Since coming back from my holiday, I've been pretty slack with my blog and I've started feeling very guilty about it so I decided that I must sit down and write my latest reviews. Normally I don't find it such a chore but I don't think I've come back to reality yet. I was also panicking about my uni result and am pleased with my 2:1 which I recieved today! So now I can relax properly over summer as I don't have to stress about re sits and I can keep up with my blog (hopefully).

KUNG FU PANDA 2 3D (PG)

Director: Jennifer Yuh
Verdict: I was really looking forward to this because I had recently become a fan of the first film. This film sees Po wanting to learn about his past as he does not believe that his father is his father (him being a panda and his Dad being a goose!) A peacock is the sequel's villian who Po and his kung fu friends try to defeat in order to save their land.

Overall I don't think I laughed as much in this film as I did with the first but this film should be classed a whole different level to other animations. Kung Fu Panda 2 seems more grown up and the animation is amazing. I do believe that the two films are created more for adults than children as I'm not sure there's enough to keep them entertained throughout. If you are into animations then it is a must see.

BAD TEACHER (15)

Director: Jake Kasdan
Verdict: This movie has had many bad reviews but I really don't agree with their harsh ratings. In her latest film, Cameron Diaz plays a teacher who is unfit for the job as she would rather be anywhere else. I would say this part of the film is totally unrealistic as I don't even know how she would even get the job in the first place. However, it's a movie and look at the title so realism is obviously not the key. Elizabeth (Diaz) is saving up for a boob job as she wants to attract the new male teacher in the school (Justin Timberlake). It sounds slightly lame but there are a lot of laughs a long the way.

If Timberlake and Jason Segel weren't present in this movie then it would be pretty awful as Diaz's acting has a lot to be desired. Lucy Punch (a prim teacher), Phyllis Smith (who is almost like Diaz's wing woman) and John Higgins (head teacher) create a lot of laughs too. Overall I did laugh quite a lot and I would watch the film again so I've given it quite a high rating because it's good fun.

BRIDESMAIDS (15)

Director: Paul Feig
Verdict: I went to see this the day I got back from holiday as me and Dan decided to have a cinema day as we had missed out on the release of this film and Transformers. We went to see both in the same day, such geeks. Anyway I was really looking forward to this film because the trailer was so funny and it just looked like a female version of The Hangover. The film follows two best friends who start to drift apart when one is due to get married and the other has to arrange the bridal shower etc.

I thought the acting was really natural from all the actors, especially from Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolf (what a name) and Chris O'Dowd. I have grown a love for Kristen Wiig as I have seen her in a few things such as Whip It and I love that she wrote this film because some moments are really easy to relate to. The cast were so funny and there are a few particular moments in the film when the entire cinema burst into laughter and hysterics because it is so funny and ridiculous. I think this is a brilliant film for 2011 and I think everybody would love it, even men!

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON 3D (12A)

Director: Michael Bay
Verdict: I was really not looking forward to seeing this but I had to go and see it as Bridesmaids was for me really. I don't think there is much point in me trying to explain the film because it wouldn't be a very good description to be honest. The only thing I gathered was that the cars/monsters/machines (whatever they're called) were living quite happily on earth when the nasty Autobots (is that it!?) or are they Decepticons (pfft who knows) are trying to take Earth over as they don't like working with the humans. Anyway, I thought it was quite good to begin with as the action is pretty hardcore and the effects are brilliant but as I was sitting there, nearly two and half hours later, I couldn't help but think they had gone a little over the top and I was fed up with seeing machines fighting in deep voices.

The next day, the previous film was on TV and I just thought it seemed exactly the same as the latest one (even though an avid fan would disagree). Overall, I'm sure action lovers and pretty girl oglers would love this film, just like my boyfriend, but this is not one I will be pre-ordering on DVD.

LARRY CROWNE (12A)

Director: Tom Hanks
Verdict: This movie has had some pretty harsh reviews and I think they are quite unfair really. I have heard that it just seems like Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in a movie, not acting or anything but I don't quite agree. Although it's not one of my favourite movies and I'm not sure I would jump to watch it again, I think it was pretty good. Tom Hanks plays Larry who gets fired from his supermarket job where he has been for years as he has no college background. The movie follows Crowne as he enrolls in a local college and starts on a 'life changing' course, which teaches the students how to speak to audiences etc. Julia Roberts plays the professor of the course who is very unhappy in her life with her low life husband. She did start to grate on me as I felt like shouting, "Buck up, you moody cow"!

Anyway, overall I liked the idea and the story because the college issue is very current. The only annoying thing about the film is that he makes friends with a young woman who encourages him to be more confident and to dress cooler. I didn't think this relationship was particularly realistic but I tried to believe in it. I've given it quite a high rating but I don't see why not because it made me smile and it was a 'nice' film, and it contained no car robots!

SUMMER TIME

Well I have put this off for long enough. It's not that I didn't want to write my blog, it's that I haven't had time with my university revision. However, my exam and university first year is over so I can properly concentrate on keeping my blog up to date. Luckily, there hasn't been too much at the cinema recently so I'm not TOO far behind. There are a few big movies in the bunch so enjoy!

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT (15)

Director: Michael Dowse
Verdict: Some of you reading this will probably think 'what the hell is that'. Take Me Home Tonight wasn't advertised particularly well so I understand if none of you have heard of it. It's basically a comedy, set in the 1980s. There are a couple of names you might recognise such as Topher Grace (Valentine's Day) and Anna Faris (Scary Movie).

 I didn't have much of an opinion about this film before I went to see it because like I said before, it was hardly advertised. I have to be honest and say I watched this a few weeks ago so I'm struggling to remember it but I do know I thought it was alright when I came out, hence the rating. I do remember that it wasn't particularly original which is why I haven't given it more stars. The story basically follows twins (Grace and Faris) and their friend as they go to a party, in order to seem cool. Yes, the story is pretty lame. It did make me laugh a few times and it's a nice little romantic film so I've given it a pretty average rating.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: 
ON STRANGER TIDES (12A)

Director: Rob Marshall
Verdict: I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean so I wasn't overly excited about seeing this next instalment. I'm sure a lot of you already know the story line so I'm not going to go into too much detail but this film sees Jack Sparrow escape prison and begin another quest with a previous love, played by Penelope Cruz. The film introduces some new characters and mystic mermaids.

I did actually find it quite funny and I liked the story line a lot better than I have with the previous films. I did think some parts of the film went too far and were slightly ridiculous but I suppose that's the idea. Johnny Depp was brilliant as usual as he continued to produce the most laughs. Overall it was better than I was expecting as it made me laugh and I liked the storyline.

WIN WIN (15)

Director: Thomas McCarthy
Verdict: I was quite looking forward to this film because I love a film like this; a friendly comical film which makes you smile. It reminded me slightly of Juno, with the music and the characters.

The film follows a young boy who ends up being taken in by a family who are struggling financially but can't let the boy go home to his horrible mother. The young actor, Alex Shaffer really impressed me, although I haven't seen him anything else so I don't know whether he's quiet and awkward in real life! Overall I really enjoyed this film as it was very original and made me smile.

HANGOVER II (15)

Director: Todd Phillips
Verdict: Having mentioned this film in a previous blog it was obvious that I was looking forward to seeing this. I'm sure most people reading this would have seen this as it was so popular when it opened. I have never seen the cinema so full and I go rather a lot... The queue was right back to the door and people were practically running for their seats when the doors were opened. The Hangover II (if you haven't seen it) is basically the same as the first film with some slight changes! Instead of Doug's wedding, it's Stu's wedding and the men are in Thailand for the ceremony. They decide to go and have a few beers on the beach but end up waking up in a run down hotel, not knowing what happened the previous night. As I said before, part II is practically the same but involves a monkey instead of a tiger!

There were a few times I really burst out laughing and other times I just giggled. It was brilliant but nearly went on the brink of ridiculous. If you haven't already seen it, then you should and you MUST stay to see the photos at the end because they are probably the best part of the film.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (12A)

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Verdict: I really wanted to see this film because I thought it looked really impressive. I had only previously watched Wolverine so I can't really call myself an X-Men fan. This film goes back in time as it explores the earlier days of Magneto and Proffesor X and the rest of the X Men. I have to be honest, I was pretty disappointed when I came out the cinema. I thought the acting was rather rubbish and I thought they could have done better with their money.

I usually really like James McAvoy but he really irritated me in this film, I don't think he was the right person to play Proffesor X. I'm really pleased that Nicholas Hoult got the part of Hank (Beast) because I believe he deserves to do well. However, I thought his American accent needed a bit more work but perhaps I'm being too picky. I thought in general, the action was pretty good but at times it was really cheesy, especially when they talked to each other through their minds (not sure of the technical name). I'm sure true fans of X-Men would be happy but it didn't quite do it for me.

PROM (U)

Director: Joe Nussbaum
Verdict: I know what you are thinking...really? Yes really. Today me and my lovely friends Kayleigh and Sarah couldn't think of anything to do and Prom seemed to be the only decent thing I hadn't already seen in the cinema that we could go and watch. We knew that it was going to be pants but we thought it might be good pants. I'm in two minds about which one it was!

Obviously it wasn't going to be the greatest film in the world with the title Prom! It's quite funny because the film is actually based around the prom. The acting was pretty lame and some of the lines were laughable but the eye candy was alright! I may have been slightly harsh with my rating but I did giggle at it for probably the wrong reasons.  

PICK OF THE WEEK

This isn't really a pick of next week, it's just something I wanted to share with you. Some of you may have already seen it but the new twilight trailer was shown at a movie awards last night so it has gone crazy on the internet already. I also saw a trailer earlier for next Valentine's Day and it looks pretty good, especially if you are a Channing Tatum fan like me so enjoy!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN- PART 1

This won't actually be out till November but it's one of the first looks at the latest installment of the famous saga. It looks pretty good, I just hope it's as good as the book.

THE VOW

You will LOVE this film if you are a fan of Dear John and The Notebook as it stars Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams and it looks very similar to both. It also looks a lot like 50 First Dates but I will let you decide:



                                                      



THE BIG ONES

My essay is in for tomorrow and I've practically finished so I felt the urge to write a new post. Obviously since last time I haven't had time to go to the cinema, and I'm not really sure if there's anything I particularly want to see that I haven't already. I thought I would share the big films out this year so you can get excited (or not excited) about them too. There are obviously many more decent films coming out such as Harry Potter etc but these ones have especially caught my eye.

THE HANGOVER PART II

Release Date: 26th May 2011

I'm sure, like me, a lot of you out there were big fans of 'The Hangover'. If you haven't seen it then I really think you should because you are missing out. It was full of laughs and disasters. The second one looks pretty damn good too. I would say however, that it does look VERY similar to the first one but I think this was the intention to be honest. It actually comes out on my birthday so I will look forward to seeing this. If you havent already seen it, or if you want to watch it again, here's the trailer:

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

Release Date: 30th May 2011

Well it looks like the week of my birthday a few good films are coming out. Now you shouldn't be put off by the title because I am by no means an 'X-Men' geek (shudder). I have not seen the first few films but I saw 'Wolverine' and admittedly really liked it. I really don't think it matters if you haven't seen the other X-Men films because this one is set before all the other films. Don't quote me on this because I don't know if you will need to have seen the others to understand it, so I suppose I will risk it! The trailers make it look really epic and I love that the characters are British. So if you fancy checking it out...



TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

Release Date: 1st July 2011

Now I would just like to say that I am not AS excited about this as the others but I do have to (annoyingly) admit that the trailer does make it look pretty good and I have seen the others so I should really see it. It seems that my boyfriend might be 'dragging' me to see this at the IMAX but to be fair, I've never been before so I think it would be a pretty good experience. I also quite like Shia LaBeouf so I suppose there is a positive in it! But seriously it does look pretty good so I recommend a watch of the trailer.



JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN

Release Date: 7th October 2011

This one is a bit of a silly one to be honest but I do actually love 'Johnny English' and I'm not embarrased to say because I think it's pretty funny. Some of you will disagree but I think the second one looks even better and it made me giggle quite a lot when I saw the trailer at the cinema. Anyway I'll leave the judging to you...



SO MANY MOVIES!

Well I think I have put this off for long enough. I have been trying to finish my last uni assignment (other than my exam) so I have been rather occupied with that this week. It has not particularly helped that there have been a lot of decent movies over the last two weeks! I just wanted to add one last thing...when you next go to the cinema please look out for that one lonely man on his own, because there is always one!

RIO 3D (U)

Director: Carlos Saldanha
Verdict: I feel bad saying this but I am struggling to even make the effort to write this review because it was such a long time ago that I saw this film and I can't particularly remember how I felt about it. I'm going to take this as a negative because it's never good to forget a film. Overall I'm sure the kids will love it as a tropical bird accidently ends up in America and then when he grows up he has to be taken to Brazil to make babies with the only other surviving bird of their kind. Yes, I think it is a bit of a lame story line but I remember the soundtrack was pretty good and there were a few laughs. Maybe I'm being a little harsh with my rating but I'm not sure I would be too fussed with seeing it again!

THOR 3D (12A)

Director: Kenneth Branaugh
Verdict: Now, I was slightly looking forward to this because it looked alright but mainly because not much else was on at the time. Basically it's about a warrior who gets kicked out of his kingdom, by his dad, for being too arrogant. The film follows him trying to save his kingdom, even though he has been banished to America where he meets a girl (Natalie Portman) as his brother is evily trying to take over.

I was disappointed with this film I have to admit. I really could not stand the main character Thor, I found him so irritating. Another bad thing about this film is that I remember looking at the time on my phone because I couldn't believe how slow it was going. I believe that a truly brilliant film makes you engrossed in what you are watching and this really didn't! I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with this low rated review because to be fair, the effects were pretty good, but I'm afraid this film just didn't appeal to me. I would recommend this film to people that like 'Lord of the Rings' because it did seem a bit like that.

CEDAR RAPIDS (15)

Director: Miguel Artetan
Verdict: I was quite looking forward to seeing this film because it had Ed Helms from 'The Hangover' in it and the trailer made me laugh. I was slightly confused as to why this film hadn't been advertised more because I'm sure a few of you reading this might not even know what film I'm talking about. Cedar Rapids is a place where an insurance convention takes place every year and the main character Tim, played by Helms, has to represent his company this time round.

It sounds pretty boring but Tim is a middle aged man who does not have much of a life but in Cedar Rapids everything seems to come alive for him as he meets friends, a woman and a prostitute! Overall the movie did make me laugh and I liked that it was so original. I appreciated that the ending was happy but not quite as the audience would have expected. A good film if you are looking for a laugh.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (12A)

Director: Francis Lawrence
Verdict: I had only seen one trailer for this film and that was when I went to see 'Red Riding Hood' so again, I didn't think this film was particularly well advertised especially considering it has Reece Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson starring. It's set in the past (not entirely sure when) and looks into the life of Jacob (Robert Pattinson) who leaves his studies of veternary sciences and runs away from his hometown as tragedy strikes him when his parents are killed in a car accident. Jacob happens to jump onto a train which he then realises belongs to a circus. Cutting a long story short, he gets a job as the circus vet and gets close to the August (head of the circus) and his Mrs. Jacob gets a bit too friendly to the boss' wife, Marlena and this causes so many problems. August gets violent towards the animals, Jacob and his wife but we see Jacob and Marlena fight back in order to be happy. 

I really haven't explained it very well so you will just have to go and watch it yourself! This film was lovely on the eyes, from the costumes to the circus displays. I loved the movie because it seems like such a classic and I think it will be for years to come. I do have to say that girls will probably love this a lot more than guys but it is a great film.

HANNA (12A)

Director: Joe Wright
Verdict: Again, this film hadn't been advertised particularly well but it looked good from the one trailer I had seen. It had been liked to the Bourne series but I would like to say that this is totally wrong! The film follows Hanna, a young girl, brought up by her father in a secluded forrest to be an assasin (yes you read that right). It becomes clear that Hanna has to kill a CIA agent, Marissa, before Marissa kills her and her father.

The film is very strange as it switches from Hanna experiencing life outside her secluded home and the action which follows Marissa's men trying to capture Hanna. I know that does not make sense, so all I'm going to say is that Hanna is a crazy good action girl who learns about so many things throughout the film. Saoirse Ronan who plays Hanna is an incredible actor for her age. This movie is a film student's dream as it has so many metaphors and great cinematic moments. 'Hanna' is a great film and I would have rated it even higher if it wasn't for some annoying plot holes, such as Marissa, played by Cate Blanchett running around in high heels even though she would've done a million times better if she had worn flats (I know I'm being ridiculous here). Blanchett also struggled with her accent because it kept falling into different American regions (unless it was supposed to be like that). Another thing I really can't miss is the soundtrack; most of it was produced by the Chemical Brothers. The heavy beats really added to the atmosphere, making 'Hanna' a brilliant film to watch at the cinema.

SOMETHING BORROWED (12A)

Director: Luke Greenfield
Verdict: Obviously I was really looking forward to this because I'm a sucker for a chick flick! 'Something Borrowed' sees Rachel falling for her best friend's fiance Dex, whom she met at university. I was rather wrong with this film because I told my boyfriend what would happen, just because rom-com's are normally so predictable but I was actually wrong! It didn't turn out at all how I had imagined but I still liked it!

The film produced quite a lot of laughs, even from the guys in the cinema. I would say it was a really good girly film and I would love to see it again but I do still think the ending was rather odd, so you should go and watch it and tell me what you think!

ARTHUR

ARTHUR (12A)

Director: Jason Winer
Verdict: I had already stated in my first 'Pick of the Week' that I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and I really wasn't disappointed. This is a remake, hence why it has had so many bad reviews because it doesn't live up to the original, apparently! I might try and get round to watching the Dudley Moore version but I think it might spoil it because I loved this movie.If you have not seen the trailer for this film then all you need to know is that Arthur is struggling to decide between money and love because his mother forces him to marry Susan (Jennifer Garner) or else he will lose his inheritance. He has to grow up and along the way he learns a lot of lessons. 

I can't even imagine this film without Russel Brand because I thought it was a brilliant casting; I do have to admit that if you hate Brand then you should steer clear from this film because, to be honest, his character doesn't change too much. I loved the relationship between Brand and Helen Mirren and I loved that this film reflects Brand's past problems. I have only just searched this film on IMDB and cannot believe it has only got five stars out of ten. I really think people need to lighten up and forget about the original and see this is an individual film. I understand if people have already seen the original and really love it but for what it's worth I really liked this film. I thought it was funny, sad, happy, lovable and a bit of fun!

Pick of the Week:              THOR

I wouldn't say I am REALLY REALLY looking forward to seeing this because then I would be lying. I figure that this new section should be the best film of the next week and to be honest, there isn't a lot out next week. I may seem like I am being slightly harsh though actually because I do want to see this film. Even though I have already disagreed with IMDB in this post, this film has been rated nearly eight so it could be pretty good. I'm not sure I could even explain what it's about particularly well so why don't you just watch the trailer below? Enjoy!

A STRANGE ONE...

My last few days have been so busy but I have finally had time to sit down and I felt the need to write my latest review. I feel like I am really enjoying writing my blog at the moment so I hope you enjoy reading it!

Faye

RED RIDING HOOD (12A)

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Verdict: I went to see this film last night with my good friends Lydia and Nikki. We are admittedly big fans of the Twilight series so this film appealed to us. The movie is pretty self-explanatory as it is based on the famous fairy tale. I would say however, that it is very loosely based on the fairytale as the film revolves around finding the werewolf as it has been on a killing spree in the village. 

I loved the main guy characters as they were a good bit of eye candy and I did like Amanda Seyfried for once! I would say that the trailer is quite decieving because I was expecting there to be more romance, but in fact it was more about the village finding the wolf. I have to stupidly admit that I was slightly frightened in parts because I found it creepy and had to cuddle up to Lydia so I'm slightly wary about the certificate. Overall I did enjoy it but I would not recommend it to everybody because it could be seen as laughable and too dramatic.

NEW AND IMPROVED

I have decided that I want to expand on my blog and make it slightly more interesting because I have been reading a lot of blogs recently and they have inspired me to be more creative. I will continue to do my reviews on the latest releases once I have seen them but I want to add other elements to my blog. I have decided to add ‘Pick of the Week’, where I will introduce an upcoming film which I am looking forward to and why. I will also add more images to my blog to make it more attractive! Anyway I hope you enjoy reading my blog as it continues to grow.

Faye

SOURCE CODE (12A)

Director: Duncan Jones

Verdict: I feel slightly bad about this review because once I had posted my latest reviews I realised that I had missed out this film. I have no idea how I did this because it was not a bad film. I was going to give it more stars than this but I thought about it and it is always a bad sign when you forget about a film! The film looks into the life of Colter Stevens who is played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who suddenly wakes up in another man’s body and gets asked to complete a mission, in order to stop a bomb from going off on a train. The film is rather repetitive as he has to keep re living the situation in order to find the bomb planter. I would say this is the main downfall of the movie because I found myself silently sighing when the protagonist was thrown back into the same moment in time. However, I do understand that this is the whole point of the film.

            Jake Gyllenhaal in one of his many (flashback type) moments            

I was slightly unimpressed by Gyllenhaal’s performance as I thought his acting was flat and pretty average but perhaps that was the limitations of the character he had to play. I would say overall that this film is pretty good if you are looking for a bit of entertainment, but you should not think about the film too much and be prepared for a bit of cheese at the end!

YOUR HIGHNESS (15)

Director: David Gordon Green

Verdict: I was looking forward to seeing this film because the trailers always made me giggle. I would say that the film did make me laugh, but it was one of those films where all the funniest bits were shown in the trailer. 'Your Highness' follows two brothers who are princes in a kingdom and they couldn't be more different as one is very heroic, whereas the other likes to sit back and watch. However, both brothers have to embark on a quest together in order to save the future princess.

James Franco and Danny McBride

I thought Danny McBride was brilliant at the loserish brother as he created the most laughs and I wasn't too sure about James Franco's performance in this, which I am sad to say because I am a big fan. I was going to give this the same rating as 'Source Code' but I have decided to give it three and a half because I keep remembering the funny parts. I would say the greatest annoyance for me was the fact the actors are American and they were all playing posh English folk, how irritating! Overall, a comical but crude film which again, should not be analysed too much! 

Pick of the Week:      ARTHUR

I am particularly looking forward to this film because I love most things with Russel Brand featuring. This movie looks comical and entertaining. I think I am going to enjoy Brand playing a slightly kinder and heartwarming character. I have heard bad reviews about this film because apparently it isn't as good as the original but I haven't seen it so I won't know! Anyway for any of you who haven't see the trailer already, here it is for all of you to check out: