Sunday 31 May 2015

Trivia Round-Up: May 2015



It's the end of another month (excuse me 2015, you're moving way too quickly, can you slow down a little, please?) and so it's time for another fun round-up of trivia we've found on IMDB for all the films we've reviewed or discussed this month. Here we go!

During Rose's stripper routine to distract the bad guys, Jason Sudeikis breaks the fourth wall by giving a smirk and head nod to the camera.
Jennifer Aniston stripping scene had to get a mention did it not?!

Some of Paul Walker's dialogue and footage is taken from previous Fast & Furious films. For example, Brian's conversation with Mia in the Dominican Republic garage is taken from a deleted Fast & Furious 5 (2011) scene; similarly, the plane conversation between Dom and Brian has every shot of Walker rotoscoped from the conversation with Dom about their fathers from the same film.

Scarlett Johansson was pregnant during filming of this movie so many of her scenes were scheduled early in filming before she began to show. To help hide her pregnancy later in filming, three stunt doubles were hired. This caused a lot of confusion among the other actors since, according to them, all of the stunt women looked very similar to Johansson. Chris Evans stated that it got to the point where he would say hello and start a conversation with one of them, only to realize mid way that the person he was talking to wasn't Johansson. Ultimately, some scenes used CGI to hide Johansson's belly.

The character of Alan was inspired by writer Nicholas Sparks' son, who is afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism.



A number of non-singers make their singing debuts in this film, including Patrick Dempsey. The only main character who does not sing is Nancy, played by actress Idina Menzel - who has two Tony award nominations and one win for Broadway musical singing roles.
This is just such a waste of Adele Dazeem's talent... haha!!



A group of political activists in South Korea reportedly plans to purchase 100.000 copies of The Interview (2014) (with Korean subtitles) and drop DVDs and USB sticks containing the film with balloons over North Korean territory. It is illegal to watch this film (and other foreign media) in North Korea, but a black market exists and many citizens have private access to DVD players and other media players.
I can just picture little parachutes falling from the sky with USB's attached to them now...



Naomi Watts learned her Russian accent for her role as Daka by watching YouTube videos and by going to a Russian spa in order to observe mannerisms and dialect

Although released after Need for Speed (2014), it was shot before. Aaron Paul was so impressed by Imogen Poots on this film that he encouraged her to apply for the female lead there.

The names of the two girls, Satsuki and Mei are a play on the word May. "Satsuki" is an old Japanese word for May, and "Mei" is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "May".
How weird is this, when this was our Blind Spot choice for May?!



This is the fifth movie featuring both Morgan Freeman and with Ashley Judd. The first four were Kiss the Girls (1997), High Crimes (2002), Dolphin Tale (2011), and Olympus Has Fallen (2013).

Rinku Singh pitches left-handed but Suraj Sharma, who plays him, throws right-handed. They had to flip the image to make it appear as though he was pitching left-handed.

Unlike the novel, the film is set over 12 years instead of 45 years

On January 21st, 2015, Kevin Hart bought out two shows of The Wedding Ringer in a theater near Toledo, Ohio. He then urged his fans to "tell them Kevin Hart sent me." 500 patrons were then treated to a free showing of The Wedding Ringer.

Saturday 30 May 2015

Review: The Age of Adaline (2015)

The majority of dramas I watch tend to be at home, because I can’t convince my fiance to come out to the cinema unless there’s some kind of action or comedy involved. Or food. That normally works too. I was preparing to skip The Age of Adaline, and then Jenna text me to ask if I wanted to go to the cinema with her, bingo! Win win I say because my Dad wouldn't have enjoyed this one either and he is my usual cinema buddy!!



The Age of Adaline is a beautiful story about a woman (Blake Lively) who was in a car accident, and as a result, has completely stopped aging. As time went by, people got curious as to why Adaline still looked so young, and as things turned nasty, she fled, and chose a new identity. She’s been doing this for years now, keeping everyone she knows at arm’s length, too scared to get close to anyone, with the exception of her daughter.

Within the first few minutes, I’d decided that I knew already how this film was going to end. It was going to be predictable, but watchable, and to be honest, I was wrong. Some plot points were so obvious I didn’t understand the attempt to hide them, but as the story progressed, I was surprised by the turn of events, and so it was an enjoyable experience for me. I cared about the characters, and although Ellis (Michiel Huisman) came off ‘Mr Grey style stalker-ish’ at first, I warmed to him.

I knew what was going to happen at every turn, I don't know why (maybe its the countless Nicholas Sparks movies I have re-watched over and over?!) but I still enjoyed every minute and I really was totally engrossed in the whole thing.


Blake Lively is an actress I haven’t seen much of, with the exception of Gossip Girl, and I wondered whether she would be able to hold her own as the leading actress in a film, but she really nailed it, so eat that, haters! She gets a lot of stick for looking older than she is which is a real shame, I don’t see why that should even matter, but oh well.  I think we said this on the way out of the cinema, we both thought she may have trouble on her own in a lead role but she was brilliant.  She absolutely nailed the idea that she may look like a 29 year old but portrayed an older lady perfectly, especially in the scenes with her now 'older' daughter.  On the flipside Ellen Burstyn does a fantastic job of appearing like a loving 80 year old daughter to her 29 year old mother.  And yet the whole scenes appear completely normal, a testament to their acting skills.



I can't let this review go by without mentioning Mr Ford, I haven't seen him in anything for a while but he was great as wounded William who is convinced that Adaline is his true love from decades previously.  What follows is the heartbreak as William tried to come to terms with his lost love and his wife of 40 years, Kathy (Kathy Baker) dealing with the idea that she was second best.

The Story of Age of Adaline was a little too long for me not get fidgety, but I was never bored. I just wish that more could have been done with the story. I won’t spoil anything that did happen, but there seems to me like an obvious event that could have happened to make Adaline change her mind on how she’s been living, and it would have been the perfect event to kick start that, but it never happened.  I'd love to agree or disagree with this statement but I have no idea what event to kick of what event you are talking about haha!! I'll text you!

Having recently been to San Francisco, it was amazing to see all parts of the city through Adaline's eyes and I have recommended this film to my Dad even though he will hate the story, he will love the sets!


For me, this was a lovely film, and I’m glad I saw it, but it just wasn’t enough for me to rave about it.

As a Nicholas Sparks fan I was bound to love this, so don't take my word for it you have to see it yourself.






 

Thursday 28 May 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Mother-Son Relationships (Biologically Related)

This week’s theme has been surprisingly difficult, and I had to break the rules a little too. If you’re not familiar with the Thursday Movie Picks, it’s an amazing thing hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Each week brings a new theme, and all you need to do is pick 3 movies that fit the bill to discuss. This week is one of many 'All in the Family Editions', this time featuring Mother-Son relationships.


only-god-forgives-mother-son

Only God Forgives is probably the anti-choice for this week’s themes, as I can’t imagine the mother has a ‘Best Mum Ever’ mug at home for her actions. Ryan Gosling’s character’s brother is murdered and his crime lord mother compels him to hunt down his killer and cause trouble. Still, I’d like to think it shows how much he loves his mother to go and do this at her command, but maybe he’s equally afraid of her? This movie made little sense at the best of times!

how-to-train-your-dragon-2-mother-son

How to Train your Dragon 2 introduced us to a character we thought was long gone, Hiccup’s mother! (Not a spoiler - much to my disappointment this was all over the trailers). Getting to see Hiccup reunite with his mother after all those years and to see the similarities in the two of them was heart warming and a real highlight of the whole film. If only it could have been kept as a surprise.

Here are my three:


Who doesn't love Shaun's mum in Shaun of the Dead and who wasn't completely heartbroken when he realised she had been bitten.  As well as the awkward everyone threatening to stab each other stand off while there is a gun pointed at his mum!   It was one of the really emotionally moments in this zom-com that made us all fall in love with the Cornetto trilogy.



At the beginning of this movie, Trevor's mom, Arlene (Helen Hunt) is a bit of a waster, she keeps letting her alcoholic, abusive ex (and Trevor's father) back into their lives while apparently skipping on much of her parental duties.  However, as the film moves forward you learn more about Arlene and what she has been through and she also realises what her son actually needs from her.  Its great to watch Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) be the parent in there relationship and to see the tables turn as the story progresses.


This is where I am technically cheating because the reason I chose this film was because of the relationship between Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) and Michael (Quinton Aaron), hence the cheating as they are not biologically related.  However, the more I thought about it the more I considered her relationship with her biological son SJ (Jae Head).  He has been raised with all the luxuries in life and has never wanted for anything and yet he is willing to share his whole life with Michael because of the way he has been raised.  My all time favourite scene in this movie is after the boys are in a car crash while Michael was driving, Leigh Anne is running down the street shouting 'My kids, they are my kids...' such a heart-warming moment.

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Tears of a Clown Blogathon

One of our bestest blogging buddies, Dell (Dell on Movies) is hosting a fascinating Blogathon this month called Tears of a Clown. It’s inspired from Foxcatcher, where Steve Carrell plays one of the best villains of the year, which is really something when he’s considered a comedic actor.


I won’t be held responsible for any nightmares that occur as a result of seeing that banner, Dell can have that blame!

Here are the rules in his own words, and you can find his original post here:
1. Create a post about a comedic actor in a non-comedic role. Tell us what are your favorite comedic roles of this performer. More importantly, tell us why you like the dramatic role in question. Be as thorough as you feel you need to be. Convince us it's a great performance.
2. Use one of the banners I have in this post.
3. Include a link back to this post.
4. Leave a link to your post in the comments section below or tweet it to me @w_ott3
Multiple posts on the same performance are allowed, so don't worry about who picked what. You're all pretty creative so I'm sure we'll get a nice variety.

The deadline for this is two weeks from today - Friday, May 29, 2015

Usually, I like to mull over my choices when putting together a blogathon post, but this time, I knew what I wanted to talk about before I even finished reading Dell’s post. Mainly because it’s one of my favourite films that I get to ramble about! Before I really ‘got into’ films, comedies were the only thing I was really interested, and that meant I saw a lot of Jim Carrey films. Some I still hold dear now, especially Liar Liar are Bruce Almighty. He’s the kind of actor I’ll happily watch in anything, but there’s one particular performance that fits this blogathon perfectly.



The Number 23 is a thriller/mystery that was released in 2007. It never got great reviews but at the time, I loved it, and it could even have been one of the first plot-twist films I ever saw (I can’t count Sixth Sense, that got ruined for me). Jim Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, who gets given a murder mystery book that revolves around the number 23. Maybe it’s because my birthday is on the 23rd (August), but I really connected with this film and couldn’t help but notice the number everywhere I went too.

Anyway, back on point, for an actor that I was used to seeing in slapstick comedy, beating himself up in a bathroom in Liar Liar (“I’m kicking my ass, d’ya mind?!) to using his newly given God powers to blow wind up ladies’ skirts in Bruce Almighty, this role couldn’t be further apart in nature to his usual work, and I honestly think he nailed it!

Robin Williams is a brilliant actor who made his name with comedy roles in Good Morning Vietnam, Jumanji and Mrs Doubtfire.  Over the years he took his hand to more serious roles on numerous occasions and did so impressively.  Some of his serious roles, he would still use his comedic talents, such as Patch Adams, a serious film, story and character with a comedic element throughout.

The key standout serious role for me, however was as Chris Nielsen in What Dreams May Come.  If I remember rightly this was pretty well panned by critics at the time of its release but I loved and watched it repeatedly when I was younger (I feel the need to revisit it now!).
 
Williams plays a father who after being killed in a car crash is trying to find his family in the afterlife.  His character his heartbroken and trying to deal with the loss of his own life as well as people he meets along the way.  I need to re-watch this to do a proper review but from what I remember, Williams’s character was completely serious.  After coming off the back of Flubber, Jack, Jumani and Hook this just wasn’t what I expected, but I also think that’s part of what I love about this particular role for him and also shows how versatile he was.

Sunday 24 May 2015

Review: The Wedding Ringer (2015)

Another flight another shed load of films to review :-) This time, I was poorly so wasn't really looking anything that involved too much thinking and I had been desperate to see this since I saw the trailer.


Doug (Josh Gad) is due to marry the girl of his dreams but there is just one problem, he doesn't have any friends to be his Best Man or his Groomsmen.  However, he may have already told his Bride to be that he has, enter Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart) a professional 'Best Man' for hire who brings along seven groomsmen for the never done before,  'Golden Tux' package.


The story is absolute tripe, its completely ridiculous, massively flawed and there are hundreds of plot gaps that would drive anyone mad - i.e. why doesn't anyone he knows, know his best friend or the fact that he doesn't have one?! But for all its flaws, it is incredibly entertaining, I laughed out loud numerous times and I didn't notice the time fly by.  It is predictable but even that didn't bother me too much.

It's an easy to watch, rainy day comedy that makes no sense when you really look at it. However, if that's what you're looking for then it's also a really funny comedy. There are moments I really laughed out loud, and others where I felt the need to check my phone for something to do. 


Kevin Hart who I usually find irritating was actually really funny and the dance montage (seen partially in the trailer) left me in fits laughter, my face actually hurt afterwards. I don't remember seeing the trailer but that dance montage is one of the funniest things I've ever seen! Just when you think that's it, the song changes! The rag-tag group of misfits Jimmy rounds up as Groomsmen are all completely idiotic but they still manage to make me laugh.

Josh Gad and Kevin Hart work really well together! I hope we get to see more of Josh Gad in the next few years, I think he's great, and he always manages to get a laugh out of me.


Don't pay attention to the dialogue, plot or predictability and just enjoy the laughs. I hate to admit this but for the first time I wanted a 1/2 score available (shush Allie!) because this is not as low as a 6 but not as good as a 7! argh!

Woah. Woah! Can we discuss this? Like, actually have a conversation about half scores without you telling me off? This is what I've been trying to tell you since we started this blog! Tell you what, you can give it a 6, and I'll give it a 7, and then that falls in the middle anyway.







Friday 22 May 2015

Movie Roulette Blogathon

I'm guilty of saying this with every Blogathon we've taken part in, but Mettel Ray is hosting a super fun Movie Roulette Blogathon right now, and I for one am so happy to take part!


As always, these things come with a set of rules, and here they are in Mettel's words:

1. There are 25 facts, you have to pick 5 or more and for each, you drag out a movie as an answer!

2. You can only drag out one movie for each statement, no do overs, guys!
*If you haven’t seen the movie (or can’t recognize it) you can pick again.
*If you pull out a movie you already dragged out, you can try again until you get a different one.

3. Write down your answers and feel free to comment whether they make sense or not.

4. Link back to this announcement, and link to the Movie Roulette Ultimate Gif Set as well!

5. Last but not least, have fun!

Let's do this!

1. I hate the main character of this movie, but I think he/she is still very hot.


Donnie Darko - Aww, this is absolutely not true! How can you hate Donnie? He's just misunderstood. And a little creepy. He is hot though, I'll give the roulette that one.

2. My life can be described by the events in this movie.


Cabin In The Woods - Oh dear. I think I'm a little screwed. Remind me to never stay in a creepy cabin on holiday. Or go near any woods. I live right by a small wood. Oh. 

3. This movie makes me so emotional I even cried while watching it.


Hannah Montana - Haha. Hahahahahaha...who wouldn't cry whilst watching Hannah Montana, right? Is it time to admit this movie is a huge guilty pleasure of mine? Keep quiet Jenna, you know the words to Hoedown Throwdown too!

4. Watching this movie is better than sex.


Dredd - My fiance would probably agree with this conclusion! I'd rather have the physical encounter, thanks. Still a very good movie though!

5. I'm honestly going to watch this movie as soon as possible after finishing this game. (Challenge accepted!)


Hitman - Absolutely challenge accepted! I don't know why I haven't seen this already, I loved the games! By that of course, I mean I was terrible at them and had great fun watching my fiance play them while I threw a tantrum.

1. This movie describes my mood in the mornings the best.


Looper - Actually yes, I generally wake up a bit confused!!

2. I always wanted to punch this movie’s main character in the face.


American Beauty - Not the main character but Mena Suvari - yes!

3. My life can be described by the events in this movie.


Lethal Weapon - Urm I haven't seen this film in full but I have seen bits and pieces, but I am forever getting into car chases and getting shot at so it's pretty accurate!

4. The lead actor of this movie is my future husband.



Jarhead - Jake Gyllenhaal  Hands off Allie, he's mine!! ;-)

5. Every time this movie is on TV, I turn it off and sit in complete silence instead.


Snakes on a plane - I haven't seen this but I imagine sitting in silence staring at the wall would be preferable, or is it so bad that its good?!

Thursday 21 May 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Based on a Graphic Novel/Comic (Non-Superhero)

This week’s theme has really got me thinking. If you’re not familiar with the Thursday Movie Picks, it’s an amazing thing hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Each week brings a new theme, and all you need to do is pick 3 movies that fit the bill to discuss. This week is movies based on a graphic novel or comic book. Easy, right? Think again. They can't be superhero-related!





300 (2006) is the story of King Leonidas and his 300 men, fighting the Persians at Thermopylae many, many years ago. It’s also a series of comic books from back in 1998, written by Frank Miller! I can’t quite believe the movie is 9 years old now, I remember seeing it at the cinemas with my College buddies like it was only yesterday. Does that make me sound old? The sequel was okay, but 300 is a movie everyone should experience at least once!


R.I.P.D. (2013) is a quirky tale of a recently deceased cop who joins the Rest In Peace Department, and tries to find the man who murdered him. The movie is based on a Dark Horse comic by the same name. Sadly, the movie sort of bombed at the box office. I thought it was okay, my opinion is obviously biased but I understood people’s problems with it. Problem is, it’s a very little known comic in the first place and easily comparable to Men in Black.



Snowpiercer (2013) is a crazy story set in the future after a climate-change experiment went terribly wrong, and the planet’s only survivors are living on a train with a strict and harsh class system. The movie is based on a French graphic novel called Le Transperceneige, first published in 1982, although an English translation was released last year. Snowpiercer is a confusing yet brilliant movie, and I would urge anyone to give it a go if they haven’t already.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Mini Reviews: Dolphin Tale 2 (2014), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and Love, Rosie (2014)



You may remember I reviewed Dolphin Tale back in September and back then I was really looking forward to the sequel, until I forgot about it!  Finally I watched it last week and I was pleasantly surprised.  Much like with the sequel to Free Willy its nice to see the same characters again and how their bonds have developed.  I really enjoyed seeing Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) as a much more confident teenager and being considered a bit of a VIP at the marine hospital.

It seemed a bit of a stretch for Morgan Freeman's character to return but I don't think the film would have been the same without his one-liners so we can forgive it.  Its another great family movie, it's no Free Willy but kids will love it and it has all the right moral messages so parents won't hate it.

Generally enjoyable, nothing amazing or jaw dropping just pleasantly entertaining.





I wasn't that bothered about seeing this but I thought I would give it a go, honestly I wish I hadn't.  Its the true story of a sports agent who sets up the Million Dollar Arm programme to bring cricketers from India and turn them into Baseball pitchers.  It was completely predictable (yes I know it is based on a true story but I didn't know the story before I watched it!) and cliché and just terrible to watch.  Jon Hamm's self-obsessed agent, JB, is not even remotely likable and the films seems to veer off the main subject to often to keep your attention.  Most of these 'sports' movies focus on the actual sport rather than what is happening off to the sides, but this doesn't and I found that a little disappointing.  I wanted to see how the pitchers (Surej Sharma and Madhur Mittal) were getting on and all I got was meetings, talking and no action.

Too much politics and talking and not enough focus on the players success/failure.






I love a good rom-com as you all well know by now, this was no exception.  Following 2 best friends through the age old 'When Harry Met Sally' question over the course of ten years.  There were parts I wasn't thrilled about and for the most part I was screaming at the TV for the main characters Alex (Sam Clafin) and Rosie (Lily Collins) to sort it out but alas you have to wait.  I was never bored, it was comical and entertaining throughout and yet again I noticed (and enjoyed) the soundtrack!

Its soppy, its cheesy and maybe a bit too posh for my liking but I loved it all (bear in mind if considering watching this that I am a full blown sucker for a rom-com, particularly if it makes me cry at least once!)

Sunday 17 May 2015

Blind Spot: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

This month brings something a little different to the blog. Even as the grown ups we are, we both still enjoy animated films and review them frequently on Flick Chicks, but this is the first time we’ve reviewed an anime film! I was a huge anime fan in my teens (Bleach and Dragonball Z were my favourites) and although I saw Spirited Away years ago, I hadn’t ever watched My Neighbor Totoro.  I however, am a newbie, this is my first anime experience so bear with me ;-)


My Neighbor Totoro is a magical children’s film following the story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who have recently moved house with their Father to be closer to their Mother who is currently ill in hospital. From the first few minutes, the girls discover magical ‘soot sprites’ living in the house, and whilst adventuring, they also come across another magical being, Totoro himself.


What exactly is Totoro? I had him down as a cross between an owl and a bear before watching the film, and then Jenna pointed out he has several rabbit features too. I didn’t expect him to be so loud! He’s still very cute, stood in the rain with his umbrella. Admittedly, it was seeing Totoro’s cheesy grin and his soft belly in every geeky shop I’ve ever been in that made me want to watch the film itself, and I definitely want my own one now! I also want a cat bus, cat bus looked so comfy!  He looked so cute and you expected him to have the sweet soft voice and this great roar pours out of him and suddenly you realise, maybe anime isn't just your everyday kids cartoon! Cat bus scared me, I'm not going to lie, I don't like animals at the best of times and this is a GIANT CAT!!  Nope nope nope!!

I think sometimes it’s too easily to be really critical when reviewing a film like this. It needs to be enjoyed for what it is. One could complain about a slow start, a lack of ‘a moral to be learnt’ which most children’s films have, but to just sit back and take in the story, it’s beautiful. It’s all about family, and friendships, and believing in magic.

Anyone can say there no lessons to be learnt but after stewing on it overnight it really hit home for me.  These children and in the middle of dealing with the possibility of losing their mother.  There lives could be downtrodden and miserable and they could spend day after day crying and missing out on so much of their childhood but no.  Their Father (although works a lot) spends his time with his children, making them laugh and telling them magical stories that their imaginations bring to life in the Totoro, Soot Sprites and the cat bus.  There coping mechanism for this very scary and real situation is to be children and jump in puddles, get dirty and imagine a magical world where they can forget the 'grown up stuff' for a while.  My Mother was ill for most of my childhood but it was never sad, I never even realised what was happening, my childhood was filled with laughter, parties, mud pies, cake making, singing, shopping trips, face paints, dancing, Happy Meals, play houses and tooth fairies. 

Maybe there is a lesson here but for the grown ups rather than the kids :-)


We watched the English dubbed version with the Dakota twins providing voices for Satsuki and Mei, as we were both too tired for subtitles, but I’d like to watch this again sometime soon as it’s meant to be viewed, just for the experience.  Apparently, after reading the trivia for this there are a few differences between the original Japanese version and the English dubbed version, mostly due to language changes.

All in all, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and my appreciation grew for it overnight. Definitely a film I’ll see again soon, and a film I’ll keep back for any future children I may have. Now I’m tempted to see another film by Studio Ghibli...does anyone have any recommendations?

 

Friday 15 May 2015

Review: A Long Way Down (2014)

I hadn't even heard about this film when I found it on Netflix so I thought I would just give it a go and although the critics may disagree with me, I'm glad I did.


A Long Way Down starts on New Years Eve, Martin (Pierce Brosnan) a disgraced TV personality is on the top of a building London all ready to commit suicide.  He is soon joined by Maureen (Toni Collette) an exhausted mother of one, Jess (Imogen Poots) and JJ (Aaron Paul) who are all there for the same reasons.  Instead of going through with it, they become each other's surrogate family and learn to face their problems.

I can understand why the critics don't like this film, there was a lot that could be done with such a sensitive subject that just wasn't.  It could have made it more brutal and heartbreaking and really touched on a taboo subject that most people are afraid to talk about.  Unfortunately, it actually makes it all too relateable (quite scarily in some places) and it somewhat belittles the idea too much for comedic reasons, which is more than likely why the critics didn't feel it was much cop.

I think the film hit middle ground perfectly. It could have been more honest and really dug into the heart of these characters, and it would have been a depressing drama. On the other hand, it could have skimmed over the serious issues completely, and it would have been a heartless comedy. For me, this was a true to life drama that made me smile just as much as cry.


That being said, I was engrossed.  I didn't look up from the screen or move once throughout the whole thing, I laughed, I cried, I cheered and I really loved the characters and the relationships they have developed with each other.  I've always been a fan of Collette's work, I think she has such a broad range, ever since I saw her in Muriels Wedding a loooong time ago!  I found it so entertaining considering it was a film based around depression and suicide but I also think it showed how one person (or 3 in this case) can have such a huge impact on your life and change the way you think about things. 

This might be the first thing I've seen Toni Collette in so I can't really compare her performance to anything else (Edit: Holy moly, I just realised she was in Little Miss Sunshine! Love this lady!), but as much as I loved the whole cast, Imogen Poots absolutely stole the show. She might be annoying in A Long Way Down, but she was spot on and I really hope she gets some bigger roles following this.

Its a common misconception that depressed people are sad all the time and never smile or laugh or enjoy some moments, I think this can be highlighted more.  Many cases of 'movie' depression find the character not getting out of bed or considering suicide, this turns that on its head and reminds people that you can be depressive and fully functional in the real world, sometimes you just need the right people around you. Absolutely true! 

I could be simplifying this too much but thats my opinion.  I really enjoyed the film and the sentiments attached to it, it got a bit cheesy at times but I could see past it and enjoy it for what it was.  Its worth a watch, just remember not to overthink it and just watch, you might like it.

It's definitely a slow burner! I wasn't bored at all but I was grateful for the shorter running time, as I really felt every minute. That probably comes across way harsher than I mean it to!

Maybe it was just my imagination running away with me, but I couldn't help but wonder whether the reason JJ was up on the roof had anything to do with a certain meth lab incident gone wrong... haha!! Amazing!