JustMyOpinion (JMO)

“I give you a five minute window, anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours no matter what. Outside of that, you’re on your own. I don’t sit in while you’re running it down, I don’t carry a gun. I drive.”

Cannes Film Festival in France this year was captivated by this beautiful and violent tale of Driver (yes, that is his name) who is a stunts driver and also a driver-for-hire. He does just what his moniker suggests and boy does he do it well.

Whether you are into cars or not, you can’t help but be amazed by the opening scene which exists solely to prove that he is amazing and knows exactly how to avoid the police when escaping the scene of a robbery. The director is not merely wasting time or attempting to get commissioned for the next Fast and Furious.

Nicolas Winding Refn (“Valhalla Rising”), handpicked by Ryan Gosling, won Best Director at this year’s Cannes and you can understand why.

The camera shots are not only artistic in value but force you to get really invested in a scene with its extended silences and lingering camera shots that almost imply someone forgot to turn the camera off.

Every shot, glance and look is enhanced and makes you really connect with the characters. Refn however is not one to shy from violence and one memorable scene that combines love and violence in the equal measure is one that will linger in your mind for a long time. It’s the elevator shot you see in the trailer. Driver goes from one intense moment of love and lust to, in the very next moment, beating a man so violently he crushes his skull with the bottom of his shoe.

Drive is definitely not one for the faint-hearted, the moments of violence are never gratuitious and overdone, they occur rarely in the film but with such intensity that it takes your breath away and in my case causes you to look away once or twice.

The cinematography is amazing and complements the camera shots, like the right glass of wine with a meal. The soundtrack is like the dessert (if we’re to continue with the metaphor) and definitely one of the coolest soundtracks this year.

Ryan Gosling (“Crazy Stupid Love”, “Blue Valentine”) seems to be on a winning streak with his movies lately, well picked and each bringing out a different part of his ever expanding repertoire as an actor. His performance in this is inspired. Who knew that Gosling could be so bad-ass whilst refusing to carry a gun, with long brooding stares and speaking only when spoken to? There’s enough in the little that he says and does to keep us hooked, however. We know that this taciturn, mild-mannered individual is capable of more long he does anything.

We never really get to understand the depths of his character but we see glimpses of his soul, through his interactions with Shannon (Bryan Cranston, “Malcolm in the Middle”,“Breaking Bad”) and Irene (Carey Mulligan, “Never Let Me Go”, “An Education”) and her adorable son Benicio (Kaden Leos, in his first movie).

Unfortunately, as Irene brings a new meaning to defining a friendship, Driver begins to fall for her only to discover she is married to ex-conman Standard Gabriel (Oscar Isaac, “Sucker Punch”, “Robin Hood”) who is due out of prison any day. After the initial “sniffing of each other’s butts” meeting, a partnership is formed as Driver agrees to help Standard complete one final job to pay off his criminal debts.

The premise of the story explores the vast sleazy underbelly of the LA crime scene with its gangsters, played to perfection by Ron Perlman and his more suave counterpart Albert Brooks, as they find themselves in trouble after the heist in question goes horribly wrong. Driver now finds himself with a contract out on him from other gangsters baying for blood, and leads to one of the first and most gruesome deaths in the film courtesy of his accomplice Blanche (Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”).

At the time when the cinema is being bombarded with the usual post-summer broad appeal flicks, Drive is something refreshingly unique but at the same time almost retro in feel and definitely one film you won’t forget in a hurry. It has a fantastic soundtrack, breath-taking camera shots and cinematography, as it tells you the story of one stunt driver moonlighting as a driver-for-hire who falls for the wrong woman and attempts to ingratiate himself into her good graces by doing a favour for the husband that has dire consequences.

It is a rare film that can come along and combine Hollywood with the distinct air of an art house flick, while uniquely re-telling a story we have all heard in some format or another through various films over the decades.

I heartily recommend this film, for those who can stomach the violence that is.

So life has unfortunately been a bit hectic and crisis filled but things are looking up and my love of movies will result in a LOT of movie reviews as I play catch up! Despite the crazy, I still watched movies!

I figured there was no better time to start than with a private screening of Drive with Ryan Gosling starring as a driver-for-hire and stuntsman who discovers a contract has been put out on him after a heist goes wrong.

Expect a review on Wednesday and I will sporadically update with past, present and future reviews!

Thanks for understanding cool cyberspace folks!

A x

The internet has been down lately and therefore my daily blog posts have been hampered! So tomorrow I will be playing catch up (as it’s quite late now)….great stuff, like the best and worst films of 2010 and a few I’ve seen in 2011 already - check back tomorrow :)

So much for my blog-a-day thing!

I unexpectedly found myself stranded in Glasgow City Centre today.I had planned quite meticulously to go into Glasgow for some souvenir shopping and just to enjoy the sights and avoid the VAT increase (which is on the 4th January).

• List of every possible route to Glasgow and back here to Lesmahagow - check
• List of all bus running times both normal and weekend times - check
• Checked to make sure it was right with 2 of my hosts -check
• Fully charged up phone as well as USB charger in bag - check
• Bus ticket price checked & money set aside for - check

So my journey to Glasgow began. The X74 Stagecoach bus is a direct link and has maximum of 3 stops and is only £7.20 return. So I hopped on the bus, nice and warm, arrived in Glasgow in record time - little did I know my return journey would not be nearly as easy. I met up with a great friend, it was fun to catch up. I then went souvenir shopping and upon reaching the counter tried to pay with my card to no avail. I then asked for the nearest RBS, only to discover upon my arrival that it was shut. I then returned back to the store and they advised it was a bank holiday which I didn’t know! I can only withdraw money in a branch! So that scuppered that. I went back to the station to confirm the next coach leaving was at 6pm (it was 3pm at this point) and one of the guys advised that the 6pm one was cancelled and they were running a Sunday service so only the 8.15pm one was running. I didn’t believe him, as that is not the timetable I had written down from the live journey planner on the Traveline Scotland website. So I went back into the queue and ended up with a different person, a lady and she said the same thing. There were only 3 people serving at the kiosk, 2 guys and one woman.

So I had to find some way to spend the next 5 hours or so. So I went back into town and I set aside money for another bus (just in case the 8.15pm didn’t turn up). So with the rest of the money, I found ridiculously cheap deals and major discounts as I was just wandering from shop to shop. With souvenir shopping done at 5.30pm, I went back to the bus station just to check there really wasn’t a 6pm bus. I asked at the counter again (got another guy this time) and he definitely confirmed that there was no 6pm bus coming and for my own peace of mind, I checked the departures board to see if it was on there and it wasn’t! So now, assured of no possible 6pm bus and instead leaving nearly 2hrs 30 minutes later, I went to Starbucks down the road. It turns out you can’t just sit in Starbucks so I bought a drink - attempted my card but it had been playing up all day! Card declined and with a hot chocolate already made (it wasn’t that busy) I had to pay by cash. I wasn’t worried though as I did have my return ticket for the x74 anyway.

Cutting a long story short, the bus didn’t turn up. I waited nearly 1 hour and still nothing. I went to the security guard office and they contacted Traveline who insisted that there was a 6pm one and NOT an 8.15pm one. To say I was fuming is an understatement. Here I was, stranded in a city I didn’t know with no one to call because as luck would have it my phone decided to die :’(. They allowed me to use their office line and I repeatedly called my friend who’s number I had memorised but unfortunately got no response. The security guard offered to Facebook one of the people I am staying with, and luckily I have friends who constantly check FB. I asked if the security guard who was helping me out had an HTC or Motorola charger but he didn’t, he did however radio around asking if anybody did. It turns somebody did. So with my phone charged up, I contacted my host family. They arranged to come pick me up from their nearest city (Hamilton) as there were no other buses to Lesmahagow at this point. The security guard who had lent me his charger paid for my bus fare too.

I think a complaint to Stagecoach is definitely in order or some kind of compensation as I have to go back into Glasgow again tomorrow to pick up all that shopping they put aside for me! (which apparently they don’t usually do) and to sort out where my coach back to Bradford is leaving from.

So that explains why I missed my daily blogging promise - I didn’t arrive back until after midnight.

Today started off great but then quickly deteriorated but one thing I have to say is I definitely have uncommon favour. It is what my name means after all. To be able to say I had all the security guards in Buchanan Bus Station trying to figure out how to get me back home is something that apparently doesn’t happen often, to have someone who just happens to have the same charger as me, to have shops be willing to put things aside for you in a sale and with no guarantee you’ll return (no deposit necessary), to have a bus driver pay for your bus fare and then have your host family be willing to come such a distance to get you! Well, thank you GOD is all I have to say!!

So I bid you goodnight world! Let’s hope my journey to Glasgow tomorrow (technically later today) is nowhere near as eventful, eh?

Well it’s that time of the year again! What is there to look forward to in 2011? Here is a list of movies that are a must-see and others that have piqued my interest. Some of the movies in my list have not released a trailer as of yet.

For those of you who are so inclined, simply click on the movie posters in question and it will directly link you to the trailer (fancy, eh?).

Definite must-see 

The King’s Speech - 7 January 2011 

 

127 Hours - 7 January 2011

The Green Hornet - 14 January 2011

The Fighter - 4 February 2011

True Grit  - 11 February 2011

I Am Number Four - 18 February 2011

The Adjustment Bureau - 4 March 2011

Battle: Los Angeles - 11 March 2011

Sucker Punch - 1 April 2011

Source Code - 22 April 2011

Thor - 29 April 2011

Green Lantern - 17 June 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger - 29 July 2011

Cowboys & Aliens - 12 August 2011

Super 8 - 19 August 2011

 

                                                                         Want to see

Conviction - 14 January 2011

Biutiful - 28 January 2011

How Do You Know - 28 January 2011

Paul - 18 February 2011

Unknown - 25 February 2011

Rango - 4 March 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer - 18 March 2011

The Eagle - 18 March 2011

Hop - 1 April 2011

Red Riding Hood - 15 April 2011 (seems to stick more to Brothers Grimm style - less Disney)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - 18 May 2011

The Tree of Life - 27 May 2011

The Hangover Part II - 27 May 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 1 July 2011

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn - 26 October 2011

 

Enjoy and leave comments on what YOU are looking forward to in 2011!

They are taking adventure to new lengths

We all know the classic tale of Rapunzel. A barren couple are blessed with a beautiful baby girl and a witch demands the baby from the couple in exchange for the husband’s freedom (as he had tried to steal a certain plant from her garden). The witch, Mother Gothel (a common German term for grandmother), raises the child as her own naming her Rapunzel and locks her away in a tower on her 12th birthday. One day, years later, a prince riding through the forest becomes enchanted by her singing voice and through watching Mother Gothel learns how to reach the tower with the unforgettable “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”. They concoct a plan to escape which is foiled by Mother Gothel who cuts Rapunzel’s hair and lays in wait for the prince. The prince visits that night and is horrified to find Mother Gothel instead and leaps from the tower and blinds himself on the thorns below. He wanders aimlessly for months until one day he hears Rapunzel’s voice and they are reunited, her tears restore his sight and they leave for his kingdom where they live happily ever after with their two children. This is the original Brothers Grimm telling of this timeless classic.

Disney, in celebration of their 50th cartoon, decided a re-telling of Rapunzel was the way forward. This story surprisingly has never had the Disney treatment. They have of course taken some liberties with the original tale and modernised it. What a fantastic job they did! The script is witty and sharp and far more intelligent than expected. The animation is simply breathtaking. The songs are catchy and have a more Disney classic feel and this is due to the songs being penned by Disney vet Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast).

The characters are well-developed and instead of Prince Charming, we get a cocky thief Flynn Rider (Levi) who collides with Rapunzel’s (Moore) frying pan as he escapes from the palace guards into her tower. There are no talking animals in this one but with fantastically hilarious characters such as Maximus, the palace horse determined to capture Rider, and Pascal, the chameleon that has befriended Rapunzel, who needs them?

There is humour, there is depth, there is adventure, fantastic repartee between the two lead actors, a great supporting cast (Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel is inspired) - you have the makings of a brilliant Disney adventure that will not disappoint. Yes, it is formulaic in its plot but this brings a feeling of nostalgia rather than annoyance. The kids will enjoy this just as much as the adults will.

One of the best offerings from Disney, in the classics department, since Beauty and the Beast, with a 21st-century twist alive with rich characters caught up in some hilarious escapades on the hunt for new life and eventually love.

On Saturday the 4th December, I was given the incredible opportunity of attending a showcase for bloggers and movie reviewers which included Tron: Legacy and The Next Three Days. We were subject to an embargo (which was quite cool) and the films we were going to be shown were not revealed to us until the actual day.We were shown some trailers for movies out in 2011 (most of which I had seen and I am looking forward to). Some interesting panels with Joe Utichi who started Rotten Tomatoes (to name a few) and of course Joseph Kosinski was there as well. Lizo Mzimba was the MC for the day.Here is the running order of the day which was beyond fun!

• 8.45 – Intro
• 9:00 – Part 1: showreel of the next quarter’s trailers
• 9.30 – Film 1
• 11.30 – Panel discussion ‘Building an online film audience’ led by Charles Gant (Heat, Guardian and Variety)
• 12.10 – Q&A opportunity
• 12.30 – Short break
• 1.00 – Part 2: showreel of the next quarter’s trailers
• 1.30 – An important Film issue Q&A
• 2.00 – Film 2
• 4.00 – End

Some of the trailers we saw were Big Momma’s House 3, Rango, Chalet Girl, Source Code, Gulliver’s Travels, Burlesque, Battle: Los Angeles, I am Number Four, The Adjustment Bureau, Gnomeo & Juliet, Cowboys and Aliens, Red Riding Hood, Morning Glory, The Lincoln Lawyer, Black Swan, True Grit, Never Let Me Go, The Fighter and How Do I Know.

Here are the ones I want to see in date order,(a more comprehensive list of what I want to watch in 2011 will be composed nearer the end of the year) :

(Click on the pictures for direct links to the trailers - they will all open in a new window).

How Do You Know - 28 January 2011

I Am Number Four - 18 February 2011

The Adjustment Bureau - 4 March 2011

Source Code - 11 March 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer - 18 March 2011

Battle: Los Angeles - 25 March 2011

Red Riding Hood - 15 April 2011 (seems to stick more to Brothers Grimm style - less Disney)

Cowboys & Aliens - 12 August 2011

Enjoy and leave comments on what YOU are looking forward to in 2011!

Olivia Wilde has been quite busy since she left House MD - I’ve seen her in 2 movies this weekend alone and she’s in quite a few more upcoming ones.

Til death do us part…

John (Crowe) and Lara Brennan (Banks) are a happily married couple with a young son (Green). Life is perfect until one fateful morning the police barge into their home to charge Lara with the murder of her boss. The evidence is damning, her fingerprints are on the murder weapon, there’s blood on her coat, eyewitness accounts of an altercation with her boss and her leaving the scene. John believes she is innocent and for the next 3 years, through a series of appeals, tries to get the charges reversed - to no avail. So naturally this mild-mannered professor feels he has no choice but to attempt a prison break. He seeks advice from an ex-con Damon Pennington (Neeson) and thus begins his descent into the murky depths of the criminal underworld to save the woman he loves as he concocts an escape plan.

John never doubts his wife’s innocence but for the duration of the film we, as an audience, remain unsure. The testament to how great this film is that regardless you are still rooting for him to succeed as the inexperienced Brennan garners further knowledge from Youtube videos.

The acting in this is superb and this is where you can see Paul Haggis’ touch. He has given us the thought-provoking Crash and now gives us an incredible adaptation of Pour Elle by French screenwriters Fred Cavayé and Gillaume Lemans. The character development is there and makes you inevitably care more. This is what the movie hinges on - you have to be able to, if not relate, at least be able to buy into the motivations behind this attempted jailbreak. Russell Crowe brings John to life and makes him so magnetic to watch that even in the supposedly slow moments you can’t help but be drawn in. Elizabeth Banks really utilises the little time she is on screen to great effect and has great chemistry with Crowe.

Before this première, I had not heard anything about this movie nor had I seen any trailers. I think this may have heightened my enjoyment that much more as I was unaware of what it was about. The last 30 minutes of the movie are an example of how to build suspense - I was on the edge of my seat, nervously holding my breath before every potential capture of the Brennan’s.

And with that, I shall reveal no more - go watch this movie. Definitely worth it - after all, who doesn’t like a prison break movie? This film encompasses quite a few genres seamlessly. Great soundtrack, compelling performances, suspense how it should be done, depth and ultimately a true testament to the power of love.

“They did not know it was impossible, so they did it.” Mark Twain