A Long Way Down

Adapted from another one of Nick Hornby's novels, A Long Way Down depicts the lives of four different people and when their paths intertwine on one New Year's Eve. When the project was first announced, I was rather excited, primarily because Hornby is a prominent author, and his novel adaptations have been spurning out good material. I haven't seen High Fidelity yet, but I did enjoy About a Boy, so I was hoping that the movie would be good, at least. Well, it wasn't what I expected.

Favorite Movies Directed by Women (Part 2)

Last year I made a list of some of my favorite movies directed by women. As I was reading through the post (and the succeeding comments), it dawned on me that there were a lot more films I haven't seen, and this list might just be growing - in a good way. While I was doing preliminary research on the directors of some of my favorite movies, I stumbled upon a site that enumerates less than a thousand films made by female directors. To think that at least 3 thousand movies are being made a year worldwide, you would think a hefty chunk of that would be by female directors (sadly, it's not). Still, these women are making their name in the industry in their country and worldwide. I think I would be posting more of these later on, but for now, here are ten more movies to add to the roster.

Thursday Movie Picks: Conversation Movies

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful time with your families and friends! This is the last theme of Wandering Through The Shelves' Movie Meme this year (and if you missed some of my entries, you can check them out at the links at the end of this post). I think conversation movies are not everyone's preferred movie choice, no matter how beautiful and powerful some of these movies are. There's very little action and a lot of talking involved, but when conversations can enhance a film to stand out, or be intriguing, or produce a beautiful work of art, it's saying something. So, my picks for the week are:

This is Where I Leave You

This was one of my awaited movies of the year simply because I loved the book (and anything Jonathan Tropper seems to write, but my favorites so far are the source novel and How to Talk to a Widower). From the books I’ve read, Tropper seems to enjoy writing about dysfunctional characters, focusing his woes on male characters and applying them in situations where they can grow out of it. This was one of them. With a good source novel and an amazing cast line up, you would think this movie would be a gem. Unfortunately, it was not, but it still didn’t damper my love for the book and this cast.

Women in Film Blogathon Part II: The Director's Chair

John from Hitchcock’s World is hosting a part two of his women in film blogathon! His first blogathon focused on the strong female characters in film, and in continuation, this blogathon now focuses on women behind the scenes - women who directed these films. To be honest, his blogathon came in at the right time, just when I was composing a part 2 of a women-directed list I wrote last year. The director I’ve chosen has been releasing critically acclaimed work, but has yet to have her ‘breakout film’, though with her recent film, I’d say she’s almost there. For this, I’m talking about Nicole Holofcener.

Thursday Movie Picks: Coming of Age Movies

It’s another Thursday, which means another entry to Wandering Through the Shelves’ Movie Meme! There’s still one theme left for the year so it’s never too late to head over her site and join in the fun! This week’s theme probably has the most choices in movies, and a topic that doesn’t seem to be getting old: coming of age movies. Here are my picks for this week:

Blind Spot: Memento

Memento concludes my blind spot list for the year. Unlike the others, I’ve attempted to watch this a couple of times but have failed to finish until now. I have since determined that Memento, while making Christopher Nolan’s name known to the world, is a work of his that could only be viewed with people who really like movies (and would go beyond blockbuster stuff), or at least people who want more pre-Batman Nolan. Told in a backward narrative, it shares the story of Leonard and his quest to find the man who raped and murdered his wife.

Magic in the Moonlight

In Woody Allen's recent years as a filmmaker, his works have been hits and misses, prompting the theory that he releases a good movie every other year. WIth the success of Blue Jasmine last year, it's in theory that his next venture, Magic in the Moonlight would be awful. Well, the cycle hasn't changed as I have never met a set of deplorable characters in one Woody Allen film as much as this one.

8 Movies to Watch this Holiday Season

The holiday season is among us! While we're all busy doing some shopping (and being broke for a few months afterwards), or preparing feasts, making plans to visit family and friends, there's also an influx of holiday movies invading our screens as we speak! While holiday movies are a year-round event for me, some flicks such as Home Alone and Love Actually are holiday staples at my house, here are some movies you might want to see this season.

Trailer: Home


I think it's safe to say that this is going to be one of my awaited animated movies for next year. Jim Parson's voice performance looks like it suits the character. I'm not certain of its awards potential (as I think the award would probably go to Pixar's Inside Out), but this looks good. Dreamworks Animation had some hits and misses, and hopefully this one doesn't disappoint. 

Jurassic Park

After the release of the trailer of Jurassic World, I decided to go and watch the first installment of the franchise just to see what I'm getting myself into when I watch the fourth installment. I did not imagine that I would spend the next two hours screaming at the characters to run or do something beside freeze in place to await for their death. The characters' personalities make you panic for their lives, and the same time wonder how on earth they survived.

Trailer: Pitch Perfect 2


While the first movie was adorable in its own way (and seemed to have some kind of heart in it), Pitch Perfect 2 seems to remove that emotional value, and instead focus on the accapella and the funny antics that accompanied the first movie. While I don't think the sequel was necessary, it'll be nice to see a familiar comedy to what will be a blockbuster-fest by next year. Even if the mechanics that made its predecessor charming was removed, I'm still hoping that this would be charming in its own way. 

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Adapted From Plays


Another Thursday calls for a new entry to Wandering Through The Shelves' Movie Meme! There's still a couple of weeks left, so if you haven't joined in, go visit her site! This week's theme is movies adapted from plays. The week's theme limitation is that it can't be Shakespearean (or we'll be seeing a lot of Hamlets and Macbeths on the list) or based from a musical. Here are my choices for this week:

Blind Spot 2015

My first year participating in Ryan McNeil's yearly event has been fruitful. Not only did I have a extensively growing watch list, I found films that I haven't heard of, and got new favorite movies from my own Blind Spot list. Some months were a struggle, but it was worth it - I got to cross out movies that wouldn't even been crossed out any time soon, and I've enjoyed reading other people's entries and their own stories about discovering something new about their picks.

While finalizing my list for next year, it dawned on me that the films I chose were reflective on what made my list last year. I've been meaning to see these works, but get pushed due to other circumstances. Some of my picks this year were also influenced by previous blind spots choices, whether of my own or others. Here are the films that compose this year's list:

The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)
Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994)
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron, 2001)

Thursday Movie Picks: French Films

This is the last theme of the month for Wandering Through The Shelves' Movie Meme! Entries have been somewhat of a staple around here, so if you still haven't joined, it's not too late! This week's theme: French films. My knowledge of film has grown intensively because of the internet and American films employing French actors. While my movie-watching habits haven't switched to the non-English category, I've been slowly dipping my toes to European film, albeit in limited works. I've always admired the French's creativity when it comes to their work; they're very free when it comes to expression. I haven't seen a great share of French cinema, or even some of the lauded work from influential directors, but I'm slowly getting there. Here are my picks for this week:

Trailer: Cinderella


If you watch the trailer, there's no need for you to spend money on the actual movie when it comes on theaters. It basically lays out everything to expect (all those magical things, the lovely costumes, the special effects) that there's nothing to anticipate. It does look very glamorous though, and Cate Blanchett seemed to have nailed the role just right. I was expecting Helena Bonham Carter to be dressed really weird (as her other movies), but put her beside Cinderella and Cinderella still doesn't come close to the beauty that is her fairy godmother. 

Blind Spot: The Shawshank Redemption

*This post contains spoilers*

This is the penultimate choice for this year’s blind spot series. And not a bad one at it. Rather, I found it difficult to compartmentalize coherent paragraphs about this film. I think the film has triggered something, that even when I’m looking at graphics and lines from the film, there this sense of joy and sadness that overcomes me. I think that is what the film is about. That culmination of joy and sadness, of hopelessness and optimism that surrounds the characters, and the harsh realities of the worlds they are pushed in.

Boyhood

Growing up has never portrayed as brilliantly as Richard Linklater did in Boyhood. Shooting his two-hour film in a span of years, he brings us to the experience of actual growing up, from those pre-pubescent years to eventual adulthood. While its premise doesn't seem much on paper, it resonates with you more than you know.

Trailer: Into the Woods


The first trailer gave me nothing to work with, as it was all just graphics and all the actors looking unusual. This however gives a glimpse of what the movie is really going to be about. Come Oscar season, if slots for best actress isn't going to be filled, I bet Meryl Streep will be a defacto nominee. Though set in a dark, bleak, atmosphere, it seems whimsical enough to work. However, if it translates well onscreen will be the question. Rob Marshall directed Chicago, which is one of the best onscreen musicals I've seen. He worked with a dark background there and filled the stage with enough pop of color that the musical numbers become distinct. He might just work his charm here, and along with a great cast, there is potential that this might work. 

10 Movies to Watch on a Rainy Day

As much as I love films, there are some works that are much better to watch when you're all cuddled up in your blanket and just want to relax and unwind and forget the world (which is a rare event these days). To limit myself to ten movies, the ones who make on the list are those that I have seen for the first time this year, no matter when it was released. These are the films that made the cut:

Interstellar

When you come out of the cinema arguing passionately, I think it's a sign of a mind-baffling film. An added bonus to this is when none of you know what the film was ultimately about, and putting your trust that Christopher Nolan will deliver a great film. When reviews for Interstellar started streaming in, the reaction varied, so I wasn't sure what to expect. While it did leave me a lot questions, its third act's questionable scenes included, Interstellar was quite the film that leaves things shaken up.

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies About Making Movies

I'm slowly preparing my entries for the last leg of Wandering Through the Shelves' movie meme (I'm not sure if she will plan to continue it until next year), so if you haven't joined in the fun, there's still a few weeks left! One of the topics that Hollywood hasn't failed in showing us are the behind the scenes look in movies, even if they were fictional itself. I think that at some point, we, the non-film making industry people sometimes want to catch a glimpse of the process it takes to make a movie. While most of the works are fictional accounts, the behind the scene process is actually a great story telling point, as there is a lot of drama that happens off-screen. Here are my picks for this week's theme:

Fairy Tale Blogathon: Penelope

To celebrate fairy tales, Fitzi Kramer of Movies Silently is hosting the Fairy Tale Blogathon which will run from November 9 to 11 this year. For my entry, I decided to review Penelope, a modern retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast. It stars Christina Ricci, and this movie also marks the day the name "James McAvoy" landed on my radar, and I have been tuning in his work since.

The One I Love

Do you have an idea of your ideal partner? Like making a mental list about the kind of person you’d want to spend your life with? Does it matter if your current partner meets all your expectations, or do basics (however you want to define it) suffice? When your relationship starts to become rocky, do you just abandon ship, or revisit your relationship to find and solve the problem? This is how we meet Sophie and Ethan, two people who are trying to make their marriage work. They have been seeing a therapist for some time, and their sessions are going nowhere, prompting their therapist to send them off in a weekend getaway to reconnect and rekindle their passion.

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs

It’s another Thursday, which means another entry to Thursday Movie Picks, hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves! This week’s theme: amnesia. Here are my picks:

Blind Spot: His Girl Friday

While I was making my blind spot list for the year, I decided to put movies that everyone deemed to be a “must-see”. Some of these are famous works, works that are so intimidating because of the stigma already set to them by the film society. There are some that are declared masterpieces, or cult classics. In other words, these are really well known pieces that I chose. Looking back at my list, I had no idea how His Girl Friday had come to mind. Was it because of Roman Holiday? Somehow it found its way on the list, I watched it, and liked it - until I got to the final scene. 

Thursday Movie Picks: Vampire Movies

It's another Thursday, which means another entry to Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks meme! This week's theme: vampires. As I don't want a lot of horror movies, that goes the same for vampire-themed ones. I do have a lot of vampire-related content on my watch list though, which is odd. Usually my lists consists of movies I like, or hidden gems, but for this week, I have one movie that I like, and two that I hate.

1.04 - "Let's Get to Scooping"

While I've been devouring paragraphs of events for the past three recaps, I decided to go with a different route with this one. The episode had a darker turn this week, but has made headlines, primarily because of Viola Davis’ scene, in which she removes her wig and make up. This week’s episode has been intriguing, and the main murder mystery is getting quite exciting. They’ve still yet to reveal if Annalise Keating has any connection with the murder during the flash forward. Editing and writing has been par with the previous episode. Viola Davis nonetheless stood out this episode, especially with the last scene.

1.03 - "Smile, or Go to Jail"

This week’s episode was a lot more coherent than the last. It had better editing and better writing, though they have started to subdue their cases a bit. There weren't much scenes from the flash forward, but the writers are starting to focus on the main murder story (Lila Stangard, not Sam Keating, though I think that the two murders are very connected).

Thursday Movie Picks: Zombie Movies

Here's another entry to Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks Meme! This month's topics all have horror culture in them, a genre I really don't watch myself. So pardon my entries that they don't seem horror-ish, or scary at all. This week's theme is zombie movies. Usually I'd try to add a hidden gem in my three choices, but with my limited number of movies, I decided to go with movies I like!

1.02 - "It's All Her Fault"

This episode might not be as par with the pilot, but it has certainly kept with the show’s momentum. The format is the same as last episode’s, where there’s a case that they solve and it weaves back and the forth to the present day, where the four students were trying to cover up the murder, now with more clues hinting about what happened. 

Obvious Child

The romantic comedy genre is taking a strong beating due to big productions basically spurning out trash starring stereotypical characters doing typical things. Still, I don't think we can live without them - they're filler movies whenever we need to be occupied enough not to pay attention, or a guilty pleasure watch, or you're a romantic that likes to indulge in thoughts of that kind of love. Anyway, I'm not here to argue or discuss about the state of romantic comedies. However, I think there's been a small resurgence from the genre, ranging from the classics to independent films that try their hand in providing a romantic comedy that is good. Usually it's these films that stay away from the tropes of the genre, and deciding on stories that don't get utilized onscreen. Obvious Child is one of those films that defy the trope. What immediately makes the film stand out is that it is labelled as an 'abortion comedy'. While it gives away the entire premise, it doesn't rob you of the experience of the film unfolding quite nicely, making this one of the best films I have seen this year.

09/14: This is Going to Be a Long One.

My favorite part of September has arrived - fall premiere! Not only are we getting the must watch movies of the year (Oscar season is upon us a few weeks from now), but there's also the endless television show premieres! There are already some that made it to my watch list, and show's I'm considering dropping out of my roster. The upcoming months are just going to be filled with a lot of watching. A lot.

1.01 - "Pilot"

I don’t think a new show has secured its place on my weekly watch list faster than How to Get Away With Murder. It immediately grabs your attention from the beginning - a murder mystery involving law students - and it doesn't stop there. The characters themselves have their own secrets, secrets that will eventually lead us to answers.

Blind Spot: The Godfather

As I wrote the title of the post, I could still hear the film's opening score playing in my head. That was how intriguing the film is, that the mere mention of its title, one can conjure up Marlon Brando staring at you, his calm demeanor hiding the ruthless truth of what happens in a mafia community. With the mafia, every move is a strategy, every word a hanging threat, and every ally a service. In a glance, The Godfather shows the dealings that occur in the world of organized crime, but also exhibits the inner turmoils of the members involved in such dealings.

Thursday Movie Meme: Nautical Movies

It's time for another Thursday Movie Meme! It's hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and if you haven't joined in, I suggest you hop on over to her site and join in the fun. This week's theme is nautical movies. The theme encompasses a wide variety of movies, so I decided to go with three of my favorites - one or two of them might be considered hidden gems as well.

Double Feature: Die Hard / Die Hard 2

What was originally going to be a four-review feature, I decided to split the reviews into two camps, primarily because of the tone and atmosphere shift that happened in the franchise. The Die Hard franchise follows the life of one John McClane, and all of the horrible things that could happen in a span of one cop's life, considering he stumbles through most of it on coincidence. The movies show a chronological movement in his life: from his troubled marriage to his troubled relationship with his now grown-up children. The first two Die Hard movies happen during Christmas Eve, with a year span from each other. Both movies also carry a one-location format, with Die Hard being set in Holly McClane's workplace, and Die Hard 2 occurs in an airport in Washington, D.C.

Trailer: Mockingjay Part 1


I can feel the long ticket lines already. What seems to be a not-so-packed third novel from the trilogy, The Hunger Games have taken the two-part finale, stretching material that can be done with one movie. As much as I would like to be excited for the movie, I can already feel the strain of trying to get good seats that are optimal for viewing and yet as far away from gasping, giggling fan-people who could not contain their excitement for the movies. This is a bit darker in tone from the previous two movies, as it's now constraint to the battle field instead of the luscious worlds the Games are set in. Hopefully it lives up to Catching Fire, but based on this trailer, I'm not keeping my hopes too high.

Trailer: Maps to the Stars


I've seen other trailers of the movie, but this one clearly provides the premise of the film. David Cronenberg has been collaborating with Robert Pattinson for a few movies now, and this one looks promising. I've been a fan of Mia Wasikowska, and while she's playing another weird, scary character, this one seems different from her Stoker counterpart. Julianne Moore also seems to fit the role, and Pattison seemed to have taken a step back from being the absolute lead. Nevertheless, I will definitely put this on my to-watch list. 

Back to School Blogathon


Wendell of Dell on Movies is hosting a blogathon! This was a bit of a challenge because there were so many characters to choose from! Before anything else, here are the rules:

1. Choose at least 1 character to fit into each of the following roles:

Administrator (either a dean, principal, head master, or some other equivalent)
Teacher
Star Student/Nerd
Jock/Class Bully
Popular Girl/Diva
Invisible Girl (aka not popular girl)
Class Clown
Troubled Youth

Of course, include a few words on why each character was chosen.

Some of the categories have slashes because there is a lot of overlap within. However, feel free to break those up to make your class even larger. For instance if you use a jock who is a nice guy, you can also include a bully. As long as you have the minimum number of students and others, your class can be as large as you like.

2. There are NO RESTRICTIONS on age. Theoretically, you can have Zach from Kindegarten Cop in the same class as Rodney Dangerfield's character from...um...Back to School

3. You can use multiple characters from a single movie, but a class must be made up of characters from at least three separate movies.

4. Use movies in which school is an important part of the plot or are largely set in a school.

5. Finally, use my banner somewhere in your entry and link back to this post.

Here are my choices per category:

Thursday Movie Meme: Sport Movies

It's Thursday once more, and it's time for the Thursday Movie Meme, hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week's theme is sport movies. I don't watch a lot of sport movies, so there's a small pool of films that I can pick from. I chose three movies that I like, although one of them could be considered a hidden gem. 

A Million Ways to Die in the West

A lot of people were impressed with Ted. Sad to say, I was not one of those people. I thought I'd try my luck with the next McFarlane production, considering that I do enjoy Family Guy, and it's one of his strongest animated work. A Million Ways to Die in the West had a good trailer, and I was hopeful that this one I would like or at least enjoy, but I was wrong on both ends. Not only did the movie lack a stable source of humor (the movie employed different kinds), but the leading actor was sincerely unlikable. Too bad the director is the lead actor.

Trailer: Horrible Bosses 2


Horrible Bosses was a funny movie, so it's inevitable that it will have a sequel. You know what movie was also funny and had a sequel? The Hangover. The trailer looks good though, and it seems funny and something that I would enjoy. The plot this time is different - they no longer have bosses, but are entangled in a kidnapping (and meeting said horrible bosses along the way). Hopefully it does keep its promise of being funny and entertaining. By the looks of the trailer, it could work, and I'm fairly excited for it. 

A Beautiful Mind

Apparently, Man of Steel was my first Russell Crowe movie (I know, right? I need to remedy this right away). Of the very few movies of his I've seen, I have not enjoyed a performance as much as I did in A Beautiful Mind. His performance, complimented by the writing, was riveting. As each scene progressed, you wouldn't have an inkling of the twist, and when it does, the earlier scenes raise questions and support the latter sequences of the film.

Six Degrees of Separation Blogathon

Mettel Ray has kindly passed me the baton to the Six Degrees of Separation blogathon, hosted by Nostra of My Filmviews. I had been following some of the entries a while back, and each entry has been fascinating as the next. Mettel has tasked me to connect Ewan McGregor and Dylan O'Brien, two actors whose work I'm only vaguely familiar with. 

So here we go!

08/14: Car Chases & Cinematic Escapades

August has passed in a whirl. A lot of entertainment related events unfolded this month. There was the success of Marvel's wild card, Guardians of the Galaxy. Then there's the demise of beloved actor Robin Williams (whose filmography I need to revisit some time). The Emmy Awards was also this month, and I definitely did not expect those Sherlock awards (especially since they were going up against The Normal Heart, which was a fantastic film). Then Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finally got hitched (though I don't know what to feel about it except it seems like passing news compared to the others).

I do have a question for you, though. In the world of technology, it's impossible to stay disconnected to the world. I'm not sure about the mobile culture for other countries, but I can vouch that there are a lot of differences. This month I found myself functioning without my phone. Sure, I missed a couple of calls here and there, but in a way, I did not feel as disconnected because there are other means of using the internet. Have you tried going without your phone for a couple of days? You sort of get used without the device nearby, but it does get difficult to communicate when you're nowhere near anyplace with a phone line. And with that, let's get on with this month's recap!

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth has been engulfed in ice, and the only remnants of the human race is living inside a self-sufficient train. Director Bong Joon-ho immediately throws us into the conflict, where the residents of the back carts decide that they had enough of the treatment by the residents of the front train, and decided to stage a coup to take control of the train.

Trailer: Mortdecai


After the consistent failed attempts of Johnny Depp outside the Pirates franchise, I have come not to expect much from the movies of the actor. Right now, I'm willing to hope that this is an exception. The movie looks like something I would consider watching, and with its comic tone, I would expect the actor to be a bit loose, like Jack Sparrow-loose. He's still a bit stiff here, but who knows, maybe it will work. 

Blind Spot: Pulp Fiction

As I sit here and try to rummage through my mind for words, I come up with none. Not because there's nothing to say, but rather, every word seems to be swirling around that I risk writing an incoherent review about it. Nonetheless, I was very impressed with Pulp Fiction, and how a film like this could still be impressive years after its release. If I didn't know this was released back in 1994, I would have thought that it was released recently. Maybe it's because the writing style of Tarantino could still be applied today, that it still moves with the time. Besides the iconic scenes, it was the script, and the manner the film is presented, that makes it all worth while to see.

Guilty Pleasure Movies Blogathon

Jenna and Allie of Flick Chicks are hosting their first blogathon! Before anything else, here are the rules:

1 - You can choose and discuss as many or as few movies as you like. We both did a Top 10, but you can just choose 1 movie if you like. Just tell us a bit about the movie and why you like it so much.
2 - Please create a new post for our Blogathon, rather than linking an old post you may have already done.
3 - Please include our Blogathon Banner anywhere in your post
4 - The deadline for entries is Sunday, 31st August, so there's plenty of time!
It took me a long time to finish my list because I honestly didn't know where to start.

It took me a long time to finish my list because I didn't know where to start. I think I've pulled out five movies that basically comprises the general tone of my personal guilty pleasure movies.

Thursday Movie Picks: Time Travel Movies

I first read about the meme through Dell on Movies, and I've been meaning to join it for quite some time! It's hosted by Wandering through the Shelves, another blog that I'm recently frequenting. Each week there's a theme, where you get to pick three movies surrounding said theme. For this week, it's about time travel. The first movie I initially thought of was Back to the Future (it seems like the predominant choice when it comes to time travel movies), so I decided not to use it for my list. Below are three of my picks for this week's theme!

Wes Anderson: Ranked

Wes Anderson has become one of my favorite directors since I saw The Royal Tenenbaums. The quirky stories coupled with his filming style, the man's filmography has won me over. He enjoys working with the same people, and producing some of his best work with them. He may not be as prominent as some of the directors in the industry, but he sure knows how to hit a note. I recently finished watching all his feature films and listed down his works in accordance with my preference. His short films are not included in the list, and it's arranged from least to most preferred.

Trailer: Horns


Daniel Radcliffe has been getting some interesting roles. He doesn't tend to stick to one genre, but really explores his options. I haven't seen much of his work post-Potter, but this one looks so intriguing that I just might see it. Plus it also stars Juno Temple, who I think is one of the underrated actresses working in the industry. I just hope the film is as captivating as the trailer makes it appear to be. 

Batman Begins

For someone who has watched The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, it's somewhat an embarrassment that I didn't start the trilogy with this installation. After all, it does give explanations to parts of the succeeding films, and build a strong, solid background as to where Batman really began. While everyone's been raving about the succeeding films, this one didn't get as much rave. It's a gem, actually. I think it lacked the marketing, at least where I'm from, as it came hand in hand with a Tom Cruise flick. This is a good origin story, and it does build up the story of the succeeding films.

Olympus Has Fallen

Gerard Butler has come back to life! Well, he hasn't been gone, but it's been a while since I last saw a good flick of his. Arguably, the use of the word 'good' merits some explanation. Olympus Has Fallen is one of those movies where it doesn't bring anything new to the genre.I didn't expect anything from this except for all the action sequences. It has a lot of cliches, and those last minute moments where it seems like there is no hope? It's all there. It was made to entertain, preferably with all the fighting and explosives a movie can bring in. If you're up for a relaxing afternoon, this would be a movie to watch.

Trailer: Laggies


Keira Knightley strikes again! I wasn't a fan of her participation in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, but she completely blew me away in Begin Again. Now I hope that Laggies is equally charming, if not quirky. I'm definitely a fan of Knightley's work, and I'm a big fan of Sam Rockwell as well - the man doesn't get the recognition he deserves, but he's been putting in good work. The trailer doesn't really do much, but the presence of Knightley and Rockwell are enough for me to see this movie.

Batman Forever

So, after spanning two decent Batman movies, the franchise took a turn when the torch was handed over to Joel Schumacher, whose rendition of the masked crusader has got to be the worst installments I have seen. In a few words: it was messy, sloppy, and outrageous. How this garnered a sequel from the same director, I would never know

Trailer: Exodus: Of Gods and Kings


Why is Christian Bale the only decent-looking person here (read: what is with Joel Edgerton's eye make up)? Regardless of that, this looks like a big epic film. The recent Ridley Scott film I saw was Prometheus (haven't caught up with The Counselor yet), and while that was visually stunning, I hope this has more content. The account itself of Moses has a lot of potential to become quite an epic film, so I really hope this delivers. The studio seems to have a lot of faith in this one (as it didn't quite battle out Noah in terms of release), but I might just catch it when it comes on DVD. 

Bad Teacher

Being a teacher takes a lot of responsibility. Parents expect teachers to educate their children in matters that they themselves cannot teach. Teachers are society's hope in molding children to become better members of society. We are expected to learn from them, and it is through teachings that we are able to find our strengths and weaknesses as students. But what if your teacher was Elizabeth Halsey?

Favorite Scenes: Harry Potter Franchise

Harry Potter (both novels and films) was a huge part of my childhood; I grew up reading the books and watching the movies. It was a world of its own, and a world that I still gladly explore from time to time. I've never written birthday posts but when writing this, I thought, why not? So here's a list of my favorite scenes (one per film) to commemorate the day. As lists go, this is arranged by movie, and I went with scenes that not only do I love, but has an impact on the character or the turn of the film itself.