Arthur Christmas (2011)

A belated merry Christmas/seasons greetings/happy holidays to everyone reading this! Today's post is just for the festive season, so I hope it makes you all feel a bit more jolly!

Dir. Sarah Smith, Barry Cook

 

Starring:

James McAvoy (Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, X-Men: First Class)

Hugh Laurie (House, Stuart Little, Monsters vs Aliens)

Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked, Underworld)

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

Another great British animation with an all star cast, Arthur Christmas is a slightly alternative look into the workings of the North Pole. Arthur (McAvoy) is son of the 20th Santa in history and works in the mail department of the North Pole, responding to children's letters. He is full of the Christmas spirit, despite the fact his brother, Steve (Laurie), has forgotten the 'true meaning of Christmas' in his attempts to revolutionise it. 
When disaster strikes on Christmas Eve, it's down to Arthur, Grandsanta (Nighy), and a specialist wrapping elf named Bryony (Ashley Jensen) to save one child's Christmas and restore the North Pole's faith in the Claus family.
Arthur Christmas delivers a refreshing Christmas story with action, humour and a heartwarming message, that every child matters. A wonderful family movie, that I hope will be a festive favourite in the future.

Water For Elephants (2011)

Dir. Francis Lawrence

Starring:
Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga, Remember Me)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Sweet Home Alabama)
Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds, The Three Musketeers)

My Rating: 4.5/5

The star of this film in my mind is Rosie, played by Tai the Elephant who also starred in The Jungle Book, Vanity Fair, George of the Jungle and more; clearly the most talented elephant to ever grace the silver screen. Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson), an Ivy Legue veterinary student drop out, who joins a travelling circus as their vet. There, he falls for the ringmaster's wife (Witherspoon), while helping her make Rosie into the circus's star.
It's nice to see Robert Pattinson play a different role to Twilight and in my opinion, opposite the exquisite Reese Witherspoon, he does a great job. Christoph Waltz also deserves high praise as the ringmaster, managing to stir up strong feelings of hatred; always a good sign to me.
Everything about this film was appealing to the eye; the sets, costumes, animals, leads, everything and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Definitely a must-see.

Brave (2012)

Dir. Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell (Co director)

Starring:
Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men, Trainspotting)
Billy Connolly (The Last Samurai, A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Emma Thompson (Love Actually, Nanny McPhee)

My Rating: 4.5/5

I loved this film! I'm not surprised because I'm a big kid at heart and love everything Pixar does, plus the all star cast was very promising.
Merida (Macdonald), a Scottish princess, determined to break away from tradition, causing uproar in her kingdom. After seeking help from a witch, Merida must use all the courage and skills she has to reverse the unwanted effects of a curse.
Set against a backdrop of the gorgeous (albeit animated) Scottish highlands, with an enchanting Celtic soundtrack, this is a wonderful family film that I defy anyone not to enjoy.

Single White Female (1992)

Dir. Barbet Schroeder

Starring:
Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown, The Assassin, The Godfather: Part III)
Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Machinist, Road to Perdition, Backdraft)
Steven Weber (Wings, Leaving Las Vegas)

My Rating: 3/5

To make up for lack of posts the last few days (due to busy Christmas preparations), you lucky readers get three in a row tonight. The first of which is the ultimate roommate thriller, Single White Female. After a fallout with her boyfriend, Allison (Fonda) places a personal ad for a new female roommate and finds what she's looking for in Hedra (Jason Leigh), or so she thinks.
The film does a good job of lulling you into a false sense of security, however I knew it was all going down hill when the dog got involved. It's always a rule in my books, you can kill people; it makes for a good story, but don't touch the dog, that's never OK!
This is quite a thrilling film, well acted especially by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who transitions from shy, quiet roommate to possessive and psychotic brilliantly. A lot of clever twists and a satisfying end.

Submarine (2010)

Dir. Richard Ayoade

Starring:
Craig Roberts (Jane Eyre, Red Lights, The Story of Tracy Beaker)
Yasmin Paige (Ballet Shoes, Pram Face)
Noah Taylor (Almost Famous, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

My Rating: 4/5

The morning after celebrating my 21st, not surprisingly, I was feeling a little worse for wear so I settled down to have a duvet & movie day. One of the many films on the list that day was Submarine.
Richard Ayoade's directorial debut (an adaptation of the Joe Dunthorne novel) follows the story of 15-year-old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), through a prologue, parts one to three, and an epilogue. Oliver is introduced in the prologue as a slightly awkward, just-your-average teenage boy trying to figure out who he is and, in the subsequent parts, he pursues a romance with Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige) and attempts to rekindle his parent's wavering relationship; which is struggling partly due to his father's depression and partly as a result of the returning of an old flame of his mum's.
Almost everyone can relate to some part of this film, even if only on a most basic level, as a majority of the events are entirely believable. Oliver's monologues make the film with his dry explanations and narrative, which to begin with may be slightly mundane but become much more enjoyable as the film progresses. The soundtrack is also excellent, suiting the film perfectly. Thoroughly entertaining in my opinion, give it a go.

Waking Life (2001)

Dir. Richard Linklater

Starring:
Wiley Wiggins (Dazed and Confused, The Faculty)
Ethan Hawke (Gattaca, Dead Poets Society, Sinister)

My Rating: 2/5

Waking Life was another film on a list of 25 films to watch, but I'm not so sure about this one. It's definitely like nothing I've ever seen before. 
The main character spends the film wandering through a dream witnessing and having philosophical conversations with a variety of characters. It touches on a range of subjects including evolution, politics, reincarnation, free will, and the list goes on. 
The animation is incredibly trippy, which is appropriate given that it's supposed to be a dream, but it is amazing to watch it change with the mood of the scene, morphing from almost real to completely abstract.
Most certainly not your average movie, but thought provoking if you can stick with it to the end.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring:
Adam Sandler (Big Daddy, 50 First Dates, Happy Gilmore)
Emily Watson (War Horse, Miss Potter, Corpse Bride)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski, The Boat That Rocked, Mission: Impossible III)

My Rating: 4/5

I was advised to watch Punch-Drunk Love by a '25 films you must see' type list and I'm very glad I did. In one of Sandler's more serious roles he plays Barry, a neurotic salesman who finds himself in a pickle with a dodgy phone sex line and acquiring copious amounts of pudding to redeem frequent flyer miles, all whilst pursuing a relationship with a friend (Watson) of one of his seven sisters.
Barry is surprisingly lovable for what initially seems to be psychologically distressed guy and the part is very well portrayed by Sandler. It's wonderful to see that behind all the surreal goings-on, a rather touching romance blossoms, made all the more enjoyable by the awkward chemistry between the two involved. This is a fantastically bizarre film but, in my opinion, Anderson got it very right.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Dir. David O. Russell

Starring:
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover, Limitless, The A-Team)
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Winter's Bone, X-Men: First Class)
Robert De Niro (Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Meet the Parents)

My Rating: 4.5/5

My first ever review comes to you after a late night viewing of Silver Linings, with a friend who wangled two free tickets.
I was anticipating good things from this film just because I'm a huge fan of the stars and, to be honest, I was looking forward to the eye candy. Gladly, I can say it didn't disappoint.
Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a bipolar patient recently released from a mental institution. He's staying with his parents while he tries to get his life (and wife) back, but finds the path less than smooth when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) an equally troubled woman.
The witt in this film was impressively dry and it's always a bonus when it's ok to laugh at a bit of crazy. This definitely isn't your typical boy-girl romance, which is refreshing, and the combination of american football, dancing, comedy and romance caters for all genders. The dynamics of the ensemble cast is fantastic, especially during the many family blow-ups scattered throughout the film. Probably my favourite rom-com of the year.