Movies August 2012 - Total of 37 movies watched

 1. The Dark Knight Rises *****
2. Reign of Fire ***
3. Brave **** new
4. Little Voice ****
5. Terminator: Salvation ***
6. The Last Song ** new
7. The Bourne Supremacy ****
8. 50/50 ****
9. The Bourne Ultimatum ***
10. The Bourne Legacy **** new
11. Ted *** new
12. The Constant Gardener ****
13. The Bourne Legacy ****
14. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol ****
15. Marnie ****
16. The Departed *****
17. Grabbers **** new
18. The Bourne Legacy ****
19. Chronicle ****
20. Paperback Hero *** new
21. Airplane! ****
22. Someone Like You... *** new
23. Rain Man *** new
24. The Hunger Games ****
25. The Bourne Legacy ****
26. The Town **** new
29. This Means War ****
30. Passchendaele *** new
31. Gone Baby Gone *****
32. Haywire ****
33. Twelve and Holding **** new
34. Neo Ned *** new
35. Forgetting Sarah Marshall ***
36. The Fountain ****
37. 28 Weeks Later ***

Review of The Bourne Legacy

(Some spoilers within - bigger spoilers are blacked out)
I absolutely LOVED this film. I am a huge fan of Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz separately but together, they are simply wonderful. It makes a big difference when action films cast actors of such a high calibre - as with the excellent Matt Damon as Bourne, double Oscar nominee Renner and Oscar winner Weisz bring so much more to their roles than lesser actors could. Soldier-turned-guinea pig Aaron Cross is a very different character to Jason Bourne but is no less sympathetic as his backstory and his desperation to avoid returning to his previous life as a man with a low IQ is revealed over the course of the film. Meanwhile, Weisz's brilliant scientist is much more than just a sidekick or damsel-in-distress. In one key scene, when a desperately-ill Aaron tells her that she has done everything she could do for him and begs her to leave and save herself, Weisz's face told of her character's guilt for her participation in the Outcome project and how it has affected Aaron's life. No dialogue was needed - everything was there in her face and her actions.

I watched the three Bourne films in the last ten days to get myself in the spirit of things. The Bourne Identity remains very much my favourite of the three, probably because I found it the most emotionally engaging. This film is much closer in spirit to the original Bourne Identity than to the other two - the couple on the run, the spies hunting them down, other agents being despatched to kill them and being summarily dealt with by their intended victim. There is a lot less of the CIA/NSA cross and double-cross of the later two films, although the DNA of the Bourne series is very much evident - an embattled Pamela Landy even makes an appearance. The love story that developed in Identity was a part of the film that really touched me and there is also a love story here. However, rather than being Jason and Marie 2.0, Aaron and Marta ended up reminding me very much more of my favourite on-the-run couple, Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor in The Terminator. There seems to be a deliberate nod to that film in Aaron's early line to Marta: "DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?" :-) The actors have terrific chemistry together (which is amusing, given their characters' connection) and the characters have a history going back several years, which makes their connection believable. Three lines of Aaron's could imply that he had feelings for Marta long before he came back for her: before succumbing to anaesthesia during a check-up he mumbles something about her always looking pretty and later he tells her that they have met 13 times in four years. He also surmised that a fellow Outcome agent had been exiled to the wilderness after he had fallen in love and seemed pleased to think that this was the reason.

On the downside, the film does suffer from a confusing plot (though I was not as confused as some reviewers have been, perhaps because I just watched the earlier films VERY recently) and the direction is nothing special. The super-soldier drugs idea seems a little sci-fi but in some ways more believable than the idea that behavioural modification alone was responsible for making these men (and women) so damn impressive! I also liked the idea of the different strands of the super-soldier programmes having their own problems and issues: there's a reference to Treadstone's inconsistency and Outcome's emotions (perhaps the love issue Aaron raised?), while new project LARX supposedly lacks either of these.

I would highly recommend this film - I enjoyed the hell out of it. And even if you don't take to Aaron and Marta the way I did, there's still plenty to entertain. Aaron Cross wrestling a wolf, for God's sake. And apparently the wonderful Jeremy Renner is not only one of the most interesting actors around at the moment (and possesses some of the finest arms in Hollywood, which get plenty of screentime), but the man CAN REALLY RUN UP WALLS. He did it twenty-five times during filming, according to recent interview with Empire Magazine. So watch out for that. Also watch out for the nerdy-looking guy who suggests involving the LARX project agent - that's the almost unrecognisable Corey Stoll, who was so very brilliant as Ernest Hemingway in Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris.

Movies July 2012 - total of 23 movies watched

1. The Amazing Spider-Man **** new
2. Shame ****
3. The Five Year Engagement **** new
4. Magic Mike **** new
5. Only You ****
6. Die Hard *****
7. Good Will Hunting ****
8. The Incredible Hulk ***
9. Killer Joe **** new
10. Batman Begins ****
11. The Dark Knight *****
12. Step Up ***
13. Battleship Potemkin **** new
14. The Dark Knight Rises ***** new
15. Warrior *****
16. The Prestige *****
17. A Few Good Men ****
18. Little Women ****
19. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy *****
20. The Dark Knight Rises *****
21. Inception *****
22. The Hurt Locker *****
23. The Bourne Identity ****

June 2012 - Total of 21 movies watched

1. Prometheus **** new
2. Snow White and the Huntsman *** new
3. Prometheus ****
4. Avengers Assemble *****
5. Barefoot in the Park ****
6. Crazy Stupid Love **** new
7. Speed *****
8. Jaws ***** (cinema)
9. Twilight: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 ** new
10. Morning Glory *** new
11. The Other Guys ****
12. Never Let Me Go ***** new
13. One Day ****
14. The Descendants **** new
15. Dear John *** new
16. Midnight in Paris **** new
17. Source Code ****
18. The Matchmaker ** new
19. 21 Jump Street ****
20. When Harry Met Sally *****
21. Fighting *** new

May 2012 - total of 14 movies watched

1. Dirty Harry ****
2. Avengers Assemble ***** new
3. The Lucky One ** new
4. The Day After Tomorrow ***
5. Avengers Assemble *****
6. Stranger than Fiction ****
7. Terminator 2 ****
8. Willow ****
9. Like Crazy **** new
10. The American President ****
11. Men In Black III *** new
12. You've Got Mail ****
13. Jane Eyre (2011) ****
14. Young Victoria ***

April 2012 - Total of 18 movies watched

1. Alien *****
2. Aliens *****
3. The Cabin In The Woods **** new
4. The Abyss ****
5. Battleship *** new
6. The Cold Light of Day ** new
7. Double Indemnity *****
8. Dog Soldiers ****
9. Mirror Mirror *** new
10. Carriers *** new
11. The Vow **** new
12. The Cabin In The Woods ****
13. Headhunters *** new
14. Wrath of the Titans *** new
15. The Lake House ****
16. The Hunger Games ****
17. Being Elmo **** new
18. Post Grad **

Movies to watch when you are in bed with a cold

When  you are bed-ridden or couch-ridden with a cold that is just bad enough to make you feel miserable without being bad enough to render you unconscious, the best thing you can do is snuggle up with a movie. The movie should be one that makes you feel happy and comfortable. No dizzying adrenaline rushes and no scary scenes that will make your heart beat too fast & make it hard for you to doze off later, and nothing that makes you cry too much, because you don't need your head to feel any worse than it already does. Here are some of my favourites (WARNING - spoilers abound!) :-

When Harry Met Sally

There is no part of this film that isn't perfect. One of those rare rom-coms that actually fulfils the com part as well as the rom, it has one of the two greatest scenes in fiction featuring Pictionary (the other is in the episode of The Simpsons where the Van Houtens break up). Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal both play wonderfully real characters who are so busy pretending that they are over their past failed relationships that they don't realise they have fallen in love. There's also a fantastic beta couple in Jess and Marie, played by the late Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher. And there's Casablanca. Perfection.

Sense & Sensibility

This is a beautiful film with a great cast - Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Greg Wise, Hugh Grant and the divine Alan Rickman. It captures Austen's dry ironical wit perfectly and has not one but TWO happy endings for our heroines. It gets bonus points for a dramatic sequence when Marianne nearly dies of a cold, so you can immediately feel thankful that you live in an age of aspirin and paracetamol and stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself.

The Princess Bride

Funny enough to keep you smiling without making you double over with a painful hacking cough and romantic enough to make you feel warm inside without making you swoon, The Princess Bride is a delight and the second Rob Reiner movie on my list.

Casablanca

Harry and Sally's favourite movie, Casablanca is constantly named as one of the greatest films ever made, but unlike some great movies, it's actually enjoyable! It is full of quotable lines, brilliant characters and memorable scenes and in Claude Rains' Captain Renault and Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine it has one of the all-time greatest bromances in film history. Rick's final sacrifice is more noble than simply laying down his life to save someone - he has to live on without the love of his life, with only the knowledge that she truly does love him back to sustain him. Truly heroic.

It's A Wonderful Life

It's not just for Christmas.  There is a danger that this film will make you blub like a child who has just discovered (spoiler!) Santa isn't real, but it's offset by the fact that this film is the very definition of heartwarming. James Stewart discovering that the love of his family and friends make life truly worth living is simply lovely but for me, watching George becoming a man, a husband and a father is equally rewarding.

You've Got Mail

Although I didn't really like this film that much on first viewing, it's grown on me. It's pure comfort viewing. The loneliness and wistfulness of Kathleen Kelly, as played by Meg Ryan, makes a real impression on me - while she is surrounded by loving friends and a boyfriend who seems perfect on paper, she longs for a connection that is more than that. And she finds it online, with a man she doesn't realise is the man whose megastore book emporium is about to put her cute little children's bookstore out of business. I love the references to books (my old favourite Noel Streatfeild and, obviously, Pride & Prejudice) and the Godfather movie references and some of the writing is beautiful: "I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils" is a standout for me. You also get to see just how pretty Meg Ryan is with a headcold and feel a little aggrieved that the future love of your life doesn't bring you daisies  and make you tea when you're in bed sick.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Classic rainy Sunday afternoon movies generally make for perfect viewing when you're sick and this is a great example. There can't be anyone on the planet with access to a tv who hasn't seen it yet. It's a wonderful combination of old-fashioned adventure and romance with a strong heroine and one of the most swoonworthy heroes of the silver-screen in Harrison Ford, so make sure you're well propped up with pillows in case you should come over a little faint, given your already weakened condition.

The Quiet Man

A classic western which just happens to take place in the west of Ireland, rather than somewhere in the Old West, this is pure old-fashioned entertainment. Most of the actors in The Quiet Man manage to give the impression of being both the embodiment of Irish clichés and a mockery of those same stereotypes. John Wayne is the strong, silent hero, struggling with a guilty secret and Maureen O'Hara is the feisty, passionate heroine who doesn't understand the man she's fallen for. But in the end, with help from pretty much the entire village, a lot of booze and a donnybrook to end all donnybrooks, everybody lives happily ever after. The other heart-lifting aspect of the film is just how incredibly beautiful the countryside around Cong is - obviously technicolour adds a certain glow but I can promise you that it is still as lovely today!

Labyrinth

This is a film to watch if you have one of those colds that make you feel a bit floopy and out of it - or maybe you've just taken medicine that makes you feel that way. Either way, Labyrinth should make you feel normal. It's an absolute mindbender in some parts. It's also a great adventure, with shades of Alice in Wonderland or Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth. Jareth the Goblin King manages to be simultaneously creepy and romantic and sexy - this is explicable almost entirely by the fact that he is played by David Bowie.

Hot Fuzz

This might be a little too exciting and funny to put on the list, so save it for when you're on the mend. The second in the Wright-Pegg-Frost Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, it's an action-comedy which achieves the distinction of being equally good at both parts of that equation. Simon Pegg plays a city super-cop sent to a small Midsomer-like town, where he and useless local constable Nick Frost uncover a massive conspiracy. It's full of great actors in terrific character parts (Timothy! Dalton!), has loads of disturbingly graphic violence and some truly hilarious scenes. It will definitely cheer you up.

Henry and Sunny

Finally, if you have one of those awful colds where you can't stay awake for more than 15 minutes at a time, here's my solution: adorable short film Henry and Sunny which you can watch online. Set in a world not unlike our own, where the recession is (naturally) being blamed on those damn clowns, it is the story of Henry, a lonely clown who falls for a soap-opera star. It was nominated for a few awards at the Feelgood Film Festival and will make you smile and feel warm inside before you slide back into unconsciousness.