Much thanks to the wealth of information found on Wikipedia.
All films are rated out of ★★★★★
Wind Chill (2007)
★★★★
Starring Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Marting Donovan and Chelan Simmons. Directed by Gregory Jacobs. Produced by George Clooney, among others.
Apparently this film didn’t go down too well when it was released, but i think it’s a cracker!! It’s a thriller about a college student (Emily Blunt) who shares a ride home with a classmate (Ashton Holmes) and discovers en route that he isn’t who he claims to be. But it’s not that predictable and, as the snow thickens and he decides to take a shortcut off the highway, they are hit by another car and become stranded in the snow. And then it gets really scary. Well, I’m quite hard to please when it comes to horror / thriller films, but this really surprised me and that’s what it’s all about really. Better than The Orphanage.
Out of the Blue (2006)
★★★★
Starring Karl Urban, Matthew Sunderland, Paul Glover, Simon Ferry, Tandi Wright. Written by Graeme Tetley and Robert Sarkies. Directed by Robert Sarkies.
This film from New Zealand is based on true life events. In November 1990, in the tiny community of Aramoana, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, one of the residents, (David Grey, played by Matthew Sunderland), went on a shooting spree, killing 13 people, before being eventually shot dead by police himself.
The film opens with a look around the community, showing us daily the lives of its residents, and the murderer himself, who is clearly extremely paranoid and just waiting to explode. And then he does. The town is so small that, as soon as the first shots are fired, people are running for cover. Due to the isolation of the place, the local police are on their own in dealing with the situation. There are some incredibly moving scenes as they do their best, comforting injured children and cradling the dying, all of whom they know. The acting is superb and the film is under-stated, giving us the facts without churning out any of the over-heroic deeds or sickening dialogue that you'd expect from a Hollywood version. You get to see enough of the characters as you need to, and there are no over-length scenes of any kind (again, leave that to the Hollywood directors). Had tears in my eyes at the end.
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The Orphanage (2008)
★★
Starring Belen Rueda, Geraldine Chaplin, Fernando Cayo, Mabel Rivera. Written by Sergio G. Sanchez. Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona
I have been waiting for this film ever since I saw the trailer. Being a true fan of anything scary and that contains ghosts and mysteries, and for some reason swayed by the fact that it's from Spain, I really thought we could really be onto a winner here. The story looked promising. Laura (Belen Rueda), her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and their adopted son Simone, return to the old orphanage that Laura grew up in, a rambling old place in need of work, and with more than a few nooks and crannies. They intend to do it up and open it as a home for sick and disabled children. Only, they never get that far. Simone mysteriously disappears and Laura becomes convinced that ghosts lie behind his disappearance. As she searches for him, secrets from her past are revealed, all of which are related to the orphanage and the children she lived there with.
Well, I'll be blunt. The story is not the most original (particularly the ending, which true ghost-film fans will recognise from elsewhere): the scares were too infrequent; and as often happens in this genre, the supposedly together couple are in total disagreement over what is happening and the woman is left to figure it out. Bit disappointed really.
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Into the Wild (2007)
★★★★★
Starring Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, Kristen Stewart. Directed by Sean Penn and based on the novel by Jon Krakauer.
This film is based on the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) who, after graduating from university, ditched all his possessions (which included donating his 24,000 dollars in savings to Oxfam) and set off across America with just a bag on his back. The film follows him as he travels across the country, taking jobs where he can and meeting some wonderful people along the way. His parents meanwhile are clueless as to where he has gone but, as his sister partly narrates the story, we learn that it is the disturbing childhood the siblings had that has lead to Christopher's abandonment of the "normal" path of life. This also explains his sister's total acceptance and understanding of why he left so unexpectedly.
This is a really beautiful film, partly due to the simplicity of Christopher's journey. He's not the average back-packing graduate...his is a total rejection of materialism and a complete embracement of nature as it was intended. He is determined and focused on what he wants, but not smug or preachy with it - he's just living his life as he wants to. There are gorgeous shots of the USA and some lovely characters that make his journey more memorable. Definitely recommended.
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Juno (2007)
★★★★
Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman. Directed by Jason Reitman.
Juno (Ellen Page) is a 16-year old high schooler who discovers she's pregnant after a night of fun with her best friend (and constant admirer) Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Not being your average 16-year old she decides that, even though she doesn't want to keep the child herself, she can't go through with an abortion, so chooses to have it adopted, and goes in search of finding a deserving couple to parent her child. She chooses Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), a middle class couple who seem oddly mismatched in marriage, and the three begin a relationship, as Juno keeps them informed of the child's development, and begins to spend more and more time at their house.
Juno is a really quirky film, very funny and full of lovely, odd characters, with a strong, underlying feeling of love and family ties. Ellen Page and Michael Cera are fantastic (Cera is great at playing the weird geek role, like he did in Superbad) and all the supporting roles are equally well played.
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He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2003)
★★★★★
Starring Audrey Tautou, Samuel Le Bihan, Isabelle Carre. Directed by Laetitia Colombani.
Well, the cover looks romantic and any film with Audrey Tautou would make you assume a love story..... The first half of the film tells the story through Tautou's character, who is desperately in love with her married boyfriend, and she gets all the sympathy as he strings her along and constantly lets her down. We then get his side of things, and the film cleverly puts together the two stories to reveal a totally different set of circumstances. I thought it was brilliant, totally gripping from beginning to end.
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The Painted Veil (2006)
★★★★★
Starring Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Directed by John Curran.
Kitty Garstin (Naomi Watts) is a pretty but shallow young woman living in 1920s London with her parents, who are putting her under increasing pressure to find a husband. As a result of their constant nagging, she accepts a wedding proposal from Walter Fane (Norton) despite knowing him for less than 24 hours and not having particularly strong feelings for him. Walter is a bacteriologist who is based in China, and the couple move there after their wedding and start their married life. Before long, Kitty is bored with her new life and starts having an affair with a married friend. Divorce being such a taboo, they remain married, and the film focuses on their relationship as they move to another part of the country where there is a cholera outbreak and Fane has volunteered to help. I loved this film. It's got romance, stunning scenery and it isn't overly sentimental. Norton was great at playing an initially dull, predictable character who develops more depth as the film goes on. The film uses flashbacks to tell the story, which really works well to explain the characters and their situation. Think I might buy the book now.
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Eagle vs Shark (2007)
★★★★
Starring Jemaine Clement (Jarrod), Lauren Horsley (Lily). Directed by Taika Waititi. Written by Taika Waititi and Lauren Horsley.
This off-beat film from New Zealand is a mix between a love story and a family drama and follows a couple of geeks, Jarrod and Lily, from the beginning of their relationship to a culmination of emotions and events which centre around their return to Jarrod's hometown. Jarrod is, to put it nicely, an arrogant, insensitive geek who, for some reason, is absolutely full of himself, which doesn't make him the most endearing character. Lily, on the other hand, is sincere, loyal and timid, although as the film goes on her strength and confidence grow. Various other characters are introduced throughout who add to the humour and outright weirdness of this film, but all have their place and there isn't a thing I would change about it. A really lovely film.
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The Invasion (2007)
★★
Starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Based on the novel "The Body Snatchers" by Jack Finney.
Pretty good, fast-paced zombie movie, although Nicole Kidman's constant pouting was a bit off-putting. The plot is as predictable as the rest...well, these movies only ever have two outcomes don't they? I won't give away the ending to this one, you'll probably be able to guess it anyway. Good things about the movie: it's sinister, the zombies aren't traditional zombies, but calculating, calm and determined murderers who actually get my vote; Daniel Craig - always a bonus!; it's action-packed, and a bit of a nail-biter. Bad points: the moralistic ending; the soppy ending; the ending.