Thursday Movie Picks: Train Movies

It’s Thursday again! Time for another round of Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. 

This week, it feels like Autumn is well and truly on it’s way, and it won’t be long before the work commuters will be hearing the dreaded ‘...delayed due to leaves on the line’ whilst they wait for their busy train to work. I’ve been there! So, without further ado, here are my train related picks this week.

"Tickets and passes please...tickets and passes..."

Probably one of the most obvious choices, but absolutely one of my favourites, Source Code (2011) is a cracking thriller in which Jake Gyllenhaal discovers he is part of an experimental government program in which he needs to find out who the bomber of a commuter train is. He has only 8 minutes to find his target, or the train will blow up and he’ll have to start all over again. I thought it would be a little stale with the repeated scenes, but it’s actually one of my favourite movies ever.

It’s only September, I know, but we’re talking about trains, and how can I not mention one of my favourite Christmas movies, The Polar Express (2004)? A magical movie in which Tom Hanks plays over 50% of the entire cast, Santa’s elves not included, and I can’t believe that it’s 11 years old now. Since starting to blog I’ve come to realise not many out there like The Polar Express much, but the songs in it give me festive goosebumps!

The only reason I watched Unstoppable (2010) a couple of years ago was for Chris Pine, and I fully expected it to be a bore-fest. How interesting could a movie be about a freight train out of control? Very, it turns out, and I was sat on the edge of my seat for quite some time. It had a great mix of action scenes and drama, and I was really proved wrong.

I want to put out an honourable mention to Snowpiercer which I would have included, but I’ve picked it for a different theme already. 

Mini Reviews: Dear John (2010), Enchanted (2007) & The Interview (2014)

Rom-coms used to be all I would watch, but since starting this blog and widening my horizon, it’s left a whole ton of films like Dear John sat around just waiting to be watched. I get the TV all to myself on Tuesday nights whilst the other half is away, so I got to tick Dear John off my list not too long ago. It stars Channing Tatum as John, a US Army soldier, who meets Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) whilst on summer leave.

It’s exactly what you’d expect, and it’s fairly predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and I can’t speak for the rest of my fellow ladies out there, but I’ll happily watch Channing Tatum shirtless on the beach any day! Not a film I feel the need to re-watch any time soon, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of comments I received on the Thursday Movie Picks: Fairy Tale Adaptations post I did which featured Enchanted. It felt like I was the only one in the world who had never seen it! Needless to say, I made sure I watched it very soon after. If you’ve been hiding under a rock like me for the last 8 years, Enchanted is a real-life, Disney musical about the princess Giselle (Amy Adams) who gets sent to real-world New York city.

It was just the right kind of cheesy, with songs that are catchy and easy to recall (as my 20 year old brother can prove!) and it was so full of charm from beginning to end that I just couldn’t stop smiling. The CGI work is a little off, but that can be forgiven. Glad to say that I’ve finally watched it!

Why do I keep doing this to myself?! I can’t stand James Franco, I really, really just can’t bear him, and yet I just can’t help myself and keep giving him chances. I guess I’m still trying to find another This Is The End. I’m not sure how much of the ‘The Interview has been banned/Oh no it hasn’t’ scandal I believe, but it was enough to get me to watch it one weekend. So, in this, Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen) run a celebrity chat show, and are tasked with interviewing North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Un. Um, and kill him.

Honestly? I thought James Franco was alright in this. He surprised me. However, the film itself fell flat. The first half was decent, just the right kind of silly, but it wasn’t the un-believable factor that killed it for me. It just wasn’t very interesting! I got bored halfway through and caught up with Twitter instead. Sorry!

Review: Incendies (2010)

We’re not doing too well with getting through the IMDB Top 250 list. It’s a blogging goal of ours, and it’s on Jenna’s 30 before 30 list, and well, she’s getting on a bit now! (I’m joking - I love you!) so we’ve both given ourselves a kick up the backside recently to get a move on. I had quite a few films recommended to me on the IMDB forums after a post I made about The Usual Suspects, and when I realised one of those suggested films was also on the Top 250 list, I knew it should be the next thing I saw!

Incendies is a fantastic Canadian film which was nominated for an Oscar in 2011 for ‘Best Foreign Language Film of the Year’. I would love to find out what won and watch it just to try and understand why Incendies didn't win. It tells the story of twins (Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin and Maxim Gaudette) who have just lost their mother (Lubna Azabal), visiting their mother’s colleague and friend to witness her will being read. Included in her will are multiple notes and envelopes instructing the twins to find their brother and father. Thing is, they were under the impression that their father was dead, and they didn’t even know they had a brother.

I wondered whether I might struggle with Incendies. It is with great shame that I confess this is the first foreign-speaking film I’ve ever seen, and I wasn’t sure if I would get the full emotional effect by reading subtitles for just under 2 hours. Although I would always prefer an English-speaking film, I have to say that the subtitles didn’t distract me at all and the emotions were still clearly evident. Incendies won’t be the first and last foreign-speaking film I see, that’s for sure.

Let me move on to the film itself though. Incendies is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, it tells a fascinating tale of this inspiring lady, the twins mother, through a series of flashbacks and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such graphic scenes without actual graphic content. I realise that may not make sense right now, but if you see the film you’ll understand. The themes certainly aren’t for the light hearted. The very mention of a war film makes me want to nod off to sleep usually, but Incendies has opened my eyes to a film genre I have always pushed aside and ignored.

As fascinating as the story was, I did the feel the time length quite heavily. However, just as I started to get fidgety, wondering how the issues could be resolved in the next half an hour without ending terribly, everything started to come together and I spent that time with my jaw hanging. As the entwining stories finally came to their conclusion, I was stunned and actually had to rewind just to be sure I’d read the subtitles correctly. Simply amazing, that’s the only way I can describe that ending.

I’ve already mentioned this, but Incendies is definitely not for everyone. I image many would be turned off at some of the adult themes, and others may give up just before I nearly did. Those who stick with it though are in for an amazing experience.

Thursday Movie Picks: Teen Comedies

This week’s theme is right up my street! 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 Teen Comedies, which is a really difficult week for me. Difficult because teen comedies are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me! It’s okay to still enjoy them when you’re well into your twenties, right?

I could have happily put together a list of 20 movies this week, but I’ll behave, and pick my favourite 3.

I’m not ranking these three or anything, but if I could, Van Wilder would be my number 1, for so many reasons! This is Ryan Reynolds at his best, playing the most popular kid in college who doesn’t ever want to graduate. It’s your typical cheesy story, but man, I just love it so much. I haven’t seen the other Van Wilder films though, strangely enough.

It shames me to admit that I only saw Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for the first time recently, but if you read my review, you’ll know that already. Oh, how I wish I could go back in time to watch this again and again. Ferris pulls a sicky to get a day off school, and much fun ensues when his Principal and Sister try to catch him out. I wonder sometimes if this film influenced the cartoon Phineas & Ferb in any way?

Hoping that it’s acceptable to still love teen comedies in your twenties...have I ever mentioned how much I love Easy A? I can’t even pretend I saw this in my teens, as I was...21 when it came out. Oops. Emma Stone is in top form here, using the school’s rumour mill to her advantage when she spreads a lie about her virginity. 

Review: Toy Story 3 (2010)

When have sequels ever been better than the originals, I've heard rumours about The Godfather Part Two but haven't seen it myself so I can't comment on that.  The answer is rarely, until Toy Story that is.  As much as I enjoyed Toy Story 2 it didn't surpass its predecessor but then there was 3, and everything 2 couldn't do, 3 did, and better!

Toy Story 3 continues to follow Andy's toys but now the game has changed, Andy is going to college and decides to only keep Woody (I'd guess for sentimental value).  The rest of the toys mistakenly get shipped to the local day-care centre instead of heading to the attic, leaving Woody to convince them they are not unwanted and encourage them to find their way home.

As always with Toy Story and Pixar in general, the animation is spot on with an incredible attention to detail in both the main focus of the scene and the background.  Everytime I watch a Disney/Pixar film I spot something new that I didn't see last time (and I'm always looking out for the Pizza Planet truck that is in every Disney/Pixar movie).  This is where Toy Story 3 beat out 2 though, the story, they brought in a whole range of new characters in the residents of the care home but ensure there is still plenty of screen time for the beloved favourites.  They all have to work together if they want to escape the hell hole that is Sunnyside Day Care.

I was apprehensive at first before I watched Toy Story 3. Introducing just a few new characters in Toy Story 2 worked well but I didn't know how to feel about such a wealth of even newer characters. However, Pixar nailed it, and I am a proud owner of a Lotso bear (although he doesn't smell like strawberries any more after 4 years!).

The main story is not only brilliantly written but the side stories also stand out, Barbie and Ken's not so match made in heaven (particularly his wardrobe montage!!) and Buzz Lightyear's reset repair causing him to speak Spanish and Mr Potato Head becoming a Tortilla for the good of the team.  There is no moment in this film when you are not grinning from ear to ear - except maybe the truly terrifying and heartbreaking incinerator scene.

Spanish Buzz Lightyear is my absolute favourite part of Toy Story 3 and I was so happy when I saw the new toys in my local toy store. If only I had an excuse to buy one for myself. Note - Lotso doesn't count, he was a gift and a soft toy!

One thing that I noticed moreso in this one to the other Pixar movies was that it appeared to touch on much more adult themes but in a way that children can understand.  Themes of friendship, loss, mortality, change and relationships are all touched upon in enough detail to prove they are not dumbing down films to kids levels, rather they are briefly introducing them to feelings they will inevitably have to deal with in life.  I love that. Yeah, I agree. It was almost like Toy Story 3 was made for the kids who grew up with the original, who are now all adults (sigh).

I cannot find a fault with this film, it's clever, funny, sad and visually stunning.  I will admit I did cry at the end as well!

I really enjoyed Toy Story 3 and loved how it ended, which yes, did make me cry a little, but Toy Story 2 is still my favourite of the series.