Lazy Post

Wow it's taken me the day that I'm leaving to go overseas to post this lol. Really quick post cos I'm lazy and I can't be be bothered writing more than a few lines of these, partly cos I can't remember what I thought and partly so I can stop piling up my backlog of reviews.

Anyway using the ever efficient tool....bullet points!

• Watched The Matrix. Yes in all my 20 years I've never watched this sci-fi classic, so I thought it was time.
  
  

  

  Lesson learned: always carry spoon in case of doubts about reality

  It was super fun to spot all the landmarks in Sydney, where it was filmed. I kind of squealed when I saw a Westpac (bank represent!) building hahaha... Awesome idea, excellent execution, cool cyber-punk aesthetic, but a little cheesy at times. Ending felt a bit forced and rushed. 4/5 STARS.
• Went and saw the highly anticipated Looper at the cinema.
  
  

  

  Man couldn't stop marvelling at the prosthetics used on JGL, wonder if it was weird for Bruce Willis

  I love a well done time travel movie, and love dystopian depictions too! So this was an (almost) A+ in my book. Great thriller atmosphere (FML totally thought I was going to have nightmares at one part). Like The Matrix, let down by the slightly hurried ending. 4/5 STARS.
• I've only ever seen one short film of Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, whose luscious cinematography I wanted to experience in a feature length format, so I decided to go with one of his most famous works, In the Mood for Love.
  
  
  
  Um.....guuuuhhhhh, just GUUHHHHH at ALL the imagery. COUPLED with the MUSIC. It's one of those movies that every screen grab can become a trending Tumblr post. Acting was nuanced but very on point by both the gorgeous Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. I wish I looked good in a cheongsam.... 4.5/5 STARS.
• Had a good old chill sesh with one of me and my friends' guilty comedy favourites: White Chicks.
  
  

  

  Looks so wrong, yet so right

  I can never understand its low rating on IMDB, but I can't really describe why it makes me laugh without fail every time either. Maybe it's the quotability, almost on par with Mean Girls even (I just checked and Mean Girls is a 6.9 on IMDB!?!?). Maybe I'm just too low-brow. 4.5/5 STARS. (please don't judge me)
• Decided to further foray into the magical land of Ghibli and gave one of the older ones, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, a go.
  
  
  
  I had already experienced Miyazaki's environmental themes in Princess Mononoke but this was something slightly different. Maybe it's the sci-fi and dystopian elements again that drew me in, reminded me a bit of Akira. Nausicaä herself was a little lack lustre but other characters made up for it. Dem bugs though....*shudder* 4/5 STARS.
• So the trailer for Now You See Me came out and it looks AWESOME:
  
  
• Can't help thinking the genre 'Black Fu' doesn't sit right with me, with the release of The Man with the Iron Fists

Movies Janet is Essited About: Alternate Realities

Just a quick dump of some trailers/pics of upcoming films that make me go 'Oooohhhhhh...'. And I don't know, I tried to find a theme amongst them and came up with something ridiculous like 'Alternate Realities' because, well, these things don't happen in real life I guess. But do stories in movies ever do? Except docos and movies based on true stories *cough*.

First is a trailer for kids animation Rise of the Guardians, which is about magical characters children are all familiar with, including Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman. How great does this reinterpretation of them look? Plus they're made by the same people behind How to Train Your Dragon, yay!

More ridiculously awesome eye candy with Oz: The Great and Powerful, which stars James Franco and is an imagined prequel about the wizard in The Wizard of Oz. Looks beautiful but not so sure about the content, familiar Alice in Wonderland territory?

Combining epic visuals with epic storylines is Cloud Atlas, an adaptation of the bestselling book that I am currently hunting down. Hopefully the giant team of Hollywood heavyweights doesn't up the cheese factor on this awesome cross-dimensional, time-travelling, multi-narrative flick (enough hyphens yet?).

Oh and the trailer is crazy long:

Along the same lines of fusing surrealism and constant questioning of life itself, we have indie film Love. A lonely astronaut questions his sanity and other existentialist questions while we're bombarded with other scenes that are probably quite meaningful as well. Reminds me of Moon, which I need to watch. Obviously it's too hard to tell what the themes are yet but here's the trailer:

But oh my god that awesome soundtrack by Angels & Airwaves...it really is the icing on the cake. Hopefully it really is awesome despite the low rating it has on IMDB right now.

Last on the list is a bit on the bloody side, with new photos emerging of Chloe Moretz of Kick-Ass fame and Julianne Moore from Carrie, which is more a re-adaption of the Stephen King book than a remake of the 1976 version.

Keeping the picture small so I don't get creeped out by my own blog *wuss*

No that is not her own blood, but that doesn't mean the story isn't creepy. I read the book a long time ago and am excited to see the main character Carrie portrayed by the awesome Chloe, while her psychotic mother is portrayed by the equally awesome Moore.

Yay hopefully I'll get to watch some of these! Unlike others that have been hyped and neglected..... Prometheus *cough*

Comedy remedy

A hectic week has come to an end and although I'm still swamped as hell, here's a quick update about some upcoming movies that look to be at least making me stifle a snigger as I watch them on my laptop and try not to wake up my parents.

Starting with the most exciting of all, the return of offices with many leather bound books and rich mahogany, acapella 'Afternoon Delight' and hot days where milk really was a bad choice. Yes your favourite news team returns with their ever so charismatic main anchor Ron Burgundy. Yes that's right, Anchorman: The Legend Continues is a thing and the 2013 release date seems way too far away. Check out one of the two similar teasers that's been released this week:

Even if it's just a teaser, good memories of the original Anchorman come rushing back, especially Steve Carell's adorable Brick. For me the best comedies are the most quotable and Brick's classic lines always made me laugh. Although people who're not familiar with the reference do get confused when I confess my love for lamps randomly...

Anyway, embarrassing moment but I only JUST realised that the amazing Paul Rudd is part of the Channel 4 news team. Blonde moment much? I guess he's funny even without the baggage of his fame, and it's proof the wardrobe and makeup department do a mean 70s beard.

Besides Will Ferrell, another American comedy kingpin Ben Stiller has also released a full trailer for The Watch, formerly known as The Neighbourhood Watch:

Ben Stiller has made me laugh a few times here and there but the main reason I'm so excited to see this is the presence of Richard Ayoade, aka the most adorable Maurice Moss from The IT Crowd, one of my favourite TV shows ever. Not only is he a talented actor but also an accomplished director. My eyes instantly lit up the moment I saw his face, and his presence guaranteed this will not just be another run of the mill commercial comedy. Yes the marketing means he's presented as a Hollywood noob but I'm glad he's at least getting exposure, especially after his IT Crowd co-star Chris O'Dowd is getting all tight and friendly with the SNL crew after the hilarious Bridesmaids. Yay for more introductions of British comedic actors!

Speaking of British comedies, something a little different has also caught my eye. Simon Pegg of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead fame (NTS: watch both) has a new feature out called A Fantastic Fear of Everything.

Quick plot summary, Pegg is a children's author trying to change gear into crime fiction and gets all paranoid over serial murderers. A little hard to imagine the tone but the trailer sets the stylistically quirky mood:

Get the idea? I love the integration of surreal stop motion animation that adds a fantasy-like element which would be pretty suited to the film's themes of imagination and fiction. British comedies usually execute black humour pretty well so I'm excited to see what this film is like in the flesh.

That's all folks, so many releases lately I don't know what to feature, but hopefully my next post will be a review! Now to slink back into the cocoon comfort of my bed...

Reboots and Reinventions

Hollywood seems to be getting lazier and lazier lately. All you hear are reboots, re-adaptations and prequels after sequels after spin-offs after.......you get the idea. Case in point: is it just me or has the land of reboots outdone themselves with only 5 years spanned between Andrew Garfield in spandex and Tobey Maguire in spandex? Guys, srsly. SRSLY, YOU GUISE.

I see no difference besides eye candy for a new generation

That's not so bad when the formula works, they're popular and keep everyone happy dappy, but what irks me a little more than usual is when Hollywood decides to re-adapt popular foreign films. Why?

Is it because of the much more talented Hollywood actors? Um, NO.

Is it so we can better appreciate the original movie and pay homage to it? Hardly, since the most of the originals are forgotten.

Is it so we can introduce new exciting elements into western cinema?  NONONONONONONONONO. I'm sorry Keanu Reeves, as much as your Sad Keanu memes are endearing to me, I will forever be disappointed that you got stuck as the American Kaneda, who should not only remain Japanese but AS AN ANIMATED ONE AT THAT.

But why ELSE, you ask?

Is it so that western audiences can understand the language? Unfortunately, YES. 'Tis true, we are apparently too lazy to read subtitles. I mean c'mon, foreign audiences read subtitles all the time, Y U NO LEARN? This is also why I have a problem with dubbed animes, which completely devolved the sound aspect of the productions. Plus c'mon subtitles give us gems like this:

Is it so we can see the same story played out by familiar faces? Another YES. Although I am too chicken to ever watch Old Boy, I have read the synopsis and the general consensus is that it's brilliant. But nooooo, apparently we can't form a deep emotional bond with incredibly creepy and disturbing characters unless they're WHITE. I mean what's the point of cinema if you're going to concentrate on the ACTOR instead of the CHARACTER?

MORAL OF THE STORY: the majority of foreign adaptations wipe any trace of the foreign culture away (one of the key attractions in the first place) and repackage it into your standard Hollywood production. Very rarely do they work. I look forward to the day when foreign cinema can have a wider distribution and subtitles will only be a minor setback.

Going on to the less ranty part of this post, many young stars are starting to break out of their teen idol typecast mold. What with Daniel Radcliffe's Woman in Black out, fellow Harry Potter star Robert Pattinson's new dystopian action/drama Cosmopolis has also released a full trailer:

RobPattz plays a young billionaire in a limo going across Manhattan for a haircut. Sounds meh but there's a lot more sex, violence and philosophical musing than expected in usual limo rides, especially considering it comes from the director of The Fly. Curious to see what viewers will think when it first shows at Cannes this year.

Pattz has been busy nabbing roles as troubled youths as news has it that he's been cast in David Michod's new film The Rover, another gritty crime drama similar to his awesome Animal Kingdom (YAY AUSSIE FILMS!!).

Blockbusted

Two major action packed movies have released new trailers and the first is Christopher Nolan's third installment in his Batman adaptations. The Dark Knight Rises releases its third trailer:

This immediately reminded me of the trailer of Nolan's other epic Inception. Besides the presence of Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both are tied together with deceptively quiet background music that blows up to a crescendo, successfully pulling audiences in. You know, that famous BUAAAAAMMMMM that is now synonymous with Inception. Other action movie trailer editors should take note.

I thoroughly enjoyed the last installment of the franchise, The Dark Knight, and look forward to more of the careful controlled suspense Nolan is famous for. And even though Christian Bale was majorly upstaged by Heath Ledger last time, there will be a new baddie (it's always more fun to play the evil guy) Bane (Tom Hardy) to look forward to. And even though we can't actually see much of his mug behind that Saw-like contraption (shoosh, I'm not well read in comic books), there is lots to look forward to. Anne Hathaway proves that she might even be able to pull off the Catwoman role. I mean, who doesn't still see her as Mia Theamapoulos (sp?).

I am much much more excited about the next movie in question. If you know me in person and I haven't ranted to you yet about Prometheus, then I will probably do so the next time I see you. Check out the new international launch trailer (pish posh it's just another trailer) below:

Why am I excited? I think the first few trailers and teasers have captured my heart already, pretty much. Ridley Scott, god of sci-fi, returns with an epic prequel to Alien with visuals and audios to match. Ok I'll admit, I haven't watched Alien and the only Scott movie that I've watched, Blade Runner, was for school and a bit of a let down after I pumped up my expectations. But I will admit that it was probably groundbreaking at the time, and as a recently new sci-fi fan, Prometheus looks amazeballs.

There's not much to say for the story as it is all in the trailer. This can also be a bad thing as many YouTube comments have pointed out that it gives away too much............I guess. I don't really mind as these movies are pretty predictable anyway, but at the same time entertaining because of that. Plus I've been actively trying to pry my eyes away from the copious amounts of Prometheus featurettes, viral ad campaigns, etc to stop hyping myself up.

Can't WAIT to see this on the big screen, ahhhhhhh.

Fantasmical updates

As the title suggests (very vaguely), there have been some rather exciting updates on movies with fantasy elements. Pretty excited to start off with Pixar's newest animation Brave, which has released its third trailer, offering a more complete picture on the story:

As every person and their grandmother is enamoured by the story telling capabilities of Pixar, this one doesn't look to disappoint. Particularly enjoying the fact that they've picked a female leading character, riding on the wave of more and more strong heroines. I love the unique medieval Scottish setting, which reminds me of 2010's How to Train Your Dragon and the lesser known gorgeous gem The Secret of Kells. Have you realised I'm an animation nut yet?

But to get back to the Scottishness of the film at hand, love the accents (can't pull one off meself), looking forward to plenty of tartan-clad adventure, and most of all: LOOK AT THAT HAAIIIRRRR. Must be a pain/a lot of fun to animate.

Getting on to the less animated part of this post, Ang Lee's Life of Pi adaptation has me very intrigued, but at the same time reminding me of the endless list of classics that I've yet to read. I even borrowed Life of Pi once but it suffocated under a pile of books higher up on my priority list (NTS: swing by the uni library asap).

The above is a first look at the movie. And it looks freakin' AWESOME. Sure any seasoned filmmaker can get a stunning shot but I give props to Ang Lee for being able to do that while working with children and animals - the death of showbiz - at the same time. Plus he's one of the most diverse directors yet, from wuxia epics to gay cowboys to the flippin' Hulk.

Finally a 10 minute press preview of The Hobbit has everyone in a frenzy because of the jarring quality of the 48fps frame rate. For those who are confused modern movies usually use 24fps (frames per second) and The Hobbit's higher frame rate means less motion blur and added realism.

When I heard about this I got very excited as I had experienced the same thing with our new HD TV (I know, totally on par right?) and felt like the realism was too much for me. It makes the whole cinema experience more like watching it as if you were there instead of being treated to a film, a piece of art. After a little digging around I even managed to find a name for the phenomenon. Well what do you know, you learn something new every day.

For those of you who haven't seen the trailer (where have you BEEN?) here it is, even though it's not going to be released in Australia for eons until December: