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. 

Limitless (2011) Vs Lucy (2014)

Sometimes, films sit in my ‘to watch’ list for so long, I forget how they ended up there in the first place. That was the case with Limitless, that I decided to finally watch on New Year’s Day. I didn’t even know what it was about! It was enjoyable, anyway, and it made me think of Lucy, which I hadn’t bothered watching after so many bad reviews. What I thought would be interesting was to watch both and compare them, as they kind of tell the same story after all.

In Limitless, Eddie (Bradley Cooper) is a down on his luck writer, recently dumped by his girlfriend, who is introduced to the drug known as NZT by a friend. The pill boosts his brain’s abilities exponentially and Eddie rapidly rises from a nobody to being highly successful and rich. The horrible side effects of NZT mean that Eddie can’t stop taking it, and his supply is dwindling.

Although I enjoyed Limitless and never felt bored, my overall feeling was ‘just a bit meh’. It wasn’t too predictable and unlike others, I enjoyed the ending, but the whole film was just lacking something that I can’t put my finger on. At times it feels like not much is happening, and then I focused on little annoying things that shouldn’t have mattered. Eddie’s girlfriend for example, who wanted nothing to do with him at his lowest, but was all over him once he was rich. What a cow!

I think Bradley Cooper is brilliant but he didn’t get a chance to use his full potential here. Still, it was an enjoyable film, but that’s about it, really.

Lucy’s (Scarlett Johansson) terrible boyfriend lands her right in the middle of a drug scandal. She winds up as a drug mule for CPH4, a drug that makes a person able to utilise up to 100% of their brain. The bag inside Lucy’s stomach rips as the drug goes straight to her bloodstream. She then seeks revenge on her captors, and well, then it turns weird.

Honestly, I thought the first half of this film was brilliant. I loved how it went back and forth from Lucy as she unlocks more of her brain to Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman) explaining his theory, and the clips of nature to tie in with it all. Then it hit 40% brain power, and it all went to hell. No one seemed as alarmed by Lucy as they probably should be, and I have no idea how to explain the scene on the plane. I went from fully understanding and enjoying the film, to a confused mess.

Once the credits rolled, my fiance and I looked at each other and said ‘what?’. That’s my only way of describing it. So, perhaps not surprisingly, Limitless is my winner!

Mini Reviews: Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Unknown (2011) & Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

I've been putting off Edge of Tomorrow for ages now, but I did finally relent and watched it just before Christmas. Jenna's already written a full review which you can read here. I really enjoyed the film actually, and I can see why friends of mine really pushed me to watch it! I'm just not a huge Tom Cruise fan; he's the main reason I waited so long. Emily Blunt was brilliant though I thought, I'm liking her more each time I see her. I also wasn't expecting there to be so much humour in what I thought would be a dead pan serious film! Worth a watch for sure.

I was talking about films with my Grandparents the other week and Liam Neeson cropped up. They mentioned seeing him in something good where he was a complete badass (probably not their exact words) and so I said 'Oh, you mean Taken!' No, not that. 'On a plane? Non-Stop?' Nope. 'Did he punch a wolf in the face? Was it The Grey?' Definitely not. It was Unknown! A film which, until then, was unknown to me. (Plenty more where that came from) 

Feeling the need to watch more Liam Neeson we watched it the very next day. Neeson plays a man who, after an accident, suffers memory loss, but it's a little more than that as his memories come back to him, but his wife doesn't know who he is. There's a twist I didn't see until the very last second, and I really enjoyed it, but it just didn't have the wow factor for me.

Sometimes, I just need to watch a fun, animated kids film. Do you ever get those days? I haven't seen Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs all in one go yet, I somehow watched the last half and then the first half about 2 months later. I got the gist though! I know the sequel wasn't for everyone, but it's filled with bad puns and tasty food and that was all I really wanted and needed! It was enough to make me want to watch the first one properly. 

Review: Bridesmaids (2011)

There is something I really wanted to mention on this blog but with it being a movie blog, I feel like most things we write have to link back to a movie in one way or another, so I found a relevant movie to review!!

On the last Flick Chicks night out I was truly gobsmacked when Allie asked me to be her Bridesmaid, I didn't expect it at all but I was so excited and thrilled to say yes.  This will be my first time being a Bridesmaid as a grown up so I get all the fun of the hen do (bachelorette party for the Americans among us!) as well as the wedding -  happy days!! 

I'm so excited that you're turning this into a blog post! As my fellow Flick Chick you just absolutely have to be up there with me!

Anyway to make this relevant to this blog I have decided to review Bridesmaids, which I am surprised I haven't done sooner as I really do love this movie.  (I will the Melissa McCarthy character at Allie's wedding haha!! Oh lordy, I'm terrified for the dress shopping now!)

Annie's (Kirsten Wiig) best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married and it's down to her to be her Maid of Honour, that is until Helen (Rose Byrne) steps in and starts to splash the cash and make Annie feel inadequate.  Add in the rest of the crazy bridesmaid cast and you've got yourself an all star comedy, the female Hangover if you will.

Side bar:  I feel like we need to learn the routine to Wilson Phillp's Hold on for all the Bridesmaids at your wedding - what do you reckon Allie? You know full well that I don't dance, and my Mum is already planning a flash mob dance which she'll no doubt get you involved in!

Sorry, veering a little off track there.  This film is hilarious and no matter how many times I watch it, I still find it ridiculously funny, it never seems to get one.  The chemistry between the group of Bridesmaids, including the amazing Melissa McCarthy, is brilliant.  Can I name a bad thing about this movie? not really!

Taking on rom-coms and wedding films galore this funfest kicks ass as well as showing the 'real' side of wedding planning, bachelorette parties and competitiveness streaks that affect many bridal parties in the run up to weddings.  Who wouldn't hate this 'new friend' that has turned up and is trying to take your Best Friend away from you?! Worse still, this new friend steals your ideas but has significant funds to take them one step further (I so would have destroyed the giant cookie at that point as well!).

The female version of every male ensemble movie ever made but with clever humour and a penchant for reality (and a bit of toilet humour thrown in for good measure).  You can't hate it, its too good!

There's nothing I can say here that Jenna hasn't already, and it's been far too long since I've seen this so there will have to be an extended Flick Chicks plus bridesmaids movie night where we can watch it together!

 

Review: The Grey (2011)

I’ve been meaning to watch The Grey for far too long. So long in fact, that when I finally got round to sitting down to see it, I completely forgot what it was even about. Liam Neeson and some wolves. That was about all I could recall. At least I could convince my other half to watch this with me!

Here's the thing, I loved Liam Neeson. However, the Taken phenomenon and everything in between has pushed me into being extremely bored of him (and his one character) so although I probably should watch this and give it a chance, for now I'm not going to. So there...

Bare with me now as I don’t fully understand the underlying plot here. That’s my bad though, not the film’s. Ottway (Liam Neeson) is an oil worker in Alaska who is desperately unhappy. I can’t work out if his wife is ill or dead, or whether they are actually still together. Regardless, Ottway and his colleagues take a flight (I’m not sure where or why) and the worst case scenario happens, the plane crashes in the middle of nowhere, leaving the few survivors to fend for themselves.

The film introduces Ottway quite nicely I thought. We certainly get an insight into what’s going on in his head. We also get introduced to his colleagues on the plane, and get a feeling of their characteristics. The plane crash scene itself was incredibly dramatic, and I think I was holding my breath throughout part of it!

I wasn’t expecting the film to be quite as jumpy as it was; I’m certainly glad I didn’t see it at the cinema or I would have embarrassed myself! You know those moment where you’re saying to yourself ‘that person is going to get jumped on, I just know it, you’ll see’ and then it happens and you still jump? I was doing that throughout! It added a big element of suspense that I wasn’t anticipating.

I really did enjoy The Grey, but I thought it was a little too long and the pacing wasn’t very consistent at times. Some of the gruesome moments didn’t look very real in terms of visual effects, and the wolves themselves looked a little off when they were close-up on the screen. That said though, I didn’t know how the film could or even would end, and I have to say that I really enjoyed the ending, as unsettling as it was.

It may be a while before I watch The Grey again, but if you’ve heard of it before and you’re sat on the fence as to whether to watch it or not, give it a go, I’d definitely recommend it.

Review: Foster (2011)

I happened to catch this on Sky one Saturday afternoon when I was looking for something to watch that required no effort whatsoever, and that is what I found.

Foster (known as Angel in the House in some places) is the story of a couple played by Toni Collete and Ioan Gruffud who in the wake of the loss of their child and their inability to conceive face serious marital problems.  In order to try to mend their marriage they take a visit to a foster home and the next day Eli arrives on their door step (played by Maurice Cole), Eli is quite clearly wise beyond his years and becomes the bridge between Zooey and Alec and the key to mending their troubled marriage.

This all sound terribly boring but its not, it a beautiful story of hope and love and loss that is played out really well by Collette and Gruffud.  The heartbreak that is demonstrated throughout the film feels real and left me with goosebumps.  The story plays out as Zooey and Alec learn to deal with not only having a child in their lives again but a child that is significantly smarter than they are. 

Collette is a dream to watch as always (I have loved her since my first viewing of Muriels Wedding when I was 10yrs old) and she brings a real warmth to the character, starting from a depressed woman dealing with the loss of her child, to a confused mother figure to a child she doesn't know, to a loving Mom.  Gruffud's, Alec can't seem to find his place, his business is failing, his marriage is failing but you never blame him, you just want him to succeed. Even when the couple are arguing you are fighting for both corners because you like both characters.  It was odd for me, as a cynical man-hater (no offence to any male readers out there) I usually automatically side with the female character but this story gave me food for thought.

I wasn't even put off by Richard E Grant, who I usually despise in pretty much everything he has been in, he actually brought some much needed comedy to the table as homeless Mr Potts.  The winner for me though had to be Maurice Cole who played the extremely articulate 7 year old Eli, he was fantastic and I just fell in love with him the second he came on screen.  He was perfect for the role, I don't think I could name a child actor who could have done it better.

Overall, this is a lovely story with a lot of warmth.  Great to watch in the cold months with a big blanket and a cup of hot chocolate :-)

Review: Dolphin Tale (2011)

I was so tired the other night and I wanted to watch something that didn't require too much effort or thinking on my part (as that would just put me to sleep!) and I came across this.  It looked like it had a Free Willy vibe which is one of my favourite childhood films so I thought I would give it a go.

Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) is a shy and introvert child, who reverts further inside of himself when his cousin (and possibly only friend) joins the Army and leaves to serve in Afghanistan.  That is until he finds Winter, the dolphin who is caught in a crab trap on the beach.  After visiting her at the marine hospital to check she is OK, he forms a bond and proceeds to skip summer school to visit Winter and help her recover after losing her tail.

This is a typical family movie, with the usual fixtures.  The bond with the injured animal, the young love interest, the mom who just doesn't understand and the alternative parental figure who does.  Add in Morgan Freeman as Dr Cameron McCarthy with his witty comments and sharp humour, steals every scene and it makes for pretty enjoyable watching. However, I was surprised to find out it wasn't as predictable as I was expecting.  More than once, I assumed one thing was going to happen and they went a different way completely.

Boy its been years since I saw Free Willy. If I'm honest Dolphin Tale isn't really my kind of thing but it sounds like a great family movie. Funnily enough, I'd never heard of this film till I saw Jenna's review, and in the same day I heard that a sequel is coming out later this year!

The special effects used for Winter's tail (or lack of tail!) is done really well and Sawyer is really good in his role as Winter's best friend.  It is very reminiscent of Jesse and Willy's bond in Free Willy.

All in all, this is a fun family film and doesn't take much effort to watch or enjoy.

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.

 

 

Review: The Darkest Hour (2011)

I'm really no good with scary films. Gore doesn't bother me so much, if something is gross I'll just look away, but what absolutely kills me is suspense. So when it comes to this kind of genre, alien invasion films are totally my thing. Although, it's very rare that I actually enjoy one. In 2011 you got the trailer for The Darkest Hour no matter what film you saw at the cinema, and it did actually look pretty good. We never got round to seeing it though and it's just been one of those films at the bottom of the list. Until last weekend...

From what I remember, the trailer told you enough to spark your interest but not enough to spoil the story line for you. Aliens have invaded in Russia, and they're attacking through the power supplies. Oh, and they're virtually invisible; terrifying, right? Enough to make you nervous watching it, I watched this film with a pillow permanently raised over my face waiting for an invisible alien to drag off one of the cast!

Let me just be straight up and honest with you. This film was really, really bad. Watchable though, because you can have a lot of fun shouting at the cast as they make stupid decisions. They may be the only people who survived this awful alien attack, and so in their minds the first thing they have to do is find their way to the American Embassy. Why?! To get there, they decide to walk through a main road as wide as a UK motorway, rather than underground. Why?! There was a rather fantastic plot hole that I won't ruin for you that was hilarious! I actually really enjoyed this film, it wasn't amazingly written or logical in some places (from what I can remember) but I remember really enjoying it.  I am very intrigued by this plot hole, do tell....

Okay, okay, I don't think it's much of a spoiler to be honest. There's this moment where the group gets thrown into the river. All but one re-surface and swim the short distance back to that submarine, but one of them somehow ended up a mile away inside a bus?!

Oh, it's such a shame because there aren't many films that I don't like. Honestly I'm really very easily amused. The only film in the history of ever that I've turned off half way through is Superhero Movie, and the last film I disliked as much as this was Knowing, a whole 6 years ago.  I have to agree, The Knowing was horrendous, possible one of the worst films I have ever seen and one of film history's worst endings EVER!! If you've never heard of The Darkest Hour or can't remember it, here's the trailer.

Don't get me wrong though, I didn't hate this movie. In fact, I thought the idea behind it was sheer brilliance, and I'm hoping that maybe someday, someone will do something similar, but better.