Rob at the Movies!
Movie Round up... What’s on at the Movies?
It seems not that long ago, and it really really doesn’t feel that long ago... like literally feels like the moment this morning when I ate my Cheerios watching TV. It seems not long ago I was raving and doing a dance, maybe the Macarena or possibly the hustle, and going on about it being March and how cool that is... well it’s only flippin’ April now innit! Not only that, almost the middle of April... this week will end with April 22nd (which is Easter, in case you didn’t know lol!) so the year is getting on with it and May is almost here and then the Summer and then Christmas and then 2012 and then so on and so forth... it seems life just can’t slow down. Probably a good reason why these blogs may sometimes seem few and far between... it’s not that the time to sit down and right them isn’t there, it just flies by without me noticing. Slow down I say, when this year gets up to 88mph you’re going to see some serious... not much, because it’s going too fast to see anything!!!!
As well as time and life and the universe’s cosmos doing a runner... April is the time for Easter and a time for people to yet again take a break from their education and work and have some family time, or time catching up with friends who have been at Uni or away and have popped back for a spell... I know a good few of my mates will be back and it’ll be good for a catch up, knowing my friends well there’ll be some big gathering planned at some point no doubt, they do love planning these things, and they’re always ace.
But yep Easter, we all know it as the time to eat so much chocolate that Cadburys staff everywhere do a happy dance and there are bunnies and chickens and such... but for Christians, and that’s a good deal of the people I know and a lot of my friends, it’s celebrating the sacrifice Jesus made for us all on the cross... on Good Friday (one thing I’ve always wondered is how come Christmas is always Dec 25 and recognised as that date, yet Easter changes every year... they can remember when he was born, but no one pin pointed the date when he died.... last year Easter was April 4th I think, this year it’s April 24th... quite a margin of difference, oh well). It has been explained to me slightly but still puzzles me...
Jesus was put to death on the cross, and he accepted this and did this so he could absolve us of our sins and we could be allowed to enter Heaven if we follow him... I don’t really want to launch into a sermon but just laying down the basics... this is why we celebrate Easter, I know if you’re non-Christian you probably don’t celebrate it that way, but like Christmas... it’s more or less the reasoning behind the holiday and the season in the first place. Good Friday was when he made the sacrifice and died, and Easter Sunday is when he rose again. It always strikes me as odd that we make such a huge deal of Christmas, and it’s always my favourite time of year don’t get me wrong.... but Easter seems fairly muted in comparison, it’s a much more joyous thing to celebrate.
In my eyes it’s definitely the bigger season and the bigger reason to celebrate, yet Christmas is always bigger but that’s probably companies and people carrying it away and making it bigger and bigger, toy sales anyone? But even if Easter doesn’t wind up celebrated as big, it’s definitely the more important holiday and date to remember... so when you’re tucking into your chocolate eggs and stroking bunnies maybe, remember the real reason behind Easter... there’s probably a great Phil Potter sermon on this somewhere.
This last week has been a busy one... I’ve had two bunches of meetings on Monday (Apr 11) and Tuesday (Apr 12) for Sparks Unleashed which was Friday the 15th and was pretty awesome, especially since I did a really ace drama sketch, and there was loads of other well ace stuff like egg and spoon race, eating loads of crème eggs, hiding chocolate around church and some cool question and answer time amongst loads of other Easter related greatness, especially some fantastic videos including a superb Twitter related video and a cracking version of Rebecca Black’s unfairly maligned Youtube smash Friday (yeah it’s cheesy but it’s just silly fluff, get over it haters ha!) which was all about Sunday and was hilariously great, worshippin worshippin worshippin yeah!!
And as well as that there’s just the usual job related stuff and other things, there’s Cell for one, which was absolutely fantastic this week, with some great food and some superb conversation going on in there, and that’s definitely going strong as it ever was... with weekends away in June on the horizon, as well as more socials and leading the services on April 17th and some other fun things coming up, that’s still as ace as it ever was... oh and there was a really nice chilled afternoon on the Friday at my cool mate Joe’s... we had some good barbecue grub, and a fun time on the field, was a really great time with the brilliant well awesome person that is Becky Owens, the uber cool Jonathan Bennett, the cracking Jonathan Coffey, the funny Beth Clark, the seriously ace Chesky, and the well cool Dixon girls, the hilarious Emily and the annoyingly awesome and well cool Lucy.
Plus there’s tons of great TV, the superb Boardwalk Empire and True Blood have finished in style and there’s still such gems as the hysterical Curb Your Enthusiasm, the gripping The Event, the wonderful House, the delightful Glee, the return of the oh so brilliant Chuck and Fringe, the wonderfully fun No Ordinary Family, and watching the great Green Wing for the first time, so plenty to keep me occupied there plus going through my DVD’s of How I Met Your Mother still, my new favourite show! Love it so much, and I’m almost onto Series 4! And then of course, there are all of the movies... which calmly brings us to our main topic of blogness!
April- What’s Hot at the Cinema? Seen and Unseen
As you may have ascertained from reading this blog in the past, movies are a love for me, been hugely in admiration with them all my life and love nothing more than writing about them. But what you say, of the movies currently invading cinemas worldwide... well the main cause of this month’s blog is to update you on the best of what’s out in April from films I’ve seen to previews of films yet to come (or depending on when this blog finally goes out, could already be out but not seen), both reviews and previews in a way.
Starting off now with a bunch of reviews, from drumming bunnies to time travelling body hoppers to stoned princes through to returning horror, we start off though with one left over from March, that I particular enjoyed a lot:
Limitless (15)
Director Neil Burger’s follow up to his fantastic 2007 release The Illusionist (in which Edward Norton played a stage magician who may or may not possess true powers, a tragic love story meets period drama with a fantastic cast and a corker of a twist, plus some fantastic moustaches) is the drama Limitless, a sort of sci-fi in the way most films can claim to be in some way. It sees Hangover/ A-Team’s Bradley Cooper take the lead for the first time in a big movie as down and out novelist Eddie Morra, who isn’t getting anywhere fast... until an old friend passes him a tablet that suddenly unlocks all his brain power he isn’t using and makes him both super clever and able to live his life to the full, getting rich and impressing everyone... not least Robert De Niro’s shady businessman. These things can never last...
It’s a terrific little drama featuring some amazing camerawork (brilliant pan zooms across the whole of New York City and brill visuals) and a great little cast... Cooper acquits himself really well, providing a fantastic lead to root for, with all the charm and likeability you would want, and he’s ably supported both by De Niro who is perfectly solid as always but that’s it as is now the case sadly, it’ll be good to see him back on top form soon but he manages fine here, a really solid presence as always.
Whilst the female characters are a bit thin on the ground, Abbie Cornish’s love interest does get one of the best scenes in the movie, a tense chase through Central Park that brims with chill and tension. As with a lot of films of this calibre, some of the plot points don’t add up and the ending doesn’t work on all levels, but it still has a pretty cool finale and overall it all adds up to an entertaining, visually stimulating and well played thriller that deserves a look.
8/10
Hop (U)
Well it being the season of Easter, it makes enough commercial sense that sooner or later someone would make a massive Easter movie much like the glut of festive movies that get released around the Christmas season. It comes as no surprise that the task fell to the creators of Despicable Me and the director of Alvin and the Chipmunks, whether or not some of those omens are good. What does come as a bigger surprise is that they got Russell Brand to provide the voice of cute little rocker bunny E.B, less surprising is that playing his dad, the current Easter Bunny is British legend and TV superstar Hugh Laurie, possessor of one of the greatest British voices ever!
What may shock even more is that Hop is actually quite good fun, though saying that I have enjoyed Alvin’s adventures slightly more than a lot of people, they’re just inoffensive fare. Basically this plays as a kind of cross between The Santa Clause and something like Alvin and the Chipmunks as James Marsden’s slacker Fred crosses paths with E.B after accidentally running him over, E.B himself having run away from Easter Island as he doesn’t want to job of the next Easter Bunny, he just wants to drum! Fred is looking for a job, could the role of Easter Bunny be about to be filled by its first human?
While nothing special, this is perfectly great family fun for the Easter Holidays... all the visual splendour of the Candy Headquarters on Easter Island is both fun and a delight to behold, a bit like Santa’s factory in many a Christmas movie. The cast acquit themselves fine, especially Brand, doing a cracking voiceover as E.B and putting him into the pantheon of cool animated characters alongside Donkey and Puss in Boots amongst others. Best of all is a cameo by The Hoff, which I won’t reveal any more of, suffice to say it’s close to what he’s currently doing.... but yeah, it’s essentially just a fun family Easter comedy, and you don’t get enough of those!
7/10
Sucker Punch (12)
Visionary director (yeah it’s a trailer hyperbole word, but the guy has a vision, so I think it’s ok to call him that) Zack Snyder has had a pretty good career so far that has consisted mainly of adapting other people’s works into a veritable goldmine of blockbusters and fan favorites which include the great looking but fairly hollow yet kinda fun 300, the excellent Dawn of the Dead remake and then most recently, somehow managing to successfully translate Watchmen to the big screen in 2009 and losing none of its cool and gritty depth. Now, just before he brings back the world’s greatest superhero Superman in the Christopher Nolan-produced Superman: Man of Steel, which due in 2013 (could be 2012, could be wrong), Zack has been given free rein to create his own characters, his own universe and produce his own script. The result is called Sucker Punch.
Now this film has already seemed to attract a string of bad reviews and some people (well Christopher Tookey, and his claims that everyone else is outraged) have been outraged by its plot… and on that note, I’m simply going to say just go away cynics… this isn’t for the bad reviews but for anyone being offended, but seriously… ok yes some of the central conceit is a bit hmm and a bit ahem, but to be honest if this was rated 15 it wouldn’t matter a jot, it’s only because the BBFC in their infinite wisdom and utter slackness decided to christen it with a 12A that anything jars…. Yes kids probably shouldn’t be seeing this despite all its hyperactive video game stylings, but the BBFC give it the rating and I’m sure Snyder whose past works screams adult (Watchmen was a hard 18, and I’m shocked 300 was only a 15!) didn’t fully intend it, it seems a bit tamer than previous works in what you see but the content is still pretty dark stuff…. BBFC and its rating system are to blame, not the director and not the film so move on, nothing to see here.
Though of course there is the film to see, which has a very intriguing and twisted plot which in one corner I quite like, I really like the way the dour depression of the real dark world the girls are living in and what is about to happen (that we don’t want to see, or do we?) makes way for all the action and the zombie soldiers and huge explosions and loads of fighting and robots on trains… that to me wasn’t maybe the most original idea ever (films like Pans Labyrinth and Bridge to Terabithia have done it perfectly amazing before) but it works a charm for me anyway, even though it does end up being a little bit all over the place at times, but the central conceit and the way the plot moves forward works well enough for me.
The cast in it are perfectly fine but sadly all together a little bit flimsy… Abbie Cornish playing Sweet Pea, Carla Gugino as Madam Gorsky, the lady in charge of the place where the girls are being held, and Jena Malone as Rocket are all very strong in their roles, whilst the amazing and smooth Mr. Jon Hamm is always welcome in anything, though he is a little bit underused, sadly most of the others in the cast even Emily Browning as Sweet Pea are sadly pretty average (especially Vanessa Hudgens who I had some hope for, she seems a cool talent but is pretty bland here and gets next to nothing to do)… but still, the epic style and the cool soundtrack (mostly cool remixed covers of Queen, The Smiths and The Pixies) and the fantastic effects (well it is Snyder!) more than make up for it…
It’s superbly and fantastically stylized as is to be expected from Snyder (see Watchmen and last year’s Guardians of Ga’Hoole, which were both very amazing looking in depth and style) and it perfectly breezes through, there’s plenty of entertainment value to be had, and with an original if sometimes flimsy plot hook, if you just lay your preconceptions at the door and escape into your own cool world, you may just be able to prepare to enjoy a slice of popcorn with a side order of style!
8/10
Source Code (12)
Back in 2009, a small buzz began around a very intriguing movie. It’s name was Moon and it starred Sam Rockwell (an absolute favourite of mine, love the guy too much, makes every film better!) and was directed by one Duncan Jones, if you didn’t know the name you may have known him as Zowie Bowie (yes the son of David Bowie, how cool!) so the intrigue was on, a cool new debut movie by an intriguing director with a great lead, this had to be seeked out! And seekened it was, I saw Moon at Manchester Printworks on Monday July 27th (don’t ask what screen, can’t be bothered having a look, though I remember it being the furthest tucked away screen so was probably 19 or 20) and wow what a film! One of my close favourites of 2009 (beat to the post by 500 Days of summer) and a true classic, it doesn’t need to excite or have tons of action just a solid atmosphere, a bravura solo performance (Oscar, where were you?) from Rockwell (only Kevin Spacey’s sinister tones as computer Gertie were around to accompany Sam) and a simply brilliant film, if you haven’t seen it then you really must!
Then comes the difficult second movie, people like Christopher Nolan have pulled it off with aplomb whilst directors like Richard Kelly have suffered hard (Southland Tales is a very intriguing mess, I really like it but it is all over the place!) whilst some like David Fincher find the only way is up (Alien 3 and then Seven, simples!)... So the question is, does Duncan Jones second movie live up the reputation that his first has built? Is he a director on the rise?
Oh yes times a billion! It’s bigger, better and cooler in every way... sorry Moon! It’s got another great lead (Jake Gyllenhaal, a ace guy if maybe not as high in my books as Sam) a cracking support cast featuring Michelle Monaghan (Due Date, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Up in the Air) and Jeffrey Wright (Broken Flowers, Casino Royale, Shaft) and one heck of a brilliant premise, and this is where the film immediately makes you want to see it before I even review it! Coming off as a mix of Quantum Leap, Groundhog Day, Speed, and maybe even Die Hard... the film sees a man (Jake) awake on a train unsure of what is going on, he’s seated opposite a woman (Michelle) who is talking to him but he doesn’t know her, she is calling him Sean and he doesn’t know who that is... a series of strange things happen that make him rush to the bathroom to discover someone else’s reflection in the mirror, before he can think, the train goes Kaboom! Suddenly, he awakens in a strange pod and is told his name is Colter Stevens and he is in the Source Code... from there he will go back into the body of teacher Sean Fentriss, a passenger on a train that was bombed, and he must keep going back and re-living the last eight minutes of Sean’s life until he figures out who the bomber is so they can stop further attacks... still with me?
The trick with these movies is to produce a movie that lives up to its premise, The Adjustment Bureau remains a favourite of this year but it’s ending and its whole magic hat thing remain a bit hum, whilst films like Unknown intrigued and then completely failed to captivate by the time the end rolled around, the one comparison I don’t want to make is Inception, the top film of last year that every sci-fi film since is compared to... which is unfair because that’s a high benchmark... but I think Source Code nails it.
It also nails the ending, which has been a problem with some intriguing films recently, but that’s all I’m saying about that, no hints or spoilers or nottin! This is a film that it’s so best to discover, it’s got a brilliant premise and carries it out with superb flair and style, it’s got a brilliant lead; Jake is fantastic throughout, balancing pathos with light humour with the great action credentials, he’s truly terrific! There’s even a little nod to a certain TV show that an element of this is clearly borrowed from. Plus watch out for Michelle’s ringtone for a cheeky nod to Moon, or even an Easter egg that all Duncan’s films will now carry...
I really don’t want to prattle on about it, because as much as I’d like to, this is a film that you simply HAVE to see, you’ve heard enough about how good it is... it’s exciting, had enough wit to stop being too serious, nails the ending, great cast, ingenious throughout in the way the best of my favourite films (Groundhog Day, Inception, 500 Days of summer, The Dark Knight) always are, and it’s just an entertaining blast from start to finish, it’s one of those films you don’t get every day, a truly cool and original concept, all I can say is just go see it! If you don’t enjoy it then let me know and I’ll buy you a box of Shreddies!
10/10
Your Highness (15)
I’ll get this out of the way straight away, I love every single person involved in this film! James Franco not only shone brightly in Spiderman and made a superb comedic foil in Pineapple Express, but he was also simply stunning in this year’s 127 Hours. Natalie Portman too, as well as winning this year’s Oscar for the amazing Black Swan, has proved in the past to be a brilliant talent, especially in Rob-favourite Garden State, a truly inspirational film for me. Then you have my biggest crush in existence, Zooey Deschanel, the kooky star of Elf, Yes Man and 500 Days of summer.
Danny McBride and Justin Theroux, who also star, are both pretty solid talents... Justin wrote the script for the superb Iron Man II and McBride stole Pineapple Express from everyone involved. Plus there’s such brill Brit talents as Toby Jones and Damian Lewis in support roles, plus the always solid Charles Dance. Plus it’s a comedy version of Princess Bride and Stardust and films like that, which were hilarious anyway and it’s brought together by the guy who directed Pineapple Express... surely this is a recipe for Gold?
You may guess by now the answer is not quite, but how come I still give it a 7/10? Because despite the fact that the laughs only genuinely come every half an hour, it’s still works well as a fantasy film, despite all the tiresome crudeness which amuses at points (a very strange puppet wizard with a shady past) but mostly doesn’t work that well... it still has enough charm in its plot and fantasy setting to entertain on a whole for the 100 minutes odd that it runs for, and the cast are so solid that they do decent work, Franco and Portman are both perfectly solid and try their best... plus how can you not love a film with a mechanical bird that works best as a tweeting version of the lovely Teddy from A.I and is a loving nod to Ray Harryhausen’s Clash of the Titans. Yes this film is way far from perfect, but ignore the fact that for a comedy it’s not funny enough, and just enjoy an old-fashioned fantasy flick that can occasionally tickle you when it tries hard.... with all that’s out, it’s maybe not first choice for a cinema trip, but give it a whirl on the old DVD when it’s out and you will probably have a perfectly enjoyable time...
7/10
Scream 4 (15)
There is that saying of ‘Some franchises don’t die’. It’s true of the Saw movies which started very clever indeed, the first two Saw movies are terrific thrillers with ingenious set pieces and a cracking villain even if the characters are sometimes a bit naff, but then went into trap of the week mode and wouldn’t shut up until last year’s Final Chapter nicely rounded things up. It seems Paranormal Activity might be the next in line to that throne with a third due this year! One franchise which we all knew may come back but couldn’t one hundred percent bank on, was the Scream series... nicely (some might disagree) rounded up in 2000 with Scream 3. It seemed inevitable that eventually Mr Roger Ghostface would be returning to give us all a jolt sooner or later... we couldn’t say when and it was never written in stone but it seemed certain someone would try in the end, and now he’s back!
Ten years after the last bout of sinister goings on in the town of Woodsboro, survivor Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to town to promote her book based on her experiences, and there she bumps into Dewey (David Arquette) now the Deputy and married to ex-reporter Gale (Courtney Cox). She also re-connects with her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and Aunt Kate (Battlestar Galactica’s President Lara Roslin, Mary McDonnell). Soon after, that old nuisance Ghostface pops his head up again and the horror begins once more, this time taking in Jill’s gang of friends (including Heroes’ cheerleader Hayden Panettiere, and film geeks Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen). But who is going to survive? This long on, there is a whole new set of rules!
And so it seems as the film begins with a great opening that is in turns clever, funny and thrilling... it’s a brilliant opening and as much as I enjoyed this latest instalment, it’s something the rest of the film can’t hope to compete with. Not meaning though, that is by any means a bad film... it’s another cracking instalment in a franchise that keeps on scaring up entertainment value! The returning cast are all strong, especially Neve who is a really solid presence as she always has been, but with a great extra deal of pathos. Of the new gang, they’re all perfectly fine, the main stand outs being Marley Shelton as Dewey’s new partner and Erik Knudsen and Rory Culkin as the film geeks (the new version of Jamie Kennedy’s Randy) whilst Hayden is particularly great as Jill’s best bud.
It’s also got one heck of a great ending twist, so I don’t want to talk about it too much. Suffice to say, all the usual tropes are here but really twisted round this time, as to be expected there’s plenty of talk and action based around the last decade of horror... from talk of torture porn through to the remake glut currently poisoning Hollywood. All the usual scares are there, just not always where you expect them... and that’s what I love about these films... they take something you think you can guess and turn it around completely, taking you by surprise in a way that never makes you shiver but just makes you ridiculously entertained and ready for another go round on the roller coaster... if they can muster up the same entertainment value, then I’m extremely game for Scream 5!
8/10
Previews
Arthur (12A) (April 22nd)
Everyone’s remaking movies these days, I mean ok that’s not news but yeah it’s happening again and again and again... and sometimes you get an idea that just might work. Like say, Russell Brand taking on the Dudley Moore role of the drunken billionaire looking for love... and that’s where this new release comes in. Slowly but surely Brand has been making his way into the hearts of Hollywood and along with Hop (reviewed earlier) this is his big push into the mainstream... with great support from Helen Mirren (as his nanny), Jennifer Garner (the women he’s supposed to marry) and Greta Gerwig from Greenberg (the one he falls in love with) and the directorial debut of Jason Winer of the lauded TV show Modern Family, this could well be a winner? Or it could come between the moon and New York City and just be a nuisance... hoping it’s the former!
Thor (12A) (April 27th)
With Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk movies all hinting towards the upcoming mega team-up that will be The Avengers, it seems only fair that some of the members of that super team get their own introductory movies... in July, Captain America smashes onto the big screen, and now just in time for Easter (well only due to the Easter Monday advance previews) and to kick off the Summer, it’s the movie debut of the God of Thunder himself Thor.
Chris Hemsworth, previously notable mainly for a cameo as Kirk’s dad and a scowling presence in the underrated A Perfect Getaway, makes him lead debut as the eponymous titan, big and loud but a complete fish out of water when he is banished from his home kingdom of Asgard by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) after he brings war to the land. He winds up on Earth, where he meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) a scientist and her team (Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) and tries to settle into a life on Earth.
That is, until his mischievous and deadly brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) heads to earth to destroy it once and for all... Earth needs a hero, and Thor must step up to the task to not only save Earth but to prove his worth and reclaim his place in Asgard. Directed by the unusual but very savvy choice of Kenneth Branagh, a guy who knows his Shakespeare and certainly knows his historical drama, and filled with a great cast and some cracking effects... this should be a cracking blockbuster that will not only start up the Summer in fine fashion, but will also pave the way for Captain America and The Avengers to head this way....
What’s coming in May?
There’s a whole new batch of diverse and interesting films heading this way in May. From the start of the huge blockbuster season to some more interesting and homegrown movies. Sci-Fi, Horror, Comedy, Period drama, 80’s nostalgia, epic time spanning drama, there’s all this and more!
First out of the gates on May 4th is Water for Elephants, a fantastically epic period drama starring everyone’s favourite hottie Robert Pattinson (can’t see the appeal myself, but he seems a pretty cool guy) and the lovely Reese Witherspoon as well as everyone’s new favourite baddie Christoph Waltz. Pattinson plays Jacob, a young kid who runs away to the circus (like you do!) and meets up with Marlena (Witherspoon) the wife of the head trainer August (Waltz), who Jacob of course falls for, but August is a complex guy alternating between nice and brutal, can true love triumph over the obstacles? Looking like one of those epic dramas they don’t make as much anymore, very 50’s and 60’s in style... this should be a great throwback with plenty of star charm and beautiful to behold... and who knows, maybe some awards kudos later in the year?
I feel I went too vast into that one and I want to keep the rest of the month brief otherwise we’ll be here forever! Out the same week is Terrence Malick’s long awaited Tree of Life, which spans the life of a 11-year old boy living in the Midwest (played later by Sean Penn and his father by Brad Pitt)... details are short but expect something special from a director who doesn’t make films that often and when he does they’re something very special indeed!
Paul Bettany battles Vampires in 3D in the long awaited Priest, though if the 12A certificate and previous form in Legion is anything to go by, don’t get too excited! Plus director of Atonement and The Soloist Joe Wright returns with the tale of a young assassin called Hanna (the brilliant Saoirse Ronan) who is brought up by her father (Eric Bana) to be a trained assassin and winds up in the care of a corrupt CIA agent (Cate Blanchett), she duly escapes and the adventure begins. Wright is a cracking director and with this intriguing tale and great cast, expect something familiar but special.
Attack the Block is the latest Brit flick to try and break out into the US, given its very blockbuster-ish plot... in which hoodies from South London gang up in a block of flats to take on an alien invasion. Very much in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, though judging from the trailers with way more scares and thrills... this could be something very special indeed. Out the same week (May 13th) is Take Me Home Tonight, another 80’s set comedy in which Anna Faris, Topher Grace and the amazing Teresa Palmer heading to a party night out back in the 80’s... not heard much about it, but I do love a good 80’s comedy and the cast are all in my good books when it comes to entertainment value.
A movie that needs no introduction, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is out May 18th and sees Captain Jack on the hunt for the fountain of youth, alongside Ian McShane’s Blackbeard and Penelope Cruz’s Angelica (a former love interest) as well as old faces Geoffrey Rush and Keith Richards... except the usual thrills, laughs and all in cool 3D this time round! Also out the same week is Blitz, in which Jason Statham plays a cop on the hunt for a cop killer... does more need to be said?
Ending the month of May are two huge movies ready to kick the summer off in big style! Firstly there’s The Hangover Part II (May 27th) in which the guys head to Bangkok for even more outrageous antics much in a similar vein to the first one... whilst on May 30th Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake, Kick Ass) takes the X-Men back to their roots in X-Men First Class... which tells the story of how Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) first met and then became the rivals known as Magneto and Professor X.... all of this set alongside the Cuban Missile Crisis for some fact based thrills! And that’s it for May, looking good!
Bon Voyage!
So that’s it for this blog, and man has it been lengthy... I like ‘em lengthy! Even though I can never take too much time to read something like long myself (contradictions ahoy!) because I never get round to reading my own books at the moment but it’s great reading for all you guys I hope... I’ve certainly enjoying throwing my thoughts at the screen/ page... Easter beckons with its many eggs and it’s many movies to enjoy (seeing Arthur for free, catching that exotic 3D animation that has plagued many a moviegoer via the annoying Orange adverts, the one they call Rio! And hopefully seeing Thor, Fast Five and Winnie the Pooh) as well as the other things that come along like family time and fun times with cell and the other job things that I always do.... after Friday’s great barbecue times, I’m genuinely excited for Easter because I’m hoping we can have a few more get together’s now everyone’s back! I am more looking forward to summer where it could be like that every single day!
Had a particularly great day today, our cell did all the main bits of the Sunday service bar the sermon of course... and then we went to Trafford the Centre (that’s what I call it because that’s what the sign when you go in says!) for food (Cheese and Bacon Jacket Potato, yum towers!) some shopping (Selfridges sweets are great but pricey, doh!) and bowling (fun but I lost!). It was a great day and the end of a great weekend, including barbecues, Sparks Unleashed, today’s fun and Scream 4 at Printworks! Easter and Bank Holiday weekends have a lot to live up to!
Think it’s about time I bid you guy’s adieu before I out-page the Order of the Phoenix in length!
You stay classy.... Planet Earth! X
