Craig's Movie Club - The Sequel

So, no surprise here but I have been watching a few more films. Once again some were a bit lame but some were a bit fantastic. I saw some amazing acting, awesome locations and some inspirational moments - so lets go.

Carrie (2013)
We all know the old adage "Don't fuck with the original". Most of the time I agree. You can't recreate something that was perfect, for example when you make the most amazing meal and you want it again and again - it never tastes the same. Some films should remain untouched. 'Psycho' was one of these - why Vince Vaughn decided to sign on for the remake I will never know. However, 'Carrie' needed retelling. I don't want to insult anybody and diminish anyone's work but the original sucked. It was boring and was too reliant on people becoming invested in the title character. Lets all thank Jesus that someone decided to give it another shot. This movie was great. If you don't know the story I will try and quickly sum it up. Basically Carrie is a 17 year old girl, she is cruelly bullied for no reason, her mother believes Carrie is some sort of descendant of the devil and must be punished and to top it all off she develops telekinesis (the power to move things with her mind).
The ending of the film is beyond perfect, I was in awe throughout it. Carrie goes bat shit crazy when her tormentor drops a bucket of pig blood on her as she is crowned Prom Queen. The effects are top notch. Chloe Grace Moretz plays the title character and she was perfectly cast for the role. Julianne Moore plays her mother and for someone that is so naturally beautiful she plays this haggard role extremely well. This was a great retelling of a Stephen King classic, even though I have a slight moral problem with siding with someone who is basically a mass-murderer.

The Spectacular Now (2013)
When the words 'From the creators of (500) Days Of Summer' is written across a movie poster you know I will be seeing it. Unfortunately for Britain this film came and went without so much as a whisper. I could ask everyone I know about this film and I know only 1 other person would know what I was talking about. The story of the film is mainly based around an 18 year old called Sutter (nope, never heard that name before either), to cut it short he is basically an alcoholic with a lot of issues - he has no father in his life, he is failing some of his classes and his girlfriend just dumped him after a misunderstanding. Then Aimee, the beautiful Shailene Woodley, finds him passed out whilst on her paper route. It sparks up a beautiful little romance.
I have some pro's and con's for this film. It is a beautiful film and the acting is top notch. The relationship between the two main characters in incredibly believable. Some of the shots are stunning and I love all the location choices. The story is a great one and you really pull for Sutter and Aimee. Well now you have had your sugar it is time to take your medication - the ending! What was that? I get so frustrated when there is no closure as I get extremely attached to characters. She is just about to say something and BAM the credits, I even had to message a friend about my frustration. Another thing that kind of irked me was Aimee's character, don't get me wrong she is a great character with some amazing qualities, but she seems to lose some of herself when she gets in to the relationship and she becomes so all about Sutter - she breaks her arm for god sakes and apologises. Anyway regardless of this I thought it was great little film and I will definitely be watching it again.

Elf (2003)
This was my choice for the film to watch on Christmas morning with the fam. It is a great film, but let me get real on your ass for a couple of minutes - I used to hate it. I couldn't watch it, I thought it was stupid, I didn't like Will Ferrell and the story didn't interest me. I don't know what happened, maybe my heart grew 3 sizes Grinch style, but now I love it. It is such a funny film, literally laughing out loud through out, Will is amazing as Buddy and my beautiful Zooey is there. This movie is about a man called Buddy who is raised by elves and Santa Claus. As he is now in adulthood they tell him the truth and Buddy sets out to New York to find his father.
Hilarity ensues as he gets accustomed to life outside of the North Pole. His excitement of seeing Santa in a department store, his introduction to escalators and his many naive moments are what make this film so great. There is one moment that always makes me laugh and I don't think many others notice; he is walking his half-brother home and simply says 'So good news, I saw a dog today'. I think this one line just sums up everything I love about Buddy. So, I want to apologise to everyone connected to this film, I slagged it off to high heaven - but we all make mistakes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
I had my reservations about this film, and I don't want to sound mean but I just haven't enjoyed much Ben Stiller has done since his one episode stint on 'Friends'. I think he is great at what he does, he makes millions of people laugh but I just don't. However I still went to see it, and thank the lord I did. It was so beautiful. If you are a fan of amazing landscapes and images of places you haven't seen before then this is the film for you.
The story centres around Walter Mitty (surprise), he works for a magazine, the magazine is publishing its last issue but the image for the cover is missing - so Walter goes on this great adventure to track down the photographer and get the photo. That is basically the skeleton of the story, there is so much to it. Walter is an avid day dreamer and imagines himself in amazing situations, but then it often comes crashing down on him as the realisation of his real life dawns on him. So this adventure is exactly what he needs and with it comes a lot of ups and downs. I won't ruin too much for you because you should discover this film for yourself. It was shot with such care for the locations it shows, you see some amazing sights. It is great film and I will definitely watch it again because I am sure I will discover more that I love about it. I am also a sucker for a great quote and this film is literally filled with them.

One Direction: This Is Us (2013)
I will put my hand up with no shame at all - I am a fan of One Direction. I don't understand why I should be ashamed at all. They are harmless, sing great pop songs and lets face it there is nothing wrong with 5 good looking boys looking back at you. When my friend told me she had a copy of the film I had no hesitation with setting a date for when we would watch it together. So, there I was, vodka-lemonade-lime in hand and I was ready to embrace One Direction. What I didn't expect was the film to be so good. I knew I was going to enjoy it but not to the extent that I did.
The cinematography was so good, the shots they chose were great and I really felt that I knew One Direction on such a deeper level then I did before I watched the film. We got to meet the real them, nothing felt staged and I believed everything they said. The film was obviously littered with performances, but I wasn't mad because they sang some of my favourite songs. Will I watch it again? I am not sure as I felt I got everything I could from the film, but I am so glad I watched it.

Craig's Movie Club

So, I have seen a few good films in the last few weeks. Some were amazing and some were a bit blah. As I am a blog that literally talks about anything I thought I would give some little reviews. I warn you now there are some spoilers, so here we go -

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
This film was recommended for me on Netflix, and I decided to give it a gander as I love Aubrey Plaza's work on 'Parks and Recreation' and also Jake Johnson's work on 'New Girl'. The film centres around a reporter and his two interns and them chasing a story about some guy who has advertised for some one to be his sidekick as he attempts to time travel. It isn't a film that is bogged down with science fiction, I have no knowledge of psychics and I followed it just fine. It is a really good film. The relationship that Aubrey's character develops with the time traveller is quite special and in the end you don't want him to be this crazy guy that everyone thinks he is. Also there is a cameo from the awesome Kristen Bell so I was more than pleasantly happy with this film. The ending was great - a little bit of mystery so you can decide what happened.

The Blind Side (2009)
My love for Sandra Bullock has no limit. I will stand and cheer for anything she does (even the less than stellar 'All About Steve' which I happened to enjoy). I can't believe it has taken me this long to watch this film which gave my beloved an Oscar. This film is basically about a well off family that takes in a boy from the wrong side of the tracks and looks after him. He is built like brick shit house so he is perfect for American Football. They love him as if he is their own. The story is very touching and I got a lump in my throat basically every second line that was spoken. Sandra is amazing in it and totally believable portraying this woman that actually exists, as it is a true story. I love a film that makes me cry and with this film I was snivelling wreck.

Gravity (2013)
Another Sandra film, and this time I made sure I saw it in a cinema. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS IN THE CINEMA. The effects are awesome, I found myself questioning half way through if they didn't actually film this in space. It is so amazingly done and so real (as far as I can gather). Sandra's performance was definitely award worthy and I hope she gets celebrated for it. The film it self is quite stressful, the story is about a bunch of astronauts that become under attack from high speed debris flying at them. It destroys the ship they were on and basically a bunch of the film is Sandra just spinning around in space.
You long for the safety of her's and George Clooney's characters as they aim to board the International Space Station to use their escape pod. Some of the shots throughout the film just left me open mouthed - my favourite was the scene where Sandra takes off her suit. This is in no way perverted, it was just beautiful. The fluidity of being in space, this might resonate with some people, but it almost looked like a baby in the womb (its a weird thought but it did to me). Apparently there are some scientific inconstancies but it should no way effect your enjoyment.

Rebecca (1940)
Someone at work knew that I  was a Hitchcock fan and they asked if I had seen this film, I hadn't so they borrowed it me. The horror when I found out it was over 2 hours long nearly put me off (my attention span can last comfortably for an hour and half to two hours. However my love for Hitchcock films and my co-worker sat me in my seat for the entire duration. It is a story of a woman who marries a recently widowed man, she moves in with him and finds her self constantly in the shadow of the deceased wife. The wife's cause of death is put under scrutiny, and is also revealed that the husband did have some part in the death, but he is found not guilty. The problem for me with this film is that it could have been a hell of a lot shorter, the first hour is incredibly dragged out and there is a lot of scenes that are not necessary. I almost turned it off half way through, already thinking of a lie about how much I loved it. I am glad I didn't. The last hour is great in comparison. Would I watch it again? No. I don't need to but I am glad I have watched it.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
I feel like this is one of those films that everyone has seen and I never did. It is a classic film that is constantly mentioned in popular culture. I always remember Phoebe talking about it on 'Friends' so I wanted to see it. So finally I sat down with it, I decided to watch the colour version (I'm a fan of fashion so I wanted to see the clothes in all their glory).
The film is a lot to take. You constantly ask yourself how much one man can take, how could he not snap? Its constant disappointment after disappointment. I started to question the film's title. Then we get to meet the amazing Clarence. At the lowest point of the main character's story, George, he contemplates suicide. Clarence, the angel to yet to receive his wings comes and saves him and shows him just how much influence he has had on the people around him. It is a beautiful last 45 minutes and really makes you question your own life. The ending made me cry like a sinner in church. I am not surprised this is a classic, it was perfect.

#TeamApplause Vs. #TeamRoar

As a huge fan of pop music it was hard to ignore the battle that raged between Little Monsters and Katy Kats. Both Katy Perry and Lady Gaga's comeback singles were leaked on the same week. Lady Gaga introduced us to 'Applause' her first single from her new album 'ArtPop' and Katy Perry introduced us to 'Roar' her first single from her new album 'Prism'. Whilst no harsh words were exchanged between the two stars, instead opting to acknowledge their joint frustration with hackers, there has been huge competition between fans and it has widely been reported by media. Unfortunately for the Little Monster's of the world, the Katy Kat's came out in force and took the cherished higher position (neither one beating 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke). To date 'Roar' has sold 557,000 copies in America and 'Applause' has sold a very respectable 218,000 units.

So as a fan I thought I would quickly review the singles and give my very 'important' opinion.

'Applause' - Lady Gaga

I have to admit I wasn't in love at the first listen. After all the build up for 'ArtPop' I was expecting a more artistic and alternative song to be debuted. Of course it is different to past hits like 'Bad Romance' and 'Poker Face' but it doesn't show a big detachment. There is an electro-dance beat that will keep the club lovers happy. This song will be very easy to dance to, as an amateur shape maker I could imagine myself getting down with my bad self with this song. However, for an artist so set on pushing boundaries she has come out with quite a generic pop song. A lot of the lyrics also don't make sense - almost as if she took influence from David Bowie's 'cut-up technique' in which he cut up a newspaper and picked his lyrics from that.
After listening to it more I am starting to love it. It seems to be quite a personal song and definitely says something that other people wouldn't say 'I live for the applause'. It is a statement a celebrity would not say as they don't want to appear shallow - Gaga doesn't care. I am looking forward to her album, if it follows this song then we can expect a great dance album, and at the end of the day music is supposed to move you, physically or emotionally.

'Roar' - Katy Perry

When I first heard this song I was one of those people - isn't this 'Brave' by Sara Bareilles? The theme and the sound are uncanny. I am going to trust that it wasn't plagiarism and just a weird coincidence. Sara can't be too angry as the comparison has seen an 80% rise in sales for her single in the past week. Anyway back to the review, I am a sucker for an anthem that promotes being proud of who you are and being strong. I really like this song - a whole lot. Katy's vocals are great. This song is definitely personal as it is highlighting her moving on from quite a lot of personal turmoil. However, we can all relate to it. We all have had our shit and we need a good song to remind us that we can still be a champion.
Just like for Gaga, I was expecting a detachment from the type of music we were already used to. All the promotion for 'Prism' seemed to show a darker and more deeper Perry. But why fix something that isn't broken? She broke records with 'Teenage Dream' and she has a fan base she know she can please. If I hear this song when I am out and about (and drunk) I will for sure be fist pumping along, screaming the lyrics with pride.

Conclusion

I like both songs. They are crowd pleasing and catchy. I for one will most definitely know all the lyrics to both of them whether its voluntary or not. They both give us a glimpse into what could be a couple of great albums. If I had to pick one I would have to pick Perry. It's just more my kind of taste, this isn't a loss for Gaga as I am yet to purchase either single (and I can't see me buying either).

Ellie Goulding's Halcyon - My Review

The plan was to reveal my Top 10 Most Played on my iTunes. There were two major flaws to this plan; 

1. I mostly use Spotify, so the numbers aren't correct anymore

2. When I did look at my Top 10 Most Played Ellie Goulding's Halycon had 8 songs on it.

So, the plan has changed, what I am going to do now is talk about one of my favourite albums of all time. I will talk a little bit about each song. I will warn you now, I am in no way musical expert so you will have to go with me when I make up words for effects.

1. Don't Stay A Word

A great start to the album, they way it builds up really drags you in to the album. 

Favourite lyric 'I'm more alive I've ever been, So now I give you all my sins, I've chosen you, I've chosen you, But don't say a word'

2. My Blood 

A very sad song about her emotions after a break up. Beautifully done and her voice is flawless

Favourite Lyric 'And I'm thrown in the gunfire of empty bullets. And my blood is all I see. As you steal my soul from me'

3. Anything Could Happen

The lead single from the album. The 'I know it's gonna be' bit just floored me. Her voice ...

Favourite Lyric 'I'll give you everything you need But I don't think I need you'

4. Only You

Her voice is the instrument in the background. A sad song about being trapped in a relationship - I think. Love the high pitched singing in the background.

Favourite Lyric 'Only you can be the aching in my heart. My enemy, the only animal I couldn't fight'

5. Halcyon

The album's title track (still not 100% sure how to pronounce it). Another sad song about being trapped in a dead relationship. Some heartbreaking lyrics.

Favourite Lyric 'When it's just us. You show me what it feels like to be lonely. You show me what it feels like to be lost'

6. Figure 8

A song about breaking up with someone but still being in love with them. There's definitely a theme to this album. Once again her voice slays me.

Favourite Lyric 'Still not too old to die young, But lovers hold on to everything, And lovers hold on to anything'

7. Joy

A song about accepting a relationship is over. Beautiful and haunting. One of my favourites from the album.

Favourite Lyric 'I've figured out that joy is not in your arms. I know I'll always ache with an empty heart. I think it's time to run cause I'm seeing stars. I'm seeing stars watch me fall apart'

8. Hanging on

Basically about hanging on to a lost love. Shows off how beautifully she can get her vocal range.

Favourite Lyric 'Touch me and then turn away. And put your hands into the flame. Tell me if you feel this pain. Cause I don't want to be a ball and chain'

9. Explosions

I fell in love with this song instantly. The opera element at the beginning is majestic, coupled with her voice and you have one stunning track.

Favourite Lyric 'Cause it's simple darling, I gave you a warning. Now everything you own is falling from the sky in pieces. So watch them fall with you, in slow motion. I pray that you will find peace of mind. And I'll find you another time. I'll love you, another time'

10. I Know You Care

A haunting, simple and stunning ballad. A song about knowing someone is still there, even if they aren't aren't with you.

Favourite Lyric 'Cause this is how things ought to have been. And I know the worst of it wasn't all that it seemed. Why can't I dream'

11. Atlantis

Once again showcasing her high vocal range. A song (I think) about meeting someone knew after a bad relationship, afraid to love again.

Favourite Lyric 'I'm exhausted with loving. No fight in me- I'm defeated. I know I'm fooled, I can't help it. You make my heart so helpless'

12. Dead In The Water

Another haunting song and absolutely one of my favourites. I love how there is barely any instruments in the beginning. A song about being lost after a relationship has ended.

Favourite Lyric 'I'm there in the water. Still looking for ya. I'm there in the water. Can't you see, can't you see?'

13. I Need Your Love (w/ Calvin Harris)

One of the more up tempo songs. A song about still craving your ex. If this was written with someone in mind then she is being extremely honest and open.

Favorite Lyric 'And I feel so helpless here. Watch my eyes are filled with fear. Tell me do you feel the same.Hold me in your arms again'

14. Hanging On (Full length version with Tinie Tempah)

I am not usually a fan of Tinie's work but I absolutely love his verse on this.

Favourite Lyric 'She broke my heart, I took some Gaviscon'

15. In My City

A song about finding confidence and moving on. Quite a positive song, considering the rest of the album.

Favourite Lyric 'Shoulders ache for wanted wings. My city shakes the fear in me'

16. Ritual

I am not entirely sure what this song is about. My first thought was sex, but that could be my crude imagination. Still, a great song.

Favourite Lyric 'From highway seas and thunder skies. We see our fate, you hear our cries'

17. Without your love

This song definitely seems like a 'fuck you' to her ex. She does say 'Without your love I'm getting somewhere' 33 times

Favourite Lyric  'Without your love I'm getting somewhere'

So, overall I love this album. Its dark and depressing in places, but if you know then you know thats what I like. I have easily listened to this album 50 times and I never get bored of it. Perfect for train journeys, also bath time which I found out. 

I cannot wait for the re-release which is rumoured to have 7 new songs on it. I have already heard 2 of them and I instantly loved them.

The Heat - A Review

So I thought I would have a go at writing my first movie review. I picked The Heat directed by Paul Feig and starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy; two of my favourite actresses/people in Hollywood. Bullock stars as Special Agent Sarah Ashburn, an uptight FBI agent (very similar to the character in Miss Congeniality until those beauty queens warmed her heart). McCarthy stars as Det. Shannon Mullins, a foul mouthed Boston Police Officer. They are brought together to bring down a drugs lord, Ashburn is promised a promotion if she can work with Mullins and Mullins is very protective of her city and family; its very much two worlds colliding.

There have been a lot of buddy cop movies, (Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys and Rush Hour for example) but never with two female leads. A lot of elements of these macho movies are within The Heat, the oil-and-water-relationship, the violence, the language and some explosions - but this film does something different. It has to as it is two women. There is very much an emotional undercurrent as we watch these two women who are very committed to their jobs also struggle with the loneliness that comes with picking a career over families and relationships.

There is a certain formula that comes with these films so this film can be very predictable, however don't let this put you off. Mixed with in what you expect there are some hilarious scenes. With out spoiling anything I will just mention Spanx and a tracheotomy. This film could easily have been acted by men. The roles are pretty genderless, I applaud the director and producers for picking females, especially actresses of a certain age that are unfortunately looked over.

So to recap it is a very predictable movie but with a little something special thrown in. Bullock and McCarthy have an amazing chemistry and I will always watch their films, together of apart. I feel if it wasn't a cop comedy they did then it would have been some Bridesmaids knock off.  I am so happy they finally joined forces. This movie is funny (the drunk scene will be talked about for years), light-hearted and easy to follow - a perfect film if all you want to do is sit back and be entertained. Also the soundtrack is pretty stellar with the likes of Azealia Banks, Angel Haze, Santigold and Kreayshawn.