I Sat Through Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Gather round ladies and gentleman, it’s story time. I come from a movie-loving family, as you well know by now. I grew up watching National Lampoon’s Vacation every Bank Holiday. Nowadays, every Sunday the talk over the dinner table is usually themed around what movies we’ve seen that week, and once every couple of months we all get together on a Friday night for a family movie night which involves take out, and far too many pause breaks.

Our Whatsapp group will ping like crazy before these nights, with suggestions thrown in for which movie we should see. Our audience ranges from very young (under 10) to very old (sorry Grampy) with all ages in between, so finding the perfect choice is difficult. But you can guarantee every time, my Dad will suggest Lawrence of Arabia. Why? It’s his favourite movie, apparently! For years we’ve put up with this, and in turn he’s had to put up with us laughing at him. It was his birthday on 1st November though, and I suggested that we all give in and watch it together for his birthday. So we did!

Suddenly, one part of the family were ‘busy’ so our numbers were diminished. This might have had something to do with the fact my Dad announced he had a remastered version on DVD which included an interlude, bringing the runtime to just under 4 hours. Good Lord! Nonetheless, pizza was ordered, and we started the movie. Well, we started Disc 1 of the movie, because the thing is so big it won’t fit onto one disc.

Oh, were you expecting an actual movie review here? No, sorry, that’s literally impossible for me. I don't know how to review this I’m afraid. I will announce a spoiler alert from here on out however, because I truly don’t know what can be considered a spoiler in the tale of Lawrence of Arabia.

We start out with a message from the composer, who said something about his music being so bloody fantastic that any visuals would distract us, so we were greeted with a black screen and almost 10 minutes of music before we even started. Following that, confusion as we see Lawrence get his motorcycle gear on and go out for a ride. We were fairly sure a desert was involved in this movie. After that? Um. Well. He died! I mean, spoiler alert movie, GAWD.

To begin with, we all got quite invested in the story. Lawrence was a bit of a full of himself guy, but we liked his spirit and we look a liking to the guide that was with him in the desert. I think we were gearing ourselves up for a road-trip-buddy kind of movie, but then the guide got killed and we all felt a bit sad for him for a while. Who knew wells were so important in the desert? We mourned the guide collectively until we came across the two young lads that eventually worked for Lawrence. Our favourite moment was when one pompous guy shooed the pair away, and they retaliated by shoving their stick up his camel’s butt. That moment killed me!

So, some more things happened, lots of talking, some war, and the oldest of my two little brothers announced we were well over half way though the movie. Great, we thought! This hasn’t seemed so long after all. Then approximately thirty minutes later, the screen went black and asked us to insert Disc 2 to commence the interlude and the second half. WHAT. At this point our enthusiasm was shattered, my youngest brother fell asleep, and we sat quietly through the rest of the story. Even the dog had enough at that point. Let me tell you, much rejoicing was done when the credits finally rolled.

On a more serious note, the story of Lawrence of Arabia is quite fascinating, as we learnt that the whole time he was just being used by both sides, his passion taken full advantage of. The music was beautiful, and fit the moods perfectly. The visuals were a sight to behold (my youngest brother shouted out ‘hashtag silhouette goals’ so you know these visuals are on point). It was just at least 2 hours too long for me, for any of us, other than my Dad of course.

Our next family movie night is in 2 weeks time, and my Dad has stayed unusually quiet in the Whatsapp group. We’re all on the edge of our seats waiting to find out what his next suggestion might be.

So, to finally finish, I do recommend Lawrence of Arabia, but watch it over a couple of days.

Review: 12 Angry Men (1957)

Sometimes, I have no many movies in my mind that I want to watch all at once that I can’t decide on just one. Time is so short! One particular night, I wanted to watch something I could guarantee would be good, and so that’s when I turn to IMDB’s Top 250 list. Within moments I spotted a movie that I had read about that very day on Darren’s blog, Movie Reviews 101, and so, deciding fate led me there, I sat and watched 12 Angry Men (1957).

12 Angry Man is a courtroom drama on a tiny scale. The movie begins with the 12 members of the jury leaving the courtroom to decide a young man’s fate, and from there, the whole movie is based on how these 12 men come to a unanimous decision. If found guilty, the man will be sentenced to death. At first vote, the jury stand 11-1 in favour of guilty, and so the man’s fate relies on Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) as he attempts to convince the rest of the group to change their minds.

I have to admit, I’m feeling like a bit of a sham of a movie blogger again. This marks my 3rd black and white movie ever, and despite reading the phrase ‘star-studded cast’ in descriptions about 12 Angry Men, the only name I recognise is Henry Fonda...sorry! Sign me up to some historical movie class, please, because I’m so out of my depth here. I didn’t let this affect my enjoyment of the movie, however. In fact, if anything I got to enjoy it without having any preconceptions about any of the actors!

I’ve had to sleep on my thoughts before writing a review, my head was so full of conflicting thoughts. This is so different to the types of movies I usually watch, and so it would be easy for me write this off. I don’t know what I was expecting in all honesty, and I initially felt disappointed that there wasn’t a more conclusive ending. But then I realised, that’s the whole point, and in fact, that’s what makes 12 Angry Men so interesting!

The performances by everyone were so great. Their heated debates were intimidating to watch, and the moment that Juror #8 and Juror #4 (was it 4? Sorry if that’s wrong) nearly fought over a fact before Juror #4 uttered that specific phrase was probably my favourite moment in the entire movie. 

It’s quite amazing how such a simple story can hook you in. As these 12 men debated the facts presented and started picking apart each detail, I found myself switching sides constantly. In fact, one of the things I found most interesting is that message boards online even now are still debating the case! 

I’d really love to know what everyone else thinks. Guilty or not guilty? I’m still on the fence, leaning towards not guilty.

Blind Spot Review: Rocky (1976)

Ah, it feels good to be back on the Blind Spot wagon! Earlier this month, Jenna and I watched Creed, and although we really enjoyed it, we both agreed we’d have probably found it better if we had any knowledge of the Rocky movies. So that’s how the original ended up on our Blind Spot list! If you fancy reading an abysmal attempt at us both trying to understand how boxing even works, check out our review of Creed here.

Rocky (1976) is the story of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a struggling boxer who works as a debt collector by day. When the undefeated heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) looks to set up an exhibition match to give a newcomer a chance at fighting him, Rocky, the Italian Stallion is chosen, and thus begins Rocky’s training and the wedding march ;-)

I’m just going to go straight out and say it. I wasn’t expecting to love this movie. I wanted to watch it, don’t get me wrong, especially after watching Creed, but all I was hoping to gain from it was an understanding of the story. I was engrossed from the first few minutes, and was kind of gutted when it ended, which is unusual for me, 2 hours is normally the point that I start to give up.

Rocky is such a loveable character! This is a guy who goes from using intimidation tactics to collect debts to dropping by a pet store just for the chance to spend a few minutes with the girl who’s captured his heart. What a guy!  I didn't expect Rocky to be the character he was, i expected this big ol' hardman that never lets up so to see him fall in love and be all romantic was a pleasant surprise.

Watching Rocky and Adrian’s (Talia Shire) relationship grow was definitely a highlight for me. It reminded me so much of Adonis and Bianca's relationship in Creed, they've obviously really taken note from Rocky when making Creed.  A completely clueless Rocky asking Adrian’s brother what she liked to do, and then spending $10 for just 10 minutes on the ice rink with her just melted my heart. I even spotted the line ‘Why do I fight? Because I can’t sing and dance…’ which was on Adonis’ shirt in Creed! Mega proud of myself there.  

Like Allie, I didn't think I would be bothered by this movie but I really did love it.  I got very excited when I saw the 'Rocky' steps and even sent a photo to Allie.  In all honesty, I thought it would have ruined this film watching Creed first it had the same impact as if i had watched them the right way round.  I got so excited when I saw places in this that had been featured in Creed like Mighty Micks Gym.  I much prefer Stallone back in the day when I can understand what the heck he is saying and really loved the build up to the fight, I was adamant I knew what the outcome would be....I was wrong!

Then of course we had the famous music startup (which Jenna swears sounds like the wedding march, still does!) followed by Rocky running up the stairs which was nothing short of awesome. I can really see now why this is such an iconic movie! I was told it would really gear me up for going to the gym but I was in my pajamas finishing off a tub of chocolates from Christmas at the time so I can’t really comment on that.  I have been tempted to go to the gym of late, I didn't go after this however, I sat and ate a monster roast dinner! oops!

And then of course we had the final fight. Some of the tension was taken away from me because I knew the outcome, but when you watch a movie 40 years after it was released, I think you lose the right to scream ‘spoiler alert’ at someone!  Can you believe I didn't know how it ended, the movie has been out since before I was born and I have never heard a spoiler?!

I’m torn now between saving Rocky II for next year’s Blind Spot or just watching it next weekend…!  

Great start to the Blind Spot challenge, here's hoping the other 11 are as good!

Review: Her (2013)

I think I owe this movie a public apology. Her’s release was pre-blog for me, at a time when I was ignorant towards anything attached to the Academy Awards. Naive me thought Oscar winners were nothing more than boring, serious movies loved by boffin-critics. Now of course I know much better! How bad is it that I watched this and completely forgot about it?!

Her was another recommendation from my Grampy, and before he told me a little about the plot I actually knew nothing about it. I could picture the poster as clear as day, and I don’t know what my mind had assumed it was about, but it wasn’t this!

In the near distant future, when we no longer have to read our own emails or write our loved ones letters, lonely Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is struggling to deal with his recent divorce. When he sees an advert for a new operating system, OS1, he buys it and installs it immediately. This new OS has an exceptional AI and the voice Theodore speaks to calls herself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). As Samantha learns more about Theodore and indeed herself, the two fall in love, but encounter difficulties when trying to define what their relationship actually is.

Even knowing that this is a work of fiction, it’s still quite harrowing to think that this is where technology is leading us. Actual human contact is becoming less and less necessary, and it’s not difficult to imagine a world whereby we walk alone, but talk constantly to our devices in our pockets.  

Despite knowing the name, Her is the first movie I’ve seen with Joaquin Phoenix (gasp!). I’m not actress myself of course but I can only imagine how hard it must be to act out a script when most of the conversations you have are with a device in your ear. That said, I thought he was amazing, and I’d love to see more of his work. Can anyone recommend me anything? Gladiator? Walk the Line? Signs? The Village?  To name but a few ;-)

The supporting cast were just as delightful, from the instantly recognisable and lovable Chris Pratt to the nearly completely unrecognisable Amy Adams. Honestly, I did a double and triple take before I realised it was her. She is absolutely beautiful!

I thought the cast, particularly Johannson and Phoenix, were amazing playing the key parts of their roles in near isolation and yet they express their emotions perfectly!

Her was such an emotional rollercoaster for me. It was at times heartwarming and yet heartbreaking. It was also hilarious in parts, especially if your reaction to anything sexual is to giggle and look away, like I do. My fiance looked a bit panicked during some scenes as at the time I was watching, he had an active headset on his PS4, and had to explain to his friends what they were hearing through the mic. I was banished upstairs after that!

I found this film so bizarre to watch, its completely advanced of our technology, in a world where relationships with AI's is relatively normal.  However, it felt like a normal love story, Scarlett Johannson did such an amazing job using only her voice that you could actually understand how they could be in love.  It's scary to see how this scenario can seem so normal and yet the world its set in seem so obscure.  The technology is more advanced than our world but the fashions and people seem to have drifted back to the 80's.

I made myself laugh last night when I thought hey, could Her be the sequel to Lucy? What an awesome fan theory!!

Review: American Sniper (2015)

One of my favourite things about going to the cinema is watching the trailers. Does that sound silly? I know I can easily watch as many as I like on IMDB, but it’s kind of a game trying to guess which trailers will have been picked for a particular audience. There’s one trailer from the end of last year that I’ll never forget, mainly because I genuinely forgot to breathe whilst watching it!

American Sniper is the real-life story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) who was a legendary sniper in the war in Iraq. Chris was nothing more than a ‘wannabe’ cowboy until he reached his thirties, when he decided he should do something to express his talent, and help his country which he loved so much. That’s when he joined the SEALs as a sniper and began his first tour in Iraq. Once home, he struggled with normal life and the weight of his conscious.

I hope I can do this film justice with this post, but I have to admit I’m completely out of my depth here. I recall Chris Kyle’s name being in the news and the reason why, but that’s as much as I know. War films have never interested me either, but as I said, the trailer took my breath away, and I’ve been dying to see more of Bradley Cooper since seeing him in Silver Linings Playbook.

American Sniper had me gripped from start to finish. I quickly realised the trailer I remembered so well was simply 2 minutes of footage from the start of the film, and so I was going in blind for the rest of the duration. Good lord, I could barely recognise Bradley Cooper at first, he really beefed up for that role! I just read he had to eat 8,000 calories a day (and work out of course) to prepare, and that made me feel a little ill. He really is on top form in this film, in every single way!

There were plenty more heart stopping moments, the sniping scenes especially, and I thought there was a perfect balance between the scenes at war and the scenes at home. Can I be ‘that guy’ for a minute though? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a faker baby in a film before, seriously! Although, I read that they used a real baby to begin with which was sick on someone, so I might just forgive it for that right there.

All in all, I’m so glad I watched American Sniper. It was a breathtaking and heartwarming film, and it’s opened my eyes to what really goes on behind the news reports I read.

Review: Interstellar (2014)

Is it possible to love a film you don’t understand? I’m ashamed to say it took the DVD release and my future Father-in-Law’s birthday to get me to finally watch Interstellar. I avoided it like the plague when it came out in the cinemas, despite how amazing it probably was on the big screen, because it was just too darn long. I can’t sit that still without copious tea breaks. Give me a pizza and a comfy sofa however, and I’ll sit still all day.  I just never got around to seeing it and when I finally had the time it had finished at the cinema!

The plot, in short, sounds like something that’s been done a hundred times already. The Earth is dying, humanity needs somewhere else to live, let’s send some astronauts off into space, yada yada. Maybe that put me off, too? This is all I knew about the film before watching it, and now, I almost think it’s a better experience if that’s all you know.

Did I mention I can’t stand Matthew McConaughey? Sorry - he just winds me up for absolutely no reason. He’s alright in Interstellar though. Okay, he’s pretty good. The cast as a whole were great I thought, and I especially loved the two robots, TARS and CASE. They have so much personality! Plus TARS is a little sassy, and you can’t go wrong with a sassy robot.  Weren't they awesome!!

Did anyone feel a bit sorry for Cooper's son, he barely got a mention throughout, the whole situation seemed to be circled around Cooper and Murph.  They hinted at the beginning of the movie that Tom's scores weren't high enough for college and that he would make a great farmer which seemed like an early justification for why Cooper has this bond with his daughter but not his son.  I felt sad for him all the way through the movie and more so at the end *SPOILER ALERT* when he didn't even ask if his Son was still alive, just his daughter.

Okay, so the science-y stuff I didn’t really understand. I’m just not clever enough to get it. I know why they’re off to space, I sort of understand the wormhole thing, I understand how Matt Damon got there although I don’t know why he’s such a grump, and I don’t understand the whole equation thing. The time-relativity thing (I need to find another word for thing) was really cool once I got my head around that.

I absolutely loved this and I was really surprised by that, I think that because I missed out on all the hype for this I just had no expectations for it so I just enjoyed it for what it was.  I did lose track of some of the science bit but that didn't ruin anything for me, I loved how the whole thing came full circle. 

The idea of time was approached in really interesting (and I'm assuming scientific) ways throughout, reminding me of Inception's approach to dreaming and the dream world.  I was terrified by the thought of how long they were staying on the planet when 1 hour equals 7 years in their 'home' time, I was on the edge of my sit willing them to hurry up.

Something I picked up on throughout the film was the music. Normally my mind switches off to that and I don’t even remember music being in films, but the score in Interstellar is so loud in places that it’s hard not to notice. I can imagine some loved it and others hated it, but in certain scenes it had me holding my breath, it was so powerful.  I thought exactly the same and also the use of complete silence was really cool, there was a huge explosion but as the astronauts wouldn't hear anything, neither did we.  It really brought home the isolation of the situation.

Just a warning, there aren’t any spoilers below but it might get you thinking about things you shouldn’t if/when you watch Interstellar for the first time. That sounds so wrong.

I think the reason I loved this film so much was the last half an hour or so, you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it. Watching this with my fiance’s family was a great experience, because as we realised certain things, one by one we’d gasp, shout and wave our arms around like mad! Do you remember one of the first spoken lines in the entire film, when Cooper walks in to Murph’s room? She says ‘I thought you were my ghost’. That friggin line just wins it for me! I hadn't even thought of that, I now want to watch it again to catch the links between the beginning and the end!

If I can find some spare hours, I’d love to understand the science bits and then re-watch Interstellar to truly experience it for what it should be.

Many might disagree with my score for this but for me it had everything and I was glued to the screen the whole time.

Blind Spot: Schindler's List (1993)

Just in the nick of time, again, is our Blind Spot post for February. I really need to not make a habit out of this, but Oscars season has just messed up my entire blogging schedule as well as film-viewing schedule! This month I watched Schindler’s List, over two viewings thanks to it’s eye watering 195 min runtime.

Schindler’s List is the kind of film I shy away from instantly, which is the main reason I made sure it was on the Blind Spot list. The second reason is that people keep telling me Liam Neeson never used to just play Liam Neeson! So anyway, the film itself largely focuses on Oskar Schindler (Neeson), who sets up a factory in Poland during World War II, creating hundreds of jobs and hope for the Jews that are seeking refuge there.

This is only the second black and white film I’ve ever seen, and just like before, it seemed odd at first but once the story kicked in I completely forgot about the lack of colour. Until a scene involving a huge table full of food - I couldn’t work out what was there and that felt a little weird*. Oh, and the little girl in the red coat of course, how can I forget her? Okay, so maybe this is my first black, white and red film.

Schindler's List was a real rollercoaster of emotions for me. I won't try and pretend that I understood everything that was going on, because similar to my last Blind Spot, there was just so much going on. I also know very little about World War II thanks to my absolute ignorance to History class back in school. Thankfully though I watched this with my fiance who let me pause every now and again so I could double check what was happening/

The ending was ruined a little for me by everyone telling me to be ready with a box of tissues. My mind had already geared myself up for the worst and as heartbreaking as the end was, I think it would have affected me more if I was clueless.

It was also really interesting to see a very young Ralph Fiennes, having recently seen him in the Oscar-winning Grand Budapest Hotel. He was chilling, and I look forward to seeing more of him.

All in all, despite it's length, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Several scenes were extremely uncomfortable to watch, but they added to the story perfectly. It's one of those films I will never forget, but will probably never watch again either, if that makes any sense.

* I’m writing this whole post after two and a half hours sleep thanks to the Oscars, so you’ll have to forgive me for going completely off track.

Review: Gravity (2013)

I was told I should watch this film at the IMAX, but I didn't get round to it.  Then I was told I should at least see it at the cinema but my Dad went without me while I was away.  So it was suggested I should buy the 3D Blu-ray and watch it that way (to get the full effect) but I didn't get around to buying it (and had I brought it I wouldn't have found the time or opportunity to watch it) and then finally, I should watch it on my laptop from LoveFilm/Sky Go.  Yet none of these things happened and I ended up watching this film on a 6in screen on an plane flying to the US (although the turbulence did provide a terrifying 4D element).  All my dreams of watching this visually stunning film in all it's glory were gone.

I was meaning to see this at the Giant Screen in Birmingham, then I ran out of time. Then I was meant to see it at my local cinema, and ran out of time again. There was even a special event put on where I work to see it, and guess what? I missed that too. Doh. I ended up watching it at home...

Gravity follows Medical Engineer Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) as their shuttle is destroyed on a routine space walk leaving them stranded in space. (I am aware this is quite a short blurb but what more can I say?! That is literally the story!)

I didn't expect to enjoy this film necessarily, everyone was ranting and raving about it and I thought the trailer looked a little boring, although I was looking forward to seeing the visual effects.  They were definitely worth watching it for (even on a 6in plane screen) it was stunning and so well shot.  Also, I have to admit the story kept me entertained as well (which I didn't expect), I had a good laugh in some places and a sob in others and I shouted at the screen at some points when Ryan was doing something ridiculously stupid!

The thought of being alone in space with no way of getting home is terrifying for me, so I spent 90 minutes on the edge of my seat, while the 7 year old child sat next to me watched Insidious 2 without even twitching.  Furthermore, at one point he kindly tapped me on the shoulder 'Hey, are you ok?  Do you want a bubblegum?' which would have been fine, had the tap not made me jump out of my skin and shove my face into my flight pillow in shear panic!

I'm really glad that I didn't see this at the cinema now because some of the camera shots made me quite giddy, even sat at home! Gravity was visually mesmerising though, I could have quite happily sat and just watched the background for an hour.

I read somewhere that the movie is shot to be indicative of Ryan rebirth since losing her child and the foetal position that she rotates in the and the tunnels represent fallopian tubes.  I didn't see this if I'm honest,  maybe I was too busy panicking to notice any clever metaphors. What? That's crazy, if it's true then fair enough but some people read into things way too much...

Overall, I loved this.  Even on the smallest of small screens it's visually stunning and the screenplay is cleverly written.  Sandra Bullock (one of my top favourite actresses) is amazing, with barely any lines she manages to show exactly how Ryan would be feeling and reacting to everything that's happening and that has already happened to her.

I really did enjoy Gravity and I think it's a film that everyone should watch once. However, I don't know if it really has much replay value. For me it's more of a must see once, then leave it.

If you are like me and your not sure about this, do it anyway, you will be surprised.  Maybe, I liked it more because I had no expectations.

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!

 

Review: The Usual Suspects (1995)

Last night was our first official Flick Chicks get together! It's also been 4 weeks exactly since we created this blog. Exciting times! We had 2 films planned to watch, but due to a technical hitch and general chit chat, we only had time to watch 1. We chose wisely and went with a film near the top of the IMDB Top 250 list, The Usual Suspects.  Actually 'last night' was quite a while ago, but as usual I have delayed the publishing of this post!! I know, I know i'm terrible, but i always have the best intentions to 'add to this one on my lunch break' or 'type that up after work' which generally gets overrun by food or...no usually food!!  Anyway, back to it, quite pleased to be reviewing a film on the IMDB Top 250 list, if only to test out whether the hyperlinks work!! ;-)

Films are much more enjoyable when watched with company, and we had a great time watching this. I think Jenna will agree with me though that the first half an hour or so was really difficult to follow. We were both sat in front of the TV a little like this:

That was exactly my face to be fair!! We got our heads around it all in the end! Don't ask me to recall all of the main characters names though...

I think we felt a tad disappointed that we both worked out what the plot twist would be. We literally both had a lightbulb moment at exactly the same time! (I still think it was really obvious!) That said though, we both knew that this film had a massive plot twist, which is what made it so popular, so we spent the whole film trying to work out what it might be.  I did find it difficult to follow and to be honest if the ending hadn't been so good, I might have enjoyed this film a lot less! I think it is one of those films that is only good because of the ending, when you can go back and re-watch the whole film just to see if you missed any clues.  Although, not so much in this case as Allie mentioned we both had our lightbulb moments and clocked the twist very early on.  I was surprised actually because I asked my Dad who watched it years ago if he figured it out and he said he had no idea (and he's REALLY smart!!)

I get the feeling that Bryan Singer is going to be using a lot of these plot upon plot, twists, turns and confusion in my most anticipated film of the year X-Men: Days of Future Past.  Watching this has only made me want to see it more, to see what plot twists might come about.  Adding in the time travel element, my brain might actually explode ;-)

Even though we knew it was coming, the ending was fantastic. It actually made us laugh out loud! I'm really glad we watched this. Fully agree, plus very much enjoyed checking out the trivia on IMDB and rewinding (how very old fashioned of me!) the film to spot them, I think this will come to be a Flick Chicks tradition!  I wanted to give this a 9 but I think by losing grip of the plot in the early parts of the film, I lost a certain level of interest in the ending!