Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994, UK)

I know everyone is going to be shocked that an Anglophile such as myself is going to say this, but I didn't like this movie. I know it's a classic. I know it's supposed to be great. But it really just didn't do it for me.

The writing was not stellar. There were some funny parts, but mostly it was rather blah. The acting was passable, but not overwhelming. And combining those two elements together, the characters just weren't sympathetic at all. They were all silly and shallow and deserving of their fate.

There were some exceptions. For instance, the gentleman played by Simon Callow was completely lovable, and his plot line was worth watching. But as for Charles and Carrie—forget about it.

I was really disappointed with this.

Rating: 2.0

Snatch. (2000, UK)

I watched this movie because Brad Pitt is in it. I had absolutely no idea what it was about before I watched it, and I was a bit shocked. Essentially, it's one big heist film. There's a diamond, and there are a bunch of different people who want it. Insert varying amounts of comedy and drama, much intrigue and plotting, and general randomness.

I kind of liked it. It was quite complex and well-planned. On the other hand, the violence was just a bit too much for me, as is often the case. However, if you like violent flicks about crime with more than a touch of comedy, this is definitely a good one to see. I can recognize that it is great for what it is.

Rating: 2.5

London (2005, U.S.)

This film had a good concept. A guy and girl with an on-again/off-again dysfunctional relationship are very off-again, but they show up at the same party. Through flashbacks and dialogue, the viewer learns of their past together.

Here's the thing. The execution was terrible. The acting was horrible. The characters were self-interested, shallow wastes of space. The flashbacks were good in theory, but too disjointed in practice. (Of course, that could have been the bad acting.)

That's all I've got. It was just kind of stupid.

Rating: 2.0

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009, U.S.)

Let's face it. Hugh Jackman is a badass. I don't know if anyone else could have pulled this film off. The plot was a bit confusing at places and strained credulity at others, but it was still pretty awesome.

Aside from Hugh Jackman, the rest of the cast was pretty amazing. Dominic Monaghan and Will.i.am I thought were especially good, but Ryan Reynolds just stole the show. Considering that they all had such minor roles in a story that revolved around Jackman's character, it was especially impressive. (Side note: two of my favorite Aussie actors made brief appearances... Wish they were longer!)

The special effects were also jaw-dropping. Fight scenes were over-the-top, but pretty cool and well-choreographed.

One last thing that especially impressed me was the score. Of course, I've love Harry Gregson-Williams since the first time I heard the Kingdom of Heaven score. (Other good work of his includes Shrek and Gone Baby Gone.) Normally superhero-type movies have cheesey, over-the-top scores, but this one was perfect. It used some of the stereotypical action stuff, but it also had some truly beautiful parts too. That man sure can compose.

Overall, I think this is a good addition to the X-Men films (perhaps the best one), and I look forward to the other Origins films they're planning to make.

Rating: 3.5

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008, U.S.)

I thought that this film was very sweet. The idea was original, the acting was touching, the writing was good.

Michael Cera, of course, is absolutely adorable, and his chemistry with Kat Demmings worked perfectly in a nerdy high schooler kind of way. All of the supporting actors, especially Aaron Yoo and Rafi Gavron, were fabulous. Between their acting and the script, they definitely captured the essence of young people looking for friendship, love and music.

The one thing that I thought was missing was that music. Although Nick and Norah spend the film looking for the band Where's Fluffy and make a visit to Hendrix's studio, the titular "infinite playlist" was essentially non-existant. It could have been highlighted a bit more.

Still, I did like this film. Not enough films pull off the one day's worth of action thing well, but Nick and Norah did.

Rating: 3.0

Kate & Leopold (2001, U.S.)

I have always hated Meg Ryan, but I was willing to overlook this for Hugh Jackman. Mistake!

This movie was terrible. Although the whole romance/comedy/fantasy combo could have worked, even with some scientifically sketchy time travel, it just didn't. I can't really explain it, but the time travel thing just didn't click. For instance, Jackman was very convincing about not understanding the 20th century at first, but by the end of the "day," it was as if he'd always been there. No sense.

Also, the chemistry between Ryan and Jackman was nonexistent. She seemed to have more with Schreiber, who was playing her ex. In fact, the interaction between Jackman and Schreiber created what little enjoyment I found in the flick.

Meg Ryan is an awful actress and the writing for this film was awful. That is a fatal combination. Sorry, Hugh.

Rating: 2.0

McLeod's Daughters (2001-2009, Australia)

Normally I don't talk about TV shows in my film blog, but I just finished series 8 of McLeod's Daughters and I wanted to talk about it. I was trying to think back, and even though it seems like ages longer, I've only been watching this show for four (or maybe five) years (although I have seen all of the series but the last one at least twice each, and most of the early series I have seen infinitely more). The summer between my sophomore and junior years (or it might have been freshman and sophomore years) of college, I didn't do much besides sit in my bedroom floor in front of my tiny dorm TV. One day I heard some Australian accents on the WE network, and I stopped, curious. That was the first time I saw McLeod's. I wish I could remember what episode it was, but I can't. All I know is that it was love at first sight. WE was playing marathons of series one and two for most of the summer, and I watched it over and over and over, even if I'd already seen the episode. And after all this time, my love for it (especially the early series) has not diminished.

I remember sitting in my dorm on Saturday nights watching "new" (at least to America) series three episodes at 10:00. (Clearly this show was geared toward the kind of girl who would be home alone on Saturday night, but who cares.) Then WE pulled the plug, and I have never been so angry. In fact, I actually wrote a letter to the network expressing my distaste for their decision to pull a very quality show about strong women (something their network was supposed to be about) and replacing it with typical reality show crap. I told them I would never watch their network again, and I haven't. Anyway, I was beyond relieved when the first two series came out on DVD, because at least I would be able to watch them repeatedly. And then Koch Vision announced they would be releasing all of the series on DVD in the U.S. every six months or so. For that, I will always love that distribution company.

I have to say that I became increasingly disappointed with the show when the cast started revolving. Minor changes in the 4th and 5th series were transitioned well, but by series 6 it was getting out of hand. Series 7 was my least favorite, because even more of the old characters who were still alive were conveniently "in Argentina" and never seen, and the plotlines just got completely, unbelievably out of hand. After that series, I almost felt like I was watching series 8 because I couldn't stand to quit. But a few episodes in, it was clear that series 8 was back on the right track.

For one thing, even though not one character was left from the first series, Drover's Run was again populated with McLeods. (The original owners were the daughters of Jack McLeod; these girls were the daughters of his brother Hugh, who had fallen out with Jack.) Stevie's cousin coming gave it more of a family-centered feel again. No more illigetimate McLeods/Redstaffs/Ryans kept popping out of the woodwork. The score has always been good, but in this series it was incredible. One thing I will say is that series 8 is definitely lacking in evil characters—no Harry, no Sandra, no Fiona, no Bryce, no Ashleigh, no Liz, no Peter. It made for much less conflict, but at the same time it was nice to ease out of the show without all the mean people. And to top it off, they all live happily ever after. Through the entire show, only one couple that I wanted to end up together didn't end up together, and that pleased me to no end. (Don't get me wrong, it's not like they paired off and went on their way—there was a lot of struggle, sometimes for years, before they figured it out. Also, not all of them ended up staying together because of deaths, geography, etc. But it was close.)

The last two episodes were perhaps the best last episodes of any television show I have ever seen. There was one last big challenge for the Drover's and Killarney gangs to cope with, and then there was one last party to throw. Best of all, lots of old cast members showed up for the party, which gave it a much more realistic air. (This has been lacking, for example at Alex's wedding where his brother couldn't even bother turning up.) If only Tess, Nick, Kate, and Dave would have turned up for the show's finale, it would have been perfect.

So this hasn't been a review so much as me blathering on about my favorite show, but what are you going to do? Sometimes you just need to say how you feel. And I feel like I will never love a show as much as I love McLeod's Daughters. Now that I'm finished with series 8, I'm going back to pick up where I left off watching at the end of series 3. And when I get all the way through 8 again, I'll probably start back at 1. I truly cannot say enough how amazing this show is. Strong women, sexy men, beautiful country, realistic problems (overlooking series 7 and a few other random episodes).

To close up, I'll add a few lines from one of the songs by Rebecca Lavelle, who sang most of the songs for the show:

And this is my heart's home
I'll still dream of Drover's Run

I'm going to miss it. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I've seen all the episodes and there will be nothing new ever again. Anyway, better end on a fun note. Two quotes from Matthew Passmore (Marcus) on what it was like at Drover's:

"I reckon it's pretty dangerous. How many people have died on Drover's Run? They should have like security guards just surrounding it, saying, 'Keep off! Will die!'"

“We’re really crap farmers, actually. We fall off everything. We’ve fallen down wells, tractors…”

Okay, enough! Sorry!

Rating: 5.0 ++++++

The Cake Eaters (2007, U.S.)

After Adventureland, I decided I needed to check out some more Kristen Stewart films to verify whether she was as good of an actress as I thought. Well, if this film is anything to go by, she is going to be the actress of her generation.

The Cake Eaters is a family drama about the intersecting lives of two families. The measured revelation of secrets and lies and hopes and desires is expertly done. The pace may be a bit slow, but it is definitely compelling.

Although the story is an ensemble drama about various members of the two families, Stewart stole the show as a terminally ill fifteen-year-old girl with Friedreich's ataxia, a disease that ravishes her nervous system, slurring her speech and making her movements jerky. Watching her performance, you would think that she was truly affilicted with this disease in reality if you didn't know better. Her performance is not a mockery of the condition—it is incredibly sympathetic. Her quest to live a full life in the very short time she has left is beautiful beyond words.

It's hard to describe how powerful this film is. Even if you're not from a poor, rural family, it would be hard to watch this without feeling it touch something in your heart.

Rating: 4.0

Adventureland (2009, U.S.)

I loved this movie. I thought it looked like a stupid teen comedy from the previews (and that's probably what they were going for), but it was actually a very serious, sad, funny, touching story about growing up and finding your place in the adult world. It was truly wonderful.

I don't know really what else to add. The acting, mis en scene, scripting, everything was just so well done. I can always live without the use of modern music instead of a score, but it worked pretty well for it.

It's terribly embarrassing, but I really have become a Kristen Stewart fan. Sometimes she's weaker than others, but for the most part, she is absolutely enthralling.

I would recommend this film to anyone and everyone, but especially recent graduates who are having a hard time getting started in life, or people who remember what that was like.

Rating: 4.5

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954, U.S.)

I love musicals, and there is rarely one that I don't like. However, this one ranks up (or down) there with West Side Story. There was just something about it that was all wrong. Too cheesy, badly written, terrible acting... I can't put my finger on it, but I just didn't like it that much.

However, I can see the appeal in the story. Perhaps one day I will see a stage project that redeems this musical in my eyes. I hope so.

Rating: 2.5