenhaal and have deemed him worthy of Sara loving. 7/10

Cloverfield

Cloverfield has never really been a film I'm that bothered about, I only watched it because I had to for an assignment. But that being said, I actually really really enjoyed it.

I think the plots pretty simple and most people probably know what it's about anyway. But basically New York is under attack by an alien monster and our protagonists are trying to escape. The format of this film is used through the means of the hand-held camera, very Blair Witch esc. This keeps us at a personal level with the characters and makes the action more engaging.

It is safe to say that there is not an awful lot to this plot. It simply seems like an echo of the 911 terrorist attacks, however that being said, I have to say it is still very engaging. Once the monster attacks, the action is constantly fast which makes you unable to switch off. The chaos is paralleled with the unreliable camera source, which simply allows the story to feel a lot more real.

I wasn't necessarily blown away by any of the actors but I didn't hate them either. Most of the lead characters are averagely hot, so I guess they help to hold your attention somewhat. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and Beth (Odette Yutsman) are both pretty easy on the eyes.

The ending was naturally predictable but that doesn't really matter because this film isn't really about creating twists or leaving you surprised. The main point of the film is to simply demonstrate the monster in our society. How destructive things we depend on are, technology being the main point of reason.

So yeah, I would definitely give Cloverfield a watch. It's very short, (just over an hour) and its filled with mindless entertainment. I don't think I need to give anymore reasons than that. I've already stated that the actors aren't ugly, soooo I'll leave it with you. 7/10

Road to Perdition

Road to Perdition is quite a slow film, but director Sam Mendes packs it full of poetic beauty making it seem worth while.
In short, the story follows Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) who is a hit man to crime boss John Rooney. However after his son Michael witnesses one of his killings, he finds himself on the run trying to save his and his son's life, as well as still seeking revenge on those who have wronged him.

So as stated before, this film is a visually stunning piece of cinema. Mendes does a fantastic job with this film and manages to allow us into Michael's mindset, making us understand his fathers relationship with him. He creates a very visual dark tone to the film's entirety, which is a fantastic subtlety that keeps with the plot's content. I particularly loved his use of rain as a motif. It became very emblematic of the dark surroundings within the world of the film and was a great use of pathetic fallacy.

The story itself is an interesting one. Everything about the synopsis screams action, however Road to Perdition is far from that. Whereas running away and revenge are important aspects of this film, the main focus is the relationship between the father and son, and Michael's progression into becoming the echoes of what a good father should be. This allows us as the audience to get emotionally involved on a much deeper level. I think this level of emotion is an important one to have as otherwise the slow pace of the film would get the better of you.

The acting in this is superb from all parts. I don't think it's possible for Tom Hanks to give an unbelievable performance. He was cold and callous at the start but started to radiate some warmth through as the plot progresses. He really is a mark of some of the greatness modern day Hollywood can produce. Paul Newman was outstanding, as was Daniel Craig. I loved how he managed to generate distrust from the introduction of his character, Connor. There was something very subtle written across his face that beautifully sold us his mindset. However, it was the performance of Jude Law as Harlen Mcguire, which I was taken to more. His character is in very little compared to the other leading names, but I was so impressed with how creepy and disgustingly callous Jude Law could be. Anyone who has seen Law's performance in this can't deny that this is deserved praise.

Mendes's film would not have worked without a Thomas Newman score by its side. He is a simply fantastic composer and his score to this is amazing. In a short few seconds, Newman captures every feeling that is present on screen. He allows us to feel the sorrow in a gentle way that keeps the docile movement of the film in tact. (SLIGHT SPOLIER)His main theme to this film comes into play towards the end of the film when Mike takes revenge on Rooney and his gang. This whole scene is the mark of truly talented people. The complete use of non-diegtic sound and the absence of any other during the gunfire really regurgitates the emotion inside of you in an involuntary surge of awe. It makes you physically feel the atmosphere and become totally engaged in the scene.

I have given this the rating I have because although it was visually amazing, heart-wrenching and had one of the best scenes I have seen for a long time, it didn't generate as much enjoyment as I thought it would. It is definitely something I would watch again but not something I am in a hurry to run out and buy. I think the slowness of this is a benefiting factor of that, which although completely works with regards to this film, is not something I personally can fully engage and immerse myself into for 2hours. 7/10

Get Him to the Greek

My rating: 6.5/10

I absolutely LOVED Forgetting Sarah Marshall and so there was no way in hell that I would not go and see this film! What made it even better was that my friend managed to get free tickets to the preview of it!

I was not let down by my high preconceptions. This film just kept on delivering to me and surpassed my expectations. We are thrown into the world of the famous rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) from the beginning and get a quick fill of his life and success. We are then presented with our second lead, Aaron Green (Jonah Hill)as he proposes the idea to his boss Sergio (P Diddy) to host an Aldous Snow reunion concert at 'The Greek'. So, our inciting incident has happened. Aaron has been told he has 3 days to get Aldous Snow from London to LA in time for the concert. Sounds simple, but naturally this film does not follow the rules of simple. Aaron is thrown into a world of Sex, drugs and wild parties which is inevitably completely out of his comfort zone, and inevitably going to provide a lot of laughs.

Get Him To The Greek in my opinion is non stop funny. Having already been acquired to the character of Aldous Snow in Sarah Marshall, there is no question about what to expect. Jonah Hill plays the sort of awkward character you'd expect him too and so the film just delivers with a combination we know will provide a conflicting comedy.

There is no denying that this film is predictable in every way possible, but that works. It is not designed to be a thriller with lots of twists and unexpected turns, it's designed to make us laugh and it is more than likely that at some point it will do so.

I understand that when writing this I am writing fresh from my first viewing of it. I am already aware that this will no doubt have the 'Borat' effect on me. By that I mean, I thought Borat was a continuous laugh out loud film when I saw it at the cinema, however it failed to amuse me as much when I watched it again. Even so, I don't think that factor should falter the film's credibility.

One of the most surprising factors that I was not expecting this film to contain was P Diddy's good performance. His role as Sergio was actually pretty brilliant and I don't think many people would expect him to perform as well as he did. It is this reason as well why the film surpassed my expectations!

Ok, so if I liked it THAT much...why have I only given it 80? The reasons for this is simply because, yes. It is a good, funny film, however as much as I enjoyed it I don't think I can place the quality of it in the same ranking as the likes of LOTR, Shawshank and the other many greats that are out there. It would feel criminal for me to give it 100 because it entertained me with it's comedy, when other films take my breath away so much more with the amazing creativeness and the quality of every other aspect that is putinto it. Get Him To The Greek would be an absolute flop, if it were not for the casting and the script. They are the only good things about this film. And a good job too that they manage to work.

But overall I would recommend this to anyone who has a good sense of humour and appreciates this style of comedy. I won't be rushing out to see it again any time soon, but that is simply because I don't want to ruin the great memory the first impression has left in my mind!

Lucky Number Slevin

My rating: 7/10

I have to say that for saying when I watched this I hadn't really heard much about it, that I was very impressed!

McGuigan's thriller depicts a mistaken identity scenario in which we see our protagonist, Slevin (Josh Hartnett) mistaken for someone else by two powerful mob bosses. To say much more would be too telling of the plot so I will refrain from revealing any more.

This film paints a very complex idea onto an intelligent script. It maintains clever dialogue that allows our attention to be held throughout its entirety. Ok, so I will admit that although engaging some of the wordy dialogue used does seem a bit unnecessary. It comes across as if it's trying too hard to be sophisticated and clever when really it doesn't need to be as the rest of the film gives it its elegance.

I really enjoyed the direction and cinematography within this film. It has a real beautiful, elegant Sin City feel to it that allows the visual vibrancy to remain engaging. It maintains a quick pace and an air of swiftness is shown between each shot that draws a parallel to the smooth nature of our main character, Slevin.

Slevin's character is great. He is a really charismatic, likeable guy that makes it fun for us to watch and gives us a want to help him. He is a smooth talker but also reatains the form of a clumsy happy-go-lucky person. On our first introduction of him we immediately form empathy as we see his bad day go from worse to catastrophically disastrous. It seems an important thing to be able to feel this for him so immediately as our relationship with Slevin is important, although we don't necessarily understand this importance until the end.

Lucky # Slevin is a very engaging film. The major theme "mistaken identity" in which it draws on is done so on so many levels and we are demonstrated this in a physical, metaphoric and personal way. The cast is great, seeing the likes of Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, Josh Hartnett and Lucy Lou all performing to a great standard. It is a really good visual film to see and gives you so much to think about throughout that you are completely drawn into its world.

I was very impressed with what I saw as prior I did not have that high expectations and I definitely think that the camera tricks and editing will become even better on a second viewing since I will already understand the plot!