Like Crazy

'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'

Bullshit, proximity does. Well at least what this film has led me to believe. This does play along with my tenuous intrigue of the Oscars although it is from 2011, it has a criminally underused Jennifer Lawrence playing a small part in it, you know between Winter's Bone and X Men/Hunger Games propelled her to hyper-stardom. Otherwise this is essentially an Indie-Love-story, it was the toast of Sundance in 2011 and it features Chekhov from the Star Trek reboot, the adorable Anton Yelchin, and the up and coming beautiful British actress Felicity Jones who was in Worst Witch as a young un. So I heard about this film and had intended to drag myself out of bed when it was on at the cinema but never did, so this is something I have been thinking about seeing for months now, my main intrigue was seeing Anton Yelchin (did I mention he was adorable, even with the severely premature receding hairline...) and the fact that the script was pretty much non existent, not in that they didn't say anything, in that the actors fully improvised their lines. It's supposed to make it more authentic, real, and we all want that in our love stories, don't we?

Here's where I put my critical hat on, I knew from the start that this there was going to be awkward 'realistic' dialogue, but where something like The Office (UK) made conversations sound authentic with all the gaps and eye contact, the characters at least brought with them some charisma. This is a love story about people in their early twenties, extremely creative talented people we're lead to believe, and yet there is very little interesting conversation going on, they chat and they smile, her accent is adorable, his little boy lost face is extremely endearing, but... Nothing out of the ordinary in their vocal interactions.This just throws the whole film off, it could be the most exciting love story ever but it falls flat when the characters are rubbish at expressing themselves. Sure their creativeness is at odds when they use their chosen skills to create something more, but the girl is an excellent writer and yet criminally dumb. When they are together though, something crazy happens, they are madly in love, sure there are some clips of them gazing at each other, walking around being very happy, hanging onto each other like their lives depended on it, lots of gazing, but these are all bundled up into nice little montages, free from conversation, so they appear at their most in love when they aren't actually saying anything! But the film's draw comes from the authentic improvised script you say? Well, it's pretty clear that's nothing much to get excited about.

Whilst I'm complaining, this is a film in which iPhones are readily available, yet no one thinks to Skype? Do they really have such busy disparate lifestyles (I know there's a timezone problem!) that they can't take a moment to see each other over a webcam? That would be my first thought if I was considering a long distance relationship, they call each other (with varying degrees of success) and they send letters (she's a beautiful writer) but if they really wanted to see each other, a webcam is a pretty good alternative. I know it doesn't translate to film very well but it's worth noting that this completely normal and reasonable manner of communication is completely ignored. Surely, someone, somewhere, when making this film, could have thought to incorporate this? If anything, a brief nod towards it would make the whole thing slightly more believable. Another thing which confused me quite a lot was, why didn't Anton Yelchin just move to London? He's prepared to enter a marriage - there's a big complication with Anna (Felicity Jones) visa, she overstays, fully aware of the possible complications in LA and can't return later, he's aware of this and they both choose to ignore it for a few scant extra weeks together. Anyways, that's the core issue of the film, she's not able to return to LA, he visits London but won't lay down roots there, so they engage in a long distance relationship which seems far more complicated than it needs to be. So my main point: marriage comes into it, mainly for the visa/something to fix things, as well as for love, and he freaks out but it willing to go along with it, but he can't/won't move his business. If he is talented and capable then he should try and make that work, if he does want to be with her, rather than letting her fret over the visa. But he literally doesn't and it's another thing that is mentioned but immediately disregarded, I would dump his ass for being such an intransigent fool. Is it really that difficult?

Plus where the hell are his parents? Felicity Jones' parents are so helpful and work their arses off to try and assist their daughter, but his are non-existent, did I miss something...? Why introduce one set of parents if we aren't even going to get a sniff from the others, or at least an acknowledgement of their disinterest or disappearance. These are minor niggles for me, and obviously there's not enough time when we are trying to be convinced of this beautiful/complex/realistic love story, but shouldn't someone have sat down and decided all these small details beforehand? Why is it impossible for him to move to London? Why don't webcams exist in this world? Why doens't Anton Yelchin have parents? And then in some way weave them into a realistic conversation, people have those, right? At some point in the film she could have snapped and said, 'Well, my parents suggested it, what the hell are yours doing exactly?' Or 'I tried to Skype you but the damn webcam was being rubbish again/' No? Not even for my peace of mind?

Ok, so I've gotten my frustrations out. Where was I? So, the film is desperately trying to be, I think the word is authentic, you know because everyone speaks like people, awkwardly, the camera is hand-held, the people have complex messy lives and are in turn extremely beautiful and talented. There is a lot of angst, and what is quite intriguing to me is how much the core actors are trying to sell the complex sad feelings, in comparison to the happy loving ones, I think there is a lot more effort in comparison. The scenes of them in love, if they tried too hard would be unbelievable, but there doesn't seem to be as much effort, perhaps because there's a lot more gazing, it's funny that the pair have separate sex scenes in the film, but they are with different people, I found it quite odd, wouldn't it be nice to see them give into their passions? See the fires ignite? See some electricity? No...? Oh right, yeah that would get in the way of their solemn gazes. The tougher moments they try so hard to sell them, you can see it writ all over Anton Yelchin's anguished face! Unfortunately, it might just seem to me, the natural charisma of the actors are somewhat diminished, neither seem to have a natural flair, a spark, they are both very good with the quiet moments, but perhaps it frustrates me that such creative beautiful people can't just say beautiful things to each other, or even argue convincingly, instead all of their vocal interactions are achingly standard. Perhaps, dare I say it, in the hands of more skilled actors, it would have been an amazing film, but as it is it's just blah, they are real if you will, and reality is dull.

The film asks me to invest in this pair's relationship, to believe that no matter what happens they keep snapping back together like elastic. They literally are so in love that they spend years pining for each other, they are perfect and so on. Yet they put their careers and their own needs before their relationship, which is fair enough for young professional peoples, but you either invest in a relationship or you don't. If you're going to make it work you have to make sacrifices and to be perfectly honest, he couldn't make a sacrifice for her. There I said it, I've been writing this entry for about 3 days and I've decided, the more I write about it the more angry I get and it's with him. He should have moved, shouldn't have gotten with Jennifer Lawrence, shouldn't have been such a whiny bugger when he visited and should have grown some balls and manned up and made the sacrifice. Tosser. I guess I didn't like this film at all, but I watched it. Felicity Jones is adorable. I can't think of much else to say. I don't care who disagrees with me... It was a stupid film, I'm going to watch Moonrise Kingdom again...

Moonrise Kingdom

So I found it, the best film I've ever seen. Well call it the alcohol, the nostalgia, the joy coursing through my veins, I'm not sure exactly what it was that caused this sensation, perhaps it was the copious amounts of Baileys I've been quaffing, or the fact that it's Sunday and I got out of work early... Here I am, it's incredible, it's amazing, go away and watch it before I hunt you down and belt you to a chair and force you, I know that's creepy... Blame the alcolols...

Wes Anderson has looked over his filmography and taken every good aspect and whipped them into a delightful froth to give us his best effort yet. Nostalgia, adolescence, young love, Bill Murray wandering around topless and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol... No? So it's just me that thinks these are the best themes in any Wes Anderson film? Well there you go, these are the things I love about Anderson's films. I watched Fantastic Mr Fox over Christmas and felt mildly disappointed by it, but of course Wes Anderson had to test himself outside of the box before returning to something more familiar. I love that this film is about love and to be completely honest I've never been more in love with an on-screen couple since Eagle VS Shark, prepare to be superseded by the way Eagle VS Shark, as far as innocent quirky romance goes I think there might be a new holder of my heart. Of course I am prone to grand statements when I have drank lots of Bailey's, specifically.

The film is about young love, the lead characters Sam and Suzy, both 12 in 1965, on a small lonely island off the coast of New England on New Penzance. They find a common ground in their disconnection from pretty much everybody else and their shared loneliness, their send each other letters after a chance meeting and share their problems, their thoughts their feelings, and inevitably fall in love and then decide to run away together. There is a bunch of periphery characters buzzing about outside of the core love story, there is Bruce Willis playing the part of a dimwitted local Police Chief, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand playing Suzy's parents and Edward Norton taking the part of the Scouts Leader* The surprising thing is how much I didn't actually mind Edward Norton in this film, actually how much I was rooting for him throughout the film, he's got nothing going for him and proves to be a pretty lame Khaki Scout Leader and ends up proving himself somewhat** even though he's a bit of a sad sack throughout but I loved him. So here's the thing, even an actor like Edward Norton who I'd usually dismiss as being a ginormous pain in the arse, is a fleshed out character whom I can see directly into his soul in this film, and that's mostly thanks to Wes Anderson's excellent writing and skill as a Director. The entire cast are developed and given a shot to shine and actually breathe, for a film which clocks up just over and a half, for the majority of the cast to experience some growth and to have somewhat deep and fraught problems and personalities is impressive! Frances McDormand is (SPOILERS) cheating on Bill Murray with Bruce Willis, she's not happy with where is and is questioning it but is uncertain to break the status quo, Bruce Willis is a bit slow-witted but madly in love with Frances McDormand who is keeping him at arms length, Bill Murray is aware that his marriage isn't a particularly happy one, that and his life, him and Frances McDormand are uncertain about their daughter who has some emotional problems it would seem, but these problems probably stem mostly from their misunderstanding of each other. Then there is poor old Edward Norton who wants nothing more than to be the best damn Khaki Scout Leader he can be, but has a bunch of free spirited, if crazy, cub scouts, but isn't that great, of course he's a maths teacher second, a scout leader first! The fact he isn't very good and doesn't understand the boys causes him great distress, he's lonely, and afraid of failure which only too often occurs, and of course he's prancing about in tiny weeny shorts! I literally wanted to reach into the screen and give him a hug, I have never wanted to do that to Edward Norton! I am so impressed with how connected I felt to all of the main players it's unreal, and it's impressive, and it's heart warming! The fact that I love all the characters and actually give a massive shit what happens to them is amazing! I love this film!

Now about the core couple, Sam and Suzy, both 12 and both lonely not due to choice but more circumstance, they are both quite good at alienating others because they prefer solitude to the company of others. He is an orphan, no family and he has an abrasive personality which forces his foster parents to essentially disown him, then there is her, she has anger problems, she is lonely, she loves books set in other worlds or ones not too different from our own but where magical powers exist. When she runs away from home she brings along a suitcase of books full of these books; there are some adorable moments in the film where she reads out the books to Sam and other Khaki Scouts, they urge her to read on, it's adorable! So they find comfort in each other's company and find kindred spirits in one another. They find comfort in one another, an understanding, they share every detail of their complicated and sad lives and find happiness in spending time with each other, there is nothing sexual about it but they do kiss and dance in their underwear, but it's all in utmost innocence, they are young and in love and these is nothing more to it, they are in love because they have a mutual understanding, a mutual caring and affection, it has nothing to do with the fact that she is way out of his league, it's just that they see each other, they really know each other and that understanding of mutual spirits, of damaged and lonely individuals, that's a beautiful thing and hence why I care so much about them! It's a beautiful innocent little love story, they share their first kiss (presumably, I say presumably because it seems clear it's their first kiss to me, at least) and it's all so innocent and sweet!*** EDIT: It's significant too that their open and honest and pure relationship causes pretty much every other character to stop and reflect and their own unsatisfied and imperfect lives. Frances McDormand/Bruce Willis/Edward Norton/Bill Murray/heck even the Khaki Scouts, all stop and look at the way their lives are in comparison to the love birds and realise some changes need to be made, because the pair are just trying to live their lives the way they want to, this involves running away and doing something out of the ordinary, in comparison the rest are unhappy and settling with the way things are and have been left miserable. The film is showing us to go for what our dreams are, no matter how outlandish and different, if it feels right makes and makes you happy you'll be better in the long run... Run, right?****

Did I mention this film was so short? Too short even! Perhaps it's the good feelings, perhaps it's the fact I'm just so deliriously happy to watch a film that I loved throughout the first time round, it's probably the Bailey's, but this film is so amazing! I loved it so much! The nostalgia, the fact that not a second is wasted, the fact that I believe every relationship in the film, the fact that I'm so enamoured by the look and feel of the film. The fact that it all takes place in the the sixties, the style, the fashion, the colours, the fact that the Khaki Scouts look like so much fun! Did I even mention the fact that the music is awesome? I didn't?

This whole film is amazing. I can't stress this enough, this is more a drunken appreciation post than anything... But I have never been more in love with an on-screen couple, Joel and Clementine might have some competition, Lily and Jarrod definitely need to move over, as far as contemporary cinema couples go, the ones mentioned in this paragraph and the adorable Sam and Suzy are my favourites! Sam and Suzy possibly pipped the rest to the post because of their innocence, their adorableness, the fact that the film they hail from is my latest favourite film... Ok, that's it, I can't say much else... To be honest I'm a little distracted.***** So I shouldn't say much more, mainly because I've drank a lot... But not only is this an amazing Wes Anderson film (Wes Anderson is awesome), this is an amazing film period, in fact it's definitely clawing it's way into my favourite films in the universe. I appreciate a film with a distinct vision, a visual flair, an innocence and love that is both believable and heart warming, I appreciate that all the main characters are given a moment to breathe and are given personalities and souls, I love the music choices, I adore the fact that everything about this film is heart warming and drenched in honesty, I love that this film puts an enormous smile on my face. Nothing more can be said, just thinking about this film makes me smile, the mere memory of it will make me happy, this is perfection.

P.S. This is relevant to my Oscar Odyssey, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola received a Best Screenplay nod at the Oscars for Moonrise Kingdom - True Stories. In fact this year it's my hope that they win that award so someone I genuinely cares about takes home an Academy Award.

*I am aware that they are known as Khaki Scouts in the film and their logo appears to be a raccoon, but when I was a mere child, my childminder's daughter was a scout leader and strong believer that anything that the boys can do the women can do better. She introduced girls to the Scouts (it was strictly boys only back then Cubs - Scouts - Rangers), not that I joined being part of the Brownies (strictly girls only - Rainbows - Brownies - Guides,) and an all girls school from the age of 11, I used to go along to the scouts meetings every now and again. I'd run around and play with the boys and steal away into the church basement and stole into the Ket Shop (Sweets stall). So, I have some experience of the Khaki Scouts and the nostalgia is somewhat endearing to me along with the rest of it.

** *SPOILERS* And getting a girlfriend, I hope! :)

***This leads me to a short diatribe about my first kiss. I was 10, I am an identical female twin, my first kiss was with Christopher Wilkinson, a male identical twin, coincidentally my twin sister shared his first kiss with Phillip, his brother, go figure! There was some daring involved but for the most part I remember it being in the bushes at the park, it was wet and slimy and there was a park keeper who caught us one day when we went and hid in the bushes to do our business through the fence. It was pretty damn awkward and weird, but at 10 we were just experimenting I guess, me and my sister had scooters which we hated, and the boys had their sister's bikes we swapped, we'd ride around the park, mess around in the bushes and lie in the grass and run around and play, I guess...

**** This edit comes at 3am, waking up and coming upon a realisation that this is another reason this film is amazing. The core actions of this film permeate through to every other character, that's significant and beautiful, I wanted to use the term 'dovetail', it seemed like a good one, but I couldn't seem to shoe-horn it in there... I'm so damn tired, I'm going to see the doctor in the morning, I've been putting it off for months, since it became apparent something is wrong, I'm so scared, I can't sleep, the bottle of Baileys didn't help in the end... Go figure... Also I have a root canal after that, who else hates Mondays... Anyone?

***** I'm watching it's complicated on Channel 4, for somebody I know, Something's Gotta Give is one of their most favourite films, and now we're drunk and watching Nancy Meyer's other film for old folks who are in love and doing rumpy-pumpy. My boyfriend has pointed out, the women in these films always have amazingly huge and well designed houses. I feel really bad for John Krasinski in this film. Also, I keep saying Meryl, 'I beat Meryl' - Thank you Jennifer Lawrence. Meryl is such an odd word, or name, I can't stop saying it... Also this film is amazing... Perhaps my judgement is impaired, perhaps you can take this whole entry as null and void because I'm drunk and Moonrise Kingdom is an awesome film but I am extremely drunk. To be honest I'm not under the erroneous impression that Nancy Meyers films are the best ever (they aren't...) but I am prone to superlatives when inebriated. To be completely honest though I will watch Moonrise Kingdom again and again and I doubt I'll ever stop loving it, this film is perfection in my alcohol addled eyes, and it doesn't take a bottle of Bailey's to change this, sobre I would want to bear hug this film...

Django Unchained

This wasn't something I was fully intending to see but was dragged by my boyfriend, I made him sit through Les Miserables so I suppose it was only fair. When my boyfriend groaned that my musical odyssey of sad people was too long my immediate response was that this film could have ended half an hour earlier than it did. So that was my first response... To be honest that was my only real complaint, it was a decent film. It wasn't a bad film; and by using the word bad in a statement of course that casts a dark shadow on my opinion as I'm not exactly saying it was good. I preferred Michael Fassbender, ahem, Inglorious Basterds, overall there's just a lot less going on, the story is so thin in comparison, but that's my opinion on it. The story was bit too straightforward, predictable almost, but overall flat, in comparison to the sweeping and tightly scripted Inglorious Basterds. It seems like Tarantino is having a bit more fun here, what you have is a decent fun film but it's just on the wrong side of flabby.

We all get a good old laugh at our modern sensibilities being trotted about by Christoph Waltz's character as he engages with the racist southern America, we all have a jolly good laugh at people using the 'N' word, and the culture shock of seeing a free African-American dressed as little boy blue whipping some arsehole white chaps. In fact the film mines most of it's laughs out of the inherent racism of the past*, and how fun it is to watch people getting shot, it's all tomato ketchup you know? It's obvious it's fake but it's so ostentatiously fake that it doesn't even pretend to be anything less, the people can roll around and scream on the floor but it's so obviously fake, it's all just a laugh, or perhaps we really have become desensitised to violence in cinema, or perhaps Tarantino films... Apart from the hilarity mined from that, the film isn't actually all that funny, jokes about chaps with bags on their heads aside. It's humorous but it's not laugh out loud hilarious, although Foxx's little boy blue outfit, will be forever a fun visual gag, that's probably just me...

So the story is about Django (the D is silent - although hearing a white man screaming d-jango whilst in the throes of death was a humorous aside.) and the Colonel, wait... I'm not sure I can remember his name now... Anyways it's Christoph Waltz and he plays the Colonel, the Colonel is a bounty hunter who happens upon DJ-ango, and enlists his help to find his latest quarry, he thus sets him free and assists him in finding his wife Broomhilda who has been bought by Leonardo DiCaprio (that man will never outgrow those baby blues... and thus will never be taken seriously... poor man...) thus they go on a mish to save Broomhilda. The pacing is pretty terrible, we have the set up, we have the bounty hunting, we spend an age at DiCaprio's house and then there is the inevitable bloodbath but then the film doesn't end there, we get the revenge sequence and we see how DJ-Jangles has grown. It just all runs on from itself, doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but hey that's just me.

The performances are as always fun to observe, Jamie Foxx plays sullen wary angry Do-jangles, this plays of brilliantly against the delightfully cheerful Colonel played by Christoph Waltz. Jamie Foxx has been given the nod for a Best Actor Oscar and Waltz has walked away with the Golden Globe for his performance, so good times all around. Leonardo is once again left in the cold, he is working extremely hard to be fun and menacing and all that jazz that comes with rich evil white man, but he's about as menacing as a puppy. Samuel Jackson takes a fun turn as DiCaprio's head of house playing the wizened batty bugger by day, sly know-it-all confidante for his master.

So it's all a bit of fun, it's not laugh out loud hilarious, it's a bit long, it's fun but it's a bit over the top, the performances are reliable and excellent, it pokes fun at slavery with a knowing modern nod, it's ridiculous, it's fun, it's a massive budget romp and it's Tarantino enjoying himself. Props to him. With the Weinsteins essentially buying heavy weight attention it means Tarantino can earn more money to make more ridiculous historical rewrites and indulge in his greatest fantasies, I can't deny him that. I'm sure I've repeated myself way too much in this... There's only so much I can say! As I trawl through the Oscar Best Film list, it's becoming more apparent I've ran out fun ones... The rest is silence...  Or just achingly dull, we'll have to wait and see.

*The KKK get a hilarious scene, biggest laugh of the film, blood free, whereby their white flour sacks have the eyeholes cut wrong in them, this causes some infighting amongst the angry mob, who can't decide whether to wear their hoods even though they impair their vision. If the whole film had this wit about this, well shocking humour whilst poking fun at the horrors of history, it probably would have been a bit better...

Les Miserables

This is literally just going to be a reaction piece, I have nothing of interest to say about this film/musical adaptation. So it's a standard to screen adaptation of the stage show of the well known and loved musical Les Miserables based on the book by Victor Hugo, it has lots of songs and intertwined characters, it's based around the life of Jean Valjean; he's awesome. I could go into detail about the technical side of things but I won't. All I have to talk about is the performances of the lead actors, otherwise, it was a competent glossy adaptation, as far as I can tell, Hooper used his go to move of focusing on the faces of the characters in order to make sure we know exactly how they are feeling. He also did something unique, he had the actors singing live and then added the orchestra in the editing room, so they more control over how they sang the music and could do it however they wished without any editing. It was an effective move for the most part, apart from Russell Crowe, he could have done with some tweaking unfortunately...

As someone who has a strong affection for musical theatre it's a bit odd that I have never actually seen Les Miserables; my mother told me, in her own words, 'It's shit.' So I had to sit through Jesus Christ Superstar instead which wasn't exactly to my taste but my mum liked it. So much to my surprise I thought Les Miserables was actually a bloody good musical, I really did enjoy it, even if it was extremely long and ... Miserable, but the songs are pretty damn good and the acting talent was on top form. I've had the song stuck in my head for the past few days since leaving the cinema, I've been on Spotify streaming the songs and imagining Hugh Jackman belting them out in my head, so, yeah, a combined affection for catchy overly emotional music and the fact I have quite an obsessive personality has lead me to claim it's the best thing ever! For today, or til the end of the week until the next greatest thing ever comes along... Musical music... Gawd... So good! If I could begin to belt out my emotions as strong and beautifully with a massive orchestra playing along to my straining lung, I would, every day!

Ok so I've written this paragraph about fifteen times, it's about Anne Hathaway, my conflicting emotions with regards to this woman know no bounds. I really intensely dislike her, she has an overinflated ego and tries to be quirky and self-deprecating but everything about her from her appearance to her demeanour scream that she has a very high self-esteem which must constantly be buffered by the adoration of people, the curse of being beautiful and talented and knowing it, oh how I weep for her, must be such a tough life. Bringing me to her performance as Fantine, Anne Hathaway has no idea what it would be like to alone and unloved, she's one of those people who has a network of people looking after her no matter how bad things get. This led me to just feel that her performance as Fantine was somewhat disingenuous, I didn't believe in it, I didn't invest in it and her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream was just... Not good. Don't get me wrong, the way she interpreted the song was honest, it should be song as if you can barely contain your hysteria, not like you're spitting your dummy out though. It's still a song, and thus should be treat with the belief that singing the song beautifully would perhaps bring some colour something good back into your life, there has to be a glimmer of hope in there, see Elaine Paige singing Memories... Maybe that's just me. Perhaps it was the fact that Anne Hathaway thought her performance was 'Eh.' in an interview, that's pretty much how I felt about it; but whereas she was being nonchalant and pretending to not give a shit about something she presumably put her heart and soul into (highly unlikely), I really just wasn't blown away. After her performance surprising for being for the best part of Dark Knight Rises, I was fully prepared to accept Anne Hathaway might once again prove me wrong and be excellent, she wasn't, what a shame.

So now that I've expunged that boiling bile, I can happily say everyone else, apart from Russell Crowe (sorry bud) were brilliant. The best part of the film? Hugh Jackman, obviously! I can't fault his performance; well a little, his accent veered off in several parts but the man carried the film and it was something to behold. It's actually extremely upsetting that Spotify doesn't have his version of Who Am I? As I could literally spend all day belting that one out... He deserves every award he is nominated for, including the Academy Award! Most people get away with just 'acting' and walk away with the award, Jackman sang through the entire film and pretty much carried it, he was astoundingly good. I know he has previous experience, he did star in Oklahoma in a previous life, but bloody hell he was perfection. I won't even mock the pretty lame make up... Or the fact his accent wasn't very consistent...

Another certain someone who not only surprised me but blew all my expectations out of the water was Eddie Redmayne, not sure why but I keep calling him Freddie in my head, that sounds way better... What was I talking about? I think it's a specific British actor talent to convey emotions with such skill that there is a barely concealed longing and grief with a twitch of an eyebrow. It's the Englishman way, the stiff upper lip, the buttoned up collar, never being able to fully express yourself because it's not good and proper, it's why English Literature is so damn popular, not only do they all wear those tight dresses and oppressive suits, they all never say how they truly feel, it's the old way of course, and in a musical it's not a commonplace thing as everyone just sings their feelings. My point is, the particularly good at doing this, you know, keeping it all buttoned up and hidden but managing to convey this with the merest facial expression, specifically Colin Firth, he's just the darn bestest at doing that. Anyways Eddie Redmayne falls into this category of British male actors with a talent of tweaking his facial expression to convey a wealth of barely concealed pain, see the BBC's TV Adaptation of Birdsong, he was so damn good in that. In this film he managed to make a strong impression on me, he's so beautiful and so damn talented and some have mentioned his singing capabilities weren't quite up to par in comparison to the rest of the cast, but I thought his rendition of Empty Chairs and Empty Tables was just heartbreaking, I felt it! This is probably where I reckon he did a much better job than Anne Hathaway because I preferred his performance and this has a lot to do with their contrasting versions of how to convey their misery. Sure his voice wasn't as strong as hers but his tears looked more real to me, his pain more honest, and I know he probably hasn't felt such pain and probably has the same ego problem as any actor does but it felt more real to me; go figure. Plus I could stare at that boy's beautiful face until the cows came home.

A brief shout out has to go to Samantha Barks who played Eponine, her version of On My Own was brilliant, plus I watched her on that stupid Over the Rainbow show on the BBC where they were looking for Dorothy for Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest stage production of The Wizard of Oz, and the loser each week got their red shoes taken off them and had to float away on a glittery moon... It was a bizarre television experience but my it was when I lived with my parents and I was somewhat forced to watch it on Saturday nights rather than... Doing stuff... She's really talented and I wish her all the best of luck in her future endeavours. That's all I've got...

Another thing to mention would probably be Helen Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen, wow similar names... They were funny and Master of the House was a fun song and prompted the cinema full of immature folks who found the entire sequence hilarious, to laugh extremely loudly and obnoxiously, and... I laughed too, loudly. One little thing would be the varying accents in this film clearly take place in France in the 19th Century, and the odd cockney accent the pair adopted, just seemed a bit out of place, fun though. Plus pretty much every time they were on screen they got a laugh, can't argue with that considering how much I felt like sobbing for the most part.

Russell Crowe can't sing. Sorry but Javert was boring and his unimpressive voice meant there was an audible sigh when he was on screen, a better singer would have probably made this part much more intriguing, Crowe had the personality of a lamppost and putting him against the electric Hugh Jackman seemed almost cruel.

I almost forgot about Amanda Seyfried, she was good. Her voice was beautiful, but she didn't have much to work with so... I almost forgot about her, apart from when I remembered Eddie Redmayne survived and had to be married to her forever. Lucky guy. Damn her... She was pretty, the only reason I remembered her was because Anne Hathaway keeps draping herself over her at the award ceremonies for some odd reason...

It was a long film, it was a musical, it wasn't happy, if you don't like that, don't see it. If you like that kind of thing come sing with me!
Who am I?
Who am I?
I'm Jean Valjean!

Reactions

Can I just say something I realised the other day when I was reading over my own blog. Even if I am the only person who reads this thing it needs to be clarified. Until I learn to actually write somewhat professionally the films/books/games/TV, whatever I talk about on here, aren't actually reviews. They are more my personal reactions, I try to be thoughtful and critical but as it turns out it's more my personal feelings about the film, they prompt me to go off on rambling tangents most of the time. So. Not reviews, reactions! Got it? Good.

Silver Linings Playbook

'I mean, the world's hard enough as it is, guys. Can't someone say, hey let's be positive? Let's have a good ending to the story.'

So I went to see another film today, once again it's an adaptation of a novel, the distinct difference is the book is called 'The Silver Linings Playbook' written by Matthew Quick. The film jettisons the 'the' in the title and is directed by David O. Russell. Interesting no? Well... Russell unfortunately also directed possibly my least favourite film ever created in the history of existence, 'I heart Huckabees.' When I watched it I had a violent reaction against the entire run of the film and Jason Schwartzman*, in I heart Huckabees he has never been more punchable, as was everything about that film... Gawd. Luckily I wasn't the only one who seemed to dislike the film as Lily Tomlin whilst filming it was involved in several altercations with Russell - just blazing rows essentially which, bizarrely, were caught on tape. The film was just a convoluted mess, I was fifteen when I watched it so perhaps the whole existentialism of the film was way over my head but it irked me. It was a bunch of disillusioned lost adults whining about their pathetic lives and doing bizarre stupid things like hiring existential detectives to spy on them, this would have been funny if the film didn't take itself so damn seriously. It would seem Russell and Tomlin certainly did; what is more ridiculous is the film is supposed to be a freaking comedy. What? Why? There was nothing remotely funny about it. I know I love films that take themselves laughably seriously but this was just... Long-angry-groaning-noise-whilst-clutching-head-and-stamping-feet-with-frustration. And did I mention that Jason Schwartzman has never been more punchable? And Mark Walhberg! Such a beautiful talented funny man... Oh God why? So to surmise, I'll probably never watch I heart Huckabees again, too many fraught recollections of anger, but Russell has gone on to make yet another film about pretty damaged people; only this time they are actually damaged, mentally and emotionally, they have reason to be in the state they are, they tried their best at life and failed and are trying to pick up the pieces. Most importantly the story is a fluid sequence of events with people behaving believably and dealing with their issues in a realistic human way, it's already looking miles better.

 

So let's get this started. I actually liked this film, once again I'll have to add the source material to my list of books I will never get round to reading. Did I mention I have a bookshelf full of tomes I have yet to touch. All the tomes want is to be touched, oh if only if I could thumb through those tomes... What was I talking about?

 

The quote at the top is blurted out in a 4am rant from Bradley Cooper's character Pat as he rants to his parents about a book he had just finished reading. Hemingway had, shockingly, decided to give his book a downbeat ending after letting his main characters get together and marry and have children, then he kills off the wife. The book is promptly thrown out of the window** and the rant begins as Cooper's character, Pat, tries to grapple with the possibility that someone could end a book with sadness, it's too close to life, too close to home, too damn depressing! This immediately put my mind at ease when I acknowledged this rant, not only worked as a manic episode for us to observe Pat's state of mind, but it also served to promise at least a happy ending for this film. Or perhaps that's just how my brain works... As the film progressed and Pat worked through his personal demons and interacted with the world, I felt a small inkling of hope that everything would all work out for him, no matter how crappy things got, he would get a happy ending. The film tried it's utmost to emulate a real life sequence of events throughout the story, it worked and I felt convinced, but even with the effort to maintain a realism I still knew it would all work out with happy sparkles at the end. Didn't quite expect the spangly dance costumes and routines, although, as readers of my blog might have noticed, I do love me a bit of Strictly Come Dancing (or Dancing with the Stars) so the ending sequence was a pleasant surprise for me. Plus I agree with Pat, who doesn't want a happy ending? Film and books are a form of escapism from the drudgery of day to day existence, sure sometimes it's interesting and thrilling to read about depressing events occurring, to revel in the blackness of it all, but still, sometimes it's a necessity to see the brighter side of things. So, if I were to immediately summarise how I felt about this film I'd say, it made me happy. To be completely honest I did not expect that out of a Russell film after swearing he was the worst human being ever after watching I Heart Huckabees.***

 

None of my glowing praise would be possible it weren't for the lead actors playing their characters to perfection. Let me tell you something, Bradley Cooper is a gorgeous specimen of humanity, but I was not prepared to be so wholly impressed by his performance. I was more intrigued to see up-and-coming superstar in the making Jennifer Lawrence flex her impressive acting skills in something which was not a big Hollywood Blockbuster which gave her limited range, and you know, actually get a chance to breathe and do some real 'acting'. I always putting 'acting' in 'quotation marks', accept that I am actually taking my fingers off the keyboard to do those finger movements, because taking on a role where you are playing a 'crazy' person, requires some actual skill. From a lesser actor it would be laughably wide-eyed over the top bullshit, but from Lawrence and (surprisingly) Cooper, it's achingly human watching them grapple with their emotions and bouncing off each other. Oh and not once did I want to shout at the screen 'MY EMOTIONS' or 'ACTING!' Which for a film about damaged emotional people tackling their issues head on, was something I honestly expected to do. Although I did have the impulse to throw my arms in the air and cheer when Robert De Niro appeared on screen. Oh, Robert De Niro is in this film! He plays Bradley Cooper's dad, always a reliable source of class in De Niro, dare I say I thought he was past it, but there he was, in an Eagle's jumper clasping a handkerchief and manoeuvring his tv remotes into the right position, getting a blazing huff and being a questionable father figure, so much fun! If I ever said he was past it I take it back, I take it back so hard. Forgive me De Niro.

 

So some acting heavy weights are in this film, and Chris Tucker makes an appearance too, man that guy gained weight! It took me a while to recognise him, mainly because he really reeled in his talkativeness, but the small scene in the car at the beginning where he lies about leaving the hospital and chats seamlessly with Cooper about his hair was entertaining. In fact even if the characters are bellowing at each other hysterically, or bickering about medication or the football, this film is just fun to watch the characters bounce of one another.

 

I think back at some paragraph I was talking about Cooper's acting skills being, actually really good, so we'll continue along that vein just a little bit more. All the scenes where he is sitting in the therapist's office are pure acting gold. Seriously, I was stunned by how well he inhabited the character, this coming from the man who had the joy of yelling at Ed Helms 'Paging Dr Faggot' in The Hangover; he has come a long way in my estimations. He believes wholeheartedly he can fix his marriage as long as he tries to be a better person, you literally see his whole being straining to make this happen as he explains his ideology. Not sure why he spends most of the film running around in a bin bag though... It's not even the fact he can sell those quiet moments when he is trying to express himself, it's the loud brash moments that work just as well, the rage he seemingly has inherited from Travis Bickle, bursts to the surface so effectively. Even when he's acting like a right idiot and can barely string a sentence together without being insulting he still pulls it off by being achingly sincere and having, deep down a good moral centre, even if that gets clouded now and again. Seriously, I can't explain how impressed I was by Bradley Cooper's acting skills, the man needs some serious credit here. Sorry, I meant De Niro before, of course. This film is a good case for inheriting crazy from your family...

 

Then there is Jennifer Lawrence playing Tiffany, it's sickening that I'm older than this girl by a week, she is also 22, except she is a Hollywood star and is dating the guy I fell in love with watching Skins**** when I was 18... She is essentially living the life that I would die for, except I never went to acting school, I doubt I could act given the chance, I've never tried, I'm far too self concious to inhabit someone else's skin, even on a purely professional level. Plus acting involves so much scrutiny from other people, man, that would kill me, I scrutinise myself far too much. So this was a role initially slated to have Zooey Deschanel or Anne Hathaway playing it, if I close my eyes, Deschanel would have been a dreadful choice and my stifling dislike for Hathaway doesn't make any difference, there's a darkness and complexity to the role that I highly doubt Anne Hathaway could act. Lawrence is 21 when she took this role and it's baffling how well she inhabits it. She has her vulnerable moments but for the most part maintains a spiky hard exterior, it takes a lot of maturity to play a widowed woman with so much baggage but she makes it seem effortless. As much as everyone is raving about her, her weight, her rising star, it's still impressive that all this raving on and on about someone is worth something when she can pull a performance like this out of the bag. Plus watching her and Cooper dance, damn that was awesome.

 

Now here is the essential premise of the film, it's about a man, Pat, who has been released from a mental health hospital. He was placed there for a 9 month stint after beating a man within an inch of his life; he had his reasons, the man had been having sex with his wife, and he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He has the uninhibited belief that if he sorts himself out, maintains good health and loses weight and becomes a better person then his wife will come back to him; everything will work out in the end, you know apart from the restraining order. He refuses to take his medication, he refuses to acknowledge there is anything drastically wrong with his behaviour as long as he works hard at being a better person things will get better. This earnest belief is quite endearing and helps because the man has no filter when speaking to people; he's pretty socially inept and this is coming from someone who feels the constant need to monitor everything she says. So he has some rude tendencies, he's a bit bullish, a bit pervy, but he's not crazy, he wholly believes this. Then he meets Tiffany who is a widow, she suffered and dealt with the death of her husband by sleeping with the entire staff at her place of work; she also had to see a doctor for her depression. In stark comparison to Pat, Tiffany accepts she's a bit crazy, and in her own words embraces it: 'There will always be a part of me that is dirty and sloppy, but I like that, just like all the other parts of myself.' She does some questionable things but she drags Pat out of his funk and distracts him from himself and it's satisfying to see them bounce of each other. Most importantly there is a level of healing going on, they both gradually learn to let their respective spouses go by coming to rely on and love each other, in their own ways.

 

What's quite odd is that film is pretty unapologetic about the fact that the main characters, not to mention Pat's Dad, Pat Sr (De Niro) are very damaged people. It's clear Pat has inherited something from his father, who also has issues handling his rage and has some minor OCD tendencies as well a superstitious side. The film isn't asking you to feel sorry for these people, we are merely observers as they are arguing and raging at one another for their own reasons you can understand why they are upset even if they aren't processing it very well or dealing with it very healthily, you don't feel sorry for them, it's almost played for laughs, but there is a very real feeling to it. People just letting rip at one another for ruining things that are seemingly the most important things in the world, for not understanding them, for being wrong! It reminds me of when I was at home with my family and we would find ourselves in blazing rows, we would torture one another with our words and god knows it wasn't healthy but it all came out. Nothing was fixed, we just did it because we couldn't process our emotions very well, we kept it all bubbling under until we exploded at one another, it never reached fisticuffs but it's a recognisable occurrence.

 

My point is, although it's quite humorous to see the characters being inappropriate, Pat and Tiffany's lack of social skills, Pat Jr and Pat Sr arguing and raging when things don't go their way, it all just comes from a lack of understanding. Pat Jr doesn't understand why he feels this way, he just assumes that's how he's supposed to feel because he's never been given any indication anything was wrong until he was sent to a mental health facility and even then he strained against any changes they could provide instead determining his own way of fixing his problems. It's quite a beautiful ideology, that everything happens for a reasons, that every cloud has a silver lining and you have to find it, and he's going to find it. It's optimistic and the film is stating that even though these people aren't mentally healthy, they are still trying their hardest to be better, to be good, even if they go about it in the most bizarre of ways, like entering a dance competition, or bookmaking and betting all the earnings on one game in order to save up enough money to open a restaurant, or by simply running to stay healthy and reading the books on your ex wife's teaching syllabus. I think it's a really well done just happy film; and trust me, I was surprised by how much I liked it, especially given my scepticism regarding David O Russell...

Definitely go see this film, it's already been nominated for Golden Globes, hopefully this will translate to Oscar buzz, it would be nice for a happy film to get nominated once in a while. As far as I know it's been out for ages which means I suppose I can't demand people should go see it immediately... It was on an early singular showing at the cinema and I figured it would give me a reason to get out of bed. Seriously find a way to watch this film before award season rolls around. The acting is top notch, the cast is stellar, the film moves along at a decent pace, none of it feels wasted, everyone has room to breathe a little; I also truly appreciate a bit of a dance number at the end of any film, plus the reaction to the scores cracked me up immensely. It was just a heart warming honest film and it wasn't being sanctimonious, it was being fun and realistic, it left me with a nice big smile on my face, hey go figure, that's reason enough to love something.

*Now I'll grant Jason Schwartzman is in a slew of decent films, his Wes Anderson work is amazing. I love Rushmore, mainly for Bill Murray but Schwartzman is clearly the lynch-pin; he's also likeable in the Darjeeling Ltd. Then there is his bit part in Scott Pilgrim VS the World in which he plays (from my perspective) a dramatised version of himself, he does it incredibly convincingly. He's born into the Coppola Cabal so of course he has film in his blood and all the famous familial connections that go with it. Not to mention the fact he was the drummer in Phantom Planet and he also has his own solo project in which he enlists the help of his famous chums to appear on some songs, Coconut Records (I have the album on my iTunes...) Not to mention he stars in a TV Show, Bored to Death with Zack Galifianakis and Ted Danson which is, annoyingly, pretty damn good. So he has his finger in loads of pies. Oh yes, I am well versed in Jason Schwartzman, yet I still loathe his smug face. Smug is a disease which should be beaten out of people... and someone should punch that boy. Once the smug is completely purged I will admit to liking him, as I seem to know more about him than any casual passer by should...

 

 ** I totally understand how he feels, I have on occasion thrown a book against the wall when I've been angered by events taking place on the page. Never smashed a window though... Plus at some points in time I have read books, shockingly! I'm looking at you One Day by David Nichols and A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, I know I should expect such things from him but it didn't stop me lobbing A Dance With Dragons across a motel room floor.

 

***Funny story, I completely forgot David O Russell directeed this film until his name came up on the screen and I let out a loud groan. Luckily there were only 6 other people in the criminally tiny cinema screen and I doubt they heard me. Well... I know they did, but they were muttering throughout the film so my disappointed groan counts for nought. Ha! 

 

 ****Nicholas Hoult - get off your arse and call me.

Rigmarole

You ever had a moment when you're walking along and suddenly a word pops into your head, and you love it, and realise it's the best word that ever existed. That's what happened today, I was walking along minding my own business, looking left to right and just roaming pointlessly with no destination, and a word just came into my mind, perfect spelling, perfect knowledge of the word, as if I just invented  it, but I know I didn't. It's a strange sensation, a nice one. Rigmarole...

Walking is something I do to clear my head, it makes me feel good. I used to walk along the cliffs by the sea when I lived in Sunderland, my home-town. I could walk for miles, for hours, the sea crashing against the cliffs, the wind in my hair, the horizon on one side and endless scenery on the other, mostly fields and the sky; it kept me at peace. It was either walking or riding my bike, when things got rubbish at home that's what I'd do, I'd escape and roam by the sea.

Now I have nowhere to go, I live in the middle of a city, a relatively big city, not huge, but big enough that I can walk for an hour and still be surrounded by the streets, the cars, the roads. It didn't take long to find a park, but the trees didn't last forever, still surrounded by streets, by people... It's impossible to be completely alone here, can't say it's something I like, I miss the solitude, the nature, it was always so beautiful. Walking around the city doesn't have the same soothing affect, but getting lost and not knowing where I am, that's quite a nice feeling; alone and lost, no responsibility, no concerns, just walking.

So when I'm not sure what to do it just makes sense to go for a walk. A long rambling pointless walk; which is what I did today. A gentleman approached me, whilst I was wandering along an unimpressive street, gazing up at the trees reaching into the sky lining the pavements. I was quite shocked when he stopped me and asked for directions, I apologised to him, in my sincerest voice I said, 'I'm sorry, I'm getting lost.' His expression was quizzical for the an almost imperceptible second and then he smiled and nodded and I walked away. Probably not my best first impression...

When you're on your own you have no reason to be anything more than what you want to be, it's quite liberating. Today I wore a skirt that my boyfriend and my mum hate even though I'm quite fond of it, makes me look old apparently, I put a pink lipstick on which I wouldn't dare to use unless I was going out drinking and had the utmost confidence it would be gone within a short period of time; I left my hair loose and my fringe, which is now obscuring my vision but I'm far too lazy to get it cut, flopping over my eyes. Off I went into the world, my first port of call, walking with an air of confidence through a sea of people down the busiest street in the city of town and kept my eyes up, I waltzed past the crowds and felt completely at ease in myself, very rare but for very good reason. My image was barely imprinting on anyone's mind, it was footprints in the sand, immediately washed away by the sea, they saw me but I was gone within seconds, I was making multiple first impressions in one go if people were swift enough to observe. If someone caught eye contact I would smile at them, otherwise I'd keep my head tall and my expression distant; it takes a lot of effort to look as disconnected as I do. Don't ask why I decided to waltz down the busiest street in the city centre before going on my rambling lonely walk, it seemed like a good start, I'd be traversing empty streets not long after.

Let it be known, I make an excellent first impression, it all goes down hill once someone gets to know me. I either let someone in too fast, or I keep them at arms length for too long, either way they get sick of me and leave. It's satisfying making first impressions on people, I know I can do that well, it's a skill, I have a warm smile, mildly attractive features, and an impulse to always act kind first and only be rude to those deserving of my revulsion; I know this, it's why I know I make a good first impression. This makes my job as a waitress way easier because I manifest an immediate air of approachability to make people at ease with me, then they can ask of me whatever they desire and I'll be happy to help, in a strictly hospitality capacity. There is a deep mistrust of myself which I can't shake; I don't like going further than the initial observation, my mistrust is placed in a strong belief I'll mess everything up, it has grown into a distinct self-loathing, other factors feeding this all the time. I care too much about what people think of me; I know most of them barely even consider me, it just matters if a person likes me, it's why I spend hours pondering what to write on this blog and then delete entries and tweak things and change my mind often. Still can't believe I put Donnie Darko in my top ten, how stupid am I? When I thought of making a blog I didn't think anyone would actually look at it, now I have a view counter, well that just drives me crazy. Damnit now I'm going off on a tangent.

Anyways, this is why I like first impressions so much, I know that 90% of the time I give off a positive first impression. This is blatantly shallow of course, getting under the surface is always a terrifying prospect for me, it's a mess of regrets and bad memories, they just come spilling out and ruin everything, so a first impression is fine, there's no need to go any further. Knowing at least someone somewhere might have walked past me and vaguely thought, she looks nice, is just enough, even if it's a pervy man or a distracted lady. I need validation, even if it's not confirmed validation, I need to know in my head that there is a chance someone, somewhere in the world likes me. Go figure, I'm lonely and needy, shock.Why do you think I have a blog in the first place?

Being alone is fine. It gives me time to think about such things, to walk, to roam, to do nothing and be nothing more than I am, which is mostly alone, a little bit eccentric and whimsical, I like that, even if others don't, it's not a side I let out often. So once I've walked past all the glancing gazes I get lost and find some quiet places to just walk. Go figure, even when I'm surrounded by people I'm happiest being observed and ignored. It's a contradictory existence but it's one I've come to accept. Now I do believe I've rambled quite enough for one blog so I'll leave it at that. I thought I'd just open up a little about my personal exploits as I hadn't done so for a while, not fully anyways. It's a waste of time but it's my own sad odyssey and for one day, today, being alone didn't totally suck; I felt quite at peace.

Jack Reacher

Big surprise, I went to see yet another book to film adaptation. It's a tough job but someone has to see these things. In fact in the past month, apart from the achingly annoying Seven Psychopaths, I've seen mostly adaptations, fun, no? Well this is based on a character called (duh) Jack Reacher, written by Lee Child. A brief google search and you have yourself a mountain of books written about this particular character, another small fact, well not small, a big fact, is that Reacher is a tall domineering skulking intimidating brute, enter Tom Cruise to play him. Immediate reaction? Lol. I don't generally go about using that term, in fact I rarely laugh out loud as a physical action at anything unless it's my usual noise, it's like a half laugh, half exhale of breath, it's not so much a laugh as it is a response to people when I either don't understand what they've said or they I think expect me to laugh... I do it far too often... What was my point?

Oh right so Lee Child, real name Jim Grant, must have thought all of his christmasses had come at once when Tom Cruise took a personal interest in making a film with his character. Only issue, Tom Cruise is playing the lead and he looks absolutely nothing like the book version. Cue angry fans. Let's confirm how little I care about this, but bad casting is always something to note. To be fair Child was more than happy for a Hollywood heavyweight to play his lead character; who wouldn't? Cruise is a proven draw for cinemaphiles and he has released plenty of statements declaring that Cruise is a perfectly adequate Reacher for various reasons, although he still can't literally reach the can on the top shelf at the supermarket. The point is, that if he wanted the movie to be a success he'd need a recognisable action man to play Reacher, and with Cruise taking a personal vested interest in the project he didn't have a choice, unless Liam Neeson had started a bidding war with him. Basically, it's a classic Hollywood case of making do and hoping the book fans don't feel alienated enough to ignore it.

What is quite surprising about this film is that I went in with very low expectations, the trailers have essentially made out that it's yet another flick about a man on a vendetta against someone and is avoiding the police whilst causing some mayhem and excitement. Standard action hero popcorn fluff, it would seem. The trailer has him avoiding the police by walking out of his car and standing at a bus stop incognito whilst the police look on baffled, then there is a standard movie phone call where a woman is in apparent danger with the villain and taunting the hero who then in turn threatens him in a very unheroic yet still impressive manner and slams the payphone down*. What impressed me about the film is that it wasn't like these clips at all, it was very much a detective film, and what impressed me more was that the female lead (played by the dazzlingly beautiful Rosamund Pike) was actually more than just a damsel in distress. Perhaps my brain has been turned to mush lately but it's always satisfying to see a smart and interesting female lead drive the story as much as the hulking male hero in a film, especially these action man films that keep getting churned out, most importantly she is using her brain and although she spends most of the film in an undeniably obvious push up bra (my god those babies were on show!) She was still less a piece of eye candy and more integral to the plot as a whole, although the cleavage shots definitely satisfied the teenage boys on either side of me.

Oh yeah, once again I went to the cinema alone and got a seat in the back row, forgot the children were still off school and bought my tickets really early without really thinking. Anyways turned up midway through the previews and found that I was sitting between two long lines of pre-teen boys, the one on my left had a skin head and a gold chain and the worst manners ever, the one on my right was a little nerd with helmet hair who anxiously shifted away from me when I flounced down between them. Skinhead on my left felt the need to incessantly chatter through the first ten minutes of the film so I turned my head and glared at him until he gave me a cautious sideways glance and clammed up. Every time he began to talk after that I turned my head again to great effect. Man it feels good to be 22 and being able to put a little boy in his place with a mere withering gaze. Jack Reacher has got nothing on me.

What was I saying? So, having once again not read the books or had any interest in anything written by Lee Child even though his books are all over the place, I thought the film was good, for a film. Mystery/thriller novels don't really interest me, there is normally an interesting grisly murder then there's a lot of standing around investigating, possibly further violence but not much, I prefer to just watch the film, it goes by quicker and you're finished sooner. Man I sound like a real book hater, I love books! Just not murder mysteries, sorry Sherlock! I did not expect Jack Reacher to be quite as studied or measured as it was, it took it's time working through the plot even though it revealed the twist at the beginning, although if you have a short attention span I suppose it's quite interesting to realise that the guy is being set up, anyone with half a brain would notice the man committing murder is not the same as the one they had in prison. I had a big 'Ooooh, it's not the same guy!' Exclamation from the boy on my left, that was greeted with an angry glowering. It was fun seeing Richard Jenkins have a hand in things, he has been all over the shop lately! He had a very fun turn in Cabin in the Woods - yeah I saw it, I tried to write a review, it went horribly so I just figured it would be pretty obvious saying I loved it. Wait did I spoil something back there? That is so unlike me!**

So the plot is essentially five people are randomly shot from a car park and the murderer caught by the police has only one request before going down for life, GET JACK REACHER. Jack Reacher knows the gun man has, in the past sniper murder experience, and yet he is asked by the defence - Rosamund Pike, to try and help her get enough evidence to at least prevent her client from facing the death penalty. Combined with her desire to ascertain no more blood is spilt she is the District Attorney's daughter, Richard Jenkins, and he does not want her getting involved in this, a little bit more complex than the standard womanly role. Plus Rosamund Pike actually pulls off moderately intelligent professional woman unlike a lot of beautiful actresses around. Reacher agrees to help and the further he digs the more abundantly clear it becomes that the man was set up and random killing spree had more to it. Of course I won't ruin it by explaining further.

The film goes through great pains of setting up a somewhat realistic occurrence, a sequence of events that leads to Reacher further finding himself embroiled in the case. This is where the majority of the cinema began to shift uneasily, Reacher works as a detective more than a random killing machine, he reacts to violence with relative ease but he doesn't invite it, nor does he go looking for it. He still causes some bullish damage but the action sequences are few and far between, this is not the standard hollywood action film, it's a bit more reserved, a bit more interested in providing a compelling story. The action is kept to a somewhat realistic minimum, Reacher doesn't invite it and he doesn't prolong it. The story has a typical, once you scratch the surface it all gets very complicated feel to it, there is the odd looking villain with the missing fingers and glass eye, he's suitably disturbing and also quite Hollywood in the sense that he is menacing to a fault but doesn't really do much aside from react to the ongoing mistakes around him. Human errors lead to Reacher getting to the bottom of the case and Reacher's own morality or humanity leads to him disappearing once again at the end. So it's all nice and tied up neatly for a possibly sequel or as a stand alone experience.

So the lead character is essentially a ghost, he appears at the beginning and fades away at the end, (not literally, he's not a spooky ghost or anything...) so he doesn't need much substance, Tom Cruise brings a barely simmering rage under the eyes but beyond that he is essentially playing cold hearted badass. It works well then that he has Rosamund Pike striving to try and bring some grounded realism to her role, even if her boobies are under her chin. She's more than the retiring waif, she is capable intelligent empathetic and even though it's by no means the best female performance I've seen it's more than adequate to ground the film; as I've previously mentioned she is actually convincing at what she is doing unlike some.***

I think from all this you can basically tell that Jack Reacher isn't your standard action film that it's been marketed as, it's actually a detective/thriller with a hint of intrigue and broad strokes at depth with a smattering of badassery but not much. It doesn't really make you think once you leave the cinema but it's a relatively satisfying bit of popcorn fodder. Not really fun or stupid or memorable, not something I'd sit to watch again, but for what it was, it was good. It wasn't bad! It set out to tell a story and it did, there was an understandable (mostly) plot and it was moderately interesting. Rosamund Pike, well I could look at her all day long, some folks could do that with Tom Cruise, he even gets his top off for one scene. It's more than I expected, I found myself strangely compelled into not loathing it as I had expected so... A pleasant surprise shall we say? Yeah, let's go with that.

*Had some serious Scott Pilgrim flashbacks on that one where Chris Evans is imitating action hero movies by doing something very similar.
**Well on this blog, in real life I have a habit of telling people who die in TV programmes they haven't finished watching yet. Sorry Mike and Andy, Downton and Dexter got rubbish anyways!
***See Katie Holmes in Batman Begins, gosh that was embarrassing... Sorry former Mrs Cruise...
 

Resolution

• Help more people.
• Earn more money.
• Lose belly fat.
• Watch more films/read more books/learn more things.
• Be less upset.