Trivia Round-Up: June

Last month we did a mammoth post with our favourite trivia from the films we had reviewed so far. It was great fun to put together so we thought, why not turn this into a monthly round-up! It also serves as a great reminder of the films we've reviewed each month.

 

 

The Darkest Hour (2011)

Production was suspended for a planned two weeks due to the extraordinary air pollution caused by heavy smoke from the wild fires surrounding Moscow in August 2010. It eventually resumed three weeks later. Even with this precaution, smoke still made it into a lot of shots and had to be digitally removed in post production.

 

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)

The idea of the film was an inside joke by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The three mentioned how the Wild West was always depicted to be dangerous and believed that there are too many ways to die in the setting.

I also found out that Seth MacFarlane has written a novel based off the film. I spotted it in Waterstones!

 

The Sixth Sense (1999) *SPOILER ALERT*

This was so long I have had to copy it from IMDB but it does include massive amounts of spoilers so please don't read it if you haven't seen the film.  It's just so interesting I couldn't pass it up:

'M. Night Shyamalan deliberately used the color red to depict when the world of the living and the world of the dead would crossover. If red was in a scene where that was not the case, he would change it. The door to the church where Cole and Malcolm first interact is red, and the statue Cole takes from the church has a red robe. The doorknob to Malcolm's basement is red. Cole's school uniform jacket is reddish (maroon); he is often approached by the dead people while at school and/or wearing his uniform. Anna wears a red dress at the restaurant where Malcolm is late for their anniversary. When Malcolm is watching his wife Anna in the shower and notices her prescription in the cabinet, it's in a reddish-brown container. Lynn Sear's nail polish is red when she is pointing out the white spots (ghosts) on all the pictures of Cole in the hallway. Cole's 'free association' writing is in red ink; the writing presumably records things he's heard from the dead. At the birthday party all the visible balloons are pastel-colored, except for the red balloon that floats up the stairway and leads Cole to the small closet. Cole is wearing a red sweater when he is attacked by the spirit in the closet. Cole's blanket at the hospital is reddish (pink) when he confesses to Malcolm that he sees dead people. The birthday gift Anna gives to Sean is in a red box and she is wearing red when the two of them embrace and Malcolm breaks the shop door. When Malcolm listens to a taped session with Vincent, as he turns up the cassette recorder volume the control numbers go from white to red. Kyra Collins appears in Cole's fort, and the blanket covering it is red. The box containing Kyra's VHS tape is trimmed in red and has a red-lined interior. The outfit worn by Mrs. Collins at Kyra's wake is bright red, and she is the only person wearing a bright color. In the video, the soup Mrs. Collins brings to Kyra is tomato soup, and the bottle of pine cleaner Mrs. Collins adds to the soup has a red cap on it. The bicyclist Cole sees next to the car is wearing a red helmet. The blanket that Anna Crowe covers herself with while watching the wedding video is red.'  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv) 

 

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)

Johnny Knoxville has stated that his Irving Zisman character is a combination of his own father and a more perverted version of himself.

 

Heavyweights (1995)

The Bushkins (the couple who originally owned the camp) were played by Ben Stillers actual parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

 

 

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

Chris Pratt was originally cast as Billy but had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts.

 

Cinderella Man (2005)

This film didn't do as well in cinemas as they had hoped especially considering the positive critical responses to it.  AMC decided to offer a money back guarantee to customers, if they saw the film and didn't enjoy it they could have a full refund.

I can see why this would work, I personally didn't like the look of the film, it didn't seem like my thing but I loved it!

 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Katniss wears an unusual woollen garment. This is apparently a reference to the talent that victors are required to pursue, since they don't need to work any more, and Katniss initially struggles since her best real talent is hunting. Then her designer Cinna steps in and supplies her with garments that she can claim to have designed herself.

 

The Starving Games (2013)

Sadly I couldn't find any trivia for this, but it was interesting to find out that the film's budget was $4,500,000.

Review: The Starving Games (2013)

I haven't watched a spoof film for a while now. I thought they were great when I was younger but I guess I just sort of grew out of them. My brother text me the other day though saying that he'd seen The Starving Games on Netflix and loved it, and so while I had a friend over, we thought we would give it a try.  I won't say much on this one because I HATE spoof films, I enjoyed the first 2 Scary Movies and everything after that was daft and ridiculous so I haven't watched one since.  I can't comment on this review wise because I haven't seen it and I doubt I will ever watch it!

The film keeps to the plot of The Hunger Games, and sticks to it quite well actually. It doesn't go off on a huge tangent like others have done. There are many other film and popular culture references here but they all tie in with the main plot which is a relief.

Now, this is no Hollywood, $100m budget film, in fact some of the special effects are so awful that I think I could have done better with an iPhone app, but amazing effects just isn't what you should expect from these types of films anyway. I actually enjoyed most of it! It's just plan silliness, from the character names (Kantmiss, Effoff, etc) to other silly names such as:



Plus, who can say no to a silly cameo by The Avengers? Hawkeye getting picked on, as usual? Sure, why not.

The Starving Games isn't going to age very well, sadly. Will we all still know who LMFAO, Psy, and the Angry Birds are in 10 years' time? Probably not.

I wanted to give this a 4/10 originally. But then I remind myself of some of the jokes which are actually really funny, and so I don't think I can be that cruel. This definitely isn't a film that you should rush out and buy on DVD or anything, but if you have Netflix and an hour or so to burn, just give this a try.

Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

I watched this film at the cinema when it was released but I recently saw it on a list of films on a flight to Qatar so I went for it again...

 

I had completely forgotten how much I love this film, I actually think I loved it more than the first one (which is impressive for a sequel), its tougher, scarier, grittier and more heartbreaking than the original.  I loved that the first half was not in an arena but showing Katniss, Peeta and Gale coping after the first Hunger Games and how they respond to being sent back in again.

 

The arena is much more brutal and horrific than the first with blood rain, deadly smoke and evil baboons.  There were more characters to get your teeth into and many hints to the 3rd book (3rd and 4th films) that only readers of the book will understand (makes be feel abit smug when watching it to be honest!).  

 

I'm totally one of those annoying people who sit there with a smug face, reminding everyone who will listen that I've read the book! I was pleased at how well they kept to the book in Catching Fire, they just played around a bit with the timeline and missed out one of my favourite moments which pained me.

 

There's a scene in the book at the party which in the book happened after the names had been picked for the Quarter Quell, where Katniss is dancing with Plutarch (I think) and he whispers in her ear, 'It begins at 12'. This was the major clue for the Quarter Quell arena and would have been an awesome inclusion in the film.

 

I loved the build on the characters from the first film, such as Cinna and President Snow but the additional characters added this time round really gave it more edge. Jena Malone's, Johanna Mason was amazing - ideally at the beginning you are supposed to hate the character but I loved her and the impact she had on Katniss.  She seemed to be the only character that could get a rise out of her, which gave Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss more depth.   

 

Jennifer Lawrence as always was amazing and stole every scene she was in.  She made the character more tough this time round but also showed more vulnerability than has been  previously touched on.  The scene where Katniss isn't allowed to say bye to her family and the scene when she's hit by the Jabberjays in the arena were heartbreaking to watch and admittedly I cried a little on the plane. 

 

Catching Fire was brilliant and I'll definitely be watching it again just before the third film comes out. I'm a bit nervous about the third book being split into two films though, and I hope it allows them to do justice to the book, and not to just make as much money as they can.

I would without a doubt recommend this to anyone, preferably after reading the books and watching the first film but definitely a must.  Everything was bigger and better, from the arena to Effie Trinket's hair and eyelashes.

Thursday's Thought: TV Show Finales

It's going to get messy soon if I don't stop thinking about things too much!

I was away last weekend for my Mum's 40th Birthday, so not only was I without TV and Twitter, I was also away for the finale of Fargo! Spoilers ahead...

If you follow us on Twitter, you'll know how much I've been enjoying the Fargo TV Show. I wasn't sure what to think at first but it just gripped me out of nowhere, and I've found myself more excited about it than Game of Thrones. I got round to watching it on Monday afternoon, literally just as we got home. I said on Twitter that I wasn't sure what I thought about it, and I guess I still don't know.

Of course, I always knew it could only end one of two ways really. Lester was either going to go down for his crime(s?), or he wouldn't live to tell the tale, so I'm not going to whine about how it didn't end happily for him. To be honest, after episode 9, I didn't want it to!

What I wasn't expecting was for my homeboy Gus Grimly to be a total badass and save the day, and for Lester to just...well, die. I don't know, maybe there's something symbolic there. In fact, I'm sure there is. Someone clever is going to have summarised it all into a 5,000 word essay and it'll all be much clearer I'll bet. 

 

Yes Gus, you really have, but you're a little sweetheart so I forgive you.

My main point though here is, is anyone ever 100% happy when one of their favourite TV Show ends? Especially long running shows. I pretty much grow up watching Friends, and although I never wanted it to end, I felt like they did it justice. Sure, there were things I would have liked to change, but on the whole, it was good.

I saw a few weeks ago nearly the whole internet raging over the finale of How I Met Your Mother. I haven't seen it yet, I don't actually think it's finished here in the UK, but I read how it ended. And again, I have mixed feelings. I'm glad that it took a turn, because really, who would have been satisfied with a candy floss ending? The whole Robyn thing though? I'm still not sure.

Going back to Fargo though, it was an amazing TV Show and I'm so glad I watched it. I really hope it picks up a few awards when the season comes round, because it deserves it.

What about you guys though? Have there been any TV Show finales that really let you down? Or even, have there been any that actually, you thought were perfect? I'd really love to know!

Favourite Movie Dance Numbers

On Sunday night I sat and watched Dirty Dancing from beginning to end with my Aunt, it has been a long time since I've done that.  Normally, I fast forward to all the dancing scenes as they are my favourite part - which prompted me to write this post.  I love dance oriented films but I always love actual dance routines (and regularly tried and failed to learn them as a kid!)  

Therefore, I will kick this list off with the one that started it all:

Dirty Dancing
Who doesn't love this dance scene?  What girl didn't want to be Baby and have Johnny come and demand 'nobody puts baby in the corner'? The routine is great but it's the little things around it as well that make it what it is.  Baby's mother announcing 'I think she gets it from me', Robbie dropping himself in it and the old dear throwing off her fur to throw some shapes.  All in all a cracking scene that every girl loves...

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
I still have plans to learn this routine with my friend Louise but we have never quite got round to it.  The first time I watched this film, I just didn't expect this at all, I cried with laughter all the way through (and I'm pretty sure I would the tape back and watched it over and over again!)

Step up
I hate to admit it but I loved this film, has to be one of my guilty pleasures!  The whole film is utterly predictable and poorly written but the dancing is awesome.  The music is great and fits so well with the themes in the routine and I can't help but smile when I watch it.

Strictly Ballroom
It has been a hell of a long time since I have seen this film, but who can forget Doug Hastings slow clapping providing the beat for his son and Fran to do their routine - Brilliant!!

Save the last dance
No one watched Save the Last Dance and didn't root for Sara (Julia Stiles) to become a better dancer and show all the 'haters' and that is exactly what she did.  After watching the first scene in the club through parted fingers and feeling every inch of Sara's humiliation, it felt so good for her to succeed!

Big
Not sure where this is considered a dance routine but I'm using it anyway.  I wanted nothing more as a kid than to have a giant piano so I could learn to do this - unfortunately along with the Pony I asked for it was never to be.  So I had to settle for watching this over and over.

You Got Served
Not proud to admit but I do love this film (might have to also add it to the guilty pleasures list), as I said, I love anything with a good dance routine and this goes waaay beyond that.  No more words, just watch:

Grease
Spent a large chunk of my childhood trying to nail the clapping hand jive routine (I've finally got it now!) but the rest of this routine just wouldn't have worked on my own. Two fantastic dancers (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John) showing everyone how it should be done.

Bring it on
Ok so not technically a dance routine as such but how can it not be mentioned! In fact I love all the routines in this film, they are quite incredible to watch, the skill that is involved is unbelievable.  If you are someone who will never watch this film, just watch this scene and if nothing else you have to admit they are some skilled cheerleaders!

Little Miss Sunshine
This blew me a away when I first saw this film, I just didn't expect it.  Abigail Breslin at her very best! (Excuse the poor quality video!)

Centre Stage
This film is really rubbish (but I love it anyway!) but this scene has got some amazing dancing and I mean real dancing!  There is some fluff in there involving a motorbike and various other props but the best parts are when it's just the dancers...

Beauty and the Beast
The moment you realise that she might love him too, lovely scene and that ballroom, the detail drawn in that is incredible.

Review: Cinderella Man (2005)

I downloaded this film onto my iPad to watch if I was bored in the airport on the way to some other far flung place and thank god I did as I ended up on an 11 hour journey to get home (which should have taken 4 hours) so I had plenty of time to watch everything I had downloaded.

This film is the true story of James J Braddock a boxer during the Great Depression in 1930's America who loses everything.  Him and his family struggle after he gets ditched from boxing and they have to fight to survive and provide for their children.  Years later, Braddock gets the opportunity to box again and the rest they say is history...

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this film, the cover looked depressing as did the description, but it just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover.  This film was amazing, loved every minute of it and I was completely gripped from beginning to end.  I spent 20 minutes of the film sobbing, on a train in Germany no less so maybe it wasn't SFT after all. I have to be honest, I've never even heard of this film, and when I saw the title Cinderella Man in the draft section of our blog, I actually thought it was going to be a cheesy Disney film! I now realise I was thinking of A Cinderella Story...sorry.

The film seemed quite slow but that didn't take away from the story at all.  Russell Crowe was brilliant at the down ad out boxer trying desperately to avoid having to send his children away and the fact that it's based on a true story makes it that much more poignant.  Your heart breaks where their heart breaks and you feel the pure joy whenever something happens to him and his wife, played by Renee Zellweger (who possible wears too much make up for someone with starving kids in the height of the depression!).  Giamatti is perfect in the role of Braddocks trainer, Joe Gould who looks on with the perfect amount of sadness when it all goes wrong and himself gives everything up in his belief of Braddock.

A definite must-see even if you don't think it's for you, give it a try anyway, you might be surprised. I'm going to take you up on that one!

Review: Our Idiot Brother (2011)

I watched this on my iPad (thank you Sky Go Extra) on route to Geneva for work.  I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, I knew it wasn't going to be intellectually stimulating or hilariously funny but it was going to be an easy watch, and that it was...

 

I think that because I didn't put too much pressure on this film to be amazing, I just enjoyed it for what it was.  It is the story of Ned (Paul Rudd) who unwittingly gets himself arrested for selling weed to a cop.  Once out on probation his (mean) girlfriend has moved on and taken his lodgings with her and he finds himself in the big bad world by himself.  Enter his three controlling sisters played by Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel and Elizabeth Banks - who do nothing but try to change Ned.

 

The rest of the film is the development of the relationships between Ned and his sisters and how all of their lives are changed because of his arrival.  It has really lovely moments between the family and also some very realistic moments, the argument between the three sisters near the end of the film (I can't say anymore because it would be a spoiler) is so much like my three cousins, they absolutely nailed it.  The film flowed well but it was lacking the comedy that the cover/trailer promised and replaced it with drama which I wasn't expecting when I started watching it.  The drama however is good enough to keep you watching even though it doesn't make you laugh.

 

Now I want to say that Jenna's review is a bit of a shame, because Our Idiot Brother has been on my radar for quite some time now, but when I think about it, the only reason it was ever on my radar is because of the cast, none of the plot really gripped me. I'll probably give it a watch at some point, I'm just not rushing out to do so.

 

Overall, I probably wouldn't watch this again but I would recommend it to someone looking for an easy watch that takes no real thinking.

 

 

Trailers That Caught My Eye

I've written a fair few film reviews lately, and as much as I enjoy it, I like to mix things up every now and again, and I can't decide on a new list yet, so I thought I might share some of the trailers I've seen over the last couple of weeks with you.

A Walk Among the Tombstones

Okay, so at first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is the trailer for Taken 3. It's definitely Liam Neeson being Liam Neeson, but honestly, what's wrong with that? There's also a hint of a bit of a twist in there too, and it's based on a book. Perhaps I'll try and read it before it comes out in September! I'm not going to lie, this doesn't really grip me, I do love a good Liam Neeson movie but this looks a bit slow if the trailer is anything to go by!

What If

Aw, this film is so cute. Jenna actually put this one on the radar for me. Admittedly, I was sold by the first line! I haven't been able to shake the Harry Potter image away from Daniel Radcliffe and I don't think What If will either, but it's still something I'd love to watch. This would be great for a Flick Chicks night out I think.  Agreed!

Cinderella

Wow, I don't think I've seen a trailer to reveal less than this one! There's almost a year to go before this is released though so I'm sure we'll be seeing more in time. Also, Richard Madden as Prince Charming? Let me try and locate my ovaries, I think they exploded somewhere...!  Possibly the most irritating teaser trailer in history, it gives absolutely nothing away and we have to wait until March next year, but all can be forgiven if Richard Madden is in it - I'm in!

That's it for now. Are there any trailers you've seen recently which have caught your eye? Share them with me, because I'd love to see them!

Review: Heavyweights (1995)

Again, another film downloaded to my iPad and I'm so glad I did.  I watched this when I was younger and had forgotten all about it until now so it was a bit of a blast from the past for me.

A group of slightly larger children are invited to a 'fat camp' with the promise of an exciting, action packed summer.  Unfortunately, the camp has been sold to Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller) who is a fitness fanatic and vows to get the boys into shape with whatever means necessary, whether the boys like it or not!

Ok so this film isn't particularly deep and at points it focuses worryingly on how it's ok to be obese (ignoring any health issues this may pose) but it is a simple plotline with skilled child actors that makes you laugh.  You don't need to think or concentrate and you can just enjoy it.  This is one of Ben Stiller's earlier roles and I'm guessing he used this to get ideas for his part in Dodgeball and they seem pretty similar characters.  The boys fight back and choose to stay bigger and not be part of Perkis' plans for an Infomercial on weight loss with hilarious consequences, this does make you laugh out loud in places.  This is possibly my favourite scene in the whole film, the junk food party, it's like spring break for fat kids:

You can spot the Judd Apatow humour a mile off, which is part of the reason why I still love this movie as I am generally a big fan of Judd Apatow's writing.  Plus the original camp owners are actually played by Ben Stiller's parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

This sounds like a pretty decent film, although I've never heard of it! I don't think there's been a Ben Stiller film that I haven't enjoyed so I'll have to give this a go some day soon. Funnily enough I watched Zoolander for the first time in about 9 years and it reminded me of how much I like him.

When you have a few hours to kill, watch this.  It doesn't take much effort but it does make you laugh.

Currently Watching...Game of Thrones (Allie)

As a Brit, I'm currently trying to stay away from any and all forms of social media so that I don't see any Game of Thrones spoilers. Of course, by the time you read this, I'll have seen it, but I need to keep myself occupied! I've already read the books too but the producers have been getting a tad creative recently so I couldn't even guess at what will happen tonight (Last night, for you readers).

I'll keep this spoiler free for the Season 4 finale, but please be warned that I'll mention other previous events.

 

I really try not to be one of those fans who criticises everything that isn't 100% true to the books, but a little whinge is definitely needed. Seasons 1 and 2 followed the books perfectly, and I was really impressed. Season 3 continued to do the same, right up until the finale. What even was that finale? A whole heap of nothing! The Purple Wedding should have been the Season3 finale in my opinion.

For a few months I sulked for a while, and then figured, well if it wasn't the finale, they'll do it as the Season 4 opening! Nope. That was an episode full of nothing too. Err, great, thanks.

However! Every episode since has been really good. A few little irritating moments, but a massive improvement on Season 3 for sure. Now, please correct me if I'm just making things up here, it's been 4 years since I finished reading the books and I can't remember everything. But was there really ever a romance line with Grey Worm and Missandei?

 

There are plenty of love interests in the books, there's no need to create new ones. I thought the whole point the Unsullied were so feared was that they had no feelings at all?

Anyway, there's a major character death coming up soon, and I'm hoping it happens tonight. I'm signing out now but I'll update you all tonight...

Oh wow, okay! Can I just take all of my whinges back? Episode 10, you totally made up for it all with last night's episode! It literally had everything that I was hoping for, and more!

Tyrion, you badass! Jon Snow, you tell 'em! I wanted to cry for Daenerys and the Hound though...Bran's scene was a little 'wtf' but I don't even remember his chapters in the book, to be honest his character just bores me a little.

Last night ended with a bang, and it's the perfect set-up for next year. Now I have a huge Game of Thrones shaped hole in my heart, and I need a new TV Show to fill my Monday nights with!

Review: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)

Earlier this week I was at a friend's house for a games night, and we had old school Jackass on the TV in the background. It brought back a ton of high school memories, but also reminded me that I still hadn't seen Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa! I rectified that pretty quickly.  When I was younger, I found Jackass hilarious.  That pretty soon wore thin, the lack of story started to bore me and frankly some of the skits made me feel a bit queasy!  So I didn't even think to see this at home let alone in the cinema so I have no review unfortunately.

I actually wanted to see this at the cinema when it came out, but it was just one of those films that I ran out of time to see. I knew it wouldn't be a 10/10 film, but I used to love watching candid camera shows years ago when they were all the rage so I needed to see this.

There is indeed a plot to this! I suppose this gives me more hope for this than the previous Jackass films!! Billy's mum has just been put into jail for drug use, and so Billy is given to his Grandpa Irving, who doesn't really want to look after him. Irving makes contact with Billy's father Chuck, who agrees to take Billy off his hands so that he can claim $600 benefits a month. The film then follows Irving and Billy's journey across the USA from Nebraska to North Carolina, with plenty of mischief in between...

The film starts fairly slow with a few half-hearted laughs, but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did because I laughed throughout, and wiped a few tears away after some scenes! If you've seen the trailer you'll already be aware of the beauty pageant scene but this was another of my favourites.



Ohh that scene really made me giggle! If you loved Borat then you'll enjoy this, but I have to say that it doesn't beat Borat. That, for me, is the best of its kind! An honourable mention has to go out to Jackson Nicoll, the little kid who played Billy, because he does a fantastic job at keeping in character throughout this film. I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face!

In conclusion, one to watch on a weekend with a few friends and some drinks, but then stick on some old school original Jackass because you'll remember how much you miss it!



Favourite Movie Scene Blogathon

Another day another Blogathon, I am loving these so much right now.  Not only do they encourage a sense of community in the movie blog world but they push us to write posts that might be a little out of our comfort zones and adds a bit of variety to the old blog post list! John from Hitchcock's World has started the Favourite movie scenes blogathon, here is the original post if you haven't already seen it http://hitchcocksworld.blogspot.ca/2014/05/favorite-movie-scenes-blogathon.html.

The rules are:

• Each choice must be a specific moment from a film, not the film itself, even if it's a movie like My Dinner With Andre or Twelve Angry Men.
• Since picking out scenes is hard, you can write about as many different moments from as many different films as you like. There are no specific restrictions in what types of films you can draw from, even if it's one of Godard's movies or Tarkovsky's Solaris or any other film I have criticized in this blog. I'll even try to control myself is you pick a scene from one of Connery's James Bond films (emphasis on the try).
• I'd encourage you to try and diversify your range of choices as much as you can. In both my lists I cover movies in the science fiction, war, western, comedy, surrealist, and adventure genres with periods ranging from the 1950's to the present day. 
• For each film you refer to you can only discuss one scene. For instance if you decide on writing about 2001: A Space Odyssey, you can't do both the shuttle docking sequence and the scene where Dave disconnects HAL, you'd have to make a choice between one or the other.
• For each scene, you should provide a reasonably clear description. I would advise some context regarding what is happening in the scene (though you are not required to do so depending on the circumstances, i.e. if you want to avoid spoiling a crucial twist that happens here), but the focus should be on what you like about that particular moment.
• I would also recommend making sure your descriptions are not too long. I'm not going to give a precise maximum length but try to keep your explanations from being longer than necessary.

I have been pondering my response to this for a while as it's really tough for me, do I go with something that is classic and a lot of people would consider a fantastic scene or do I go with my sentiment and go with the scenes that I love for my own reasons.  After much deliberation, I decided to go with my gut and I ended up with two scenes, both chosen for my love of these scenes not because they are well shot or visually epic but because I could watch them over and over again and never get bored.

My first choice is from The Goonies (surprise surprise I hear you say) this is my all time favourite film so why wouldn't my favourite scene come from it.  It's The Wishing Well Scene:

 

This was an epic scene where they had to decide whether to carry on to find One Eyed Willy's treasure or go up the wishing well and back to their boring normal lives.  There is no big set pieces or giant octopusses to distract you it's just Mouth (Corey Feldman) and Mikey (Sean Astin) making big speeches to their friends and I love it.  In fact this came up in my Top 10 Film Quotes as well.

 

My second choice is from Toy Story 3, this scene had no words but I sobbed like a baby.  Its the key scene in the movie where the toys are in the incinerator and have no way to escape so they just look at each other and hold hands, knowing what is about to happen.  It seemed like such a grown up scene for a children's film but it made it for me.

 



 

I wanted to ask if it was wrong to love a movie scene even though it makes you cry every time, but I think Jenna's already answered this for me! I briefly studied animation in college and so animated films have always had a soft spot in my heart. One of my all-time favourite films (I don't have just one) is Monsters Inc, and although there are many funny scenes, this touching scene is the one that stuck with me.

 



I tend to sob quite often during films but what amazes me is how much you can fall in love with an animated character. It's easy to relate to a human actor, and sympathise with whatever they're feeling, but it's brilliant how animators can make us feel exactly what these cartoon-y monsters feel.

Have you ever watched Wallace and Gromit? Gromit, the dog, doesn't even talk and yet you know exactly what he would be saying just by his facial expression!

Confession time. Jenna chose her favourite scenes ages ago, and she's been patiently waiting for me to do mine. I've only recently widened the spectrum of films that I watch, and so most of my favourite films and scenes are from comedies. So with that in mind, you'll have to forgive me for now and ask me again in a years time, and then you might get a different answer!

Thanks again to John at Hitchcock's World for this Blogathon, it's been great fun to do and really made me think about why I love the films that I do.

Review: The Sixth Sense (1999) - Guest Post

I've really been enjoying these Blogathon's that we've taken part in recently. There have been quite a few, I'm still working on my half for another, and I hope that one day we can run our own!

One of our favourite film blogs, Cinema Parrot Disco is hosting a Guest Blogger series for the IMDB Top 250 List. By now, you should know that here at Flick Chick's we've made it our goal to watch all 250 and review them, so this was the perfect opportunity for us! Thankfully The Sixth Sense was still available.

We don't watch/review horror movies very often so the fact that we get to review a horror movie on Friday 13th is pretty awesome!

 

 

Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is a young boy who can communicate with spirits that don't know they're dead. He spends a lot of time with a child psychiatrist, Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) to try and help his problem.

 

The Sixth Sense is a really hard film for me to review. I first watched it at a sleepover with my friends when I was about 12, and just as we pressed play, my friend blurted out 'Oh, this is the film where *insert major spoiler here*'. I have to admit, that really killed it for me. If I could somehow come across a time machine, I think one of the first things I would do is go back to that year and watch the film alone, spoiler free. 

 

I got to watch this completely spoiler free, I think I went to the cinema with my friend Hayley to see it - I was terrified the whole way through.  The down side was I missed a lot of the story because I constantly had my cardigan over my face waiting for something to jump out!  It was only after I watched the whole film that I realised it wasn't that kind of horror but by then I knew the 'major spoiler' so the second (non-scared) time just didn't have the same impact.  Also, my friend started belting me in the arm (Allie will confirm that this is something I also have a nasty habit of doing when something exciting/scary/interesting happens in a film! - It's true, I still have the bruises) when the wedding ring dropped, she knew what was going on and I didn't have a clue!  I'm pretty sure she had to explain the spoiler to me afterwards as well! ha!

 

However, back to the film.  I did love this film, apart from being scared the story is great and Haley Joel Osment was brilliant as the terrified Cole and Bruce Willis actually does well in a non-action hero role.  The ending definitely makes this film as it can become a little slow in the middle, but that is all forgotten when the film ends.  I generally love M Night Shyamalan films anyway, I think I am the only one of my friends/family who enjoyed The Village, I thought it was really clever and Signs was hilarious

 

The scenes of teenagers who have blown their brains out and women hanged from the ceiling still terrify me but it's worth it to see the story play out.

 

Do you fancy feeling like a total old person? This is what the little boy, Cole looks like now:

 

Wow, I feel old now!!

 

 

 

This is a film that everyone should watch at least once. There are a few films in the Top 250 that I question, but this firmly deserves it's place. I wish I could give it a 10/10 but it's just not the same knowing how it ends. 

 

This is a must watch for everyone, just don't be scared and ruin it for yourselves, its not that kind of horror movie.



Thursday's Thought: Ignorance is Bliss

Sometimes I feel like a bit of a cheat, co-running a film blog. I only really got into films in the last few years, and there's a whole ton of films that are considered 'must watch' that I haven't seen, or even heard of. Then I think to myself, well that's the reason this blog is so enjoyable. I get to discover great films I've never heard of, watch them, and then share my thoughts with like-minded people.

I'm also fairly easily amused by many films, and struggle to understand heavy plots (hello, Inception), which does lead to my more 'hardcode' film fan friends to poke fun at me. What I think though, is that ignorance is bliss.

The idea for this post came to me whilst driving to work this morning listening to Busted (don't ask) and Thunderbirds Are Go came on (Love it!). It reminded me of when the film came out, how it was the first time I ever even heard of the Thunderbirds, and how much I loved the film at the time, even though it felt like the rest of the world hated it. So today, I want to talk briefly about Thunderbirds and two other films I really enjoyed.

Thunderbirds (2004)

This is quite fitting, as it's been 10 years since this film came out! Me and my friends went to see this for the sole reason that Busted provided the song, Thunderbirds Are Go. I didn't know anything about the Thunderbirds and I fell in love with it! My email address contained Virgil Tracy for about 8 years before I finally changed it. I still have the DVD and I would love to watch it again soon to see if I still enjoy it; I'll review it on this blog too.
In this case, I was completely ignorant to the horrific reviews but that year, I watched some of the original TV Show episodes, and my parents got me some of the old school toys from eBay too.  I too only watched this because of the Busted song and I was really disappointed when it was only played at the end.  I don't actually hate this film, I found it rather entertaining, maybe a bit too cheesy and certainly not enough of the other Tracy brothers (Scott was always my favourite in the original series).  I have watched it a few times since and still the credits (with the Busted song) are still the best part overall!!

Green Lantern (2011)

Jenna's going to rib me for this, I know. In fact, even now I'll happily file this under 'Guilty Pleasure', but before I saw this, the only comic book film I'd seen was Thor, which I loved, and so I was happily dragged to another comic book film. Again, I had no knowledge of who the Green Lantern was or what made him special, and so the origin story was awesome for me. It spurred on my love of comic books (and Ryan Reynolds) and after collecting loads of graphic novels, I see now that although the film certainly wasn't bad, it could have been a hell of a lot better.
But still, if this film brought on an appreciation of comic books, and the films, it can't be a bad thing, right? You justify this however you need to haha!!  If I'm going to be honest the first time is saw this I didn't completely hate it but then I watched it again and I DID completely hate it.  Some of the graphics used are great, Ryan Reynolds suit is awesome but the story lacks and I didn't find myself caring whether Hal Jordan survived or not! Sorry Allie!!

Robocop (2014)

Can you see the pattern emerging here? I've never seen the original Robocop, whatever it was. I don't even know if it started as a film, TV show or comic. My guy friends are fans though, and so after I had seen the Robocop film I happily struck up the conversation. "Hey guys, I saw Robocop last night, what did you guys think?" Which was followed by groans and then ten minutes of getting my ear chewed off about how his accident was lame, and something about the giant robot things. Oh. I actually really enjoyed it. Sure, it took half the film before the action really kicked in, but that's not always a bad thing!
I'm probably going to watch the original Robocop now, in whatever form it may have. I'll have to write up a review of the new version first before I end up hating it!

I hope I haven't rambled too much but these things play on my mind every now and again. I'd love to know, is there a film you love that everyone ribs you for?

Currently Watching....Once Upon a Time (Jenna)

Men at Work finished and left me with a great big comedy shaped hole in my life.  After searching to find something to live up to it in the comedy stakes, I gave up and headed for something that might live up to it in the entertainment stakes.  Boy did I pick a winner.  I love this show, it took a bit of getting into but after the first 3 episodes I was hooked (pun intended!).

The storylines throughout this are surprisingly unique and new (considering it's all based around fairy tales) but the familiarity of the characters keeps to wanted to watch.  Finding out someone you instinctively thought was good is bad and vice versa keeps it interesting and regularly throws you a curve ball that you're not expecting (hence my love for Captain Hook, not what I was expected after a childhood of watching Peter Pan and Hook!)

There is romance, treachery, long lost loves, sword fights and secrets and every episode is action packed.  It comes across a bit cheesy at times but sometimes that's what I love about it because it still has the underlying feel of a fairy tale where spells can be broken with true loves kiss and magic beans can help you travel between realms.  However, there are also serious issues broached throughout from adoption to heartbreak and loss (I won't go into details, don't want to drop any spoilers). 

There are so many characters throughout the show at any one time, you always have someone to root for and someone hate in every episode and it's always different.  One of the characters that provides a huge range of opinions is Mr Gold AKA Rumpelstiltskin played by Robert Carlyle astonishingly well, particularly in the scenes in the past where he is Rumpelstiltskin by look as well as heart.  He makes you love him and hate him at the same time - quite a feat for one actor playing two roles, both of which have a good and a bad, complex to say the least! Here's a taste of it (with a bit of Hook for good measure):

If you haven't seen this yet, give it a try and decide for yourself.

Pretty soon I'm going to have a large TV Show shaped hole in my life; two shows I watch each week have had their season finales and a third will have theirs in the next couple of weeks, so I'm seriously thinking about giving this a shot!