Safe House (2012)

 So now it is the Easter holidays which means I am at home with my Dad. This in turn means that I will probably end up watching a bunch of random films that I have no desire to actually see at all, mainly action films (he is a man after all). 'Safe House' is the first of what I'm sure will be many.

 Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a newbie CIA agent in charge of a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. He has never had any experience with 'guests', so when rogue agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought to him for interrogation, he really doesn't have a clue what he is letting himself in for. When terrorists try and kidnap Frost, it is up to Weston to keep him secure and in CIA custody until further  help can arrive.

 This is a typical action movie. It is nothing special, but at the same time it is not a bad film. The action sequences are fast paced and adrenaline fuelled, and the story itself keeps the viewer guessing at every turn. Having said that, if you have seen your fair share of action movies, especially agency based action movies, it's pretty easy to figure out what is going on and what will happen in the end, or at the very least who is 'good' and who is 'bad'. For me (as someone who has seen more of these types of films than I would ever care to mention) it was obvious pretty much from the beginning what the end of the movie was going to be. I guess it is difficult to be original with this kind of film and I have to give props to the writers for trying, but they didn't quite manage to get there.

 With regards to the acting, both the lead actors do a pretty good job. They cope with the action sequences well and are convincing in their roles (there is something about Denzel Washington that just makes him a very effective bad guy). Ryan Reynolds also manages to go beyond his usual style of being the 'funny guy' within the action movies, but I have to say I think I prefer him in those roles. Whilst this was a good performance from him, I don't think it was his greatest attempt.

 Overall, it is a good action movie with suspense and drama, but it is nothing special. There is little originality to the story or any of the action sequences so if you are an action movie regular, you may find this one a bit disappointing.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

 I rented this film from LoveFilm and it arrived at home whilst I was still at University. My Dad didn't realise that I had put it on the list so he watched it himself and, after watching it for 10 minutes, proceeded to turn it off and ring me to tell me about how he couldn't continue because it was so bad. After persuading him to keep it at home until I got back, I hung up and all my high hopes that I had for this film were well and truly gone.

 Moonrise Kingdom is the one of the latest films from Wes Anderson, director of other greats such as 'The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou' and 'The Royal Tenenbaums', and his slightly off centre style is continued with this film. Sam and Suzy, two children who are pen pals, live on a remote island in New England. Sam, a member of the local scout group, decides the young couple should run away together which prompts the rest of the island to form a search party to go and look for them.

 It is safe to say that this film is jam packed full of names. Bruce Willis plays the local policeman, Edward Norton appears as the scout master and Suzy'z parents are portrayed by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand. Smaller roles are also occupied by Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel and Jason Schwartzman making this film well and truly stuffed to the brim with great acting talent. Each characters has a slightly odd edge to them, but that is no surprise when it comes to a Wes Anderson movie, and every actor manages to shine in this movie in their own individual way. I wouldn't go so far as to say anyone gives their greatest performance, but everyone fits into their roles with ease.

 The movie also introduces new talent, Jared Gilman (Sam) and Kara Hayward (Suzy). I do believe I have said before that I don't particularly enjoy watching kids acting in films (and if I haven't, sorry, but at least now you know). It's pretty rare to see a child in a movie who is completely convincing in the role (they are children after all) and this movie was no exception. On the other hand, I have seen a hell of a lot worse than this. For kids, these two do pretty well, as do their companions playing the other scout boys. They certainly didn't ruin the film which, coming from me, is something at least.

 To get back to what my Dad was saying, I can see where he was coming from. The film does take a while to get going properly, and the opening credit sequence is rather slow and boring. But once you get past that point, it is an endearing, charming and quirky little film. It has it's funny moments, it's dramatic moments, and some moments that are just down right weird, but other than that it's a good film. Good job I managed to persuade my Dad to keep it (he still won't agree to watch it though).

5 Films To Look Forward To In April 2013

1) Iron Man 3

The third installment of the Iron Man series is due this month and no doubt it will be just as action packed as the others.

2) The Place Beyond The Pines

A new drama starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper looks at the idea of committing a crime to protect your family.

3) Oblivion

Tom Cruise's new film involves a soldier being sent to a distant planet in order to protect the human species from an alien race, but things aren't as they seem.

4) Scary Movie 5

OK, so the scary movie films may not be the best franchise out there, but they are still good for a bit of a laugh.

5) Bernie

A film by the people that brought you 'School Of Rock', but showing Jack Black in a whole new light.

End Of Watch (2012)

 I love a good police movie. All the guns and actions sequences, catching the bad guys and the suspense of the chase. It all makes for a good film. In the last few months the most talked about police movie has been 'End Of Watch'. Two cops in L.A. who are friends as well as partners (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) find themselves involved in local gang business when they begin to mess with criminals who are much worse than those they are used to. The film not only focuses on their policing escapades but allows for a glimpse inside their personal lives with their families and girlfriends (Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez).

 Shot in a documentary-way, the film brings a real life, gritty element that is rarely seen in any film, let alone an action packed cop film. This allows the audience to become truly involved in the characters lives and feel as though they are along for the ride. But lets be clear, this film does not hold back in any way, shape or form. Bloody violence is present throughout and the tension in some scenes is palpable, made only more real by the style of filming. It is most definitely not for the faint hearted.

 Every performance is brilliant, but the chemistry between the two leading men is incomparable. It is obvious that these two are good friends in real life and this comes across on screen as well. I guess you have to be when your research for a role involves getting tasered and being invited along to drug busts on ride-alongs (and that's my police dialogue exhausted). The scenes which are just the two of them, driving around L.A. waiting for a call add something to this movie that isn't really seen in other movies of this kind. It brings a really personal touch to the story and the people in it, and you really begin to feel for these guys when it all starts going wrong.

 If I had to pick a flaw with this film I would say that I am not particularly a fan of films where every other word is a swear word. I realise that it probably reflects the environment that the characters are in and is also assumably a huge part of the policing world, but it would be nice to hear a sentence every so often that didn't have an f word or an s word in it. It just seems a bit unnecessary to me, that's all. Also, due to the style of filming, I felt a bit dizzy at times with the hand held effect, but I am nitpicking now.

 Overall, this is definitely one to watch if you like a good action movie with it's gritty nature and constant violence. But it is the twist of both filming style and the personal touch that makes it stand out above all the others.

Struck By Lightning (2012)

 Roughly this time last year I was searching the internet in my usual nerdy way and looking at some of the movie festivals that were happening and the films that were being featured in them. One that particularly stood out for me was 'Struck By Lightning' which was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. After doing a bit of research it seemed like a pretty good film so I decided that should I ever have chance I would give it a watch. A year(ish) passed and the moment occurred where I was sat at my laptop when I remembered that I had decided to give this film a go. So I did.

Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) is an overachieving high school student with big ambitions. With hopes to work at some of the biggest magazines and newspapers in America, his bar is set pretty high. However, his dreams are never realised as he is killed by a lightning bolt in his school car park (don't worry, this isn't a spoiler, it happens in literally the first scene). The rest of the film is a flashback of his final year alive and how he decided to black mail his peers with his friend Malerie (Rebel Wilson) to create a literary magazine to ensure him a place in his dream college, and everything else that occurred during this final year.

 For a pretty low budget indie film, this is really good, and for a film that is marketed as a comedy, it's also pretty heavy on the drama. The writing is pretty much perfectly in line with my sense of humour so I found it very funny. It is jam packed with sarcasm and cutting wit with a bit of physical and improvised comedy from the legend that is Rebel Wilson. To add to this, Chris Colfer's performance in the lead role is only bettered by Allison Janney as his mentally unstable mother. Janney is perfect in this role and the scene in which she discovers her son has died is incredibly moving to watch. With the rest of the cast rounded off with Christina Hendricks, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Hyland and Polly Bergen, you can't really go wrong.

 The film also manages to skilfully avoid the trap of being a typical 'high school movie'. Whilst the essence of a teen school movie is still there with cheerleaders and school bullies, the directing and writing takes it down a different road. The film is without a doubt about living life to it's fullest whilst you can, and not focusing too much on the future when life is happening right now (sorry for the philosophical moment there) but puts this across without being cheesy or preachy. It's generally just a clever, touching and sharp film.

 As someone who is the same age as Chris Colfer, I feel like a lazy underachiever after seeing this movie. He starred in, wrote and produced this film and did all three incredibly well. This film makes you forget that he is 'that kid from Glee', which I wasn't expecting, and demonstrates that he is actually a good writer as well as a good actor.

 Overall, if you like films with an indie feel and comedies with a bit of heart then this pretty much fits the bill. Just be prepared to cry as well as laugh.

Up In The Air (2009)

 So I decided that film two in my ill phase would be something that was released a few years ago and had rave reviews at the time but I just hadn't got round to seeing. 'Up In The Air' was one of the big award season films in 2010 and was nominated for six Academy Awards. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has a strange job. Essentially he flies around America firing people when their bosses don't have the nerve to do it themselves. In a time of recession and mass unemployment, this means that he lives out of a suitcase and his home is an airport, a life that Ryan enjoys. When a young graduate, Natalie (Anna Kendrick), comes in and attempts to modernise the company by grounding all employees and sacking people via webcam, Ryan complains about the changes and in turn gets to show Natalie the ropes and what firing people face to face is really like.

 The three main actors in this were all nominated for Academy Awards. George Clooney for Best Actor, and Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga competing for the Supporting Actress trophy. Out of the three of them, George Clooney is yet again playing the charming older man with a few commitment issues and does it very well (I wonder why), and Vera Farmiga pulls off playing the aloof Alex, who is essentially the female version of Ryan. However, the film is stolen by Anna Kendrick. I have seen her in a few films now (Pitch Perfect, 50/50) but this is by far and away her best acting performance I have seen to date. The characters insecurities are equally matched with the humour and emotion of the situations she finds herself in, and all in all an award winning performance (if she hadn't been nominated against Mo'Nique for Precious).

 I won't go on too long about this film, but I think it is definitely one worth seeing. It is charming, funny and in a way romantic all at the same time, which makes for a great combination. Round that off with a great cast and you can't really go wrong.

Ruby Sparks (2012)

 One of the joys of University life is that, rather like school, every so often a bug goes around and because everyone is in pretty close contact with each other, you will probably end up at least knowing someone who has had it. In this case, that person would be me. So rather than using my ill time productively by catching up with reading or attempting to begin a report write up, I have decided to spend my time watching a butt load of films and downloading 90's music to make me feel happy again.

 'Ruby Sparks' is the first of the many films I will probably end up watching (unless some miracle happens and I am magically cured within a few hours), and I would say it was a pretty good way to start. Calvin (Paul Dano) is a young novelist who had a huge success when he was younger but now is well and truly struggling with writers block. After talking to his therapist (Elliott Gould), Calvin has a dream involving his perfect woman (Zoe Kazan). He uses this vision as inspiration to start writing again, but soon discovers that the woman of his imagination has not only come to life but that his writing can, in a sense, control her and who she is.

 As soon as I heard that this film was made by the same people who made 'Little Miss Sunshine' I had high hopes for it. Let's face it, 'Little Miss Sunshine' is a pretty great film. With Paul Dano taking the lead role, this really is a good film (I realise I say that quite a lot. Maybe I'm just easily pleased). It is charming with the same sort of quirky humour as the director's previous film and an equally brilliant cast. Paul Dano is great, walking the line very well between arrogant child genius and insecure lonely author. He is one of those actors who, in my opinion, is very understated and overlooked in terms of how talented he actually is. Zoe Kazan also gives a great performance as Ruby Sparks (as well as being the writer of the film), particularly in the scenes later on in the film where Calvin is changing Ruby through his writing.

 One of the few drawbacks of the film is that it is beyond predictable. Author creates character who later comes to life and things are all happy clappy in the beginning but they soon start to go wrong. I'm guessing you can also probably figure out where it goes from there as well. However, whilst with some films predictability would make watching it seem a bit pointless, this films quirky nature keeps it original without being so quirky that it just plain weird.

 Therefore, go and see it. It's especially good if you're not feeling too good. It will cheer you up a bit. Now excuse whilst I return to my Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys.