Life is like Chocolat

The world will indeed be watching

2012-02-07T13:08:00.000+02:00

If you like epic, and I do, there is a lot to look forward to.

The newest Hunger Games trailer came out some days ago. Still looking extremely good, still getting tremendous goosebumps, still not enough Haymitch. But Stanley Tucci, ah! And I'm starting to be very convinced that Lenny Kravitz will rock the role of Cinna, so shut up, haters.

Super Bowl also gave us another teaser of the upcoming Avengers. Whoa! Just, whoa! I mean... whoa! It's going to be simply... whoa! And my patriotic little fangirl heart is pounding very excitedly for Captain America. There's just something about those stars and stripes... ~~and abs...~~

I haven't been too stoked about The Amazing Spider-Man, but the new trailer is beginning to tickle my fancy a bit. Good old Andrew will of course rock my world, no doubt about that, but also, it seems darker and more complex than the Tobey Maguire fun rides. P.S. I'm hoping Emma Stone will have something proper to do, besides being the damsel in distress.

Hulluna Saraan (2012) / crazy about Emilie

2012-01-31T21:37:00.000+02:00

directed by Samuli Valkama / starring Emilie de Ravin, Jussi Nikkilä, Ville Virtanen

Vieläkö on villihevosiaaaa...

On aina hauska huomata että kyllä meiltä täältä kotimaastakin löytyy mainioita elokuvantekijöitä. Kyllähän se nyt tässä vaiheessa olisi varmaan pitänyt jo sisäistää, mutta jotenkin se vaan joka kerta yllättää ("Yllättävän hyvä suomalaiseksi leffaksi!" Kaikki ovat joskus joko kuulleet tai itse suustaan päästäneet tuon kommentin, am I right or am I right?) kun kotimainen onnistuu naurattamaan, viihdyttämään tai koskettamaan. Tai kaikkia kolmea, vähän niinkuin Hulluna Saraan! I enjoyed it a lot, for a Finnish film! (...) Tästä tulee varmaan kaksikielinen postaus, but isn't that only appropriate, since the film I'm discussing is bilingual, too.

Hulluna Saraan, or "crazy about Sara", or Love and Other Troubles, is a comedy about Finnish men, about unusual daddy issues, about love, about other troubles, and a little bit about clashing cultures, too. It brings the Australian Lost actress Emilie de Ravin to the streets of Turku and the fields of the Finnish country side, as an American girl who sweeps both the son and the father off their feet. Se toi mukanaan nostalgisia tuntemuksia muistuttaessaan että olipa kerran tv-ohjelma nimeltään Tenavatähti (olisin niin halunnut itse Seppo Hovin pikku cameo-rooliin!). It made me long for summer even more than I already do; because you know what they say about the Finnish summer... It's always worth the wait. It is what gets us through the rest of the year. Meaning, from August to June. Sigh. Anyways. We know it's worth it.

Tämä elokuva oli melkoinen piristysruiske! Hyvin ilahduttava ja sympaattinen, ja äänenkin sai naurahdella useamman kerran. Todellinen hyvänmielenelokuva, genressään melkoisen täydellinen. Feel-good, feel-good! I should watch more shameless, honest, guilt-free feel-good flicks! In fact, maybe I should watch ONLY such films! Because, you know, I feel good now! Earlier today I watched a distinctively Finnish, depressive kind of film, and I felt crappy. Now... I feel goooood! Simple as that.

The characters in this film were fun and likable, and they worked well together. The father/son relationship was of course the corner stone of it all, and it was very amusing to watch these two completely different personalities tear apart everything we thought we knew about the traditional roles of fathers and sons. It's hilarious, and the actors do a great job. Also, the Finnish language and the way of speaking can be used in such a comical way; the wonderful awkwardness and blunt expressions make great comedy!

Ja entäs meidän ihana ulkomaan vahvitus! Emilie is just adorable, cute as a button! And of course I very much appreciate her for coming to Finland and making this film! Two thumbs up, girl! I mean, she's worked in Hawaii and she's kissed Robert Pattinson, so saying yes to a weird little project like this...? Awesome, she's totally cool and extremely amazing in my book now. She was cool and amazing before, but now she's got the intensives too.

I'm always a sucker for stories about the Finnish culture clashing with another. It is both interesting and absolutely hilarious to look at Finland and the Finns from another culture's point of view; in this case, American. It makes it extra fun that you happen to be familiar with that other culture, too. (By the way, if you haven't yet, I very much recommend reading How to Marry a Finnish Girl by Phil Schwarzmann. He makes such spot-on comments and observations about this country, you can't help but laugh. And he gets pretty harsh, too. I actually kind of felt like moving away from this country after finishing the book, haha.) Finnish-ness in general is just very entertaining to discuss and analyze, we are such a peculiar group of people!

Lopuksi huomautettakoon, että Ebookers.fi:n mainos hollywoodilaisen taksin katolla oli aika hauska yksityiskohta. Jokseenkin hienovaraista piilomainontaa. Ja voi, se riemu kun tunnistaa valkokankaalla näkyvän paikan ja voi kertoa käyneensä siellä! Me Miinan kanssa vingahdettiin riemusta yhtä aikaa kun Roosevelt Hotel vilahti kuvassa. Ah ja voi.

Kautta Ronald Reaganin haamun, olipas ilahduttava elokuva. (Olisikohan tämä se ihmeidentekijä joka saa minut ostamaan suomalaisen leffan DVD:lle toista kertaa elämässäni? Menolippu Mombasaan on vähän yksinäinen hyllyssäni.)

Oscar nominees 2012

2012-01-24T17:08:00.002+02:00

It seems it was about a month ago when they last gave away a bunch of Hollywood's golden boys, but here we are again. The nominees for this years Academy Awards were just announced. I must say I haven't been building up any expectations, and I'm feeling a lot more indifferent about these awards than usually. Maybe because there hasn't been a Toy Story 3 or a Social Network for me this year, meaning nothing has gotten me too pumped up. And of course, I still have a LOT to see before February 26. Funny, you'd think that spending the fall in the country where all the biggest and best movies come from (and where a movie comes to theatres the same day it's released - not four months later, if at all) would give you an advantage in keeping up with your Oscar hopefuls, but apparently not. Maybe it was my inopportune location (Emporia, Kansas isn't exactly the Mecca of culture). Maybe I just saw the wrong movies (whooot, I was CERTAIN Glee the 3D Concert Movie would rob all the awards!). Anyway. Here are a few of my thoughts.

It's a good year for animated film. And when I say good I mean unpredictable! Since Pixar spent the year making Cars 2, there is no Pixar film nominated for best animated film, so someone else finally has a chance! Good for them.

The Bridesmaids! Well well well. I'm not a huge fan of the film, but it certainly is refreshing to see a female-centered comedy nominated for best original screenplay, and one of its stars in the supporting actress category.

I really can't say much, because there's so much yet to be seen before I can shout out opinions that are not completely baseless and biased. From the best picture category I've actually seen just one film, so it's not very surprising that I feel like naming The Artist as my favourite. Well, it was a wonderful film, and I think it might remain my favourite, even after I've seen some of the other candidates. Let's see.

I am very eager to see The Help and Hugo; these are actually the two that I believe might have a shot at challenging The Artist in my book, and I will do my best to check them out before the Oscars.

I'm not sure why, but The Descendants seems really annoying to me. The trailer kind of makes me yawn. I'm not excited about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, either, it just gives me a too strong The Blind Side kind of vibe, you know, one of those oh-so-sentimental and inspirational and disgustingly American stories. Might skip it. I've never been one for Woody Allen, and Tree of Life just seems boring as hell. I'm not sure about what The War Horse might have to offer for me... And Moneyball. Well, it's about baseball. Baseball is officially the most numbing sports in the world. I might still give the film a chance. Maybe it's not all about baseball. And if it is, maybe they've edited out all the parts where the players try and try and try and try hit the ball but never do.

When it comes to the acting categories, I, again, don't dare say much. Bérénice Bejo was absolutely lovely in The Artist, so her nomination made me happy. Sure, she wasn't exactly in a supporting role, but never mind, she's better off in a category without Meryl Streep, haha. Speaking of whom, I really want her to win that third Oscar, it's been a damn long time coming. Even though Michelle Williams as Marilyn really won me over, too... Rooney Mara's nomination was a nice surprise, but I guess she doesn't stand a chance, and that's ok.

I've been kind of inattentive, so I don't know if someone got snubbed. I did notice the lack of J. Edgar. Shame, it was an alright film. And yeah yeah, I have good memories about it since I saw it in Washington, a few blocks from the FBI building. Ah! Good times. Anyways. Enough with the bragging, haha...

In summary... Hugo got most nominations (11), with The Artist right behind it (10). I guess I'm happy! My favourite and my potential other favourite! And lo and behold, it is indeed a "kids' film" leading the game! Hurray! Take that, stupid adults!

Scarface & Manhattan aka let us prerend it's still 2011

2012-01-05T21:49:00.000+02:00

January 1

18:25 New Year, old pains in the rear. This is me watching Scarface, as the part 11/12 of my 2011 Resolution project. Yeah, yeah, I broke the resolution. They're not meant to be kept, anyway...

18:29 ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MINUTES? Oh. Fun. I'm gonna need some ice cream here.

18:40 Ok, let's go.

18:43 Is this the Say Hello To My Little Friend one? I think so.

18:46 That's a pretty good accent, Al, I give you that.

19:00 Ooh, Espanol.

19:50 Why are these movies always about grumpy, violent men, who take themselves too seriously...

20:48 "Can't you stop saying fuck all the time? Can't you stop talking about money? It's boring."

21:37 Yay, I did it! And it wasn't even that bad! I mean, it could've been a lot worse. I think Scarface goes in the same category with Sunset Boulevard and Citizen Kane; I do kind of see what the fuss it about, but there's nothing in it for me personally.

January 4

19:38 Alrighty, time to wrap up 2011! This should be fairly easy. I've only seen some more recent films by Allen, and though I've disliked them all, I think I just might enjoy Manhattan, at least a little. Because, my guess is, it sets in Manhattan. And it's only an hour and thirty minutes, so even if I'll suffer, I won't suffer for long! Ha! Let's go.

21:16 Ha ha! Watched the whole movie without one snide remark!

So. I did enjoy watching this movie. Compared to the torture the recent few classics have been (yes, I'm talking to you, Goodfellas and Scarface), this was a very pleasant experience. Give the girl her relationship dramas and she'll be happy; that's how it goes, I'm afraid. Also, compared to my previous Woody Allen experiences (yes, I'm talking to you Cassandra's Dream, Match Point and especially you, Vicky Christina Barcelona), I got quite a lot more out of Manhattan. It's pretty charming and smart and relatable, and you can't really not like Allen's character, so comfortable with his own awkwardness. Meryl Streep was (and is) a goddess. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her! And New York! (I can't believe it's been only two weeks since I left the States, and cruised in a yellow taxi in Manhattan, on my way to the airport... Life is so weird.)

Still, there's still something too Allen-y that kept me from liking the film more. One thing must be the endings, and the indecisive and aimeless nature of the story. It feels so purposeless, watching a movie and in the end... nothing's really changes. Like I was wasting my time, putting my mind into a story that ends up going nowhere. Agh, I just need closure, or at least change.

Anyway. That's that for 2011. Now I can fully acknowledge that it is 2012.

Hey 2012, show me what you've got!

2012-01-04T17:29:00.002+02:00

There's no doubt about my most anticipated movie of the year. The Hunger Games movie will be so epic! I was a bit scared at first, about how easily it could be screwed up, but after the (mostly) solid casting choices, first promo pictures and the trailer, I'm quite positive that I will very much enjoy the film adaption. That world is so creepy and dark, yet cool, and they seem to have done a pretty good job transferring it on screen. March, come on, come on, come on!

Struck by Lightning is the love child (and the showcase) of my favourite Glee star, Chris Colfer. The story of a high school kid who is killed by a lightning is written by Colfer himself, and he also plays the main character. After enjoying his performances on Glee, I'm so excited to see how he portrays a character other than the fabulous Kurt Hummel. And even more than that, I want to see him kick ass as a screenwriter, because that's where I think his glorious future might lie.

Superheros! Who wouldn't love superheros! For those of us who do, 2012 is a very good year. The Avengers is definitely the most exciting upcoming action epic. I'm thrilled enough to see my unexpected new favourite Captain America return and explore the modern world, but in addition, he will unite with other awesome old friends like Robert Downey Jr.! Also known as Iron Man, but for me, he's just good old RDJ playing RDJ. Brilliant. I hope they'll really feast on this delicious opportunity and actually let the characters properly interact with each other, among the undoubtedly impressive explosions and action sequences.

Brave will introduce Pixar's first ever female protagonist! As sad as it is how long it took for that to happen, my expectations towards the next adventure by the best modern animation studio are huge, to say the least. That red, curly mess of hair is awesome enough. At least visually this film will blow everyone's minds, let's hope the plot delivers, too.

Let's be honest. Andrew Garfield is pretty much the only reason I'm looking forward to The Amazing Spiderman. But well, there are worse reasons, I guess. Because have you seen Andrew Garfield in action? That kid is brilliant.

I guess I can't claim to be the biggest fan of Chris Nolan's Batman movies, since I've only seen half of Batman Begins, and for me The Dark Knight was all about Heath Ledger, not so much about that stupid Batman dude. Still, I will definitely go see The Dark Knight Rises, even though it has a really lame title, because Nolan is awesome, and I know the movie will be great.

What do Abraham Lincoln and vampire hunting have in common? I don't know. That's why I'm so eager to see the Wanted director's upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Because I don't have any idea what to expect. It sounds both odd and fascinating. And American history, oooh, droooool. Good old Civil War.

The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey. More Middle-Earth. 'Nuff said.

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3D rereleases seem to be the new trend. The most anticipated of such films is of course Titanic, oooh, can't wait, it will be amazing! Not because of the 3D, necessarily, but seeing it on big screen will be brilliant. Poor baby was too young when it first came out.

Also, I'll probably have to check out Phantom Menace. If it ever comes to Finland, I mean. The Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon/Darth Maul lightsaber battle should look pretty good with that extra dimension!

Beauty and the Beast returns to theatres already on January, and far as I know, in Finland, too. Naturally I will need to see my beloved Disney favourite, as a bigger and better and more expensive version. Finding Nemo is coming back as well, but don't know if I'm ready to pay for it, or if I'll even have a chance to.

Finally, some other more or less interesting films coming out this year. I need to check out Iron Lady, to see how Meryl Streep earned her third Oscar. (Yes. Please?) Might wait for the DVD, though. Albert Nobbs seems pretty interesting. And Woman in Black, oooh, Daniel "Post-Potter" Radcliffe, this should be good. I hope, for the poor boy's sake. Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is a must-see; oh, have I missed Burton+Depp+Bonham Carter.

The two Snow White adaptions, Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman need to be seen, because I dig classic fairytale modernizations, even though neither of them look too promising. Still, I will see both of them, because of Armie Hammer and despite Kristen Stewart. Speaking of K-Stew, Breaking Dawn Part 2. Sigh. One more, and then it's over!

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Alrighty, 2012. You look good. And epic. So bring it on!

New Year Resolutions 2012

2012-01-03T00:45:00.001+02:00

Same idea as last year; each month I watch a classic that I can't seem to make myself watch otherwise. Last year wasn't altogether successful, but I'm choosing to be quite hopeful about this year. Fingers crossed, haha...

January: Annie Hall (1977)

February: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

March: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

April: Chinatown (1974)

May: Braveheart (1995)

June: Back to the Future (1985)

July: Taxi Driver (1976)

August: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

September: Metropolis (1927)

October: Vertigo (1958)

November: From Here to Eternity (1953)

December: It Happened One Night (1934)

2011: A Summary of a Year

2012-01-02T14:05:00.002+02:00

It's been an unusual year. It feels like most of the year I've been so preoccupied with everything else that there hasn't been as much movie-watching as, say, last year. Still, there has been some gems and discoveries from both this year and previous years.

I found John Hughes (better late than never, right?) and thus added The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off to the list of my all-time favourites. I watched more documentaries than ever before; I bawled my eyes out at Bowling for Columbine and Nuit et brouillard; I was shocked by The Cove and Food Inc. and swore never to see a dolphin show or eat a fast food burger again; I was entertained by Exit through the Gift Shop and Glee: the Concert Movie. One documentary really stood out, but more on that later.

The year's total is 163 films watched, out of which 52 were rewatches, which makes 111 new films. I went to cinema 23 times. And let me add, twice I saw a film with live orchestra playing the music (The Gold Rush (here at home) and the first Lord of the Rings (in Vegas; guess which one was more expensive...)). Here's the full list of the films, from another Inception rewatch to the Sherlock Holmes sequel.

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Here are some of my favourite people of the year.

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My (more or less succesful) New Year Resolution project was a nice spice to the year's movie-watching experience. Sure, due to being in the US I was behind schedule for part of the year, and in the end got to mark only ten of the twelve movies as 'over and done with'. Because, yes, that's what it was like most of the time: an obligation, something I just HAD to do, whether I enjoyed it a lot or not. This of course is NOT the attitude that movies should be watched with, but since I know myself (and what I know is that unfortunately I just often happen to dislike classics), this techinique is the best way to ensure that I watch what every movie fanatic should watch. Anyway, here's how it turned out:

The films I still need to see in 2012: Scarface, Manhattan

The film that I very strongly disliked: A Clockwork Orange

The films that bored me to death: Mulholland Dr., 8½, Goodfellas

The films I might have liked more had I been able to concentrate on them properly: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Blade Runner

The films I kind of liked and properly concentrated on, but that failed to impress me in a way worth mentioning: Sunset Blvd., Citizen Kane

The film that I expected to like the least, but that ended up blowing my mind a little or at least giving me a pretty epic Friday night: 2001: A Space Odyssey

The film that I very much liked and that I will actually see again in the near-future (unlike the previous one): The Deer Hunter

So. Maybe the percentage of the films I actually ended up liking isn't very encouraging, but I will all the same continue this project in 2012. I need to get more classics watched.

My extremely unofficial TOP FIVE of 2011

My Week with Marilyn

It's Michelle Williams that earned this movie a spot on my list. When I was watching her in My Week with Marilyn, there was a moment when I realized I didn't remember what the real Marilyn looks like. That's how good Ms. Williams is! Other than that, it's a cute, quite harmless little film. A little sad at times, and quite relateble, in some ways, at least for me.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Haha. Weird? I don't know why I liked this film so much. But I did. I haven't liked a superhero this way since my ridiculous Spiderman phase when I was fifteen. There is something sincerely sweet about Chris Evans's Steven Rogers, and something admirable in the way he develops into a superhero: it's merely a physical transformation, since his mind was the mind of a hero all along.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Well duh. The conclusion of the adventures of everyone's favourite wizard boy was nothing less than epic, even though the conclusion of that conclusion was disappointingly ridiculous thanks to the poor attempt to make the young cast look nineteen years older. Sigh. Anyway! This was the end of another era. But Harry will live on.

The Artist

This black-and-white silent strike of genius will be my favorite in the Oscar races next year, and I'm not alone with my opinion. It's charming and fun and tragic and just delicious. I loved the creative ways to use sound they'd come up with, in the midst of the good old Hollywood kind of title cards and wonderfully exaggarated acting. It's a love song to the roots of cinema, with a modern twist and a great sense of humor.

Life in a Day

Well, this is interesting. I never saw this little film coming. One day I read about it somewhere, watched it, and whoa, it just blew me away. The idea is wonderful, really, maybe the best idea any filmmaker ever had. People all over the world documented their lives on film in July 24, 2010. The material came together as what apparently is my favourite film of the year. In summary, I cried at people brushing their teeth. I'm determined to finish my post about this, so this is all I will say now.
If you haven't yet, see the film here.

Well, I guess that's what we can call a mixed bunch; a Hollywood icon, a superhero, a fantasy blockbuster, a silent film and a documentary. But the list is extremely unofficial because there are many films I haven't yet seen that might've easily made the list. I still need to see at least The Help, Hugo, 50/50, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... Still, I'm quite confident about number one, at least.

It was a pretty good year, and 2012 will probably be pretty epic. Just saying.

Films watched in 2011

2012-01-01T15:51:00.002+02:00

Complete list below!

* a rewatch

in cinema

JANUARY

Inception *
Top Hat
Chaplin *
Broken Flowers
Black Death
Toy Story 3 *
Love and Other Drugs
Taking Woodstock
Clueless
The Circus
Sunset Boulevard
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory *
Sherlock Holmes *
Drag Me to Hell
Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden
The Social Network *
Karate Kid
The Kids Are All Right
The Gold Rush *
Aladdin *
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban *
The King's Speech

~ total 22 (9 rewatches, 3 in cinema)

FEBRUARY

Das Experiment
127 Hours
Trespassing
A Hard Day's Night *
Persepolis
How to Train Your Dragon
When Harry Met Sally... *
Toy Story 3 *
Luftslottet Som Sprängdes
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *
Sweeney Todd: The Devil Barber of Fleet Street *
Before Sunrise *
Before Sunset *
Step Up
The Breakfast Club
Sixteen Candles

~ total 16 (7 rewatches, 1 in cinema)

MARCH

Despicable Me
Mulholland Drive
Black Swan
Midnight Express
Mean Girls 2
Buried
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Bowling for Columbine
Weird Science
Pretty in Pink
2001: A Space Odyssey
Roman Holiday
The Cove
Winter's Bone
Some Kind of Wonderful

~ total 15 (0 rewatches, 2 in cinema)

APRIL

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Definitely, Maybe
Hard Candy
Nuit et brouillard
Schindler's List *
Jane Eyre (BBC)
The Great Dictator
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Strictly Ballroom
The Social Network *
What Women Want
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
The Village *
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl *
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Man's Chest *
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End *
The Deer Hunter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 *
The Last Song

~ total 19 (5 rewatches, 0 in cinema)

MAY

Le Grand Bleu
Scream 4
Wall-E *
The Haunting in Connecticut
Stand by Me *
Super Size Me
Water for Elephants
Moulin Rouge! *
City Lights *
The War Game
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 *
Due Date
Breakfast Club *
Groundhog Day
8½
Zombieland *
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button *
Hiroshima Mon Amour
The Princess Bride *
Transamerica
Inglorious Basterds *

~ total 21 (10 rewatches, 2 in cinema)

JUNE

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pleasantville
Hanna
WarGames
Shelter
Easy A
Tangled
Paul
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Rabbit Hole
Moon *
13

~ total 12 (1 rewatch, 3 in cinema)

JULY

Where the Wild Things Are
Black Swan *
The Romantics
Burlesque
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 *
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Up *
Never Let Me Go
Tamara Drewe
The Social Network *
The Wizard of Oz *
Citizen Kane

~ total 12 (5 rewatches, 1 in cinema)

AUGUST

Easy A *
Another Year
Batoru rowaiaru (Battle Royale)
Food Inc.
Waiting for "Superman"
Glee: the 3D Concert Movie
No Strings Attached
Charlotte Gray
One Day
Taking Chance

~ total 10 (1 rewatch, 3 in cinema

SEPTEMBER

The Debt
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Beauty and the Beast *
The Lion King *
Inkheart
Biloxi Blues
For the Bible Tells Me So
Big
Toy Story 3 *
Zero Day

~ total 10 (3 rewatches, 2 in cinema)

OCTOBER

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
Running on Empty
Unborn
Easy A *
Friends with Benefits
Captain America: The First Avenger
Thor

~ total 7 (2 rewatches, 0 in cinema)

NOVEMBER

A Clockwork Orange
Blade Runner
Shawshank Redemption *
Kick-Ass *
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
My Week with Marilyn
J. Edgar
Black Swan *

~ total 8 (3 rewatches, 3 in cinema)

DECEMBER

Life in a Day
The Artist
Carnage
The Holiday *
Glee the Concert Movie *
Love Actually *
Bridesmaids
Glee the Concert Movie *
Troy *
Pearl Harbor *
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

~ total 11 (6 rewatches, 3 in cinema)

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YEAR TOTAL 163 (52 rewatches, 23 in cinema)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) / the return of the Bromance

2011-12-31T14:55:00.004+02:00

directed by Guy Richie / starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry

I loved the first Sherlock Holmes so much. I actually went to see it in cinema three times. That was the first time I'd seen a film in cinema three times since Revenge of the Sith, by the way, and it hasn't happened again since. I started to look forward to the next Holmes adventure right after the wonderful ending of the first film, quite obviously promising for more. Then at some point I got tired of waiting and allowed myself to restrain my enormous enthusiasm towards the upcoming sequel. In other words, I didn't care too much about the franchise anymore. Not even the trailer could arouse my interest very much. It looked a bit lame and predictable and uninventive. Like the sequel would just rely on the jokes and ideas and success of the first film.

And it kind of did, to a certain lenght, of course. But it wasn't a bad thing at all, they did it well, actully! The old gags were continued and the distinct slo-mo action sequences were there again, but there was some clever reinvention going on, which made it surprisingly fresh, and hardly repetitive at all. Oh, and boy, did the Bromance bloom.

In case someone (like me, it turns out) has forgotten that Robert Downey Jr. is the sexiest man alive, let me just point this out: Robert Downey Jr. is, indeed, the sexiest man alive. Oh, mama. No one plays that absurdly cocky yet indeniably lovable type of character better than him. Can't wait for Avengers and the next Iron Man. Boy, oh boy. There might be a sex overload.

Scandinavia's pride Noomi Rapace was a real joy! Yes, I've decided to take pride on her, too, I won't let Sweden take all the credit. Because I'm sick of Sweden winning all the time. Also, since this fall (or autumn or whatever, I don't know what English I should use now that I'm back home) Sweden often functioned as a substitute for curing homesickness, I now kind of look at Scandinavia as a whole, so calling Rapace "our girl" would be more than appropriate. Let her conquer the world and bring fame to her home country, Scandinavia! Ahem.

Jared Harris was great, really great! There's something oddly gentle about his eyes, yet they can turn ice-cold and deliver a deadly stare. I love villains that aren't obviously evil (though I do love some obviously evil villains, too), and who destroy the world without losing that indifferent, almost friendly poker face. Really great job, you Mad Man!

Like in the first film, I again enjoyed the brilliant music, the cool end credits, the cinematography of the action scenes (even in the scene in the forrest when it ALMOST (?) went over-the-top), the fun supporting characters and the wonderful and hilarious chemistry between Law and Downey Jr.

In summary, I'd say that Game of Shadows was a very good sequel. The ending was excellent. Unpredictable. The end came too soon. Or was it really that? The end? If not, I sure am ready for more, so bring it.

"What do you see?"

"Everything."

The first and last time I saw Goodfellas

2011-12-30T00:13:00.000+02:00

21:29 Since there is three days left in the year 2011, and three films yet to be watched in my New Year Resolution project, I thought now might be a good time to get busy. The film of October was Goodfellas, so here we go. I don't think it is a very good scenario to begin watching a movie feeling certain that you will hate it, but I'm kind of getting used to this by now. I even came up with an appropriate title already: The first and probably the last time I saw Goodfellas. Now that's the spirit. Let's get crackin'. I hope this is now a very long movie.

21:34 ... No such luck. Two hours and nineteen minutes. What a surprise. Well, if I'm a really good girl I'll be done by midnight and all this will be only a bad memory.

21:38 Oh it's set in New York! Hopefully the whole movie is about them prancing around Central Park. Isn't that what mob bosses do? Or gangsters, or whatever these people are.

21:41 Oh, this is one of these lovely and violent movies! Hurray!

22:11 I'm not buying that the stupid thug from Home Alone is a badass mobster. And I'm a bit bored. But at least this is no Godfather. No Central Park yet, boo!

22:37 There's too much testosterone in the movie. Blah. Violence is so freaking nice and masculine, yeah, hurray, keep hitting each other, that's fun.

23:16 Oh, yay, only 45 minutes left. Time is flying, while I'm facebooking, cutting my nails and plugging my eyebrows. Watching movies like this makes me productive.

23:29 These guys say 'fuck' way too much. I mean, I like when people say 'fuck', like they do in In Bruges. But come one.

23:34 Ah, thank you! Thank you for shooting that guy, he annoyed me so much.

00:08 Oh well. There's no need to change the title. Though I might drop the 'probably'. I don't know why I keep making myself watch these movies I know I'm not going to like. Mob bosses and violence and cursing and idiotic, stubborn men. Not my cup of tea. Except if it takes place in Bruges.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (2011) / unsurprisingly unsurprising

2011-12-08T04:06:00.000+02:00

I went to Atlanta and Washington DC for my Thanksgiving break, and finally had a chance to go to movies again. I hadn't seen a movie in a theatre for more than two months, which is a personal record I don't wish to break again any time soon. There is a threatre in Emporia, but you need a car to get there, so basically it's out of my reach. Now that I again had cinemas within my reach, (and time, too, unlike on our fall break trip to California), me and my travelling companion went to movies not once, not twice, but three times in eight days. And I still feel it wasn't enough. I was supposed to put my thoughts together about each three films, but so it happens, I managed to do so only on Twilight. Which is so twisted. I actually liked My Week with Marilyn and J.Edgar a lot, but for some unfair reason writing about them is too much right now.

We weren't even supposed to go see Twilight. We were supposed to go see J. Edgar, but there wasn't a showing at the right time, and we wanted to go see something anyway, and what do you know, Breaking Dawn was just starting in ten minutes. I had seen the previous ones in cinemas, but I'd planned on not seeing the last ones. Oh well. At least it wasn't in 3D. Part of the Twilight cinema experience has always been the people around you, laughing at wrong places, and making mocking "whoo" sounds whenever Jacob takes his shirt off. And I must say, the company was perfect, once again. Of course you have to feel a little sorry for those few who actually come to see the film seriously.

I don't have much to say about the film itself. I once wrote a huge monster post about Eclipse, concentrating on the phenomenon that Twilight is, and I still feel pretty much the same way. You just cannot make a great movie when the source material is what it is. We know it's crap, but still, let the girls have their fun. And so on. I'm still 100% Team Jacob. Even Kristen Stewart (whom I just can't help but find annoying) is much more natural in those few Bella/Jacob scenes. That relationship is just so wonderfully close to normal among all the freakish and awkward Bella/Edward stuff. Anna Kendrick was again my biggest source of joy, even though her and Bella's (human) group of friends got hardly any screen time at all. The sex scene was kind of lame, and all the pregnancy stuff plain disgusting. I mean, yes, it's very nice that they actually made Bella look like an absolutely horrible corpse, but all the blood and the breaking bones just made me want to look away. Again, yes, it's just the source material, but ugh, I'd rather have watched more of that lame sex than a skeleton Bella drinking blood.

So yeah. Nothing surprising here. I knew what to expect so watching all the awkward dialogue wasn't too painful. At least now I've seen it and don't have to worry about it ever again. But I have to go see last final movie, too, just to see how they adapt the most horrible ending of the most horrible book in the world to the screen. Can't say I'm looking forward to it.

"Jacob has an idea."
"It's more of a snide remark!"

Sucks to be a Kennedy / The Kennedys (2011)

2011-12-05T05:29:00.001+02:00

I didn't know JFK was assasinated in Dallas. That is, until I went to Dallas and found myself standing in the very spot where it happened. They say travelling broadens the mind, but it also helps you catch up on your history. I know now that John F. Kennedy was killed in downtown Dallas, on Elm Street, on November 22, 1963, and that Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots from the sixth floor window of the Book Depository. And that was all without cheating. I hope I got my facts right.

I had heard of the miniseries before, and was kind of interested in watching it, but didn't make it my priority until I knew I would be going to Washington DC soon. I thought I would get the more out of the visit the more I knew about the history of the place. And luckily in this day and age we don't have to read books to learn history, we can just watch a movie or a miniseries and be just as wise! Oh, wonderful world. So, I watched the eight-part series before and after the trip, and yes, they indeed complemented each other quite nicely. I just get a huge kick out of watching a movie or something and seeing a place where I've personally been. (At times I so wished there'd been someone watching with me, because I wanted to act smart! Like when Jackie visits Jack's grave in the Arlington Cemetary (assuming that the scene was actually shot on location), they use only certain camera angles to hide the tomb stone on JFK's left, saying Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (okay, that I had to cheat).)

I enjoyed the series (and not only for the joy of feeling smart and well-travelled). Sometimes the politics talk might have been a bit too much for me, but I just let it go over my head, waiting for the next scene looking at the family dynamics and relationships. I'm sure the series is not 100% truthful in portraying the members of the Kennedy family, but I trust it to have given more than a clue about what was going on inside the white walls of the President's house. It was quite entertaining, and interesting, the script was quite excellent, and the camerawork and visual side very pleasing to the eye, too. I liked the use of old, actual recordings, mixed with new material.

I first had some serious problems with Greg Kinnear as JFK. Just because I kept associating him with Little Miss Sunshine, and as much as I love that movie it doesn't do much good in taking someone seriously as a president. I got over it soon, however, because Kinnear did quite a solid job, and his presence is totally transformed from the horrible father who tells his 10-year-old daughter not to be a loser. Also, Katie Holmes was a very pleasant surprise! I don't usually enjoy her work too much, and she often lacks depth, but as Jackie she is vulnerable yet strong, and it works beautifully. She had my sympathies.

The one who stole the whole show to me, however, was Barry Pepper's Bobby. For me, Pepper has always stolen the show, in whatever small roles I've seen him in, from The Green Mile to Saving Provate Ryan and Flags of Our Fathers. There's just something so real and authentic and sincere about him. He better get some awards for this role, he's been underrated for too long. He made it official: Bobby is my favorite Kennedy! I don't know why, but I always found Bobby's fate more tragic than Jack's. And I don't know if it's the truth or the portrayal or just me, but Bobby definitely turned out to be the hero of The Kennedys, and series left me with a pretty deep admiration and respect for Robert Kennedy. And Barry Pepper. You can't give any awards to Bobby anymore, so give some to Barry! He made me cry, damn it. Not that that's too unusual.

The villain of the story, for me, was definitely the father, Joe Kennedy. (Along with Marilyn Monroe, just because she was portrayed so poorly. Maybe it's unfair for the actress, Charlotte Sullivan, but after forgetting what the real Marilyn Monroe actually looks like when watching Michelle Williams in the said role, poor Ms. Sullivan's Monroe was kind of a sorry attempt.) Sure, I felt sorry for him at times, but that tyrannical, unhealthy obsession he had about making his son, any son, President, made me loathe him, and frankly point the finger straight at him when we start talking about blame.

"You’re going to be President. Because you’re a Kennedy. And Kennedys never come in second."

The Hunger Games, official trailer, finally!

2011-11-14T18:44:00.000+02:00

Oh, how we've been waiting for this one! All I was hoping for it was Peeta and goosebumps, and I got both. And more! I love the look of it, I think they got it absolutely right, both District 12 and The Capitol, and what we see of the Arena. Brilliant! And it's full of little details I love, like Peeta's hair in the reaping scene, and the train that speeds through the woods, and Effie's ridiculous outfit. This is going to be great. This is definitely on the top of my Most Anticipated Films of 2012. Or actually, on the top of my Most Anticipated Anythings of 2012. I have a feeling it'll blow my mind.

Watch it here, too.

Blade Runner: a report

2011-11-04T01:46:00.000+02:00

15:15 My ability to concentrate has been so poor recently that I'm quite positive I won't be able sit these two hours through without a break or two. The interesting part is, how many hours/days/months will these breaks last?

Anyway. On with the New Year resolution! I'm behind, but attempting to catch up. The film of September was Blade Runner, so here we go. I'm watching the theatrical cut, because that's on Netflix. Don't know if it differs from the other cuts. I'm just hoping that Harrison Ford will be enough to keep me interested, because I just checked and apparently he's in this one. And I know this is science fiction, so I am not nearly as certain that I will hate what I'll see as I was last month. Yay?

15:20 No snacks. Damn! Will have to do without. Let's get to it, then!

16:14 I'm in danger of falling asleep, but it's not necessarily the film's fault. The film's okay. I'm just a bit disorientated, as recently I've developed a freaky need for afternoon naps, which I never had before. I had to check out the film plot summary on IMDb to get my head around what's going on. I think I've got it now. On with the show!

17:45 I unvolunteeringly took a nap. Hope this is not becoming a habit.

18:33 Well, I did it! And it only took three hours and one nap! Quite a great performance of myself, I must say.

The film, then. Again, not my kind of film, but I didn't loathe it. The idea was very clever and fascinating, but I wasn't that much into the way they told the story. The film didn't keep a hold of me, and it wasn't just because I was so sleepy. Though that didn't do much good, either. And what was that 'epic' final battle all about? Blade RUNNER indeed; Harrison just kept running and running like a whimpy little boy. No no no. I like him badass and cocky.

This is a pathetic little post, but let's just look at it as a report. Another overrated classic down, two more to go and then I'm again on schedule!

Three months of A Clockwork Orange

2011-11-03T05:19:00.001+02:00

August 28

10:10 I just realized that August is almost over, so I better get on with the New Year resolution project. Surprisingly I found A Clockwork Orange on Netflix, hurrah. I'd really have so many other things to do, school-related, mostly, but I think I can afford one morning... It's a good cause, really.

10:18 I am more than a bit concerned about how I will react to Clockwork. I don't really like violence, or too violent movies. This might be a bit too controversial for me. I'm hoping to prove myself wrong so I could seem like a cool stud or something, but we'll see.

10:23 So, I have my brownies. I have my socks and a hoodie and a blanket. Yes, it might be a hundred degreed outside, but thanks to the AC, it's a freaking Siperia inside. I will do my best to get something out of the next two hours. Here we go. Play.

10:25 I suddenly want some milk with my brownies. Otherwise, that's one creepy opening.

10:29 No. Stop the violence.

10:37 Oh for god's sake, if it's going to be just this for two hours, I'd rather do some school work...

10:57 I hope this is going somewhere. There has to be some point, right?

11:11 I think I'll have a break. It might be going somewhere, after all, but still, enough for now.

October 27

20:18 Hehe. That's what we call a break. Oh well. I waded through 44 minutes last time, let's see how long it will take this time before I'll get enough of the violence. First, can't do this without popcorn.

20:23 I have no recollection whatsoever of what's happening in this movie. I just remember the mindless violence. Oh, popcorn's ready! I put too much salt in them. Oh well. Let's go. It'll only hurt a while. And I'm not talking about the salt.

21:14 I'm doing quite well, am I not? Need to have a little break anyway. I'm still not loving it. Or in it, so to speak. 2/3 done, one more third to go...

November 2

21:29 I'm determined to finish this bitch, today! There's only about half and hour to go, so I will succeed, just wait and see! I don't have any popcorn. Boo hoo.

21:39 Aw, violence. Lovely.

22:12 Thank god, now it's over. That wasn't so bad! Only took me three months!

I did not like this movie. I didn't get what the point was. I just know that there was a lot of pointless violence and other disgusting stuff, and I didn't get the point. You know, narrow mind and all that. Anyway, the important thing is, now it's over and done with and I never have to see it again. Over and out.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - heroes are made in America

2011-10-31T22:42:00.002+02:00

directed by Joe Johnson / starring Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weawing, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper

I realized I need to catch up on my superhero movies. I also realized it's been a month since I updated this blog. So here you go!

Ever since I saw the first trailer for The Avengers (and it looks good, by the way, even to the eyes of a Marvel amateur like me (and it's not just RDJ that makes it look good, I swear (though it's a contibutor))), I've felt the intrigue I once held for superheros start creeping back. (Spider-Man used to be The Thing for me. My wardrobe still suffers from the consequences of that phase...) There is something about them, isn't there? The men and, well, mostly men, that somehow are given a great power, and a great responsibility with it. And the thing is that the most important power they have is not their psysical strength, or their freaky, supernatural traits; it's the power of their mind, and their heart, the power they'd had all along; the power that makes them transform into superheros, instead of supervillains. This is expecially central in the case of Captain America, and one of the reasons I liked the story so much.

Steve Rogers is a skinny young man, with everything from asthma to heart problems staining his medical records. But he is brave and humble and righteous, and oh, isn't he patriotic. World War II is alluring noble wannabe-heros to go to Europe to "serve their country", and Steve keeps trying to join the army, to do his duty, but no one wants to sent a skinny little boy like him to die in the shores of France. Then Steve gets his chance: he volunteers to be a subject in a top-secret experiment, which turns him into the ultimate supersoldier. Thus, oh say can you see, Captain America is born.

I'm not comfortable around patriotism. It is possibly the aspect about this country that feels the most alien to me. It also makes me a bit angry. "Serving their country", and so on, don't even let me get started on that. But I decided not to let it bother me too much. It it vital to the story that Captain America loves America, so I just went with it. I even found the stars-and-stripes costume pretty cool.

Here's something else I found pretty cool. Chris Evans as a skinny little boy. It was weird, at first, but once you realized it actually looked realistic, and not like Chris Evans's head had been attached to another man's body, it was pretty cool. Thank you, technology. I liked how Captain America was first used as a propaganda machine, and how ridiculous that was. I liked Chris Evans. He usually plays the cocky guy, but he did humble really well, too. I liked Hayley Atwell as the tough chick love interest. Hugo Weaving always makes a good villain. Stanley Tucci is pure awesomeness. And I don't at all mind looking at Dominic Cooper. I'm totally buying that he's related to one Robert Downey Jr.

I also liked how Steve Rogers remained Steve Rogers even after he became Captain America. He never really goes through any kind of mental transformation; the main character of the movie doesn't really learn anything, or develop into something better during the film. This would usually bother me, a lot, but actually it's one of the coolest things about Captain America: there is no need for Steve Rogers to develop or change, because he had the goods all along. The skinny Steve in the beginning would have done the same things Captain America did in the end. It was just the matter of getting the right tools. He might have turned into a superhero, but he was still awkward around ladies. I suppose there might be a sequel with him exploring his darker side, too, á la Spider-Man 3 (haha, yes, I kind of liked that movie), and that would actually be really interesting.

Speaking of sequels. I want one! Or two. You can't end a movie like that and not make a sequel. Or two. 'Cause I loved the ending! I loved the ending and loved the beginning. Wasn't so thrilled of all of what what in the middle, but that can blaimed on me being a stereotypical girl. Too much action makes me bored. I need some dialogue and relationships to keep me interested. Haha. It's true, unfortunately. I'm a girl. Guilty as charged. Anyway. I'll probably get my sequel(s) at some point, but before that, I'll get The Avengers. And I bet that will be a lot of fun. And a lot of not-at-all-bad-looking men to look at. Why, oh why are women intrigued by superhero movies, I wonder? (It's not just that, though. Seriously. (Really!))

(I love the posters of this movie. Kind of old-fashioned, but still modern and sleek.)

"Arrogance is not a uniquely American trait, but you do it better than most."

The Lion King in 3D

2011-09-27T02:46:00.001+03:00

I remember when I went to see The Lion King in 1994. Or, strike that, I remember when I came back home from the cinema and me and my sister started explaining mom the plot of the movie. So I guess I liked it! I don't remember if Lion King was my first cinema experience, but it is the first one I have memories of. Now I got new Lion King cinema memories!

The Diamond Edition will be released next month, and to mark that occasion the well-loved and adored Disney classic of classics was also rereleased in theatres. To begin with it was supposed to run only for two weeks, but as it has been ruling the heck out of box office, Walt Disney Studios will give it at least another week. I'm not surprised. They should rerelease all the 90s classics in theatres, because seriously, who wouldn't love them? (If you don't, don't you tell me; I like my bubble.)

I'm not a huge 3D fan - in fact, I'm very anti-3D. But oh boy, did Lion King look awesome with that third dimension! The movie is like made for 3D, seriously! The technology suited LK much better than most of those films I've seen that really were made to be released in 3D in the first place. For example, look at the opening scene, Circle of Life, imagine it in 3D, and you'll know what I mean. I got some serious goosebumps and wasn't too far from tearing up.

The Lion King is now officially included in my Top 3 of Disney classics, along with The Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas. I almost feel another Disney phase coming on, but (un)fortunately I don't have the DVDs here, and Netflix doesn't have any of the classics. But well, I just purchased tickets to see Lion King the musical in Las Vegas in a few weeks, so that will do. I know that will be holy-sh*t awesome. (Aren't I courteous for cleaning up my language in a Disney-labeled post...)

"Hakuna Matata. It means 'no worries'."

First glimpse of the Hunger Games movie

2011-08-29T06:48:00.003+03:00

Okay, so. I sat throught the whole MTV Video Music Awards. Which would've been okay if that didn't mean watching as much commercials as actual awards material. I know this country has a lot of stuff to advertise, but come ON! Couldn't you even show more than those same four commercials playing in a loop? Geez. So after sitting through all those freaking commercial breaks, I expected to see a bit more than a 10-second teaser trailer. I thought they would show an actual clip! You still can't really tell by that teaser if the movie will be "the right kind".

Still, I very much liked those few rare seconds. They could've included Peeta at least via voiceover (I'm assuming that was Gale, right...?), but oh well. What I'm most glad about was that Jennifer looks quite young as she doesn't seem to be wearing too much make-up! Thumbs up for that.

So, yeah, thanks for this, but seriously... more please. That didn't satisfy anything or anyone.

For better quality click here.

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011) - because experiencing it once is not enough

2011-08-24T04:43:00.000+03:00

How freaking lucky it was that this movie happened to open less than a week after I arrived to the US? And as it only runs for two weeks, I easily could've missed it. But I didn't! It didn't play in my city, but we happened to make a little trip to Wichita, where it did play. (I expected film tickets to be cheaper here, but they really weren't; 13 dollars for a 3D showing, so not much difference to Finland's prices.)

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is a sort of a documentary concentrating on the tour the cast of Glee did this spring and summer. We see most of the performances, get a glance of what happened on backstage and hear from the fans. More than once I almost began to sing along, or applaude after a number, because it was easy to forget that you were in a movie theatre, and not actually there, looking at the concert live. After it was over, I left the theatre humming Raise Your Glass and found myself smiling stupidly for the rest of the day.

All of the live performances were shown, except for Dog Days Are Over. Oh and Single Ladies! Nooo! It was the only thing I was left missing. Luckily I could go to YouTube right now and see several versions of it there. Yeah, I'm actually going, just a moment... Back now! Let's get on with it.

There were so many awesome things about seeing the live performances again. 1) Hearing Glee music is always awesome. 2) Hearing Glee music with a superb sound reproduction system is even more so. 3) In the concert you couldn't really concentrate on the little details happening on stage. Now you could see the little wrinkles around Lea Michele's eyes when she reaches for a high note in Firework, and Kevin McHale and Mark Salling goofing around during a group number. 4) Although the concert on screen wasn't the same one I saw, it took me back to that night in June and the memories were sweet. 5) YouTube videos are great, but a huge canvas and 3D glasses are even better. A huge, three-dimensional Heather Morris doing I'm A Slave 4 U made me quite happy. Hehe.

There wasn't enough behind-the-scenes material. Though I doubt nothing would be enough for me, as those people are just so lovable and adorable and funny and I could look at and listen to them for hours and hours and hours. The biggest surprise was that the blond Warbler with the cool haircut can actually talk! And other Warblers, as well! They were funny, too.

I also wanted so much more Chris. All he said was 'Thank you for loving me'. Though I think that pretty much sums it all up. That's all that wonderful man needs to say.

In between the numbers and behind-the-scenes materirial there various clips of fans declaring their love for Glee and naming their favourite characters and other things in the show. With some we looked a little deeper. Three young people described how Glee has affected their lives and improved them, or pretty much saved them. It was the good old American sentimentality, constructed in the familiar dramatized way, but still, I did find the stories quite inspirational and moving. This country is making even more of a wuss, haha.

Say what you want and call me what you wish, but I firmly stand behind my opinion that Glee is a real life-saver. Maybe it was mostly love for money that made this movie happen, but I think it's also love for something true and real and human. Glee rocks, period, and if any TV series was ever even to come close to saving the world, it would no doubt be Glee.

I'm off to see America, the wonderful United States of America

2011-08-06T21:20:00.001+03:00

Hehe, can't get enough of these Wizard of Oz references. But hell, it's not like I'm leaving to live in Kansas every day, so I will definitely milk everything out of this situation. So I'm leaving for Helsinki early tomorrow morning, and then it's Chicago, Kansas City and Emporia. I'm flying back on 19th of December. So, I'll see you guys on Christmas!

...Not really, though. Sure, I hopefully don't have much time to watch movies and write about them, but I think you'll hear from me every now and then, anyway. And, if you find yourself missing me so much you can hardly bear it, you can always go check out my new blog, Somewhere Over The Rainbow (told you I'm a sucker for WoO references... I'm afraid they don't end in the blog title), where I will (hopefully) actively report the latest turns of my adventure.

Bye then, for now. Pitäkää Suomi pystyssä! ^^

(And just because it's now stuck on my head, and it'd be only fair if it was stuck on yours, too...)

The Boy With The Bread, come to life

2011-08-04T13:14:00.001+03:00

I'm getting steadily more and more excited about next March and The Hunger Games film. I will positively piss myself when the first teaser trailer comes along. Which could be relatively soon, actually, maybe even within a month, as they've already filmed all the stuff in the arena and District 12, and are currently in the Capitol. Holy cow. Merely the thought gives me goosebumps.

I know this Entertainment Weekly article with the exclusive pictures of the Hunger Games cast and the set came out ages/weeks ago, but only now I happened to stumble across an online version of the text (as I said a couple of hours ago when posting to my other blog, anything to keep me from having to pack). It's a nice read, building around an interview of Josh Hutcherson, playing my beloved Peeta in the film version.

I never really doubted his ability to bring Peeta to life in a way that appeals to me. There are actors that I immediately like, and those I don't (and yeah, those I'm first undetermined about and sometimes grow to like). With Hutcherson it was love at first sight, so to speak. When they annouced the casting, there was an instant YES. I saw Peeta in there somewhere. Josh has just the right kind of innocent charm and warmth in him. And now that he has that gorgeous blond hair, he even looks the part. I have a feeling he will be a perfect Peeta, for me, at least.

-- he seems like the rare young guy whom the spotlight will not singe. "I know it's going to be a big change, but I think if you go about it in the right way, you can still have your privacy," he says. "You got to just keep on trucking and make sure you're always being true to yourself." He laughs and gives the table a happy bang of his fist. "Which is so funny because - God bless America! - that's exactly what Peeta would say."

That's right. That's my Peeta.

Who would you be?

2011-08-03T19:30:00.000+03:00

After a few week's break I though I'd accept the Movie Monday challenge again. Which film character would I like to be? Which fictional universe would I like to live in?

The first idea to pop into my head was very random and weird. And not nearly ambitious enough. I mean, come on, I have the whole universe on my hands; worlds and galaxies full of awesome and exciting milieus and fierce and admirable character executing daring and earth-shattering deeds. No way I'm going with something as lame as my first idea.

So, I naturally thought about Jedis. They're super über cool and can jump incredibly high and have most awesome weapons ever. But the thing is, their lives tend to end way too soon for my taste, or maybe they turn (almost) irrevocably evil just because that happens to be written in the stars or something. Too much drama for me, thank you very much.

Then I thought how wonderful it would be to be a part of the Weasley family and go to Hogwarts and learn magic and fight the Dark Forces. Only if I was a Weasley, it would be illegal for me to marry Ronald. Darn. Strike that.

'Oh but I've always wanted to live in a musical', I thought next. So how about High School Musical then? Bursting into song and dance in the middle of lunch, that would be the greatest thing ever. Maybe I'd get an amazing singing voice on the side, too? Honestly, though, that much positivity and smiling and happy endings and sugary clichees would make my teeth fall out in a day. So no. I decided to rule out every other Disney option too, because I'm always tempted to answer these challenges with Disney, and that's not very normal. (Oh wait! Does this mean I don't get to go with Pocahontas then? Damn!)

What else could it be, then? Superheroes? Other heroes? Dazzling and noble princesses? Revolutionaries who change the world? Mysterious loners or adventurous explorers from strange and exotic worlds or historic eras before ours? Nah. As nothing seemed to satisfy me, I thought 'Screw this', and concluded that I'm very boring, and thus don't long for galaxy-bending adventures or spine-chilling dangers. Not even in fun challenges that are meant for stretching your imagination and dreaming big. No, I guess in the end, real life with a spice is enough for me.

So I went with my first idea. Random and weird isn't necessarily bad.

Easy A is quite a surprising movie, as it's been stuck somewhere on the back of my head since I saw it some months ago. Comedies rarely do that for me. Thus it also happened to pop into my head when thinking about this challenge. I don't necessarily long to live in an American high school for the rest of my life, but the world of Easy A has pros too, and I will now concentrate on them.

Mainly, it's the insane wittiness that pretty much every person seems to possess. I'd love that. You'd just talk to people and say most genius things just like that. Imagine someone was messing with you, and you'd come up with the most awesome retort ever, but instead of proudly reciting the dialogue to everyone you know for the rest of the year, you wouldn't give another thought for your awesomeness, because those fantastic lines just keep pouring from your mouth all day, every day.

Also, as I would be Emma Stone's character Olive in this scenario, I would get a red hair (without having to be a Weasley and thus off Ronald's 'To Marry' list), and I wouldn't mind that. Nor the fact that she's inceribly and refreshingly mature, smart and self-confident for a protagonist of a high school comedy. I could use some of that. Also she has Stanley Tucci as a father. And Stanley Tucci would be a part of the deal, of course. Suck on that, wizards and Jedis, I have a Stanley Tucci father!

And maybe if I lived in the Easy A universe, someone would make funny montages of my boring weekends and actually make them look really cool and awesome, like this...

And for that, ladies and gentelmen, I will thus sacrifice the opportunity to jump unnaturally high, to be considered normal when breaking into a song when queueing at the supermarket, to keep saving the world on daily basis with awesome superpowers, and even to live in the Shire and spend the rest of my life eating and drinking and partying and daydreaming under fabulous trees and owning adorable feet and a terrific hair.

...Oh wait. I hadn't thought about the opportunity of being a Hobbit until now. Can I still change my mind about this and rewrite the whole post?

Citizen Kane and a slight improvement

2011-07-31T22:30:00.001+03:00

15:52 I decided to watch Citizen Kane. With Space Odyssey it helped to keep 'a watching diary', so let's see if it helps me here, too. I'm not mentally as well prepared as I was last time, but let's hope for the best. I did write a very hopeful title for the post: 'Citizen Kane and a leap back to success'. I'm referring to the last two months of total FAILS in my little New Year resolution project.

15:58 Decided to watch a trailer first to get a clue of what to expect. It was a very fun trailer, though it didn't give me much of a clue. So let's get started. I'm starving, but there's nothing edible in this house. Oh well. I'll see you in a half an hour, when I'm hopefully fully absorbed in the world of Citizen Kane.

16:03 Well, I checked my Facebook page first. Get on with it, woman...

16:06 My knees are cold. That's weird.

16:07 Rosebud. Okay, yes, I've heard about that. Luckily I don't remember what it's all about. I don't know if I can actually shut up for a half an hour, but I'll do my best.

16:39 Did it! Now I need to go hunt down some food. But really, I'm quite enjoying myself.

16:55 Unfortunately I need to have a break to go and pick up my mum. Will be back in business in about an hour.

20:16 ... Or three. My nephew came to a visit and I kept him company by the sandbox making boat-shaped cakes. On with the show.

21:10 Nephew still here. He came and asked me to come and run with him in the backyard, so I did, until I got tired (didn't take long). Despite the distraction, I'm finding the movie pretty interesting.

21:57 Well, wasn't that confusing. I guess I'm a bit dumb.

22:01 Oh, I wasn't, after all. Only a bit blind for not recognizing an object. You know.

Well, a wrap-up. This sounds really pathetic, but before today, my closest interaction with Orson Wells was that Zac Efron movie. I guess it was about time to change that. Once again I saw that the film was very well made, it had some fascinating ideas and a killer cast, but it was missing that something that makes me tick. Well, I'm just a silly young girl watching one of the 'greatest' films ever made, I wouldn't understand. Haha. But yeah. I did like the trailer. And even though I wasn't blown away by what I saw, I wasn't totally bored, either, and didn't start cutting my toenails or anything, so I knew what was happening in the story all the time. It's just not my kind of a film, I guess.

So, I'll strike the 'leap back to success', even though I don't consider this a FAIL. Instead I'll call this post 'Citizen Kane and a slight improvement'.

Oh and HA! Stayed on schedule after all. Today is only the last of July...

London memories

2011-07-31T15:07:00.000+03:00

It's now been over a month since me and my friend came back from our gleeful weekend trip to London. For me, it was a kind of reunion with the city I've been growing fonder and fonder of over the years, and which I hadn't visitited in whole two years. Here are a few photos and words about the trip. I will seriously keep it short this time. (And give you a link to another post, which I definitely did not keep short.)

Day 1, Friday. Our dear friend Ryanair brought us to the Stansted airport, almost on schedule this time! Hurray! The day was traditionally grey and rainy and our bus trip to centre London took so long (thanks to the traffic) that after getting to our hotel near the Waterloo station, we barely had energy to go out for dinner. Luckily there was a nice Egyptian style restaurant right across the street, so we didn't get very wet while running there through the rain. The waitress was so nice, and I remembered why I like English people so much, and the customer service. Fake politeness rocks! Haha. Afterwards we stopped by in a little corner shop, where I bought some of my British favourites: the lovely orange chocolate, Galaxy chocolate and chamomille tea.

Day 2, Saturday. My friend, although visiting London for the first time, wasn't interested in sightseeing, which I truly appreciated. I've acted as the tourist guide more than enough times already, leading my companions to see Big Ben and the Buckingham Palace and so on... This was a nice change. First we went to Camden, a huge market area which I just love. I bought a cute black-and-white dress with tiny cats in it (see the picture down below for the pattern), which has become one of my favourite pieces of clothing. Then I looked for and found all of my old favourite shops, and bought ~~stupid~~ funny postcards as always (one has a little dude in it, who says, "Let's go to Ikea", and another dude, laying on a couch, says, "Fuck Ikea", and I just can't get over how hilarious it is) and a traditional Star Wars t-shirt, which was not as ~~stupid~~ funny as usually, but pretty cool anyway. (I should propably take a picture of all the things I bought, but I'm too lazy to bother right now.)

Then we went for a walk in St. James Park, aka the bird park, which is my favourite park in London. At least it was before. My friend has an insane bird phobia, and it was pretty contagious. We draw some amused looks as we both ducked and scremed when a pidgeon flew over or something. Then we went to Starbucks and I got my Strawberry and Cream Frappuccino, which didn't taste as delicious as usually though. We drank our drinks sitting below the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus. Then, um... Right, more shopping! This time on Oxford Street. I didn't buy anything there. There's just too many people for my taste.

On a side-street of Oxford St. there is a really nice champagne bar called Amuse Bouche, where we went to enjoy some yummy and not even insanely expensive champagne cocktails. Before getting back to the hotel we went for another drink in a bar called The Fire Station, near the Waterloo Station. It was nice, though we were a bit disappointed for the lack of firemen and a pole.

Day 3, Sunday.

Yihaa! Sunday! The concert day! If I haven't made it clear enough, the purpose of our trip was the Glee Live concert we had tickets for (well, we DID have them, in the end...). The concert was in the evening, and to set ourselves into the right mood, we decided to go to the Imperial War Museum (pretty much next to our hotel), and see the Holocaust exhibition. Haha. Good thinking, girls... I'd been to the exhibition once before, but the effect wasn't at all disminished. We walked out of the Museum with quite long faces and our thoughts pretty far away from the awesome fact that we would see the Glee cast live in just some short hours.

Luckily, the remedy was near. It was an awesome, sunny day, so we went to buy ice cream and sat down on the pretty lawn area next to the Museum. Then we lay down in the sun and listened to some Glee music from my MP3 player and watched the airplanes fly over us in the cloudless, blue sky. And there was the right mood again. We stayed there for quite a while, until finally made our way to the O2. Below is a 15-second taste of what we experienced there, but to read the whole story do click here. And no worries, there's no more of my lousy, shaky video clips.

Day 4, Monday.

After the concert, we were supposed to go to the hotel, get our things and walk to Victoria Station where we'd take the bus to the airport. Our flight would leave at 7 am, you see. Well... We thought, 'Oh we don't have to leave just yet, let's take an hour-long nap'. After the hour-long nap, 'Another hour won't hurt, we'll still make it'. And then, 'Aw, let's sleep some more and take a cap, screw saving money'. So that's what we did. And well, after all that money we'd already spent, a dozen pounds more didn't hurt too much.

A Very Potter Musical

2011-07-21T21:03:00.003+03:00

In the middle of your Post-Potter depression? Feeling empty? Feeling like a part of you just died and left a gaping hole in you? Looking for something to refill the hole? I might just have the cure!

A Very Potter Musical is a fan-made parody of the world of Harry, made by a group of students (including one Darren Criss, who later would move on to bigger circles and rock the Glee universe as every teenager's dream, Blaine (edit// and who even later might do what all respectable Harry Potters do and star in Broadway's How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying after Dan Radcliffe retires from the show. Love the symbolism!)) in the University of Michigan in 2009. It's seriously funny as hell and the songs are not just catchy but seriously good, too, and it's just seriously fantastic and totally awesome and it makes you want to quote it in every single situation you get into in a daily basis.

I'm not sure if enough people (meaning absolutely everyone!) know about this, so if you haven't seen this master piece before, now's the freaking time.

And it doesn't matter if you've seen it already. One more time is never too much!

(If you ask me: What about after I've watched A Very Potter Musical? How do I fill that hole? Well, let me tell you. With A Very Potter Sequel, of course!)

*

"That's the thing about Hogwarts. No matter how long you're away from it, there's always a way back."

Ah, less than three.

Never Let Me Go (2010) - no more smiling today

2011-07-20T14:19:00.000+03:00

directed by Mark Romanek / starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley

Ruth, Tommy and Kathy grown up in an idyllic boarding school in the English country side. They are not normal children, however, and this they learn from a teacher, who simply feels too sorry for them to keep them in the sweet ignorance. And thus they are forced to adjust to the truth, and try and live the rest of their lives as well as they can.

Never Let Me Go is not a very cheerful movie. Actually, it's quite depressing. It never really rubs it in your face, but in fact it's quite cruel and ruthless and hopeless. All of that is almost hidden under the beautiful music, young love, the lingering shots of the English country side, the gentle voices of the actors and the subtle ways of handling all that cruelness and hopelessness. But yeah, I know I won't be smiling for the rest of the day. It's just so unfairly sad to watch young, beautiful people turn into wrecks as their lives are thrown to waste beyond their own control.

The reason I first got interested in this film was its splendid cast; the cream of Britain's young talent is at work. Mulligan is inevitably on her way to winning at least a lap-full of Oscars, Garfield is only the most disarmingly adorable thing ever, who manages to melt anyone's heart with that humanity and innocence he conveys through his every role, and even though not everyone likes Keira, I do, and I thought she did really well, too.

There have been numerous films surrounding this topic, but never before has it been looked at from such an emotional and humane point of view. It's always just so sci-fi. In Never Let Me Go all that has been stripped down to the minimum, which allows us to see the real tragedy behind the sci-fi. I also think it was very clever to set the film in the past, instead of future, as usually. It doesn't feel so alien and far-fetched, but actually very real and relatable.

What the heck, I'm not rambling. Or writing unrelated, stupid things just because they pop into my head. That's all I have to say, really. Weird! I bet it's because I cut 25 centimetres off of my hair today. I feel like Samson, when that bitch Delilah cut his hair and he lost all of his powers.

"None of you will go to America. None of you will work in supermarkets. None of you will do anything, except live the life that has already been set out for you."

May the odds be ever in your favor... and may March 2012 arrive soon

2011-07-19T20:25:00.004+03:00

Just when you thought there is nothing more to look forward to now that the Potter series is finished... Think again!

The first poster for the upcoming, highly anticipated Hunger Games movie has just been released. And it's not just any poster, it's a motion poster! Never heard of one of those before, but now I have, and it's pretty awesome in its simplicity.

CLICK HERE for the chills of the day.

Ariel, that stupid teenage brat

2011-07-18T13:50:00.003+03:00

I love Disney (news?), but last summer, after weeks of watching only Disney animations, I learned that the love isn't totally unconditional. The Little Mermaid made me want to reach through that TV screen, grab Ariel's skinny little shoulders and shake some sense to that silly, idiotic teenage princess. You can read my sentiments here. I don't no if my reaction would've been the same, had Mermaid been a childhood favourite of mine, but anyway, it's almost refreshing to passionately loathe a Disney film, for its twisted values and non-existent character development.

Some time ago I got into a debate about The Little Mermaid and Ariel, and, not surprisinly, found myself quite alone with my opinion. Today my opponent linked me the following video (very nice and selfless of him, as this gives me the advantage in the future debates, hahaha), and lo and behold! I'm not the only one after all. I pretty much agree with all the anti-Ariel arguments. Plus the video is funny, and doesn't take the matter too seriously, as it shoudn't (we're talking about a kid's movie, after all). I encourage you to watch it even if you don't share the hatred. I know critique towards your childhood idols feels basically like a sacrilege. But be brave and watch it anyway! Haha. (Easy for me to say. Good luck talking me into watching or reading or listening to one bad word about Belle...)

... And if someone now wants to stage an intervention for me, no reason to bother, I don't know the lyrics to Part of Your World, anyway. (Just two lines. Which are stuck on my head right now. Ugh.)

Sherlock makes a kaboom boom boom comeback

2011-07-16T11:32:00.000+03:00

I hugely enjoyed the first Sherlock Holmes, and have been looking forward to this sequal for ages. Admitted, recently I've kind of forgotten to look forward to it, but was altogether glad to find that the first trailer has come out.

Not sure what to think about it, though. There was a lot of kaboom boom boom. Too much, even, I hope there's something else too in the actual movie... Noomi Rapace is a huge plus, great to see her make her big break in a huge Hollywood film! The brilliant chemistry of RDJ and Jude Law made the first film such a joy, and I can only hope the charm is still there in the sequel.

I'm not blown away by the trailer, nor am I feeling as super excited as I expected myself to, but still, the movie should be good solid entertainment, if not anything else. I clearly need to start re-warming up my love for RDJ, though...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) - goodbye, childhood

2011-07-14T11:12:00.000+03:00

directed by David Yates / starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Michel Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter

SPOILER ALLERT! for those two people on Earth who haven't read the books yet. (Also, I might advise you to read this post only after you've seen the movie, because I go into details you might not want to know yet.)

I remember when I went to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ten years ago. I had just won a huge box of delicious chocolates on a lottery of some sort, and I ate them before and after. When we got back from the cinema, I was just about to tell my little brother what troll bogey had looked like (yes, that was important at the time), when I hit my toe on a closet door or something and it hurt so much I couldn't say anything in a while. I guess I liked the movie. My age has always been fortunately fitting when it comes to the Harry Potter experience: I read the first book when I was around eleven myself, and grew up simutaniously with Harry (and Dan Radcliffe; we're the same age!) as the books and later movies kept coming. So I didn't watch the first movies as critically as I would now, and only later realised how lousy they are. At the same time, very early I learned not to expect too much of a Harry Potter movie. They should always be judged by they own special standars. And the standards are never too strict, because come on, it's Harry Potter, it'll always be awesome anyway.

Oops, I'm rambling. Point was, it's been a decade since the first movie and that seems so impossible. Moving on, to the topic. I was looking forward to this final movie more than any other before. I knew it would be good; part one was excellent, but failed to give me the sense satisfaction, because, obviously, the story was cut in the middle and no circles were closed. So, what I needed from this film was first and foremost that satisfaction, and closure. So that I could, with reasonably high spirits, accept that there will be no more Harry Potter after this, and move on to look forward to other things. And as sad and wistful and wonderfully nostalgic it was to say goodbye to those characters and to that world (again; I think I've gone through this once before, some years ago...), I guess I'm feeling quite happy and satisfied and I got most of my circles closed. I didn't even cry much!

I've still got something to bitch about, naturally. Most of the bitch-worthy things are quite stupid and unnecessary complaints about why my favourite bits from the book didn't make it to the movie - properly or at all. I often frown at people who geek out and keep bitching about little, pointless details from the book that didn't match with the movie. A movie based on a book is always an interpretation, a version, it's not supposed to be a slaveish duplication. But hey, guilty as charged! I guess I paid more attention on the missing details than usually because I'd just been reading the book all day. (I was in quite a hurry to finish it; I had a good 400 pages to wade through before midnight, they had only just escaped from the Ministry. But I made it!)

Now, let us bitch, shall we! No Percy comeback! Sure, they never set up the story in the previous movies, so they couldn't do it of course, but I love those bits in the book. Fred's death was dealt with far too hastily! I mean, come on, it's Fred freaking Weasley, his death is the saddest death in all the books, I wanted to savour that horrible moment for a bit longer. The brilliant (at least in the book it is) first kiss of Ron and Hermione was so anti-climactic! That was one of the moments I was looking most forward to, and it was gone like that! What is more, no awesome reaction from Harry, none at all. Blah! And not enough Dumbledore! I love how in the book he begins to feel like a vilain at certain point and how Harry is all miserable and angry about it.

Then two of my biggest complaints, which almost ruined the whole thing for me, because they left such a, um, dubious taste in my mouth. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort was just too much! They had tried too hard to make it look climactic and visully interesting and grand, and it took a lot away from the emotional aspect of the scene. Less would've been more... The book had it right; Harry was calm and certain that he would beat Voldemort and made his opponent frustrated by knowing things he didn't. There was no need for running (and flying... sigh) around and hysterical screaming.

Finally... the damn epilogue. I'm one of the people who like the epilogue in the book, I think it's fitting and necessary and sweet. In the film, I wanted to buy it but I didn't. Damn. Where's the CGI when we need it? The 'grown-up' characters looked like teenagers wearing their parents' clothes and too much make-up to get into a club without asked to show their ID. This it what we call FAIL. It was half-comical and half-disturbing and it preveted me from cherishing those precious final moments. (And no "Don't let it worry you. It's me. I'm extremely famous." Boohoo!)

Now, enough bitching. Because I liked most of the stuff, anyway! Here's something I especially liked: Shirtless Rupert Grint (we need more of that in this world!). Gringotts and the dragon and the goblins. Luna ("Harry Potter! You listen to me right now!"), awesome as always. Filch, reporting that students are out of bed, and sweeping the floor after the battle. Neville, for being a total bad-ass and for that amazingly touching speech. Long gone are the days of the whimpy little boy who kept losing his toad. Aw! McGonagall, who I grew to respect and love even more than before on this latest reading round. She just rocks! I loved her reference to Seamus's frequently scorched eyebrows, and that one very uncharacteristic but altogether hilarious line ("I always wanted to use that spell").

Furthermore, I liked the added scene where Harry confronts Snape in front of the whole school. Didn't expect that! The whole Snape storyline was actually handled really, really well, I have no complaints here! Also I loved the clips from all the previous film in the Pensieve. Aww. Wee Daniel. Can't get enough of him and the contrast to the present day version. I always enjoy the bits with the Malfoys, because I'm a big fan, and (more or less) secretly always wanted them to leave the Dark Side and become kick-ass heroes. I love that in the end they kind of turn good, or at least less bad, and that the film remembered to show that as well.

Hermione as Bellatrix/Helena Bonham Carter channelling Emma Watson was brilliant! I love me some Helena! Finally, I found it funny and fitting how they dismissed Ron's sudden ability to speak Parsel tonque with a joke ("Harry talks in his sleep, did you know?"); it always was a bit ridiculous.

I have no complaints about the actors. The main threesome did a solid, good job: Emma Watson seems to have given up her eyebrow acting for good, I couldn't help loving Rupert Grint even if he really tried to suck, and Dan really impressed me a few times. Like after he learns he has to die, that look was amazing. Go Daniel!

The grand battle of Hogwarts was of course the highlight of the film, as that was what took most of its running time. It was epic, yes, but maybe just Helm's deep epic, not Pelennor Fields epic. Anyway, I had lots of goosebumps and the book's rousing mood was there; I love how they all unite to fight a mutual cause. Though I wanted to see the house elfs and Trelawney throwing her crystal balls around. And Peeves! I don't get it why there is no Peeves in the movies!

By the way. I'm a bit disappointed that people weren't dressed up for the occasion! It was a midnight sneak preview after all! I saw only a couple of cloaks and one Gruffindor scarf. Where were all those wonderfully weird and daring people I so much love??

That's that then. I don't feel quite as empty as I expected myself to. I guess I know that the Boy Who Lived still lives on and can always be revisited. This is the end of another era, one that I've been living since before I had my first pimples, one I've grown up with and always enjoyed no matter my age. But I don't think it makes much sense to feel too crushed about its end, because this era really never ends, I'm sure.

Goodbye, childhood. I'll be seeing you.

"You'll stay with me?"
"Always."

It all ends... tonight

2011-07-12T19:49:00.000+03:00

Click below to join me on a trip down the most magical memory lane ever.

P.S. It's a long one.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 / 2010 / one year ago

Bill and Fleur's pink-ish wedding

Oh how I love those lingering looks...

The Tale of the Three Brothers aka a lesson on why Invisibility Cloaks rock

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / 2009 / two years ago

Bellatrix and Snape scheming more or less dark deeds

Pondering over the troubles of young love

Pondering over the troubles of joining the family business

"Why is he always covered in blood?"

The falling hero

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / 2007 / four years ago

It's tough being Harry Potter: you have to fight the Dark Arts on your summer holidays, too

When there were two...


The queen hag

Luna making some magic happen

Harry and Cho making some magic happen

Well ain't someone looking good possessed

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / 2005 / six years ago

The Goblet goes crazy

Before it became uncool to be on Team Cedric

A time when all the hairdressers in the world had gone AWOL

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban / 2004 / seven years ago

Hagrid taking a dip in the Hogwarts Lake

"Oh my god, I've killed Harry Potter!"

A shoulder to cry on (aww)

A class reunion from hell

Snape being awesome


My favourite picture of Dan Radcliffe as Harry. Aww, bless him.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / 2002 / nine years ago

Rupert and Dan giving their best 'surprised' faces, and Hedwig, possibly turned into a toy

This is why I'd like to marry Rupert Grint (the present version of him, though, just to be clear)

The creepy Chamber

Why does the Dark Side always have to be so good-looking?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / 2001 / ten freaking years ago

Please let me be a Gryffindor so that I can be totally awesome like my friends

The two biggest bad-asses at Hogwarts

The best thing Quidditch gave to the world: Oliver Wood

A family reunion no 1

Now go back to the beginning and see what they look like now

One more thing. Good luck holding back those tears...

Thanks again, Jo. It's been one hell of a ride.

Gone but not forgotten

2011-07-11T19:38:00.000+03:00

It's Movie Monday again! This week's challenge is to name a person who thrilled and inpired you in life, and died way before their time. My choice wasn't difficult at all.

River Phoenix, during his ridiculously short life, made so many great and inspiring things, and not only movies, of which he was and is most famous for. He had great, respectable values, and a wonderfully humble and down-to-earth outlook on life. He was a beautiful, special, talented person. Or so I'd like and choose to believe.

River Phoenix died in 1993, at the age of 23, due to the insanity that Hollywood was for a young, beautiful, desired, succesful, talented person like he was. What a freaking terrible waste...

(My theory is he never took a bad picture in his life. Here's something to prove my point...)

I've previously written about River a lot. (Too much, even, if only it was possible to write too much about someone like River Phoenix. (It's not.))

Catching up!

2011-07-10T16:41:00.000+03:00

I'm not dead! I'm just extremely preoccupied with everything else but watching movies and blogging. The combination of the most awesome summer job in the world, not so awesome summer studies and the fact that a month from now I'll be in Emporia, Kansas, has kept me quite busy. Anyway, here's something I've been up to:

I'm watching Roswell! Haha, this is weird. I gave in to the odd need that was sparked by Paul and borrowed the first season from a friend. Yeah, I've only seen two episodes so far, and yeah, I haven't been addicted or blown away in any way (I must be too old, after all), but it's still kind of fun. The best thing is that I don't find the protagonist annoying at all, like I was sure I would! First time for everything!

Also, I watched the first season of Sherlock, which is a modern day adaption of the ever so awesome and captivating British detective. And I loved it and I want more, more, more, now please! Team Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman works so flawlessly, and their cooperation is almost more entertaining to watch than Team RDJ/Jude Law's! Almost. I'm still being loyal, so far. Anyway, series two is to be aired this autumn, so yay!

My New Year Resolution is going through a rough time. I'm half way through, but it's not looking too good. I did watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid last month, and yeah, I did like it, kind of, but just fell into the old habbit of cutting my toenails while watching and sharing my attention with several other activities. Which is never good. So I haven't been able to write a post about it, and I've declared June another big FAIL, like May and 8 ½ was. Shame on me, shame on me. This month I should watch Citizen Kane, and I'm only hoping there won't be a third FAIL in a row. Because that would be just pathetic.

Posts about London and the Glee Live are still in their initial stages, but I'm being hopeful. Maybe after tomorrow's exam I'll have break before starting the final assignment of the summer: an essay of eighteen pages. Whoo, can't wait!

And last but not least... The Deathly Hallows pt. 2 is coming, and it's coming fast! I'm in a hurry to finish the book before Wednesday 00:07 am. The end is so near it's almost here! Boohoo! Or hurray! Or whatever. Both, I suppose.

Kill me now... so I can die happy

2011-06-27T18:10:00.000+03:00

Here's just one reason why.

This wasn't the exact thing I saw, and I didn't see it this close, but you get the point. If I've seen Chris Colfer do the Single Ladies dance, what else do I have to live for, really?

I'll write a huge and elaborate post of my weekend later on, when I'm not so freaking exhausted and my brain functions a little better.

But anyways... Greetings from Loserville! It's one damn happy place.

Cry, baby, cry...

2011-06-23T12:15:00.002+03:00

This week on Movie Monday... tearjerkers! I can be a real cry baby when watching movies. Often I have phases when I'm more prone to burst into tears during a moving or shocking or, sometimes, completely casual scene. Some quaranteed tearjerkers of mine are The Green Mile (the final execution), Titanic (Nearer My God To Thee), Toy Story 3 (Andy and his toys in the end, duh) and Billy Elliot (only during the phases, though).

Also, some documentaries I've watched recently (Bowling for Columbine and Nuit et brouillard) made me weep so bad it almost hurt. Reality is painful!

My biggest tearjerker still has to be Schindler's List. I rewatched it a few months ago (right after watching Nuit et brouillard, by the way; geez, did I cry myself sore that day!) and it hit me so much harder that it did the first time I watched it several years earlier. Getting older makes you soft! Schindler's List is such an exhausting yet amazing watching experience; your eyes never dry because the emotionally charged scenes are frequent and intense. Approximately half way through I was almost forced to have a break due to the overwhelming stream of tears.

Even though the whole film is a constant parade of weeping, the single most tearjerking scene has to be, in addition to the final scene, all the stuff with the girl in the red coat. Oh dear, oh dear...

*

P.S. GUESS WHO'S GOING TO LONDON TOMORROW AND TO SEE THE GLEE LIVE! CONCERT ON SUNDAY OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!! (Unless I face some more hardship and everything goes wrong some more. Expect either a hysterically happy or a hysterically depressed post next week... The title will be either "Kill me now so I can die happy" or just "Kill me now".)

Lost hours of my life

2011-06-15T21:10:00.002+03:00

A movie so thoroughly bad, horrible, lousy, that you regret you ever spent those precious hours of your life watching it? That's this week's MovieMonday challenge.

First I thought about Jennifer's Body, which I truly, truly, loathed. But then again, I was kind of glad I watched it, because in some twisted way I enjoyed loathing something that much for a change, and really bashing it afterwards. Haha. So, that option was ruled out. But the final choice wasn't a difficult one at all.

I haven't seen the original Last House on the Left, but if it's anything like the 2009 remake, I don't even want to. It could have been a basic, solid thriller/horror film, but all I remember about it is the rape scene, which seemed to go on and on and on for a half and hour. Okay, sometimes a rape is necessary for the story, and it can be shoot quite graphically and boldly but still with some good taste, like in the Swedish Millenium trilogy. In The Last on the Left the scene is draged out and gloated with, which makes it so horribly repulsive, disgusting and just plain sick. It's not horror, it's porn. And not the normal, sane kind.

We watched it at a friend's summer cottage last year, according to our long-lasting tradition of watching fun and lousy horror flicks when it begins to get dark. I don't know if we'll continue the tradition this year, because LHotL wasn't fun for anyone. Yuck. Just, yuck. I wish we'd taken No, I Still Haven't Forgotten What You Did That Summer Twenty Years Ago Although You Might Have or something to that caliber. Those kind of movies are bad, yes, and maybe those hours are not the most wisely spent hours of your life either, yes, but atleast they don't freaking make you feel both mentally and physically sick. And they call the damn movie a horror classic...

Paul (2011) - a little something-something for the fanboys

2011-06-12T19:54:00.000+03:00

directed by Greg Mottola / starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen

Blah. I was looking forward to this because Team Pegg/Frost always seemed to deliver, but I guess that's only under the direction of Edgar Wright. And when there's Cornettos involved. I guess I have to admit I just didn't fit the target audience. I mean, I'd like to think I'm kind of geeky, and I am indeed excellent at catching Star Wars references, and E.T. as well (although it's been over a decade since I last saw the movie (just making a mental note on that rewatch list)), but when it gets any more hard core than that, I'm out.

Paul is about two British hard core nerds, who fulfil their life-long dream and go to Comic-Con. On the way back they make a cool Alien roadtrip, visiting all the Alien-related places in America. When driving through Area 51, they meet an actual Alien. Called Paul. Only he's not quite what they expected.

The problem with Paul - or, the problem I have with Paul, is that its humour is too American. No offense of course, American humour can be a lot of fun, but with Pegg and Frost, I just kept missing the dry, sarcastic, distinctively British humour of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It was just too much about certain body parts and that certain kind of intercourse, and that kind of humour will only take you so far. Usually, not far enough. Thus, blah.

I liked some of the nerd stuff, yes. That Empire t-shirt seriously was quite cool, and I would've been upset for its sorry fate as well. I'm also having a weird geeky desire to start reading some geeky Alien stuff, about conspiracies and all that. I even feel a bit like watching Roswell, although I never did when it was hip and in and cool.

Seth Rogen's voice didn't bother me; in fact, at times I even found Paul almost charming. Note, ONLY at times. Jason Bateman was cool because agents are cool, and I obviously enjoyed the little Glee invasion aka the tiny role by Jane Lynch.

I guess that's all I have to say. Paul was okay, but I'm getting a bit tired with just okay. My mind hasn't been blown away since the beginning of March and I miss that feeling of post-cinema awe. Luckily, the final Harry Potter is well on the way (sniff/hurray!), and if that doesn't cause some awe, I'm never stepping into a cinema again. Cross my heart!

"Are you gonna draw me like your French girls, Jack?"

Easy A (2010) - so witty it's almost unfair

2011-06-09T22:38:00.000+03:00

directed by Will Gluck / starring Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Thomas Hayden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci

How refreshing to watch a funny high school comedy! Like, actually funny! We haven't had these in a while. I mean, Mean Girls was kind of funny, but not the randomly-sniggering-a-week-later-when-thinking-about-a-joke kind of funny. Yeah, it hasn't been a week since I saw Easy A, but it's been like a half an hour and I just sniggered a bit at the scene in the bedroom with Olive and the gay kid. So I think it's safe to say that Easy A was pretty funny.

Olive is a girl with a flawless reputation - not by choice necessarily, though, she just hasn't had many opportunities to ruin it because boys don't notice her. Which is so unrealistic, because she's good-looking and unnaturally witty (I'll get to this later), but let's pretend it's totally believable and just go with this. Then, half-accidentally, a rumor begins to spread, which both puts a nasty stain on her reputation and makes her interesting. She doesn't mind, and the snowball begins to roll and turn into one big, nasty, promiscuous avalanche.

The protagonist of the movie is not your avarage high school comedy leading lady. Like I said, maybe not the most believable outcast, either, but I welcome the change. I'm not really in love with Emma Stone like the rest of the world seems to be, but I didn't find her or her character half as annoying as I'd imagine I might have! There was an inch too much Juno in her. And I like my high school comedies without a single inch of Juno, thank you very much. Still, Olive was pretty cool. Maybe it's the overflowing wit that nags me a bit. But I still won't get into it. (Oh, the anticipation! I'm such a tease.) Still, see the Pocket Full of Sunshine scene to see that she really is quite funny, and even by herself.

So Olive was pretty funny by herself, but the funniest moments were those with her interacting with the various, more or less geniusly hilarious supporting characters. I've already mentioned the gay kid, who, besides making me laugh aloud in that bedroom scene, was kind of sweet and made me go aww once or twice. Amanda Bynes rocked the role of the annoying girl determined to save Olive's eternal soul. Thomas Haden Church cracked me up both in the movie and in the gag reel. The Gossip Girl dude didn't annoy me, though I expected him to because of the association to said TV series. Then there were Pheobe and the sad, sick lady from Green Mile.

And last but not least Stanley Tucci, who deserves his own paragraph, because I don't remember anyone being so fabulously ridiculous in a long, long time. He plays Olive's father and the sad, sick lady from Green Mile plays her mother and I loved every scene with the parents. They're just ridiculously awesome. And Tucci's "Where are you from originally?" and "After we watch The Bucket List, remember to cross 'watch The Bucket List' off our bucket list" and a million other lines I could quote here, but I'll refrain myself.

... But I guess that's where Olive gets her ingenius wit from. I love witty movies and witty people, but at times when watching Easy A I was almost bothered by the incredible wittiness - of Olive, in particular. Which kind of doesn't make sense, because the wittier she is, the better for me, as a viewer of the movie. I guess there are such enormously witty 17-year-olds, but I haven't just met any, so it felt unrealistic to me. Or maybe I'm just jealous because I'll never be that witty and awesome or have such witty and awesome conversations with other witty and awesome people. Boohoo. But seriously, never mind it being slightly unrealistic, it was nice to see a kid having a perfectly functional and totally awesome relationship to her parents in a high school movie. First time for everything, I guess.

Because this has been quite a miscellaneous post with lots of random thoughts in a nice little mess, I'll finnish accordingly by saying that I loved all the references to John Hughes movies. And didn't I feel smart (knowing that a couple of months ago those bit wouldn't have meant anything to me. Haha).

"There's a higher power that will judge you for your indecency."
"Tom Cruise?"

I'm not crying, not crying not crying not crying... much.

2011-06-08T13:15:00.001+03:00

The original video from Empire.com.

Also this.

I think it just fully sank in how horribly sad it will be when it's over. Really, finally, no-going-back over. Oh god. Stupid Potty, making me all emotional.

Hanna (2011) - confessions of a teenage killing machine

2011-06-07T13:44:00.000+03:00

directed by Joe Wright / starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander

I'd been waiting for Hanna since the first trailer I saw. Joe Wright is the director of one of my ultimate favourite films (Atonement), and since that film Saoirse Ronan has definitely been one to keep an eye on. Cate Blanchett is always worth buying a film ticket, and don't we just all love teenage assassins! Add in a rare chance to see your home country in a Hollywood film, and you got yourself a pretty good reason for a trip to cinema.

Hanna is a film difficult to caterorize. There's a bit of a mystery film, an action flick, a road movie and a coming-of-age story. I liked the coming-of-age acpect of it the most. Not surprisingly, knowing me and my preferences. Maybe the script was not the most imaginative, surpriring, skillfully structed one, but the action was nice. And visually the movie was very interesting. Also, great music. And I like movies in which they speak many different languages. I kept expecting to hear Finnish, shame I didn't!

It's cool that they actually came to shoot in Finland; not in Canada or even Norway or anything. Lapland looked pretty cool. And not just in the sense of "cold". (Poor highly-paid Hollywood actors, though.) It was cool to see Finland through "Hollywood's eyes", and notice it didn't look very different from what it really is, or how it's potrayed in domestic films. I'll say it once more: cool.

Saoirse Ronan is such an interesting actress! Just that stare alone is so compelling, with those light eye brows and bright blue eyes. Plus I always associate that stare with the scene in Atonement where Briony is looking out of the window while Robbie is being taken away and she just doesn't blink. Awesome. That girl has one bright future ahead of her.

Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana do their roles with a certain professional-like routine. They're both very good but not too good, because the film is about Hanna and Ronan is the star. Tom Hollander is as wonderfully disgusting as ever. It's a gift, really, to be able to be that slimy and repulsive. And still awesome. That hydrogen peroxide hair was particularly unappealing. Hope he shot his part quite quickly, and didn't have to hang around looking so unattractive for too long. Haha.

The British teenage girl was a real highlight of the whole movie. Really, she was freaking hilarious. Give her an award or something!

So, Hanna was a good film. Not mind-blowing in any way, but interesting and entertaining enough. The talented cast and the visual look (and one pretty competent comic relief character) carry it pretty far, and there's necessarily no fundamental need for blowing minds.

"You didn't prepare me for this."

My dearest movie character

2011-06-06T13:24:00.002+03:00

"Tough one", I thought, when learning the Movie Monday challenge of the week. Who could I possibly name as the movie character closest to my heart? Well, it wasn't that difficult in the end. I chose the one that first came to my mind, and did it for a reason.

Belle has been my hero for decades. (I guess you can now say that because the movie came out 20 years ago, haha.) She's always been one of my favourite Disney princesses, but while when growing up Cinderella steadily held the number one position with that dazzling ball dress and glass slippers, last year, when my love for Disney peaked once again, I felt safe to announce that Belle had claimed the title for herself.

And isn't she just thoroughly awesome? She was (one of) the first Disney heroine to ditch the role of a frail damsel in distress. Before her there was the stupid teenage brat Ariel (ugh, my blood just began to boil), the naive Snow White who just went with the flow and the apathetic Aurora who had no personality whatsoever. After Belle there's been other kick-ass heroines like Pocahontas, Mulan, Esmeralda and Meg. But Belle is the mother to them all. She doesn't just react; she acts.

Belle does own all the positive qualities of a textbook Disney princess: she's kind, righteous and caring, she sings like an angel, and oh, how pretty she is. I'm a huge fan of that strand of hair that she has to tuck back all the time! She dreams big and never loses her hope. On the other hand, she stands up for her loved ones, even risks her life for them. She's a bit stubborn and doesn't want to be bossed around. She loves books and stories and is very curious. She's subtly sarcastic ("Gaston, you are positively primeval."). She doesn't want to do something just because "she's supposed to", which makes her kind of a misfit. Her biggest nightmare is to become the little wife to the most desired nuthead of the town, and she will not yield to that even if everyone expects her to. She sees past the monstrous appearance of her prince and falls in love with the kind, brave, yet akward man inside the beast. She doesn't just wait around to be rescued. She rescues herself. And her prince, too, on the way. I call that kick-ass, and awesome, and thus Belle is the dearest movie character to me.

And yes, that yellow ball dress is gorgeous, just gorgeous. Might even beat the glass slippers.

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. / I want it more than I can tell. / And for once it might be grand / To have someone understand / I want so much more than they've got planned

P.S. I burned my lunch while writing this post. For a change. I can't even begin to count how many meals I've ruined because of blogging. Oh well, I guess it's worth it.

Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France...

2011-06-06T09:40:00.001+03:00

Click below for some Basterds highlights.

"You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'."

"Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y'all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin'."

"Monsieur LaPadite, to both your family and your cows I say: Bravo."

"We got a German here who wants to die for his country! Oblige him!"

"Did you get that for killing Jews?"
"Bravery."

"Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein, nein!"

"Who and what is a 'Private Butz'?"

"What the fuck are we supposed to do?"
"It looks like we're supposed to have a Nazi premiere."
"Like I said, what the fuck are we supposed to do?"

"You know, fightin' in a basement offers a lot of difficulties. Number one being, you're fightin' in a basement!""

"Say 'auf Wiedersehen' to your Nazi balls."

"So, gentlemen, let's discuss the prospect of ending the war tonight."

"What shall the history books read?"

"Is that the way you say it? 'That's a bingo?'"

"I have a message for Germany."

"My name is Shosanna Dreyfus and this is the face of Jewish vengeance!"

"You know somethin', Utivich? I think this just might be my masterpiece."

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - old Captain Jack is getting a bit old

2011-06-05T18:32:00.005+03:00

From the moment I heard the first rumour that there will be another Pirates movie, I was suspicious. Yet I always hoped that somehow it would end up being okay; a nice little entertainment bomb if nothing else. I don't need that much to be entertained, really! I went to the cinema with very low expectations, but just this once, that didn't do the trick.

Most of the time I wasn't even entertained, just bored, and on the top of it all, hating the fact that people like money so much, and so my poor eyes once again had to endure that extra strain because of that stupid third dimesion. I missed the good old pirate spirit that just wasn't there. I even found myself missing Orlando and Keira! The most crushing thing to admit is that even goold old Captain Jack didn't have the same charm anymore, so the legendary pirate captain must have lived past his best days. I was hoping the Jack thing would never get old - the jokes, the smirks, the drunken way he walks, the idiotic ways he always seems to get out of tricky spots - but what can you do. It sucks, though.

Sure, there were some occasional moments when it felt like the old movies, when the good old spirit showed up, even if only for a second at a time. The nostalgic value was there, yes, but it didn't save as much as I expected it to. Mostly I was just annoyed that they the staining the good memory of all those awesome characters. On one hand it was good that they'd gone to a simpler direction with the plot - it can't get much more confusing than the web of lies and back-stabbing and side-switching in At World's End - but on the other hand, at least that constant confusion assured that you weren't able to predict every single plot twist and turn of events at least five minutes before they happen. I don't think I was surprised once during the whole On Stranger Tides.

Penelope I liked more that I expected (doesn't take much as I didn't expect to like her at all, but anyway). Blackbeard was an okay new character too, but oh well, I'm just rarely into those PURE EVIL vilains; they are much more interesting coming with more than that one single character trait (PURE EVIL) in them. The reward for the most unnecessary and hollow character (in addition to the zombies; if you want someone undead, call the cursed skeletons or Davy Jones's fish people) goes to the replacement of Orlando Bloom's pretty face: the ridiculously muscular clercyman. Apparently he's done most of his God-serving in between fierce sessions of ab excercises and push-ups.

Things I did like: the pirate flag flying at the top of the Disney castle in the logo; the mermaids that actually brought in some nice mythology and action (and the required, boring love story); the Cameo (hahahaha, genius); the undead monkey and The Pearl, even if only miniature versions of them; the Jack/Barbossa moments, because that much charisma and talent can't go unnoticed even if the context and the dialogue were stupid.

Oh well. After all this bashing I think it's more than appropriate to pull the rug from under the whole post and say that I wouldn't mind too much if they did some more mediocre Pirates sequels. I'd go see them anyway, just because... Well I don't know. But I would.

"Why is it we can never meet without you pointing something at me?"

10 of my favourite movie musical numbers

2011-06-04T11:43:00.000+03:00

Some time ago I made a list of my favourite musical moments in non-musical movies. So this list is a natural follower! It also happens to match the first challenge in the new Movie Monday blog. (Note: no animations accepted on the list! Why? It would be filled with Disney songs, and I already made that list.)

10. Time Warp in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

This movie is so insane. It doesn't have a sensible moment in its running time! And I appreciate and respect that. Time Warp is the catchiest and thus my favourite song in the musical, so it has the honour to inhabit the last but not... well, yes, the least position on the list. In a list ranking songs according to their ability to get stuck on your head, this would be number one by a bullet! ... Aaaand just when you thought I would get through with this without mentioning the Glee version, I go and mention the Glee version. Because it's brilliant and Kurt is brilliant and so on and so forth.

9. My Favourite Things in The Sound of Music (1965)

It's just so very sweet, okay? And so is Julie Andrews, ah!

8. Greased Lightning in Grease (1978)

I used to love Grease, but then I watched it too many times and now I just kind of unactively like it for the nostalgic value. Still, there's no denying the entertainment value of John Travolta's hips and the always-makes-your-feet-restless value of the beat in Greased Lightning.

7. Good Morning in Singing' in the Rain (1952)

I could've and maybe should've chosen the most iconic musical scene in the history if cinema, but decided to go with this one instead without much ado. I just like the melody and the enthusiastic and cheerful mood of the scene. And the tap dance. Oh, the tap dance.

6. Can I Have This Dance in High School Musical 3 (2008)

Haha, I think it's appropriate to talk about a black sheep here. Me and High School Musicals go way back, and it would've been unfair and evasive to ignore that fact when making this list. Now, about this particular song and scene. Sometimes I've been joking that I want to dance to this at my wedding, and unfortunately it wasn't always pure joking. I have now accepted that this song will indeed have nothing at all to do with my wedding, whatsoever, but while I'm beginning to forget the lyrics to all the other HSM songs, I still find myself listening to this once in a while. It's quite nice, really. And not half as cheesy as it could be.

5. A Little Priest in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Well, first, if there's Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and singing involved, it can't end up being nothing too bad. Sweeney Todd is pretty great, and I chose this scene for its quirkiness, its relevance to the plot, and for the pure joy of watching Johnny and Helena work their magic together.

4. Cell Block Tango in Chicago (2002)

Chicago is sexy and chic and just unresistable. It has many, many awesome musical numbers, but Cell Block Tango is hands down my favourite. Those murderesses just kick ass! After this, no one can say that murder is not an art.

3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

It doesn't get much more classic than this. Judy Garland, stuck in the dull, colourless Kansas, dreams of a better place somewhere over the rainbow, not knowing that's exactly where she will end up soon enough. Oh, I adore this song.

2. Dancing Queen in Mamma Mia! (2008)

This movie is such a joy. It's the ultimate pleasure without a single drop of guilt. Meryl Streep and the girls dancing around a beautiful Greek island, singing this timeless, feel-good ABBA song, is so much fun - just a thought of it is somehow uplifting and makes a smile sneak up on your face. The best thing is, you don't necessarily have to be young and sweet, only seventeen, to a be dancing queen. It just takes some growing back down.

1. El Tango De Roxanne in Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Moulin Rouge! had to be number one, of course. Deciding on just one song, scene, number, was a much trickier job to do. Your Song, Elephant Love Medley and Come What May finally lost, though only by inches, to the dramatic, thrilling, flamboyant, goosebumps-quaranteed El Tango De Roxanne. Oh, how vividly we feel the heart-rending pain of Ewan McGregor. You just want to give him a big hug. But only after he's stopped singing! Don't you dare interrupt the magic in action.

Water for Elephants (2011) - a good try that somehow waters down

2011-05-29T19:39:00.003+03:00

directed by Francis Lawrence / starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

Water for Elephants turned out to be one of those movies that technically have all the ingridients to be great, but for some reason you can't quite put your finger on, they flag in the level of being just okay. It could've been so good: it has a great, intriguing and visually exciting setting (who wouldn't love the circus atmosphere?), a dramatic, moulinrouge-ish kind of story and pretty good actors, too (the main threesome includes two Oscar winners and one of the most recognizable faces in the world right now (not that that necessarily guarantees anything)).

And yet... blah. There was something missing; that little extra something. I kind of did enjoy myself as long as the movie lasted, but it didn't linger in my mind, and now, a few weeks later that I'm actually trying to get my mind around finishing this post, I can't say there are many thoughts in my head about the film. But I'll try.

Reese Wiherspoon has done some pretty good roles, yes, though usually their just the basic barbie doll roles, but somewhere between those she managed to win an Oscar, too, so she can't be a total loser, right? I'm a bit torn about her, but in Water for Elephants, I didn't like her much, if at all. She just lacked that... that leading lady spark. I mean, in movies like this you're supposed to fall in love with the characters like they fall in love with each other, or at least see what they mean, when they go "Ah, my love, I'd die for you, please let me die for you" and "Your mesmerizing beauty makes me see you in slow motion". (Like in Moulin Rouge!, for example, it makes total sense that they risk their lives for each other and all that, because we see her beauty and soul and his lovable romantic poor man's charm.) I just felt like telling Rob to ditch the colourless, soulless woman and go fall in love with someone of his own age. Rob at least was kind of charming. And you can't tell me I'm biased, because I was always Team Jacob when I had to choose.

So, Robert Pattinson is pretty good in this movie. It's delightful to see the total lack of all those horrible brooding mannerisms, but I'm afraid this is still not enough to shake the vampire from his shoulders, make less people hate his guts for being so famous and popular ans handsome, and make less people faint at the sight or thought of him or anything related to him. But it's a step away from all that, even if only a small one. It's going to take a while for people to take him seriously, and everyone knows that. Speaking of which, I'm actually become kind of a spokeswoman for Robert Pattinson since some months ago I read this interview. I'd kind of felt sorry for him before, but now I've taken up the habit of defending his honour in every chance I get. If you want to hear my speech, please do not hesitate to ask. Haha. But seriously, though. The guy's just taken too much crap for one little mistake, which you can't blame him for, because no aspiring young actor in his good sense says no to a leading role. Okay, shutting up now, before this gets out of hand.

Christoph Waltz masters the art of playing the vilain, of course. In fact, if he was really lazy and just wanted to make some quick, easy money, he could just do all of his roles by standing still and not saying anything, and the memory of colonel Hans Landa in everyone's minds would do the job for him and everyone would be freaking scared of him anyway. So that's all I have to say about that.

I've somehow failed to talk about the film itself, while talking about various other things. Well, first time for everything, right? (A little sarcasm, right there, in case you didn't notice.) Let's do a nice little summary. Good about Water for Elephants: Rosie the elephant (seriously, what a charmer! Hope they treated her alright...), setting (I just love me some circus stories), Christoph Waltz, Pattinson's non-Edward-ness. Bad about Water or Elephants: the lack of that little extra something, the TOTAL lack of chemistry between the two 'lovers', Reese Witherspoon's blandness, the annoying Nicholas Sparks-like vibe the ending gave me.

I've got the book waiting for me on the shelf and I will read it when the moment presents itself, because the story is still okay, and everyone says the book is better than the movie. I just have to imagine someone else's face in the place of the heroine...

"I don't know if I picked that circus. But something told me that circus picked me."

The Breakfast Club (1985) - once upon a time in a Saturday detention

2011-05-28T19:10:00.001+03:00

directed by John Hughes / starring Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy

Five high school kids spend their day in detention on a Saturday. All the stereotypical high school types are represented: the jock, the nerd, the prom queen, the weirdo and the problem child. They all come from different directions, diffrent backgrounds, different lives, and at they end of the day they leave to again go their own separate ways, but in between, they might learn something about each other, about themselves and about life.

It's a real travesty that before just a few months ago, the only John Hughes films I'd seen were about an accident-prone kid called Kevin McCallister. I mean, of course I have the highest respect to Home Alone movies, but oh how I wish I had discovered the John Hughes high school movies of the '80s when I was in that particular target age. Better late than never, though! The Breakfast Club was actually the first one I saw, and after that I've seen pretty much all the other big ones (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, even Weird Science), but nothing really could beat that first one.

They say that John Hughes was the first film director ever to take teenagers seriously, and potray them in an accurate, realistic way, and I'm totally buying that. That one scene towards the end of The Breakfast Club (where they sit and talk, you know what I mean, I'm sure) is enough to prove that Hughes remembered what it is like to be a teen. My god, that scene is one brilliant piece of cinema. It's almost overwhelming and can't be described in words (at least not in any words I know) how awesome that scene is.

I love all the characters in The Breakfast Club (though some more than other, yes), and I love how they interact with each other. Really, the five individual characters and the group dynamics are what holds the film together and makes it so, so good.

John Bender played by Judd Nelson is the obvious scene stealer. The character just kind of kicks ass. In many ways he's is the central figure of the whole movie, but mostly just because that personality needs to be in the centre. John Bender doesn't give a (excusez-moi mon francais (or something (excuse my lousy French)), but this is what Bender would say) fuck. He doesn't really respect anyone (authority figures the least (but somehow he seems to respect Allison, though, which is super cool) and lets it show. He's rude and out of control and angry and arrogant and awesome. You just got to love that attitude and that fast tongue.

Andrew Clark played by Emilio Estevez is the popular jock, who kind of struggles between being a nice guy and seeming cool among his peers. He's not particularly standout as a character and not very intriguing (at least not for me), so he's quite a tricky character to play. I guess Andrew and Ringwald's Claire are my least favourites of the bunch, because they are the most like they seem, like you'd expect them to be. They don't really hold as much mystery or secrets as the others.

Molly Ringwald plays the popular girl Claire Standish so much better than all the geeky, 'likable' girls she's played in other Hughes movies. Maybe it's because I never found her presence very likable or sympathetic or easy to relate to, so I didn't really buy her as the awkward yet good-hearted heroine in Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. The haughty prom queen type she does quite well, however. But like I said above, the character lacks the element of surprise to really kick ass.

Ally Sheedy's Allison Reynold is such a weirdo. She doesn't speak much, but when she does, it's golden. I love everything that she says. Or does, for that matter. "When you grow up, your heart dies." And that's all I need to say about her.

What did I do before I had seen Anthony Michael Hall in action? I tell you what I did. I lived in shameful ignorance! I was so clueless! I liked him in Sixteen Candles and Weird Science as well, because he does comedy so brilliantly, but this... I was SO impressed by his acting, especially in the scene I praised above. I'm almost tearing up just thinking about it. Geez, that just hits me so freaking hard. On the other hand, the comedy value is still there ("Chicks can't hold their smoke. That's what it is."), plus Anthony Michael Hall's personality is probably one of the most likable personalities there is, so you just can't help loving that shy, awkward, geeky Brian Johnson talking about the academic clubs he's in. Aww.

So there you go. Add the enemy (the wonderfully horrible principal played by Paul Gleason) to the mix, and you got yourself the most awesome and life-changing Satuday detention ever. The Breakfast Club is the latest addition I've made to the sacred and prestigious group I imaginatively like to call My Favourite Movies. And it's been a long, long time coming...

"You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed."

Did I ever tell you I was struck by lightning seven times?

2011-05-26T22:34:00.003+03:00

Didn't remember this movie was so freaking wonderful. I bet it wasn't the last time I saw it. I'm becoming such a wuss. Anyway, love you, David Fincher, love you. ~~And loooove technology for making Brad Pitt look like that again.~~

"I was thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is."

"Some things last."

a year not Lost

2011-05-24T16:40:00.000+03:00

Today it's been one year since Lost ended, since I saw the series finale! Freaky! And what do you know, I'm still here, alive and even kicking a little. At times I was sure my life would end with the best TV show in the universe, but somehow I've soldiered on! And honestly, it's been so easy that a year younger version of me would be disgusted or at least very ashamed. But hey, the year hasn't been a total loss, as there's been Glee, which has been filling the hole born a year ago better than I ever expected anything to fill, at least not this soon.

But still as much as I lovelovelove Glee, it's obviously not Lost. Case in point: season two of Glee ends this week, and I'm not half as pumped as I always was waiting for any season finale of Lost. Nothing makes me freak out like the show used to make. I shall never forget those days of insane screaming, hitting my head on a wall and running circles on the backyard (season 5 finale), almost bursting open an operation scar on my stomach (season 2 opening), and laying on a bed for a half an hour, staring at the roof with wide, watery eyes (season 6 finale). Aw. Good times.

I think I'll celebrate this occasion by, for the first time ever, keeping it short and not letting things get out of hand when talking about Lost. I also might call everyone by rude nicknames, play backgammon and Connect Four, listen to The Mamas and the Papas, enjoy some imaginary peanut butter, engage myself in a heated conversation about destiny and faith, and maybe go buy myself a pair of white tennis shoes.

Finally, a truly series-defining quote, for old times' sake:

"Was he talking about what I think he was talking about?"
"If you mean time-travelling bunnies, then yes."

Oh how good to see that pretty face again.

P.S. I happened to remember that I still haven't finished the final season six post of my Complete Lost Marathon. Hmh. If I found my notes I could maybe finish it one of these days...

The Walking Dead season one - brains, blood and lots of guts

2011-05-22T20:18:00.001+03:00

I just finished the first season of The Walking Dead. I began watching yesterday. And it's not weird because the season has only six episodes. I'm not head over heels for the show, but apparently it's quite addictive and I will catch the second season, too. (It begins on August in the U.S. So I might be watching it live! Hoho! What a funny thought...)

The series builds around police officer Rick Grimes (played by a distractingly familiar-looking fellow called Andrew Lincoln, who I just couldn't make myself place without help, but he's no other than the "To me you are perfect" guy from Love Actually! I was fooled by the lack of British accent, I guess...), who one day gets shot and the next thing he knows, he wakes up in a messed up, deserted hospital, with no one around but dead people. Or undead people, however you like to look at it. Zombies, anyway. It's pretty cool that the word 'zombie' is never mentioned during the whole season, by the way! Anyway, the series follows Rick meeting other survivors, trying to find his wife and son, and killing quite a lot of zombies on the way. You know how these things work.

I'm not the world's biggest zombie enthusiast, but enough so to get interested in a series like this. The zombies in The Walking Dead are pretty cool and some impressively gross. The characters are not the strongest area of the show, as most of them feel very indifferent or even annoying, at least to me. My infamous Main Character Syndrome is at work once again: I don't really care for Rick (you should be back in London, chasing Keira, man!) and Sarah Wayne Callies's Lori is probably my least favourite character. She's cold and colourless and I don't like the look on her skinny face. Back when she was hanging out with Michael Scofield I actually liked her a bit.

A character I do like is Glenn, who answers for most of that scarce comic relief in the show. I know it's mostly the ethnicity factor, but he reminds me a lot of Miles from Lost. Daryl Dixon is another favourite, whom I've by the way named a Sawyer, just with less sex appeal than the original one. And there are many other Lost archetypes I spotted, too. It's funny how that show still sneaks in the back of my head and affects the way I look at the world. Or TV shows, at least. It's quite easy to try and find parallels with these two, as they are quite similar in nature. (Lost is better, though. Way, way better. Okay, I'll shut up.)

I was a bit surprised to go to the internet and read that people like the show, yes, but hope for more action and zombie killing, and less talk and character moments. I guess it's just my distinctive character-driven taste, because I thought that the action and the drama were in a pretty nice balance, and that just enough zombies got killed. Actually, majority of the most poignant, most memorable moments have to do with zombies, yes, and killing them, yes, but with some deeper thought or story behind the act. The mindless slaughtering with flying guts and dropping heads and splashing blood is fun for a while, but I don't like it as the main point. The word is there will be more of that on season two (because apparently I'm one of the fewer viewers who'd like to see more group dynamics and learn about the characters), so we'll see how that works for me.

Well, anyway. It was nice to watch something other than Glee for a change (not that there's anything not-nice in watching just Glee), as I gave up watching the second season of True Blood due to a total lack of interest, and I still haven't found a cut-price season three box set of Mad Men. The Walking Dead is a pretty interesting and fresh show, and I'm looking forward to the next season, however bloody it will be.

P.S. After being inside by myself all day, watching the show, I went out and imagined that all my neighbours were zombies. I had a very exciting walk to the corner shop and back.

8½ (1963) - proper post coming up (in approx. 20 yrs)

2011-05-21T19:48:00.000+03:00

directed by Federico Fellini / starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Sandra Milo

8½ is part 5/12 of my resolution for 2011.

Let's just be honest from the start. This will be a very lousy, short and futile post. I had an early lecture today and an exhausting exam right after and then I came home and thought I'd watch the classic of May, which I kind of knew to be a bad idea but I went for it anyway. Like half way through I took a nap. The game was lost long before the nap, but that sealed it. I was in no mood for artistic Italian movies, and I doubt there would've been a more suitable moment later this month. Or this year. Or this decade?

I didn't hate it, alright. It was much lighter and much less high-brow than I expected. I saw that it's very well made and at times I thought "this would be so cool if I wasn't so damn bored". It's not a bad film, it's just not for me at not, especially not right now. When I wasn't falling asleep I felt restless and the rapid and loud Italian jabber made my head hurt so I had to turn the volume down.

So, May on this noble mission of 2011 was not my proudest moment. I'd call it a fail. A big fat fail. Which is why hereby promise that I'll watch 8½ again within the following twenty years and then maybe write an actual post with actual thoughts about the film in it. Wouldn't hold your breath, though.

P.S. Guido reminded me a lot of Colin Firth in A Single Man, with those glasses and all.

P.P.S. Guido's last name is Anselmi! How did I manage to miss this funny fact up till now? Maybe has something to do with the fact that I slept through most of the film, or something, hmm...?

10 of my favourite musical moments in non-musical movies

2011-05-18T09:38:00.000+03:00

I haven't made a list in a half a century! Or in other words, five months! Gee! It's about time to make another one. I know I usually specialize in Top Fives, but again, five turned out to be nearly not enough. Ten is not enough either, put I wisely drew the line there. I will now present to you ten of my favourite musical moments in non-musical movies. 'Musical moment' in thise case can mean either singing or dancing. Or lip-syncing.

Enjoy, if you please!

*

10. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You in Ten Things I Hate About You (1999)

This first one is kind of a black sheep... The others are strictly my own personal favourites, and while I think 10 Things I Hate About You is an okay movie, it's not one of those I watch again and againa and whose lines I know by heart. However, I HAD to include this, even if only for number ten, because this particular scene is just wonderful. Thanks to Heath Ledger and his disarming awesomeness.

9. Thriller in 13 Going on 30 (2004)

(The option here was Jingle Bell Rock from Mean Girls. Yeah. And I do feel kind of saddened for having to let it go. Seriously!) 13 Going on 30 has been one of my favourite romcoms for a long time. Sure, I haven't felt like watching it for a looooong time, but I know one of these days I'll pick it up once again. Jennifer Garner's Jenna and Mark Ruffalo's Matt dance the Thriller to spice up a company party, and it's pretty catchy, isn't it? The highlight is of course when Gollum aka Andy Serkis steps up to show some of his sweet moves.

8. You Make My Dreams in (500) Days of Summer (2009)

In a film that in many ways likes to bend the traditional ways of storytelling, it makes more than enough sense for a character, in the height of falling in love, to suddenly break into a gleeful, Disney-ish dance number, joined by the by-passers and even an animated little bird. And Han Solo.

7. Pop! Goes My Heart in Music and Lyrics (2007)

Hugh Grant is hilarious, and he has some awesome hips, that man. I've gotten so many laughs out of this clip, I can't even begin to tell you. The best part is when they once or twice almost lose their poker face. And who can blame them! That's one pretty ridiculous music video.

6. I Need A Hero in Shrek 2 (2004)

The second Shrek is my favourite of the bunch (though the first one is good, too), not least because of its awesome music. This is a fun, catchy scene, where Shrek tries to outrun time to save Fiona from Prince Charming.

5. Hoist the Colors in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

The guaranteed goosebumps in the opening sequence of the third PotC movie guarantee Hoist the Colors the middle spot on the list.

4. Jump in Love Actually (2003)

More Hugh Grant's hips! Sorry! This is legendary. The shortest moment of the bunch, but maybe, just maybe, the most viewed one (by me). It never gets old.

(No embedding available, click here.)

3. Titina in Modern Times (1936)

This marks the occasion when we hear the Tramp talk for the first time. Or not talk, to be exact. Sing. In gibberish. Yet the point and the story come across, because he acts it out simutaniously. It's one more proof of the genius of Charlie Chaplin. As if we needed any more of those.

2. Super Freak in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The brilliant awkwardness of the scene, Abigail Breslin's dance moves, the general context and how well it fits in the whole movie make this moment almost worthy the top spot. It's really quite an anti-climactic climax, but that's the awesome thing about it. The film keeps it real at all times, always avoiding melodrama and cliches, and yet this sequence ends up being quite rousing. And awesome. Just awesome.

1. Twist And Shout in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

My newest favourite of all of these ended up snatching the number one spot. Why? Because this is actually the scene that inspired me to make this list in the first place. Because in the film, this is when Ferris finally won me over, too. Because - don't argue - this embodies everyone's ultimate fantasy. Because everyone deserves a rockstar moment.

(The Twist and Shout part begins at about 2:00.)

I'm eagerly waiting for your comments, protests and additions!

The War Game (1965) - cautionary images of horror

2011-05-17T19:34:00.000+03:00

directed by Peter Watkins

This 1965 documentary paints a picture of a gloomy fictional scenario, where nuclear war hits Britain: we see the Government's feeble attempts to prepare the people for the approaching danger, and then the full impact a strike has to an avarage English town - the immidiate destruction and the chaotic aftermath, the physical and mental damage men, women and children all suffer.

First when I heard about this I thought it sounded fascinating; what-if scenarios always are. It also felt a bit far-fetched. If you want to do a documentary about nuclear strikes, why not use the real life examples, as we unfortunately have had two of those as well? But yeah, it's pretty clear. For a western person, Japan and everything that might have happened there feel so far away. Only when the horrors are brought to your own neighbourhood, that's when it gets real. That maybe says something about the general lack of empathy in the world, but yeah, whatever works... I can't say if you should look at this film as a cautionary tale or propaganda or what, but the point gets across loud and clear: nuclear war isn't very nice. I can imagine how terrifying watching this documentary must have felt like for the people in the 60s. Hopefully they also remembered that while it's fiction to them, it's not fiction for everyone.

It's confusingly difficult to say what I think about the film or how it made me feel. I mean, it's fiction, right? This never happened, it's only a worst-case scenario. The Cold War is long gone and I don't think the Britons today need to worry about Russian nuclear bombs. We feel pretty safe here in Europe, don't we? Of course we, like every other person on the face of the Earth, should be scared, like really scared. I don't even want to imagine how many times the number of nuclear weapons has multiplied since the 1960s. And with those red buttons always close at hand to the great leaders of all those great nations... Knowing our species - the dangerous human impulse and paranoia and the general stupidness of man - I'd say we're pretty much screwed. It's terrifying to imagine how very close to total destruction we are, every moment, including right now... It might only take a tiny little push for the first finger to move to the button and press it down, which could only lead to a vicious circle and that's that then.

I don't know why I don't feel absolutely terrified. Maybe I still feel I'm pretty safe, and there's certainly more immidiate dangers around to worry yourself with. I mean, a nuclear war? Maybe the concept is just too bizarre and terrible to grasp. You can only cross you fingers and toes and everything and hope it all remains just a distant, alien menace, a warning from the past.

Have you noticed there's recently been a trend of me watching these amazingly cheery and feel-good documentaries? Nothing like a nice little tale of Holocaust or nuclear war to make your day...

What else I saw in April

2011-05-16T11:38:00.000+03:00

Definitely, Maybe (2008)

This was one of the better romcoms of the recent years. Ryan Reynolds is divorcing his wife and when their daughter is taught about the birds and the bees at school, he ends up telling her the story of the women in his life. Abigail Breslin is as awesome as always. And uncharacteristically for romcoms, I wasn't entirely sure with who he'd end up with! I mean, sure, my first guess was correct, but at times I had doubts. One thumb up for that. Otherwise, the movie was quite forgettable, and one watch was enough, but that one watch was quite enjoyable.

Hard Candy (2005)

Well. Look what Ellen Page was doing before Juno got her knocked up! She did nasty things to nasty old men. And she did it well! The movie is quite creepy and a bit revolting, but it keeps you in its grip while it lasts. It also has one of the coolest posters ever!

Jane Eyre (2006)

Technically this is a TV mini-series, but anyway. I watched this to revise for an exam. Why studying can't always be like that, haha? I wasn't sure about Ruth Wilson playing Jane, but she won me over eventually. And I didn't despise this Mr. Rochester nearly as much as the novel's equivalent, hurray! The exam didn't go as well as planned, but at least the revising was fun. Now I'm looking forward to the newest version of Jane Eyre, coming out this year. We'll see how repulsive Mr. Rochester will be this time, haha.

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Baz Luhrman might have directed one of my favourite movies ever, Moulin Rouge!, but that's pretty much the only decent thing he's ever constructed, it seems. I mean, this one? It was okay, I guess, but just okay and nothing else. A bit silly, it was, and not in a good way. Dance flicks are always nice, but this one didn't fire me up at all. I'm now trying to come up with something nice to say, but nothing comes to mind. Hmm. It's been a few weeks, was it really this bad? I guess it was. Shame. Kind of.

The Last Song (2010)

So, I watched this to celebrate my blog's first anniversary, and what a lousy party it was! Haha. No, but... Yeah. It was. Anyway, I was curious to see 1) whether Miley Curys would still piss me off even if I really tried not to get pissed off, and 2) what Gale will be like in the Hunger Game films. The results: 1) yes, and 2) still no opinion. So, a really great watch! Truly worthy my time! Let's see it again, NOW! ... Okay, it really wasn't so miserably bad. A little, though.

A Comeback Attempt 2.0.

2011-05-15T12:41:00.000+03:00

A quote from my last post I wrote on April 28th:

"P.S. Can I begin my Wappu now? The exam book says no. Everything and everyone else says yes. I'm confused!"

Well, I did begin my Wappu pretty much right after posting that, and even though the party went on a few days longer than planned (which was just awesome, I love when things go so not according to plan!), I can't really blame it for my weeks of absence. And I don't think there's really a need to blame something or someone, there's just been a lot of things to do and think about and get your head distracted with. This is now my second comeback attempt (first one was right after my Wappu but I never finished that post) and I'm not saying I'll be super productive from here on (because there are still a lot things and thoughts and distractions), but I'll do my best not to appear dead.

A random and shamelessly unrelated picture of a flying Darren Criss. I needed a picture and this is what I first found. Let's just say, for example, that this symbolizes me jumping back in the game, to the blogging front, full of glee and ideas and enthusiasm! ... No, let's just be honest and say that I just love to look at him.

Accio July!

2011-04-28T12:49:00.001+03:00

... Oh my.

P.S. Can I begin my Wappu now? The exam book says no. Everything and everyone else says yes. I'm confused!

A year in a life: Life is like Chocolat turns one!

2011-04-24T19:30:00.000+03:00

Exactly one year ago it was a Saturday. The day was coming to an end and I didn't mind, as it was one of those less fun and exciting Saturday nights; I was still recovering from a particularly nasty stomach bug and I had no other company than my flatmate's cat (which I almost forgot to feed as the night went on). So, I was pondering over my options: I could kill some more time aimlessly wondering around the wonderful world of internet (meaning: updating my Facebook homepage), or pop on some movie of the same level of quality as the one I'd seen before that day (Dear John), or... maybe I could create a blog?

So I did, and 365 days and 208 posts later... it's a Sunday night and I just watched The Last Song. As you can see, I've come a long way. Haha. No, but I actually watched it on purpose today, kind of to celebrate the occasion. Maybe I'm beginning a tradition here! ... One twisted and lousy tradition it would be though, because I've never been too fond of Nicholas Sparks and the films adapted from his books - kind of the opposite. Shame it was indeed a Sparks movie I happened to watch on the day I created my blog, and not one of those extremely highbrow and intellectual art house films I usually watch every night. Ahem.

I also wistfully gave up the pink-ish Chaplin layout, and returned to the roots of the blog, so to speak. For the first time, the banner matches the name of the blog, and I quite like this new look. (Not sure about the font, yet, we'll see if I'll get used to it...) Also, I recreated my first profile picture ever. I kind of wish I'd saved pictures of the various layouts my blog has been through during its first year, because they've indeed been quite various. And varying of quality, too, haha.

Blogging has become a dear hobby for me. Though recently life has all too frequently been getting in the way of the whole blogging business, this is still an activily I choose to spend some of my time with, even when it's scarce. (Yeah yeah, I should definitely be studying for an exam right now. In a minute...) Reading other (movie) blogs is also not only entertaining, but also helpful in stretching that Must See list on and on and on and on. I can honestly say blogging has inspired me to watch more movies both in number and variety.

So finally, I'd like to thank every single person who has ever read my blog, especially those who take time to comment once in a while! I'd probably keep doing this without no readers at all (it's been quite therapeutic, really, and fun!), but of course, knowing there's someone to share your thoughts with is more than motivating and makes it worthwhile.

So, thanks, y'all! You rock! Virtual drinks all around! Let's keep blogging! ^^

The Deer Hunter (1978) - don't hate the player, hate the game

2011-04-22T00:16:00.002+03:00

directed by Michael Cimino / starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep

The Deer Hunter is part 4/12 of my resolution for 2011.

I expected April to be one of the easier months on my little mission, but I still didn't feel too confident about actually LIKING The Deer Hunter very much, as I wasn't sure whether the plot would mostly just circle around the war itself, or be more character-driven. Good for me, the film turned out to be hardly at all about the Vietnam war. Much more than that, it was about the few characters, and how their lifes were affected by the war.

So, yes! I liked The Deer Hunter! It's a bit silly to think, afterwards, how ridiculously long time I kept avoiding the film, not finding the right mood to watch it, because I though it would be either much more artsy or much more difficult to get inside of. And look how easy wacthing it ended up being! I think I might've liked it most out of the four films I've seen due to my resolution so far. I mean, it's a bit difficult to compare this to the other-worldly experience that watching Space Odyssey was, but with Deer Hunter I even feel that I want to see it again sometime in the near-future. So, go April! I have a sneaky, menacing feeling that May won't be this delightful, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Oh no. Look at me now, I sound far too cheery. The film I just saw was not 'feel-good', so I'll cut down with the cheeriness from here on.

Until now I've somehow managed to avoid basically all of Robert De Niro's work, I mean the work that made him the legendary actor he is today. Now I'm a bit more educated on the field, and after I'll see Goodfellas in October and somehow magically find the will to watch Taxi Driver, I can maybe agree that he is one hell of an actor, without feeling like a fraud. I mean, sure, I can tell that he's pretty good just by his 30-second appearance in Extras. Haha. Okay, okay, I'll see Taxi Driver. (One of these days.)

Meryl Streep, then! She could do a cat food commercial, and I'd still find her splendid. I just love that woman! And who wouldn't. Though, I'm still yet to see about a million of her earlier films, it's a travesty, really! A change will come, this I hereby promise.

For me, the star of the film was Christopher Walken. (I'm starting to feel more and more inadequate and stupid, but I have to admit I hadn't previously seen Walken in anything as a young man; I knew only the old Walken, and had no idea he was once so good-looking. Wasn't he? I mean, not tradionally, but in that odd, hard-to-put-your-finger-on-it kind of way. Right? He looked a bit like Barry Pepper, didn't he?) He is chillingly good, and I wasn't surprised to afterwards notice that it was indeed he who got the Oscar out of it. (I was sure at least one of the three did.) The way he acted the dramatic and tragic development of his character was just... wow. At times I so would've felt like hugging he poor guy, if only he hadn't looked so freaking creepy. And yet, you have to symphatise him, because you know it's not his fault, it's the effing war that messes him up. (That had to be pointed out just to justify using that 'witty' title. Eh... Sorry.)

Okay. Fail. This post ended up sounding much too cheerful. I don't really feel this cheerful. Seriously, now, The Deer Hunter was pretty terrific; it affected me a lot, I became very engaged to the story and began to care about the characters very early on. Watching a film has rarely felt so tormenting as it did during some of the scenes - I think you know which ones I mean. I actually hid behind my hands a couple of times and shut my ears, and I'm pretty sure my pulse was close to reaching 200 at some point. Now that I think about it, The Deer Hunter might just be the best war film I've ever seen. (Maybe because it actually isn't about war? Haha. Anyway. It still counts!)

"You wanna play games? All right, I'll play your fucking games."

James

2011-04-21T18:10:00.000+03:00

My dearest darling James turns 32 today, so I gladly take this excuse to post some lovely, lovely pictures. After looking through all those photos (when trying to choose a few for the post (took me long enough)), do you know how badly I want to watch Atonement now, on the scale from one to ten? About seventeen, I'd say... Shame that I have a date with The Deer Hunter. Bugger! This might turn out to be unnecessarily difficult...

Anyway, congrats to James, and I do my best to forgive you for not inviting me to your birthday party. Sigh! Here I was thinking our meeting two years ago meant as much to you as it did to me! (Still, love you, man.)

Yo ho, a pirate's life for me (again)

2011-04-20T19:44:00.000+03:00

You know it hasn't been long enough since your last viewing of a film, when you all the time feel like reciting the characters' lines with them as they speak, and you know to look forward to every single witty/cheesy one-liner and funny gesture. You also know that if that's the case, you've probably seen the film one (or two or three) too many times. In addition, since you still laugh at pretty much every single one of those witty/cheesy one-liners and funny gestures, you know there's a reason why you once again decided to spend numerous precious hours of your day following the same old story all over again. Finally, when you watch the said film for the hundredth time and find yourself noticing new things and understanding some gags you never did before, you know that either a) the movie is amazingly profound and multi-layered, or b) you're just a bit slow. (In this particular case, I'd put my money with option b.)

So, in other words... It was time to refresh some memories and dive into some sweet nostalgia, as yesterday me and a friend held another movie marathon. I know what you're probably thinking; The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is a much too recent thing to feel nostalgic about. Oh well. I sometimes feel nostalgic about yesterday or for what happened at breakfast that day. So this is like ancient history for me, if you know what I mean. The third film came out 2007, and that's like WAY back. I mean, I was under-aged back then! ... Or was I? Hold on. Oh, I don't know, that's way too much mathematics for a humanist. (You can blame everything on that, you know? It's quite wonderful, really.)

EDIT // After much contemplating, I came to the conclusion that I was indeed NOT under-aged in 2007. Still, it was a pretty long time ago, so indulge me and grand be my nostalgia, if you please.

Seems like I still wasn't quite able to reach the point. PotC movies were a huge thing for me back in the dark Middle Ages (also knows as some four to eight years ago). I don't know if I've ever left a cinema so utterly delighted as I did after the first film. Later on, I've been expecting myself to outgrow the whole pirate thing, but all I have to do is pop on a DVD and it's clear that the charm is still there, and probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

The movies' charm lies in the adventure, in the fun and engaging characters, the humour and the lack of seriousness. Even if it gets a bit darker once in a while, the Disney behind it all ensures that the gloom won't last too long. I mean, no one really believed that Jack actually died in the end of DMC, because that would've been way too harsh, and basically the stupidest thing one could imagine to be doing to a character like that at that point. So we once again have to thank Disney for bringing us guaranteed happy endings, time after time, allowing us to enter and exit cinemas with gleeful smiles on our faces and a spring in our step! (Okay, I'm determinedly aborting the surge of Disney praise, before I get really going and it's too late to stop me.)

The general opinion basically is that the first film is good (it's on IMDb's Top 250, after all!), and the sequels are bad (though now that I checked, they aren't too poorly rated on IMDb, either). And yes, admittingly, CotBP definitely has the most coherent storyline, and it doesn't resort to ridiculous over-the-top absurdities as often as the sequels. (It's tough, you know? Having to try and top the grandness and inventiveness of the previous action scenes and storylines, because generally everyone believes it's better only if it's bigger. That's when the multiple Jacks and twenty-minute wheel-mill fights and overgrown roaring ladies step in... Anyway.)

As confusing as the sequels might occasionally be (like yesterday, during AWE, we were distracted for about ten minutes, talking about something else, and when returning our attention to the film, we felt completely lost, despite the numerous rewatches before. I mean... "How did she end up in there? Where is he at the moment? Whose side is he on right now? What's his hidden agenda this time, or does he have one?" It's quite puzzling, and not necessarily in a good way...), I still find myself enjoying them over and over again. At least the constant coat-turning and switching of sides keeps the characters somewhat interesting and unpredictable.

Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the greatest and most legendary characters created in the 00's, and that's pretty much all I need to say about that. I'm pretty sure old Johnny sealed his place in movie history the day he first pulled the costume and the eyeliner on and took his first staggering step as the wonderfully eccentric, ridiculously charming, geniously witty and thoroughly lovable pirate captain. Bless him.

In this particular rewatch my favourite character number two ended up being Tom Hollander's amazingly slimy and placidly douchebag-ish Lord Beckett, the vilain of the sequels (or one of them). The character is not one of those utterly horrible vilains, who you just love to hate. Though he can be pretty disgusting at times, in some twisted way I always end up feeling sorry for him. Maybe it's his death scene and that puzzled, beaten, totally dumnfounded look on his poor little face. Or maybe I feel for the actor for always having to play the slimy douchebag? Not that I'm complaining and nor should he; he does it ruddy well.

Other favourite is of course Geoffrey Rush and his varyingly evil Barbossa. I'm so much looking forward to seeing the character again soon, in slightly different circles... Also Jack Davenport's James 'Turncoat' Norrington always wins my sympathies in the end. Tia Dalma was cool before the third film watered down the whole character. Bill Nighy plays the infamous Davy Jones outstandingly behind all those (freaking impressively done) CGI tentacles.

And yeah yeah, of course I have to say something about the young and beutiful pair of super movie stars. Because yes, I like them, too. Orlando maybe looks confused more often than he should but he does action (and kissing!) very well. And Keira... What can I say, I like Keira. She does well in holding her head high among all those scruffy, grumpy men. And that speech of hers in AWE always guarantees some goosebumps, at least for me.

The marathon was a piece of cake really, or at least should've been. We were done in about seven and a half hours, and that should be nothing compared to the previous Star Wars and LotR Extended Edition marathons I've sat through. However, I was dangerously close to falling a sleep somewhere in the middle of Dead Man's Chest, and that's just not right. Am I getting old or what? (Well, clearly... It can be proved by the fact that Curse of the Black Pearl came out 2003, which is now eight years ago. Holy.......)

Anyway. The fourth instalment will reach the cinemas in just a few weeks, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I am more than excited about the comeback of Captain Jack and company (mostly just Jack, though). Bring it on, I'm so very ready.

Finally... Because the PotC films have some of the most hilarious blooper reels ever. Here we go, one more time. You know it never gets old.

What else I saw in March

2011-04-14T21:36:00.000+03:00

Despicable Me (2010)

Another non-Disney/Pixar animation that managed to positively surprise me! Gru is a high-class villan, who's next trying to out-evil himself by stealing the Moon, when three little orphan girls show up to mess with his master plan. Gru with his Eastern-Europian-ish accent is undeniably funny, the girls just melt your heart in a snap, and the little yellow creatures... em, what are the little yellow creatures exactly...? Anyway. The movie is silly, funny, witty and surprisingly heart-warming too, when it comes to it. Oh, how I love animations. If I had to watch movies of only one genre for the rest of my life, I'd go with animations.

Midnight Express (1978)

Loosely based on a true story, Midnight Express tells about a young American, who ends up in prison in Turkey, after trying to smuggle drugs out of the country. The film follows his life in this alien and harsh place, bonding with some other inmates, as his family does all in their power to get him out, soon realizing it might be trickier than expected. An interesting and different watch. The moral of the story is obvious: never try to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. I won't end well...

Mean Girls 2 (2011)

Yeah, I know. I'm a horrible excuse for a human being. The original Mean Girls with Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried is kind of one of my guilty pleasures, so of course I had to check out this one, too, though I knew it would be lousy. They could've even tried to come up with a different plot, but everything was a poor imitation of the original movie, all the way to the 'personalities' of the Plastics: the queen bee, the dumb one and the neurotic one. Suddenly I realize I miss Lindsey Lohan! And that's saying something.

Buried (2010)

The idea in its simplicity is fascinating: Ryan Reanolds in a box for an hour and a half. But even though I was fairly entertained the whole time, in the end it failed to impress me. It was interesting to follow the resolving of the story in a constant close-up, but maybe it was the ending that pulled the rug under the feet of the whole idea. And as a budding claustrophobic I was expecting more anxiety and minor hyperventilation on my side, which didn't really happen at any point. Still, and alright film. Might've worked better in a cinema.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

What an odd movie. Not necessarily in a bad way, and definitely not in the David Lynch kind of way (fortunately (sorry, y'all)). In summary, it's about Scott meeting an awesome girl, but to get her he has to fight her seven evil exes, and more importantly, beat them. It's kind of funny how it begins as a somewhat normal movie and then suddenly some kung fu dude shows up and him and Scott fight for a while and afterwards they are like, "Well, that was weird. Now let's have a milkshake and go to the band rehearsal." I enjoyed the video game-ish-ness of it all, and even if it maybe wasn't the best movie of the year, it sure was quite original. With the thunderous music and the striking visuals this definitely should've been seen on big screen.

Roman Holiday (1953)

Let me introduce you to one of my embarrassingly numerous grey areas of cinma: the work of Audrey Hepburn. I'd previously only seen Breakfast at Tiffany's (some years ago, found it deadly boring), so I found it a bit hard to appreciate this actress, never mind that she's probably one of the most loved and adored movie stars of all time. Roman Holiday began her journey towards that status, and yes, I can see why. Gregory Peck is also very lovable. And a hundred extra points for that ending! Refreshing, if I might say so.

The Cove (2009)

Another great documentary I saw last month. It caused some more tears and anxiety about the cruelty and brutality of man - and frustration about the helplessness of myself. Again, you want to do something, but you don't know what or how. Making a difference it's just so damn hard in the end, and requires so much more than the nice and idealistic (and naive?) thought: "That's wrong. Someone should do something about that." Anyway, the documentary is very well made, and I will never ever again enjoy the dolphinarium of Särkänniemi, that's for sure...

Funny or Die: When Harry Met Sally 2

2011-04-07T15:13:00.003+03:00

Hahahaha. Okay. I laughed. (Mike O'Malley! Whoo! Go Daddy Hummel!)

"I'll have what she's- aaaaargh!"

Charlie's got something to say

2011-04-06T23:21:00.001+03:00

Yesterday I saw Night and Fog and finally rewatched Schindler's List (I swear watching that film didn't hurt so damn much last time... I'm getting old and wimpy), so I thought I'd continue with the same theme today, only the tone would be slightly lighter. Because there's a line in how much my poor heart can take at a time. During this past year or so I've seen pretty much every Charlie Chaplin classic, but somehow I kept postponing watching The Great Dictator. Maybe I was afraid that hearing the Tramp talk (although, yeah, he's not officially The Tramp, even if the costume is the same) would break the magic and ruin the character for me.

But sure, it didn't. Admittedly, it WAS weird. Most times the film didn't feel like the old school Chaplin I so much love, but that wasn't the point. In a way, The Great Dictator is the most important film Chaplin ever made. I know I'm not the only one who'd give a lot to see what Hitler's face looked like when he saw this. (Reportedly, he watched it twice in a row...)

The little Jewish Barber doesn't talk much (which is good. Charlie has a very nice and pleasant voice, but he does best without it) until the very end, when he steps up to give the famous speech. The moment he starts speaking his voice changes and so does his presence, and we are to understand that the character has been dropped; now we see only Chaplin, reminding people everywhere of the importance of humanity. Still today, there are certainly a sadly large number of ~~people~~ idiots walking around, who should stop to listen what old Charlie has got to say and take the message to the heart (if they happen to have one).

"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost."

Preach, Charles. You said it.

Nuit et brouillard (1955) - night and fog, nacht und nebel

2011-04-05T17:56:00.000+03:00

directed by Alain Resnais

'The title refers to a strategy instigated by Himmler in December 1941 that helped propagate the fear of the Third Reich. Anyone caught resisting the Nazi occupiers would be arrested and then immediately whisked off to the camps in such a way that they would vanish without a trace, "into the night and fog".' (IMDb)

We've all seen more films and documentaries about Holocaust than we can remember. It makes an effective and emotionally charged setting for fictional stories, and the documentaries always manage to shock you as the thought of such inhumane monstrosity makes you feel so utterly sad and disarmed. You'd think that at some point people would just become numb and start grow indifferent as the endless stream of those initially shocking images began to loose their power and true meaning (the same way we get numbed by media violence and horror movies etc). And I guess that's true to some extent, but some images in Night and Fog managed shock me, I dare say, in a way nothing Holocaust-related has ever shocked me before. (Well, I guess there is still one image more shocking... It was irreversibly etched in the back of my head some years ago and I don't even wish to discuss it.)

Many things make Night and Fog the intense experience as it is. Its running time is only 30 minutes, and I more or less wept the whole thing through. It rabidly and bluntly introduces us to the senseless horror that made 'Auschwitz' one of the most notoriously regocnizable and meaningful names in history. A voiceover provides us with some facts and also helps set up the atmosphere, but, like in most cases, showing is much more powerful than telling. Never before I remember seeing images of such piles of human beings, or what used to be human beings, but have now diminished into something that only remotely resembles what they once were. It's nightmare-ish, really, and won't leave you anytime soon. And it shouldn't.

What adds to the special nature of the film is, of course, that it was made and published so soon after the actual events. It was one of the first films to openly discuss Holocaust. It's weird and a bit haunting to think that when the film came out, so many of the concentration camp survivors were still alive, the nightmare still fresh in their minds. What is more, so were the German soldiers, 'the Machine', all the individuals that made it all happen.

Night and Fog is the second highest rated documentary on IMDb (the highest rated is a 2010 documentary about a Formula One driver. Er, random?) and the placing is deserved. The film also sparked my interest towards other work of the director Alain Resnais. I wish soon to see Hiroshima mon amour, to begin with... But first, today, I think I'll finally rewatch Schindler's List. It's been sitting on my shelf, gathering dust, long enough.

(I'll next go out to the beautiful early-spring sunshine and walk to gym, to my Zumba lesson... I guess jumping around hyperactively will feel somewhat weird today... And mostly just stupid.)

(It did.)

"Who is responsible?"

Katniss gets her men! And here they are!

2011-04-04T23:40:00.001+03:00

They've cast Peeta! And they cast him well! And most importantly, they didn't cast Alex Pettyfer! I think I can breath freely for a moment now.

Oh and they cast Gale too.

Josh Hutcherson aka Peeta

Out of all the characters of Hunger Games, I was definitely most concerned about the casting of Peeta. Sure, I had some serious fears that they might choose Effie from Skins to play Katniss, but Peeta was always my number one source of worry. But lo and behold, there is still some sense in the world! Josh Hutcherson it is! He's best known for his role in The Kids Are All Right (and so far, I guess that's the only role he's known for...) and I'm so relieved to say that I liked him in that movie! I guess he acted the role quite well, but more importantly, he has a likable personality! I can totally see myself falling for his Peeta, just like I fell for the Peeta of the book. Good news, good news. My evening was just saved. Hurray!


Liam Hemsworth aka ~~Miley's old flame~~ Gale

Oh and they cast Miley Cyrus's ex-boyfried as Gale. I'm sorry, but that's all I can associate Liam Hemsworth with. I mean, you google the guy and all you get is photos of him making out with little Miley. This makes me want to cruelly bash his acting skills in the same breath, but unfortunately I have no evidence to base this argument on. Anyone know if he can actually act at all? I'm a bit undetermined about this choice, but I'm just going to go with this, because Gale never mattered as much as Peeta. And I think they got Peeta quite right.

Next, I'll trouble myself with the casting of Haymitch... I won't announce my hopes out loud, because then they won't come true. Okay, they won't anyway. But anyway. These are exciting times we're living.

EDIT // Haha, so now I'm amusing myself with reading people's whining. They're talking about 'miscasts', but I don't honestly think you can talk about that before actually seeing the actor in action, or least in costume. Hell, I might have even given Alex Pettyfer a chance! (...Maybe not, but anyway.) Just, come ON, people. Chill.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) - a documentary about how not to make a documentary about street art

2011-04-02T16:46:00.001+03:00

directed by Banksy

Thierry Guatta is a Frenchman living in Los Angleles, a shop keeper, who never goes anywhere without his video camera. He then becomes involved in street art, and gets to film some artists in their work, saying he is making a documentary about the subject. In reality, he has no intention of turning the hours and hours and hours of shaky, incoherent material into an actual film, or, in fact, ever to even watch again what he's been filming.

When Banksy, maybe the best-know street artist in the world right now, enters the picture, he convinces Thierry to finally make the film. However, seeing the outcome, Banksy realises he has to make the documentary his own business. ("It was at that point that I realized that maybe Thierry wasn't actually a film maker, and he was maybe just someone with mental problems who happened to have a camera.") He turns the camera to Thierry instead and makes him the film's central character.

I'm a fan of Banksy's art. And that's saying something, because I can't say that about any other artist in the world. I love the more or less subtle comments he makes about the world, the stupidity of people, the society, etc. I love his imagination. I love that what he does is not 100 % legal. I love that he keeps his identity a secret. He's such a cool, rebellious and inspiring character! So I was very much looking forward to seeing the film, and even though it wasn't as much about Banksy himself as it was about Thierry, I found it entertaining and funny and clever and interesting.

Thierry is kind of a ridiculous personality. You don't really know what to make of him, because with the silly accent and the curious and care-free naivety, it's hard to take him seriously. And yet, you can't but like him. Some say the whole film is a hoax and Thierry is just a fake character created by Banksy. In any case, he's fun to look at, so I don't bother myself with conspiracy theories.

I have to say I didn't get everything it had to offer out of the film, because the fact that my DVD has no subtitles didn't work very well with crunchy, loud snacks and Banksy's heavy Bristol accent (oh and that his voice had been altered didn't help too much, either). But I got the point. Or did I? If there was one specific message, it didn't come across loud and clear. And that's just good, isn't it? For one, the film ridicules the commercialism that has struck street art in the recent years. Come see an exhibition... and exit through the gift shop. Another thing is, quite bluntly... what is art? Can anyone be an artist? Could I be one? (I could certainly conquer the world with the best (and only) thing I can do with a pencil: stick figures. Just wait and see, one day people will pay millions.)

Anyway, Exit Through the Gift Shop is highly recommended! It's difficult to describe and difficult to write about, but not at all difficult to like.

"I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art. I don't do that so much anymore."

Click below for a massive surge of Banksy's art. Because.

25 years of genius (aka Pixar) in five minutes

2011-03-31T19:43:00.000+03:00

Aw. Love. Just, love.

Now where are all my Pixar DVDs when I need them?

Some uncharacteristic fuss over a pair of shoes

2011-03-30T09:40:00.000+03:00

If I ever fell in love with a pair of shoes at first sight... That's one awesome pair of heels! Now, if I was really into craft and a really handy kind of person, I certainly would snitch the idea and make myself a collection of heels like that, with different texts in them. I'm not. But I like the idea, anyway.

...Never mind, though, I wouldn't be able to take one step with heels like that, or even stand in one place without falling down and breaking a dozen bones. Maybe with someone to support me, I could.

You have just read the first and quite possibly the last fashion-related post of this blog. Though who knows, maybe one of these days I'll become a real talented and fashion-conscious craftsperson, who makes awesome shoes. And knows how to walk with crazy heels.

Btw, hasn't little Georgie Henley grown up since I last saw her in a Narnia film? Which was the first one, but anyway.

What (else) I saw in February

2011-03-29T12:05:00.001+03:00

Das Experiment (2001)

Please tell me we're not really like this. (And yet, as the film is based on the real Stanford Prison Experiment conducted in 1971, I guess we kind of are.) In the experiment a bunch of volunteered men are divided into two groups. One group is locked into cells while the others are given the role of prison guards. They're left by themselves, but are constantly observed by the researchers. They're ordered to stay in character at all times, but never resort into violence. And why would they? They're just ordinary people with nothing against each other! Right? Das Experiment reminded me a lot about the classic novel The Lord of the Flies, as they both look at group dynamics and the frailty of human morality in extreme situations. The film was very interesting and quite horrifying at times, but definitely recommended! (Don't know about the recent American remake, but I bet the original is much, much better.)

Persepolis (2007)

One of the the best animated non-kids'-movies I've ever seen! Not that I've seen too many. I should educate myself on this area (too), though! The main character Marji has to be one of my favourite female characters of the recent years, because she's just so cool, in a realistic way. Persepolis is funny, sweet, sad, original, with an interesting visual look and clever ideas about what growing up is like and how where you come from have an effect on where you're going. And listening to French is kind of nice, even though I didn't understand a word...

How to Train Your Dragon (2009)

This was a positive surprise! Apparently it's not only Pixar that does awesome animations, but DreamWorks gets lucky too once in a while. The hero of the story, a young viking called Hiccup, is charming as heck in his haplessness and awkwardness. Didn't realise he was voiced by Jay Baruchel. (And there were also voices by people like Gerald Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Ashley Jensen of Extras! Well, I feel quite deaf now.) The dragons were cool and I bet this would've looked nice in 3D. Though of course it looked nice in 2D, too. We don't need 3D. Down with 3D.

Luftslottet Som Sprängdes (2009)

The first instalment of the Millenium trilogy remains my favourite. For me, it felt like the only one with a clear, coherent storyline, or at least the most interesting one: there was a mystery and it needed to be solved. Still, watching Noomi Rapace is never too tough a job, so I enjoyed this film, too, and if they ever make more of these, I'll see them. (I just read somewhere that there might be a script for another book, after all.)

Step Up (2006)

I do kind of like dance flicks.

And I even almost warmed up for Channing Tatum.

Almost.

Still, a movie can't get much cheesier.

Also, I watched some John Hughes films. But I'm working on some special posts for them... which I will hopefully finish some time before Christmas. Sigh. (I should've published this post in the first days of March, not the last... Oh well. Letting life get in the way isn't always so bad.)