Tag: Romance

Pitch Perfect (2012) Film Review

Well… sometimes I have the feeling I can do crystal meth, but then I think, mmm… better not.

Rating 12a
Length 1h52
Release 21.12.2012
Director Jason Moore
About Beca, a college fresher, reluctantly joins an all-girls a cappella group and later infuses freshness into their repertoire. They then take on a male a cappella group in a competition.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • Anna Kendrick gives an opinion changing performance with this film and sees me going from avoiding anything with her in, thanks to Twilight, to her being someone I’d watch in everything.
    Not only is she likeable and relatable as Freshman Beca, I was left with a want to see how Twilight would have played out had she secured the role of Bella Swan.
  • There is a really good plot thread in which Leader Aubrey, feeling challenged by natural leader Beca, doubles down on her management style and makes it clear that Beca is not liked, or wanted. Now this may appear to be a clique that has been seen in many films. Even music competition film Sister Act has a similar theme with Whoopi’s teacher nun and the class she has to look after.
    However, Pitch Perfect makes it feel fresh and new.
  • The music is awesome. Every song collected for this soundtrack is upbeat and will have you humming along for days after you watched.
  • I like that the romance, while present, takes a back seat, favouring a slow burn and friendship.

The Bad

  • I do love both Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins. However for every line that hits a funny bone, there’s about three that will have you cringing. I guess that’s the nature of ad lib.
  • I wish they’d put subtitles on Lilly, because what she actually says is genius. They should have been there for every line even in the cinema. I absolutely cannot recommend strongly enough that the next time you watch, you put on the subtitles.

The Ugly

  • Some of the jokes, particularly those that are aimed at Cynthia Rose’s sexuality, feel very dated and boarding on being phobic.
  • In the same sense, the whole concept of “Fat Amy”. While not so much that it hasn’t aged well, but more that it was never funny. Yes, I’m saying that as a larger lady. However, the point is that even if you have the “fat” character poking fun at themselves it’s rarely going to work if she’s written by someone who has never had weight issues.

Final Thoughts

This is such a comfort movie for me, despite the flaws. I think I watch it at least once a year and this is quite significant considering I watched it on one of the worst days of my life.

A Farewell to Arms (1932) Film Review

“Let’s love tonight,” they said, “There may be no tomorrow!”

Rating PG
Length 1h30
Release 08.12.1932
Director Frank Borage
About An American ambulance driver in the Italian forces falls in love with an English Red Cross nurse and their relationship is tested by WWI and stressful circumstances.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: BBC IPlayer
Trailer:

The Good

The sets are really beautiful and while the close ups have that hazy look to them, but the wide and mid shots are okay and well framed.

There are transition scenes; the location or passage of time in which the film expresses some whimsy. Seeing the smoke of the train write out Milan was adorable.

There’s a section, not long after we’re informed that Frederic is in Milan that we get a section of pov shots. It’s quite a moving way of establishing Frederic being in a hospital. They’re really quite effective only being able to see the ceiling as he’s wheeled to his room, faces voices answering his questions.

The Bad

I know it will be reflective of the time, but the admonishment of Catherine and Frederic’s conversation about children in their future. How the fuck do you have a successful and healthy relationship without talking about such things before marriage?!
Yes, okay, society was very different then and it was a religious imperative for family life to take place within a marriage. However, it just really hit me as a really toxic and sure-fire way of having a really unhappy couple.

Helen Hayes may have given a strong performance in terms of character and emotions, however her accent is appalling. There’s scenes where she gives up completely.

The war time montage with only a musical score was really hard to follow. Slightly too quick edits in fast succession. Slowing it down and adding some dialogue would have just filled in the gap.

The Ugly

This film has been edited and cut up to a detrimental effect. Not the director’s fault, but more a reflection of the time and the introduction of the Hays Code. They are harsh and rushed cuts that are obvious to anyone who watches.

I get the sense that the romantic thread is only part of the original story. The war was almost a backdrop to the romance instead of an integral part of who they all were and the decisions they made.
The film could have demonstrated the action of war a little more.

Final Thoughts

A decent film for the time in which it was made. I would love to see the original cut of it as the way it stands, its a little too rough and choppy.

The Princess Bride (1987) Christmas review

Rating PG
Length 1h38
Release 01.02.2023 (In the US)
Director Rob Reiner
About Buttercup, a princess, is madly in love with a farm boy, Westley. Unfortunately, things take a turn in their lives when Westley goes out in search of employment and gets attacked by a pirate.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime (for rental or purchase), Free on ITVX
Trailer:

First Thoughts

There are some films that are meant to become part of who you are and there are films that are beloved by a generation. Sometimes, there are films that manage to be both… and more.

I first watched The Princess Bride without knowing what it was called and I didn’t watch it from the start. Buttercup was in the eel infested waters and I was hooked.
It was at least five years before I managed to watch it from the beginning, but from that point it was in regular rotation and among classics such as Goonies and Labyrinth.

Naughty

  • The “true love” of Wesley is never in question for me, that man loves Buttercup and will do anything for her. Buttercup, on the other hand? You’re telling me she needed three specific words to realise her world’s Superman is Clark Kent?!
    Pffft, as sure as I recognise Jack Skellington in Humperdinck, Buttercup should recognise the non-Sicilian voice during the duel of wits.
  • Yes, another Buttercup grumble. Did she really have to be so… damsel in destress?! She jumps into eel infested waters and there’s a rebellious nature about her that makes her simply standing and whimpering as Wesley fights an ROUS very, very, annoying.

Nice

  • The plot device of sick Wonder Years boy and Grampa Columbo spending quality time together and reading the book that unfolds is one of a few instances in which this works. It takes you out of the story, with purpose.
  • The cast is incredible. The main cast are incredible; individually and as part of an ensemble. However, it is also the supporting cameo performances that are as memorable. The only problem you’ll have is deciding who is the best and I’ll be honest; that will change depending on when you view the film.
  • The testament of this being an excellent film is when you come to a rewatch, there’s the anticipation of the next great scene and knowing it is going to make you laugh.
  • My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die. The story arc of Puss in Boots in human form, gives the audience some of the best parts of this film; from his clash with the Man in Black, to his uttering of the words above. It’s heartbreaking, wholesome and funny.
    Then there’s the consideration of what is known about Mandy Patinkin at the time of filming and how he used his personal experience and the loss of his own father to add conviction to the showdown with the Six Fingered Man.
  • On an additional note in regards to behind the scenes; the more you read about the filming the bigger your smile will be while watching; for example, the tale of Cary Elwes’ broken foot kicks the ass of the Lord of the Rings’ broken foot story.

Final Thoughts

I will never tire of this film. Rob Reiner is an incredible director and has created an uplifting film that will remain as beloved for many years to come.

The Lake House (2006)

Rating: PG
Length: 1h 45
Release: 23.6.2006
Dir: Alejandro Agresti
About: Love blooms when Kate, a doctor, exchanges letters with Alex, an architect who is fed up with his life. Unknown to them, they lead lives two years apart.

The Good

  • Who doesn’t want to see Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reconnect onscreen? If that’s what you’re after, I’m not sure it matters about the plot or quality of the film, so long as that chemistry between the two is still there.
  • It’s essentially Jumpin’ Jack Flash, but with letters and time travel instead of the internet and global espionage.

The Bad

  • I don’t like the characters of Kate and Alex. They’re both really boring.
  • The film feels very clinical and sterilised of all emotion. perhaps it is the separation of the two main characters and their isolation within their time periods. The interaction they each have with other people feels artificial and for exposition only.

The Ugly

  • The time travel aspect is just shit and doesn’t make sense. At the heart of it is a massive paradox that, as a fan of all things sci-fi, I can’t ignore. The magic of time travel falls flat and also seems too integral to the plot. I know, I know, suspend belief and all that shit, but I have too many questions about what I saw leading up to the changes in the timeline and they’re not answered.
  • Who gave that shockingly back haircut to Sandra Bullock?! It does nothing for her and, while very circa ’06, has not aged well at all.
  • You manage to get two people together who have chemistry and they physically share a screen within the same time zone for less than five minutes?! What the actual fuck?! I want to see them together!

Final Thoughts

I think I’ll just rewatch Speed in future. Love Bullock and Reeves, but this was underwhelming.