50/50

So today I went to see the film 50/50 in the cinema. The film, inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease When I first heard about this film I was a little bit worried as to whether they would be able to pull off the whole subject of cancer and mixing it with comedy. When I saw the trailer earlier this year I thought, actually this could be really good if done well. My Grandad actually died of cancer when I was younger so I was really intrigued into how this film would make me feel. So I went to see it...

And it was extremely good! The contrast of comedy and sadness was done well enough to have you laughing one moment and crying the next, and sometimes laughing and crying at the same time. Joseph Gordon - Levitt plays Adam the character who is diagnosed with cancer and his performance was completely believable and one of his best yet. If he does not get and Oscar nomination or even a win for the role I will be surprised! Even though the Oscars don't always get along with comedy movies too much.

I can't fault this film at all really, all I can say is that I would have liked to have seen more of Seth Rogen's character who wasn't in it as much as I thought he would be. I think if he did have more screen time, it would have been his best role to date. I would have also liked to have seen more of the relationship between Adam and his father who had Alzheimer's, which wasn't mentioned much in the film. But apart from a few little niggles the film was practically perfect, the cinematography and soundtrack were brilliant!

As someone who has lost a relative to Cancer I can say that this film deals with the subject realistically and there isn't one bit where you think they are making fun of cancer at all. One of the best films this year and I really hope it gets some Oscar attention that it thoroughly deserves.

Crazily, not stupid, very lovely film!

So yesterday I finally got round to watching a film I have been waiting eagerly to see, Crazy, Stupid, Love. And I will start by saying that it was brilliant! The plot is quite complicated but don't be put off! It's about a man named Cal (Steve Carell) who is going through a divorce with his wife, whilst in a drunken depressed state he meets ladies man Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who helps turn his love life back around by helping him meet new women and become a bit of a player. Now Dan's son has fallen in love with his babysitter but the babysitter is in love with Dan. Still with me? Jacob soon falls for Hannah (Emma Stone) and Dan starts wanting his wife back but she is now seeing David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). Take a deep breath. Ok.

So it all sounds kind of complicated but actually works really well, with a such a large cast some characters don't have a much time as would have hoped especially Emma Stone's character who is hilariously awkward when she is about to sleep with Jacob, but apart from that it is really well written. Which is surprising considering the writer Dan Fogelman previously wrote kids films Cars and Tangled.

The film feels a bit like American Beauty and The 40 Year Old Virgin combined at points and that is no bad thing at all! The great thing about this film is that even though it is a romcom us guys can actually sit throughout all of it without being forced by our girlfriends and wives! Finally a romcom that appeals to both males and females.

I love a good romcom that is unique and appeals to a wide audience, (500) Days Of Summer did it very well! The directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have tried this new 'hybrid' genre before with I Love You Phillip Morris, which personally for me was pretty awful. So now they have finally redeemed themselves with this funny and emotional look on adult relationships.

And if that isn't enough to persuade you to see it, these two words may... Ryan Gosling.

The Hunger Games & a hangover!

So this is now my second posting and this time I will go straight into things with a look at the recent Hunger Games trailer and my view on The Hangover Part 2.

So first of all The Hunger Games trailer, now I am a big fan of the books and think if they are made correctly on the big screen they could be awesome, and be the answer to our post Potter blues. Now we were giver a tiny teaser trailer a couple of months ago but lets face it, for people who don't know anything about the film it was pretty crap. So when I heard there was going to be a full one released I was quickly live streaming Good Morning America on my laptop to see it. And what a good morning it was! Well afternoon for me living in the UK. I loved the trailer and that is a good thing, because there is a massive chance that they could have made this film a Twilight film. And we don't need anymore of those! But thankfully first impressions show that the studio haven't butchered the books and look set for making the next big teen franchise. Now the film is set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match. Now the books were amazing and actually some of the best I've read and even though it is teenage fiction there are many underlying adult themes such as capitalism and poverty and this really does make it a very powerful series of books. The trailer looks at the vents before the games so thankfully it doesn't give too much away but gives enough away to make me scream 'YES THAT LOOKS FREAKIN AWESOME!' And trust me, I really am happy at what it looks like so far! The only thing I was a bit disappointed in not seeing was whether the violence was watered down too much within the games, because this is film where kids fight each other to the death. And obviously the institution don't want to cut out there target audience and make it a 15. So I'm just hoping that with seemingly less strict rules on what children should be allowed to see will allow some of the gritty violence in the book to be portrayed on screen. I do however like the casting very much, most importantly Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss because she really is superb actress. Not to sure about Liam Hemsworth but that's only down to his previous movies, because he might actually be awesome in the role, just like his big bro as Thor! Also director Gary Ross has a pretty good film history with Pleasantville and Big so hopefully the film should be amazing. But why don't you take a look for yourself and tell me what you think! The trailer actually gave me goosebumps so I think that's a sign of greatness!

Now onto my review of The Hangover Part 2. Now before I start I must say I really really loved the first film, because it was something different, unexpected and best of all very, very funny! So I though could they really make an awesome sequel to what looked like a stand alone film? And my answer is...no. Set two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry. 

The great thing about the first was that it was unpredictable and audiences were on the edges of their seats throughout. With the second it looks as if they copy and pasted the winning formula of the first and tweaked stuff around to say it was 'original'. And it didn't work, everything was predictable and some of it really wasn't that funny. I mean some bits were great especially the character of Stu played by the brilliant Ed Helms but apart from that, the rest was a bit boring. Now apparently they are going to make a third (that's Hollywood for ya!) and if rumours are to be true the gang may be off to Berlin, which could be a laugh as long as the scriptwriters don't just copy and paste again!

Anyway, if your reading this thanks a lot. Please tell your friends about my blog, it would be nice to have some followers! But  until next time please comment bellow!

Alex

First Film Post

Hello, I'm Alex and this is my first blog. As you can tell from the title it is a film blog. In my blogs I will be writing about the latest film news and my opinions on them. I will also be reviewing a wide range of films and maybe I'll look at some TV shows. But for my first blog I wasn't sure what I should write about So I thought maybe I would let you get to know me more and share with you my top ten films! My top ten films are in no particular order and I'm sorry if you don't agree with them but I will give you my reasons why also. Here they are:

- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I love this film! It is a love story in reverse and is one of the most beautiful and emotional films I have ever seen! Michel Gondry uses practical effects to turn this into one of the most interesting and intriguing films ever. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet deliver one of there best performances on screen. This is also one of Jim Carrey's more serious roles and it proves that the rubber faced actor can act!

- Fight Club
Where do I start with this film! One of the most amazing films ever made and David Fincher's best film to date. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton star in this shocking, violent and crazy film, which shows Edward Norton's character struggle through his life with insomnia until he meets soap maker Tyler Durden. I won't spoil the twist for anyone but it is really a mind boggler! Davind Fincher is one of my favourite directors and this really is one of my favourite films. A true classic!

- Kick Ass
The ultimate (wannabe) superhero movie ever? This really is a brilliant film. It has a really good comic book indie feel to it and is every comic book fans dream! Personally I think its Nicholas Cage's best performance to date and who didn't fall in love with the sweary, violent Hit-Girl after watching this film? This film lives up to it's name and Kicks Ass!

- The Godfather
This is many peoples favourite film (including my mum). I only got round to watching it last year but entered my top ten instantly! Two words! Marlon. Brando.

- Iron Man
 (I had a my 50 word review of this amazing film posted on totalfilm.com so that is being used for my reason below.)
Tony Stark plays a great Robert Downey Jr. Or is that the other round? It exceeded all expectations and started the road to what could be the ultimate super hero movie, The Avengers. Well done to Jon Favreau who brought a comic legend to life with respect and dignity. One of the best super hero films to date.

- Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back
I love the Star Wars saga, preferably the originals and my favourite of them all is the extraordinary Empire Strikes Back. This was the point when the franchise grew up and became the ultimate sci-fi movie of all time. Everything about this film makes you scream YES! And that is why I love it!

- Goodfellas
Yes another period gangster movie, I am a sucker for them. Better then then The Godfather? Not sure. But it is incredible, a funny and emotional take on the uprising of an american gangster. I love Martin Scorsese and this truly is his best to date, though all of them are amazing. Has the man ever made a bad film?

- Spider-Man 2
If you have read my about me section then you already know I'm a massive fan of Spider-Man and if you didn't, you just found out. So I'm sure you guessed one of the trilogy was going to end up on here (though I'm guessing you know the thrid one won't be). But why the second film? Because unlike the first, this goes straight into the action and pleases fans everywhere when the film creates the perfect villain Doc Ock. And the fight scene on the train is one of mmy all time faviroute film scenes of all time!

- The Dark Knight
Like the Spider-Man series, the second film in the Batman series is the best (so far). This really is the perfect film and perfect superhero film. Christian Bale is a great actor and put against Heath Ledger's incredible villain The Joker this film really is a crowd pleaser. Nobody makes a film like Christopher Nolan. And as for the third upcoming film... In Nolan We Trust!

-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Robert Downey Jr. is one of my all time faviroute actors and yes, I have a major man crush on him! In this film he really makes me laugh, it is a great film and I can't wait to see what director Shane Black does with his latest project Iron Man 3. The film is like a hate letter to Hollywood and I love it!

And that concludes my top ten faviroute film list. I hope you liked my first blog post and I will hopefully have another soon! Please comment! You can also follow me on twitter if you want @SuperAlexMan

Thank you for reading! I'l post again soon!