A Long Way Down
Favorite Movies Directed by Women (Part 2)
Thursday Movie Picks: Conversation Movies
This is Where I Leave You
Labels:
comedy,
director: Shawn Levy,
drama,
Jane Fonda,
Jason Bateman,
Tina Fey
Women in Film Blogathon Part II: The Director's Chair
John from Hitchcock’s World is hosting a part two of his women in film blogathon! His first blogathon focused on the strong female characters in film, and in continuation, this blogathon now focuses on women behind the scenes - women who directed these films. To be honest, his blogathon came in at the right time, just when I was composing a part 2 of a women-directed list I wrote last year. The director I’ve chosen has been releasing critically acclaimed work, but has yet to have her ‘breakout film’, though with her recent film, I’d say she’s almost there. For this, I’m talking about Nicole Holofcener.
Thursday Movie Picks: Coming of Age Movies
Blind Spot: Memento
Magic in the Moonlight
Labels:
Colin Firth,
comedy,
director: Woody Allen,
Emma Stone,
Marcia Gay Harden,
romance
8 Movies to Watch this Holiday Season
Trailer: Home
I think it's safe to say that this is going to be one of my awaited animated movies for next year. Jim Parson's voice performance looks like it suits the character. I'm not certain of its awards potential (as I think the award would probably go to Pixar's Inside Out), but this looks good. Dreamworks Animation had some hits and misses, and hopefully this one doesn't disappoint.
Jurassic Park
Trailer: Pitch Perfect 2
While the first movie was adorable in its own way (and seemed to have some kind of heart in it), Pitch Perfect 2 seems to remove that emotional value, and instead focus on the accapella and the funny antics that accompanied the first movie. While I don't think the sequel was necessary, it'll be nice to see a familiar comedy to what will be a blockbuster-fest by next year. Even if the mechanics that made its predecessor charming was removed, I'm still hoping that this would be charming in its own way.
Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Adapted From Plays
Another Thursday calls for a new entry to Wandering Through The Shelves' Movie Meme! There's still a couple of weeks left, so if you haven't joined in, go visit her site! This week's theme is movies adapted from plays. The week's theme limitation is that it can't be Shakespearean (or we'll be seeing a lot of Hamlets and Macbeths on the list) or based from a musical. Here are my choices for this week:
Blind Spot 2015
While finalizing my list for next year, it dawned on me that the films I chose were reflective on what made my list last year. I've been meaning to see these works, but get pushed due to other circumstances. Some of my picks this year were also influenced by previous blind spots choices, whether of my own or others. Here are the films that compose this year's list:
The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)
Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994)
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron, 2001)
Thursday Movie Picks: French Films
Trailer: Cinderella
If you watch the trailer, there's no need for you to spend money on the actual movie when it comes on theaters. It basically lays out everything to expect (all those magical things, the lovely costumes, the special effects) that there's nothing to anticipate. It does look very glamorous though, and Cate Blanchett seemed to have nailed the role just right. I was expecting Helena Bonham Carter to be dressed really weird (as her other movies), but put her beside Cinderella and Cinderella still doesn't come close to the beauty that is her fairy godmother.
Blind Spot: The Shawshank Redemption
This is the penultimate choice for this year’s blind spot series. And not a bad one at it. Rather, I found it difficult to compartmentalize coherent paragraphs about this film. I think the film has triggered something, that even when I’m looking at graphics and lines from the film, there this sense of joy and sadness that overcomes me. I think that is what the film is about. That culmination of joy and sadness, of hopelessness and optimism that surrounds the characters, and the harsh realities of the worlds they are pushed in.
Boyhood
Trailer: Into the Woods
The first trailer gave me nothing to work with, as it was all just graphics and all the actors looking unusual. This however gives a glimpse of what the movie is really going to be about. Come Oscar season, if slots for best actress isn't going to be filled, I bet Meryl Streep will be a defacto nominee. Though set in a dark, bleak, atmosphere, it seems whimsical enough to work. However, if it translates well onscreen will be the question. Rob Marshall directed Chicago, which is one of the best onscreen musicals I've seen. He worked with a dark background there and filled the stage with enough pop of color that the musical numbers become distinct. He might just work his charm here, and along with a great cast, there is potential that this might work.
10 Movies to Watch on a Rainy Day
Interstellar
Thursday Movie Picks: Movies About Making Movies
Fairy Tale Blogathon: Penelope
The One I Love
Labels:
comedy,
director: Charlie McDowell,
drama,
Elisabeth Moss,
Mark Duplass,
romance,
Ted Danson
Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs
Blind Spot: His Girl Friday
While I was making my blind spot list for the year, I decided to put movies that everyone deemed to be a “must-see”. Some of these are famous works, works that are so intimidating because of the stigma already set to them by the film society. There are some that are declared masterpieces, or cult classics. In other words, these are really well known pieces that I chose. Looking back at my list, I had no idea how His Girl Friday had come to mind. Was it because of Roman Holiday? Somehow it found its way on the list, I watched it, and liked it - until I got to the final scene.
Thursday Movie Picks: Vampire Movies
1.04 - "Let's Get to Scooping"
1.03 - "Smile, or Go to Jail"
Thursday Movie Picks: Zombie Movies
1.02 - "It's All Her Fault"
This episode might not be as par with the pilot, but it has certainly kept with the show’s momentum. The format is the same as last episode’s, where there’s a case that they solve and it weaves back and the forth to the present day, where the four students were trying to cover up the murder, now with more clues hinting about what happened.
Obvious Child
09/14: This is Going to Be a Long One.
1.01 - "Pilot"
I don’t think a new show has secured its place on my weekly watch list faster than How to Get Away With Murder. It immediately grabs your attention from the beginning - a murder mystery involving law students - and it doesn't stop there. The characters themselves have their own secrets, secrets that will eventually lead us to answers.
Blind Spot: The Godfather
Thursday Movie Meme: Nautical Movies
Double Feature: Die Hard / Die Hard 2
Trailer: Mockingjay Part 1
I can feel the long ticket lines already. What seems to be a not-so-packed third novel from the trilogy, The Hunger Games have taken the two-part finale, stretching material that can be done with one movie. As much as I would like to be excited for the movie, I can already feel the strain of trying to get good seats that are optimal for viewing and yet as far away from gasping, giggling fan-people who could not contain their excitement for the movies. This is a bit darker in tone from the previous two movies, as it's now constraint to the battle field instead of the luscious worlds the Games are set in. Hopefully it lives up to Catching Fire, but based on this trailer, I'm not keeping my hopes too high.
Trailer: Maps to the Stars
I've seen other trailers of the movie, but this one clearly provides the premise of the film. David Cronenberg has been collaborating with Robert Pattinson for a few movies now, and this one looks promising. I've been a fan of Mia Wasikowska, and while she's playing another weird, scary character, this one seems different from her Stoker counterpart. Julianne Moore also seems to fit the role, and Pattison seemed to have taken a step back from being the absolute lead. Nevertheless, I will definitely put this on my to-watch list.
Back to School Blogathon
Wendell of Dell on Movies is hosting a blogathon! This was a bit of a challenge because there were so many characters to choose from! Before anything else, here are the rules:
Administrator (either a dean, principal, head master, or some other equivalent)
Teacher
Star Student/Nerd
Jock/Class Bully
Popular Girl/Diva
Invisible Girl (aka not popular girl)
Class Clown
Troubled Youth
Of course, include a few words on why each character was chosen.
Some of the categories have slashes because there is a lot of overlap within. However, feel free to break those up to make your class even larger. For instance if you use a jock who is a nice guy, you can also include a bully. As long as you have the minimum number of students and others, your class can be as large as you like.
2. There are NO RESTRICTIONS on age. Theoretically, you can have Zach from Kindegarten Cop in the same class as Rodney Dangerfield's character from...um...Back to School
3. You can use multiple characters from a single movie, but a class must be made up of characters from at least three separate movies.
4. Use movies in which school is an important part of the plot or are largely set in a school.
5. Finally, use my banner somewhere in your entry and link back to this post.
Here are my choices per category:
Thursday Movie Meme: Sport Movies
It's Thursday once more, and it's time for the Thursday Movie Meme, hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week's theme is sport movies. I don't watch a lot of sport movies, so there's a small pool of films that I can pick from. I chose three movies that I like, although one of them could be considered a hidden gem.
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Trailer: Horrible Bosses 2
Horrible Bosses was a funny movie, so it's inevitable that it will have a sequel. You know what movie was also funny and had a sequel? The Hangover. The trailer looks good though, and it seems funny and something that I would enjoy. The plot this time is different - they no longer have bosses, but are entangled in a kidnapping (and meeting said horrible bosses along the way). Hopefully it does keep its promise of being funny and entertaining. By the looks of the trailer, it could work, and I'm fairly excited for it.
A Beautiful Mind
Six Degrees of Separation Blogathon
Mettel Ray has kindly passed me the baton to the Six Degrees of Separation blogathon, hosted by Nostra of My Filmviews. I had been following some of the entries a while back, and each entry has been fascinating as the next. Mettel has tasked me to connect Ewan McGregor and Dylan O'Brien, two actors whose work I'm only vaguely familiar with.
So here we go!
08/14: Car Chases & Cinematic Escapades
I do have a question for you, though. In the world of technology, it's impossible to stay disconnected to the world. I'm not sure about the mobile culture for other countries, but I can vouch that there are a lot of differences. This month I found myself functioning without my phone. Sure, I missed a couple of calls here and there, but in a way, I did not feel as disconnected because there are other means of using the internet. Have you tried going without your phone for a couple of days? You sort of get used without the device nearby, but it does get difficult to communicate when you're nowhere near anyplace with a phone line. And with that, let's get on with this month's recap!
Snowpiercer
Labels:
action,
Chris Evans,
director: Bong Joon-ho,
Jamie Bell,
sci-fi,
thriller,
Tilda Swinton
Trailer: Mortdecai
After the consistent failed attempts of Johnny Depp outside the Pirates franchise, I have come not to expect much from the movies of the actor. Right now, I'm willing to hope that this is an exception. The movie looks like something I would consider watching, and with its comic tone, I would expect the actor to be a bit loose, like Jack Sparrow-loose. He's still a bit stiff here, but who knows, maybe it will work.
Blind Spot: Pulp Fiction
As I sit here and try to rummage through my mind for words, I come up with none. Not because there's nothing to say, but rather, every word seems to be swirling around that I risk writing an incoherent review about it. Nonetheless, I was very impressed with Pulp Fiction, and how a film like this could still be impressive years after its release. If I didn't know this was released back in 1994, I would have thought that it was released recently. Maybe it's because the writing style of Tarantino could still be applied today, that it still moves with the time. Besides the iconic scenes, it was the script, and the manner the film is presented, that makes it all worth while to see.
Guilty Pleasure Movies Blogathon
Jenna and Allie of Flick Chicks are hosting their first blogathon! Before anything else, here are the rules:
1 - You can choose and discuss as many or as few movies as you like. We both did a Top 10, but you can just choose 1 movie if you like. Just tell us a bit about the movie and why you like it so much.
2 - Please create a new post for our Blogathon, rather than linking an old post you may have already done.
3 - Please include our Blogathon Banner anywhere in your post
4 - The deadline for entries is Sunday, 31st August, so there's plenty of time!
It took me a long time to finish my list because I honestly didn't know where to start.
It took me a long time to finish my list because I didn't know where to start. I think I've pulled out five movies that basically comprises the general tone of my personal guilty pleasure movies.
It took me a long time to finish my list because I didn't know where to start. I think I've pulled out five movies that basically comprises the general tone of my personal guilty pleasure movies.
Thursday Movie Picks: Time Travel Movies
I first read about the meme through Dell on Movies, and I've been meaning to join it for quite some time! It's hosted by Wandering through the Shelves, another blog that I'm recently frequenting. Each week there's a theme, where you get to pick three movies surrounding said theme. For this week, it's about time travel. The first movie I initially thought of was Back to the Future (it seems like the predominant choice when it comes to time travel movies), so I decided not to use it for my list. Below are three of my picks for this week's theme!
Wes Anderson: Ranked
Trailer: Horns
Daniel Radcliffe has been getting some interesting roles. He doesn't tend to stick to one genre, but really explores his options. I haven't seen much of his work post-Potter, but this one looks so intriguing that I just might see it. Plus it also stars Juno Temple, who I think is one of the underrated actresses working in the industry. I just hope the film is as captivating as the trailer makes it appear to be.
Batman Begins
Olympus Has Fallen
Trailer: Laggies
Keira Knightley strikes again! I wasn't a fan of her participation in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, but she completely blew me away in Begin Again. Now I hope that Laggies is equally charming, if not quirky. I'm definitely a fan of Knightley's work, and I'm a big fan of Sam Rockwell as well - the man doesn't get the recognition he deserves, but he's been putting in good work. The trailer doesn't really do much, but the presence of Knightley and Rockwell are enough for me to see this movie.
Batman Forever
So, after spanning two decent Batman movies, the franchise took a turn when the torch was handed over to Joel Schumacher, whose rendition of the masked crusader has got to be the worst installments I have seen. In a few words: it was messy, sloppy, and outrageous. How this garnered a sequel from the same director, I would never know.
Trailer: Exodus: Of Gods and Kings
Why is Christian Bale the only decent-looking person here (read: what is with Joel Edgerton's eye make up)? Regardless of that, this looks like a big epic film. The recent Ridley Scott film I saw was Prometheus (haven't caught up with The Counselor yet), and while that was visually stunning, I hope this has more content. The account itself of Moses has a lot of potential to become quite an epic film, so I really hope this delivers. The studio seems to have a lot of faith in this one (as it didn't quite battle out Noah in terms of release), but I might just catch it when it comes on DVD.
Bad Teacher
Being a teacher takes a lot of responsibility. Parents expect teachers to educate their children in matters that they themselves cannot teach. Teachers are society's hope in molding children to become better members of society. We are expected to learn from them, and it is through teachings that we are able to find our strengths and weaknesses as students. But what if your teacher was Elizabeth Halsey?
Favorite Scenes: Harry Potter Franchise
Harry Potter (both novels and films) was a huge part of my childhood; I grew up reading the books and watching the movies. It was a world of its own, and a world that I still gladly explore from time to time. I've never written birthday posts but when writing this, I thought, why not? So here's a list of my favorite scenes (one per film) to commemorate the day. As lists go, this is arranged by movie, and I went with scenes that not only do I love, but has an impact on the character or the turn of the film itself.
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