7 reasons why I love The First Wives Club (1996)

How am I only now re-watching The First wives Club, I watched it when it first came out but I think I was little bit too young to quite grasp the awesomeness of this girl power ensemble.  Rather than a bog standard review (which could potentially go on forever) I thought I’d try something different:

7 Reasons why I LOVE The First Wives Club

1.  I have adored Goldie Hawn since the first time I saw Overboard waaaaaay back when and Diane Keaton has always reminded me of my Mom (who passed when I was 13) and I remember my Mom loving this film – so it’s a whole barrage of love for Momma P!

2.  That finale! I sang, I danced, I may have even clapped….

3.  That the least likely couple got back together, you thought you would be mad but you loved it <3

4.  Jennifer Lawrence (who we all love), quoted this movie in her Golden Globe speech in 2013! ‘I beat Meryl’

5.  They all had so much fun filming this movie and you can tell, the laughter between the main characters feels completely real.

6.  The soundtrack – all the songs you put on that mix CD after your first big heart break!

7.  Bette Midler, Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn on the same screen at the same time as well as Maggie Smith, Stockard Channing and Eileen Heckart – it’s all just too much girl power!

Thursday Movie Picks: Teachers

Hellooo. Allie here, remember me? I kind of disappeared for a long time. I’m back now, I promise! Whilst I’m still kicking myself into gear I thought now would be a great time to jump back on the Thursday Movie Picks wagon, what with it being Thursday and all that.

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. Each week brings a new theme, and each week we all pick 3 movies that fit the theme. This week is Teachers, which is very fitting as all the kids are heading back to school. Is summer really over already?

My first pick is a movie I haven’t seen in years, but I’ve seen it so many times I remember it clearly. Plus, any time I hear the song ‘On My Way’ I start thinking about pancakes. Anyway, there are a number of teachers in Matilda, but the one on my mind is Head Teacher Mrs Trunchbull. She was the worst! I think we all saw our own Head Teachers that way though. The scene with her and Bruce Bogtrotter will forever be etched in my mind, and chocolate fudge cake never tasted the same after I watched Matilda.

Moving on to something a little more obscure, my second pick is Starter for 10. It’s so conventionally British it’s almost cringey, but it was an entertaining watch. James McAvoy joins his University’s University Challenge team, schooled by the leader, Benedict Cumberbatch, who takes on a teacher’s role for his team. Only he’s a bit of a jerk, and gets a well deserved fist in the face. Even I laughed at that part!

I realise I’ve picked 2 terrible teachers so far, so for my third choice, let me pick my favourite movie teacher of all time, Professor Lupin, played by David Thewlis. Okay, so Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban isn’t a movie about a teacher, but it’s filled with teachers! Professor Lupin in my opinion is/was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and his bond with Harry was one of my favourite things about the whole film.

Currently Watching...3rd Rock from the Sun

It's not possible to buy this on DVD in the UK yet (I think this is a travesty!) so imagine how excited I was when I woke up the morning after getting back off holiday and finding two episodes playing back to back on Channel 4. 

Sorry, totally butting in here but is that the Trinity Killer?!

I couldn't resist checking and yes, there is was, every day 2 whole episodes... this was my face...

So what is so special about 3rd Rock from the Sun?  I never watched it properly when it was first on, I was a bit too young I think and not yet fully addicted to TV series as I am now!  But what's not to love... John Lithgow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and this guy....

This show is so ridiculous it's brilliant, the jokes (that I probably didn't get as a kid) have me in stitches and as it's on first thing in the morning I have destroyed my make on numerous occasions laughing and crying.

The characters are bats**t crazy but that makes you love them even more.  Each episode has it's own storyline which means you can watch them in any order or if they just happen to be on TV (as with Friends) but it's worth watching the Pilot to know who the characters are and why they are on the 3rd rock.

The downside is, that because I'm watching them on the TV, I miss episodes and they are not necessarily in the right order (i.e. Joseph Gordon-Levitt aged about 6 years overnight last night!) this is why it needs to be released on Region 2 DVD NOW!!

If you've not seen this, you need to give it a go and if you hear any rumours of Region 2 DVD's let me know ;-)

Up until recently I thought 3rd Rock from the Sun and 30 Rock were the same show. Funnily enough I've just started watching 30 Rock so I may have to try this now! Like Jenna, I remember this show from when I was younger but had little interest in it back then.

Blockbusted Blogathon: Tremors (1990) / Mars Attacks (1996)

This will be Flick Chicks first Blogathon and I couldn't be more excited.  This was set up by Katy from Girl Meets Cinema as a way to 'spread shameless love for the B-Movie awesomeness' and that it is doing.

This is the initial post from Katy if you want to contribute to the Blogathon 

I really love these blog challenges, they prompt me to try something different or watch a film again that I haven't seen in years.  This did just that.  My film choice is the 1990 film Tremors with Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward and Finn Carter.

I had forgotten all about this film until I saw it in the Blogathon list but it is not only awesome but it has sentimental value for me too.  This was mine and my Dad's Saturday afternoon movie, we watched it all the time on VHS (I don't think my Mom could stomach it so went to the kitchen to bake or clean!).  Then when the film finished I would play 'Tremors' in the living room, jumping from furniture to furniture to avoid touching the floor.

This scene truly terrified me and I never went on a pogo stick again (and don't think I ever will).  My favourite characters by far were Burt and Heather Gummer played by Michael Gross and Reba McEntire and their insane armoury under their house.  Unfortunately, the monster work wasn't great but I don't think that takes away from this film at all, its less about how scary the monster and more about the tense will it or wont it hear us.  It has all the tension of Paranormal Activity but with an interesting storyline.

I may now watch this film the weekend, probably with my Dad an I will probably play 'tremors' after just for nostalgia.

It's so exciting to be part of a Blogathon! I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's posts once they're posted too. My film choice just had to be Mars Attacks.

 

I think I was about 9 or 10 years old when I first saw this. I was staying the night at my Grandparents' house and was doing my usual 'I can't sleep I'm hungry' routine. My Grandparents had just put this film on, and apparently I assured them that I wouldn't be scared and was adamant that I watched it.

 

Needless to say, it terrified me and I didn't sleep at all that night! At the same time though, I loved it, and I still don't know why. I ran around the house making that alien sound, with my hands in a gun position. I bought the VHS of it, and even convinced my brother who is 5 years younger than me to watch it, but he ran out of the room crying at the cows on fire. I actually think I instilled a fear of cows into him...

 

 

 

Whilst writing this post, I have the biggest urge to watch this film again just for those childhood memories! Maybe I'll invite my brother over...

Thank you Katy for inspiring us to do this post, I'm sure it's the first of many Blogathon posts to come!

Review: Fargo (1996)

Movie morning.

As me and Allie appear to be too old to watch two movies in a row (but a movie and an episode of Sherlock is fine!) We decided to watch Fargo this morning instead of last night. Who doesn't want to watch an episode of Sherlock before bed? Sorry, let's talk Fargo...

This film was always going to be on our radar at some point because it's part of IMDB's Top 250 Films, but as you probably already know, a new TV Show based on this has just started on Channel 4 in the UK, starring Martin Freeman. I've got the first episode recorded, but I wanted to watch the film first so I had an idea of the story.  I haven't seen any of the series yet (although from the trailer I'm not sure about Martin Freeman's accent!) but I intend to, once I have finished the other 6 million series I'm currently attempting to watch! It's crazy! I'm timehopping through posts now I know but my jaw hit the floor! I'm not quite over it yet...

 

Fargo tells the story of Jerry Lundegaard, a simple car salesman who has found himself dangerously in debt. His father in law is a bit of a douche but he's also incredibly wealthy, so Jerry hires a couple of co-worker's friends to kidnap his wife and demand a ransom from her father.  Actually, he hires one of his co-workers friends (Buscemi), Shep (the co-worker) doesn't know the other guy (Stormare) who turns out to be a violent psychopath!  This just adds to the chaotic nature of the film. Alright Miss Pedantic...!

 

I would really like to think that if my other half was in this situation, he would try something a little less extreme, but you've got to give the guy points for creativity here!

As with many films I watch, I struggled to follow this a little, and I'm still not 100% sure how much he was in debt and what went on before the kidnapping. Not the film's fault though! I thought the plot was brilliant and I didn't see many of the twists coming. I just found some of the characters too odd, to the point of distraction in some places. Yeah they don't cover why he is in debt or how he got to this point, but you realise as the film goes on that the debt isn't the key point of the movie, the 'kidnapping' is, so really you don't need to know anyway.

*SPOILER ALERT* This lady! The heck man! Maybe it's because I'm watching Dexter at the moment, and maybe it's the age of the film now, but where is the urgency? Where is her back up? I mean bless her at the end for catching that guy all by herself, but it was just a bit odd. That guy she meets up with, Mike? What was the actual point in him? I loved her though, she was too cool!  Pregnant sheriff solves the crime all by herself, amazing and odd enough to be part of this film.  I still don't understand the point of Mike and how he added to the film but any scene Marge was in was hilarious because of her.  (I only remember her name was Marge because they said it approximately 365 million times throughout the film!) I actually looked this up you know. You know later on, when she finds out that Mike lied about his wife/that lady and stuff? It was to make her see that you can't trust anyone, and that's why she really starts to suspect Jerry.

 

I really enjoyed this film, mostly because I found it hilarious.  The way of life was so slow and as Allie said not at all urgent, it made everything so comical.  Also, tiny parts of the film had me in stitches, for example, when Marge and Norm are in the café the volume of food she puts on her plate is unreal. 

 

Although comical, it's quite a dark movie and it provides some shocks that I personally didn't expect.  This is a one off film no other will ever be quite like it, extremely unique and very enjoyable to watch.

 

Ignore my rants though because I did enjoy this film, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy the new TV Show more. I get the feeling the series is going to drag a bit, I don't know how they are going to keep it interesting!!  We'll soon see though!