Date watched 16th January 2011
Genre- Romantic/Comedy
Year- 2009
Running Time- 1hr 35 mins
Directed By- Phil Traill
Written By- Kim Barker
Actors- Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong et al.
Acting-3/5
Keeping my attention-2/4
Visuals/Direction- 3/5
Story/Plot- 3/6
Total 11/20
Plot
“What happens when the girl from The Proposal goes for the guy from The Hangover?”
Kooky Mary (Sandra Bullock), a cruciverbalist, (crossword creator) is set up on a blind date with Steve (Bradley Cooper, a cameraman for a news channel) by her parents. After a few minutes in her company Steve finds that the chatty and clever Mary is maybe a little bit too ‘weird’ for his liking, swiftly making up a news story to go to so he doesn’t have to carry on with this first encounter. Mary, believing she has met the man of her dreams, follows Steve, and the stories he’s covering in hope of having her happily ever after. Along her way she meets an array of sweet but often wacky characters. Will Mary have her happily ever after?
My Personal Views
Well let me tell you what happens when the girl from The Proposal meets the guy from The Hangover. Five Razzie nominations (two of which were wins, one for worst actress for Sandra Bullock and the other for worst on screen couple for Bullock and Cooper).
I will admit that this movie does have flaws, like–
1. Mary verges on the mad and obsessed at moments through the movie
2. Bradley Cooper looks a bit gormless sometimes (but he does have very pretty eyes!)
3. Some of the acting and story isn’t great
4. WHAT’S WITH SANDRA BULLOCK’S HAIR!!!
But I don’t think it was that bad. Sandra Bullock was defiantly better than a Razzie I would say, but then it was not a performance like ‘While you were sleeping’ and definitely not a patch on ‘The Proposal’.
I think that maybe this movie is a bit too long and my mind wondered somewhere in the middle, but saying that it’s only just over an hour and a half long so it perfect romcom length. The problem comes from the last third of the movie being focused on a deaf child, Mary and a mine shaft (you’ll understand if you ever see it). Surely the writer could have come up with some other way of filling this time, but obviously not. And some of the poor acting has to be laid at the door of the writer I think, they can only work with what they have given to them.
Good parts=
• Ken Jung is a good addition playing it very much straight in this (but anything would be straight compared to his character in The Hangover) which gives this a little bit more depth.
• The end is sweet and really ties up the story well.
• And the scene with the horse at the Wild West attraction is really funny.
In all not too bad and not worth all the Razzies, but it does have its moments of weirdness and makes you think ‘why?’. It’s worth a watch if you are a Sandra Bullock fan (I love her work and I pray that I look as good for my age when I’m in my 40s as Sandra Bullock does) or a complete rom com nut like me.
Additional
Apologies for my bad spelling, I was reading some of my old blogs the other day and some of the spelling is atrocious.
Good news, for me anyway. Someone, other than me, has actually read this blog!! Thank you who ever you are. And someone has even referenced the Abduction Club post on IMDB.com, my favourite web site in the whole world, which makes me so proud that my ramblings have made it somewhere in the world. Thank you everyone who may or may not be reading this right now.
Outcome
Staying in the DVD collection. As is Alex and Emma, I forgot to put that in the blog. I’m just out of practice.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Alex and Emma
Date watched 18th December 2010
Genre- Romantic/Comedy
Year- 2003
Running Time- 1hr 32 mins
Directed By- Rob Reiner
Written By- Jeremy Leven
Actors- Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, David Paymer, Sophie Marceau et al.
Acting-3/5
Keeping my attention-3/4
Visuals/Direction- 3/5
Story/Plot- 4/6
Total 13/20
Plot
Alex needs to write a book, pay off his gambling debts and win the girl of his dreams. What he hadn’t bargained for was Emma.
Alex (an author, Luke Wilson) and Emma (a stenographer, Kate Hudson) meet when Alex has 30 days to complete his novel in order to pay off his gambling debts to loans sharks. Emma is employed, much against her initial reaction to the situation, by Alex to dictate his book in order for it to be completed on time. Along the way their working relationship develops as the film moves from current day (Alex and Emma writing the book) to the story of the novel involving Adam (also played by Wilson) and his exploits on the island of St Charles as a tutor for the children of glamorous Frenchwoman Polina (Sophie Marceau). Will the novel be completed on time? And is Adam Shipley a complete work of fiction or is there more of Alex’s history in him than first meets the eye?
My Personal Views
The opening credits of this movie pretty much give you an idea of the plot of the movie. Hapless in love man and an unobtainable woman. So what makes this movie different from all the other romantic comedy films out there? What makes this different is the way the story moves between the present, where Alex and Emma are piecing together Alex’s novel, and the world that is the story of the novel, following the life of Adam Shipley and his yearning for his employer, Polina. This gist is actually quite clever and in this movie is well executed. All in all not a bad yarn and it moves quite quickly which makes it easy to sit down and watch.
I originally saw this movie on Sky many years ago but it was only in 2009 (though I might be wrong, but I could always check on my Amazon account) that I actually bought it. Just as good as I remember it all those years ago. Some of the acting and visuals are a bit lack lustre but all in all a good effort on everyone’s behalf.
Oh and some slightly dodgy visual effects. The ones at the end are a bit ‘off’ but the general concept is solid and it was filmed over 8 years ago (it’s amazing how far special effects technology has come along since then).
I will admit that it’s a little bit middle of the pile in terms of all the romantic comedies out there but it is definitely worth a watch if you like these kinds of movies. Which isn’t just girls, I lived with a guy at University was very into ‘chick flicks’, and before you even think it, he was not (and is not) gay. A score of 13 out of 20 maybe reflects that (not my flat mate liking chick flicks but that it is worth a watch).
Additional
In personal news, things are eventually on the up. My Grandpa had a scan of his lungs and the doctors think that if it is cancer then it is very small and not likely to kill him before something else does (he is in his late 80s after all), but the doctors will keep an eye on it. Also good news for my grandparents’ next door neighbour, her doctors think her cancer might be shrinking on her cocktail of drugs, it’s not a cure but it might buy her more time with her family and friends. Still wishing them all the best though.
Sorry it took so long to post this but with flu spreading through my house like wild fire over Christmas and New Year and the Holidays in general (plus my birthday!) it has been a bit of a nightmare finding any time to write.
Since watching this film, and sorry it took so long to write the review and post, Kate Hudson has announced that she is expecting a baby. Congratulations to Kate and her family.
Happy New Year to you all.
xx
Genre- Romantic/Comedy
Year- 2003
Running Time- 1hr 32 mins
Directed By- Rob Reiner
Written By- Jeremy Leven
Actors- Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, David Paymer, Sophie Marceau et al.
Acting-3/5
Keeping my attention-3/4
Visuals/Direction- 3/5
Story/Plot- 4/6
Total 13/20
Plot
Alex needs to write a book, pay off his gambling debts and win the girl of his dreams. What he hadn’t bargained for was Emma.
Alex (an author, Luke Wilson) and Emma (a stenographer, Kate Hudson) meet when Alex has 30 days to complete his novel in order to pay off his gambling debts to loans sharks. Emma is employed, much against her initial reaction to the situation, by Alex to dictate his book in order for it to be completed on time. Along the way their working relationship develops as the film moves from current day (Alex and Emma writing the book) to the story of the novel involving Adam (also played by Wilson) and his exploits on the island of St Charles as a tutor for the children of glamorous Frenchwoman Polina (Sophie Marceau). Will the novel be completed on time? And is Adam Shipley a complete work of fiction or is there more of Alex’s history in him than first meets the eye?
My Personal Views
The opening credits of this movie pretty much give you an idea of the plot of the movie. Hapless in love man and an unobtainable woman. So what makes this movie different from all the other romantic comedy films out there? What makes this different is the way the story moves between the present, where Alex and Emma are piecing together Alex’s novel, and the world that is the story of the novel, following the life of Adam Shipley and his yearning for his employer, Polina. This gist is actually quite clever and in this movie is well executed. All in all not a bad yarn and it moves quite quickly which makes it easy to sit down and watch.
I originally saw this movie on Sky many years ago but it was only in 2009 (though I might be wrong, but I could always check on my Amazon account) that I actually bought it. Just as good as I remember it all those years ago. Some of the acting and visuals are a bit lack lustre but all in all a good effort on everyone’s behalf.
Oh and some slightly dodgy visual effects. The ones at the end are a bit ‘off’ but the general concept is solid and it was filmed over 8 years ago (it’s amazing how far special effects technology has come along since then).
I will admit that it’s a little bit middle of the pile in terms of all the romantic comedies out there but it is definitely worth a watch if you like these kinds of movies. Which isn’t just girls, I lived with a guy at University was very into ‘chick flicks’, and before you even think it, he was not (and is not) gay. A score of 13 out of 20 maybe reflects that (not my flat mate liking chick flicks but that it is worth a watch).
Additional
In personal news, things are eventually on the up. My Grandpa had a scan of his lungs and the doctors think that if it is cancer then it is very small and not likely to kill him before something else does (he is in his late 80s after all), but the doctors will keep an eye on it. Also good news for my grandparents’ next door neighbour, her doctors think her cancer might be shrinking on her cocktail of drugs, it’s not a cure but it might buy her more time with her family and friends. Still wishing them all the best though.
Sorry it took so long to post this but with flu spreading through my house like wild fire over Christmas and New Year and the Holidays in general (plus my birthday!) it has been a bit of a nightmare finding any time to write.
Since watching this film, and sorry it took so long to write the review and post, Kate Hudson has announced that she is expecting a baby. Congratulations to Kate and her family.
Happy New Year to you all.
xx
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