FILM: Silver Linings Playbook (8/10)

Why did I watch it?
Due to the hype, nominations and awards I always meant to catch this film but it never appealed to me as much as some of the other films out at the time like Lincoln, Life of Pi etc. Anyway, the Mrs was keen to watch it (a film with Bradley Cooper and dancing!) so we did.

What's it all about?
Recently released from a mental hospital, bi-polar Pat (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents and focuses everything on getting back together with his estranged wife, despite the fact she took out a restraining order against him. Back in town he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), recently widowed and with her own problems, who needs a dancing partner.







The Good:

• A different take on the old romantic comedy story
• Interesting story that combines American football, mental illness and dancing.
• Great cast and absorbing performances all around, personally I thought Bradley Cooper's was slightly superior to Jennifer Lawrence's. It wasn't interesting to see Cooper use some of mannerisms from this film again in The Place Beyond the Pines.
• Features the Philadelphia Eagles, my favourite NFL team.

The Bad:

• Cooper's intense portrayal of his character can take a little getting used to at the offset.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Eagle's jersey

Favourite line:

'You say more inappropriate things than appropriate things.' - Tiffany

Stand-out moment:

Either the dancing competition (not as off-beat as the one from Little Miss Sunshine but it does have bi-polar tendencies) or Pat waking his parents in the middle of the night to rant about the Ernest Hemingway book he is reading having an unhappy ending. 

Like the film? Watch: Little Miss Sunshine

Like the director? Watch: The Fighter, upcoming American Hustle (starring Cooper and Lawrence again).

What my wife said: Disappointed, 'the only reason to watch this film is because it has Bradley Cooper in'.

What the world thinks:

Rotten Tomatoes - 92%

Metacritic - 81/100

LAMB Score - 4.26/5

Twitter -

I can't remember the last time I liked a movie as much as "Silver Linings Playbook." The art direction and soundtrack were ACHINGLY good.
— Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) September 12, 2013

FILM: Blue Valentine (7/10)

Why did I watch it?

Blue Valentine has been on my radar for a while after seeing lots of positive reviews for the film. I enjoyed the style of director Derek Cianfrance's next effort The Place Beyond the Pines and as luck would have it Blue Valentine appeared on TV shortly afterwards.

What's it all about?

Blue Valentine tells the story of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) and is told across two spells in their relationship, the initial courtship with the pair full of passion for each other and the present day several years later as their marriage finally falls apart.

Should you watch it?

I watched this a long time ago so I'm going to keep this review short and sharp. 

Not a film for Valentine's Day

There's no denying that watching Blue Valentine, a film that tells the story of the complete breakdown of a couple's marriage is not an easy watch (especially for someone just married!) and is certainly an intense, claustrophobic experience, as the audience never really gets a break from the two characters but honestly I was slightly disappointed that the film didn't turn out to be quite the emotional heart-breaker I was expecting. Perhaps in anticipation I had turned my heart to it's complete stone setting. That's not to take anything away from the film's leads who gave brilliantly sincere and convincing performances as the troubled couple. Special comment for the 'Future Room' which with it's tacky futuristic decor and lighting must have been director Derek Cianfrance's ideal shooting location!

FILM: 10 Years (5/10)

Why did I watch it?

The Mrs chose this one and I thought what the hell.

What's it all about?

The clue is in the title, it's a 10 year high school reunion romantic comedy starring Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long and Oscar Isaacs among others. There's little else to say except the film plays out the events of the evening as the characters reunite and discover things about each other and themselves.

Should you watch it?
Probably not. It's difficult to see what attracted such an ensemble cast to this mediocre, underwhelming school reunion yarn.

Most people's own school reunion's are uninteresting enough and the array of characters in 10 Years do not strike enough of a chord with the audience to make their story engaging. The characters are introduced almost en-mass and it's really difficult to invest in anyone in particular, especially considering the typical run of the mill issues and relationships involved, old flames, bullies, the popular girl etc., that all took place ten years ago.

The script does achieve some small levels of poignancy, the highlight being Oscar Isaac's song written for his secret high school crush, and their are a few funny running gags throughout but ultimately the reunion finishes, the story is told and my detachment from it left me wondering what was the point in watching.

FILM: Cocktail (4/10)

Why did I watch it?
This was on TV a few weeks ago and I debated whether I should watch it or not. What swung it for me was the fact that I  have not seen so many of Tom Cruise's 80's films like Risky Business or The Color of Money, Cocktail included.

What's it all about?
After leaving the army, Brian Flanagan (Cruise) returns to New York with an 'I want everything, and I want it now' attitude. Unfortunately for him he can only swing a job bar-tending alongside Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown) while studying for a business degree. Full of charm and adept at flairing, Brian is popular with the ladies and after a fallout with Doug, heads to Jamaica to earn the dollars necessary to achieve his dream and open his own top class cocktail bar. Here Brian meets Jordan (Elisabeth Shue) and love blossoms until he risks it all to chase his dream.  

Should you watch it?
25 years old now, Cocktail is probably, more than any other film, the best example of the 1980's. The colours, the soundtrack, the cheese, it screams of this decade. To me it seems like the writers decided to take all the 80's elements of Top Gun (three years its predecessor) and 'Eighties' them further without stopping to really think about the film itself.

The plot is wafer thin to say the least and most importantly I simply couldn't relate to Coughlin and Brian scheming to come into money by luring women with wealthy purses, how shallow a premise is that? Despite both the film's and his character's flaws, Cruise still manages to appeal throughout as the lead, I don't know what it is but you just can't not like the guy. 

If you have yet to see Cocktail, then I wouldn't rush to do so, unless you are either a Cruise or Eighties fanatic. A regretful trip back to the 80's at their worst. 

FILM: Jerry Maguire (8/10)

Why did I watch it?

I was lent this by a friend at work. It had always been a film that for some reason I had never known much about despite knowing its popularity.

What's it all about?

A Tom Cruise vehicle, Jerry Maguire is a sports agent at a lucrative firm, who suffers a crisis of conscience over the money first, clients second approach of the firm and finds himself fired for it. Broke and having lost his client roster, Maguire persuades idealist assistant and single mother Dororthy (Renee Zellwegger) to join his new firm. While trying to succeed with one client, the loyal but strong willed and eccentric footballer Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Dorothy falls for Maguire's charms.

Should you watch it?
Sitting down to watch Jerry Maguire I didn't know what to expect. I was aware it dealt with a sports agency firm, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn't know it was part sports film, part comedy and part romance, and a pleasing combination of all three. Neither did I know that Gooding Jr. won a richly deserved Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Tidwell. Not short on referenceable lines or highlights owing to director Cameron Crowe's script, Gooding Jr. was the film's main highlight for me. His charismatic and boisterous character stole the majority of scenes he appeared in, be it dancing around his kitchen or tenderly showing his affection for his wife.

Crowe also encourages Cruise and Zellwegger to turn in excellent performances, Cruise's slightly unhinged and borderline OTT portrayal of Maguire being one of the best I have seen him give, teeth and shades and all. He also achieves a genuine tenderness in the scenes he shares with Dorothy's son.

Show you my WHAT?

The ending may have been a little too sugar coated, mainly in the sense of Tidwell's new contract value rather than Maguire and Dorothy's relationship, but all in all Jerry Maguire is an enjoyable feel good romantic drama that has stood the test of time so far and one that is definitely worth checking out if, like me, you haven't yet seen it. 

FILM: The Artist (8/10)

Why did I watch it?
How would you not want to? Lavished with awards throughout 2011, including Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor and Director, somebody must have done something right.

What's it all about?
It's 1927 and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is at the height of popularity as a star of silent films when he meets Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), an aspiring actress. Two years later and Miller's popularity has rocketed while George's studio has ended production on silent films, making the switch to 'talkies', leaving George struggling to  cope with his fall from stardom.


Should you watch it?
I sat down to watch The Artist with a certain degree of apprehension, it was the first black and white or silent film I have ever really watched. Sadly these factors put off Mrs Media Worm so I watched it solo.

The Artist is like no other film I have seen (stating the obvious) before, in the same way I often lean towards black and white photography, I found the lack of colour enhanced the film's stylish presentation. After a short time I forgot I was watching a film with no dialogue, and enjoyably so.  Ludovic Bource's score sublimely supports the cast, with necessary dialogue provided by the occasional old fashioned dialogue intertitles.  

Best Actor & Best Dog - George & Jack

Before seeing the film, I'll be honest, I was sceptical of the film's hype, especially seeing actors unknown to a wide audience wining awards for Best Actor, but Jean Dujardin's performance as the proud, egocentric star George Valentin is as wonderful as I have seen lately. Dujardin seems built for silent film where expressions count for so much, ironic given the film's story. The contrast between his over-acted performances as the silent film actor and his toned down but still expression led performance as an actor in what is a silent film is subtle but fascinating. Berenice Bejo is just as rapturous as Peppy Miller and together the two are enchanting. Considering the film is French, I was surprised by the faces that popped up amongst the supporting cast, notably John Goodman, Malcom McDowell and James Cromwell. Credit must also go to Uggie the dog, probably now the most famous on screen canine since Snowy.

The stairs scene

Academy Award Best Director Michel Hazanavicius includes some stylish shots, my favourite being the shot of George and Peppy talking on the stairway of the Bradway Building while extras busily move around them on all levels at a seemingly faster speed.

The film's plot is actually a sombre, simple little romance story where very little actually happens but what does transpire does so leisurely, at an easy going pace, as befits the time.

FILM: The Vow (6/10)

Why did I watch it?
A choice of the missus (I do like Rachel McAdams though).

What's it all about?
Looking for the defintion of a romantic film plot? This is it: based on true events, the lives of a happily married young couple (Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams) are changed forever when a car accident leaves the wife unable to remember the previous five years, during which they met, fell in love and were married. Sound like a Nicholas Sparks book? Surprisingly it isn't.

Should you watch it?
With worldwide box office takings of $196M (IMDB), it's safe to say that plenty of people chose to see The Vow. Romance films sell, and let's face it, women love Channing Tattum. I can't say that I have seen many true 'roms', most romantic films I watch have the obligatory 'com' attached. The Vow's script has some light-hearted moments, however it definitely can't be classed as a 'rom-com'.

McAdams brings her typical sweetness to the role and Tattum does his best, which might not uproot any trees in the acting world, but through his limited abilities, does bring a certain realness to his character.

The plot is inevitably quite predictable, however, the writers deserve credit for not following the stereotypical plot sequence all the way through to the end. When my missus exclaims in horror that "that's not how it's supposed to end!", you know the film has achieved something at least.

FILM: The Proposal (5/10)

Why did I watch it?

Mrs Northerner suggested we watch this as it was on TV while we were away. I think this may be at least strike #2 for her being allowed to suggest films to watch.

What's it all about?

Ok, Sandra Bullock is the bitchy editor-in-chief and Ryan Reynolds is her personal assistant. Bullock's visa (she's Canadian) expires and in order to protect her job she reveals to her employers that her and Reynolds are engaged and soon to be married. Obviously they aren't but Reynolds reluctantly agrees providing he is made editor and his book is published. Cue fun and games as Bullock meets Reynolds family and the couple try to avoid prison by tricking an inquisitive immigration agent.

Should you watch it?

The happy couple

It was sadly predictable how predictable the plot turned out to be. I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that spoiler alert they don't get on, then get on, then fall out at the last minute before making up. The only unknown is knowing how close to the end the last minute falling out occurs. I've had more unpredictable trips to the bathroom.

Despite the plot, Reynolds and Bullock do have a genuine chemistry, are capable comedic performers and turn in decent performances within the constrains of the plot. The script's immense sarcasm and the pair's forced affection for each other, despite their contempt, can actually be pretty funny to watch.