Right so I was originally sceptical about the acting quality of Justin Timberlake, yet something about the trailer told me he would be good in In Time.
The beginning is good, swiftly getting us into the story. The day to day routine that Will Salas goes through is used to show how different your life would be if time was a currency. The use of the time on their hands is quite a good way to induce tension because your heart stops when you think someone's time is going to run out, literally. It also gets you thinking about what you'd do with time if you had to spend and save it. Justin Timberlake is brilliant as Will, as he is able to show his poor background through his later richer character, and uses it to help others as well as himself.
Cillian Murphy does a fantastic job with his character, and the costume set for him really produces an impact. He has changed his voice to be calmer and more steady, which seems to really create an impact. Amanda Seyfried also does a good job, and doesn't take over the storyline by being whiny like many female lead roles. Her view on life in this film really allows us to like and connect with her.
The settings really are fantastic, and ye 'time zones' really show a contrast between the rich and poor living. The futuristic look really works with the storyline There are significant messages in this film which highlight how selfish some people are in the real world, and really shows the power of money and time.
The use of two 'villains' is really effective because it makes the story a lot more hectic, and although we know it's not real, it really does make it slightly more realistic. Alex Pettyfer does a good job of playing the suave Fortis, and he's great at reacting to the other characters.
This film is short, meaning it doesn't go on too long, making it an overall enjoyable viewing experience. I gave this film 8 stars out of 10 on iMDB, and I would recommend it to any people who just want a not too intense, good storyline. Definitely not a sci-fi though.
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Monday, 8 April 2013
Review 7: Oz the Great and Powerful
Right! Oz the Great and Poweful is a film that I've been dying to see ever since I heard about it, being a fan of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. Oh, and James Franco of course!
I must say, although the storyline was simple and easy to understand, for a Disney film, it was actually quite enthralling. Although it was set in 1905, the attitudes of Oz and his assistant (Zach Braff) were surprisingly modern. The way they spoke and presented themselves added a seemingly new age essence to the characters, and I couldn't tell if it was done on purpose or not. The setting really captured the audience at first sight, and the clever use of relating the audience members of Oz's show to later characters was quite effective.
James Franco did a spectacular job, conveying his character of the arrogant yet good hearted 'wizard' with the right intensity and flair. And the costume, oh my, the costume. I commend whoever was costume director, because by golly they were good. Everything fitted the characters perfectly and captured the heart of what the story was about, and yet again added a modern twist. I particularly liked Mila Kunis' burgundy hat and jacket, as it was feminine yet cool and collected at the same time. Kunis did a great job as Theodora and I definitely preferred her as being the good witch over the bad witch. Talking of good witches, I also have to mention Michelle Williams as Glinda, as I think she did an absolutely brilliant job. She was spot on with the kindness and was exactly how Glinda should be.
The only thing I have to say I got confused about was the name of the china world. On the sign it said 'Chinatown' and automatically you think of Chinese people, and only later did I get that it was referring to actual china as in the crockery. I think it would have been slightly better if it was named something else, but that was probably to do with the book rather than the writers.
Although there are many continuity errors according the book, this story was directed brilliantly and will capture the hearts of many children in the world. I gave it 8 stars out of 10 on iMDB and it was a great cinema experience.
I must say, although the storyline was simple and easy to understand, for a Disney film, it was actually quite enthralling. Although it was set in 1905, the attitudes of Oz and his assistant (Zach Braff) were surprisingly modern. The way they spoke and presented themselves added a seemingly new age essence to the characters, and I couldn't tell if it was done on purpose or not. The setting really captured the audience at first sight, and the clever use of relating the audience members of Oz's show to later characters was quite effective.
James Franco did a spectacular job, conveying his character of the arrogant yet good hearted 'wizard' with the right intensity and flair. And the costume, oh my, the costume. I commend whoever was costume director, because by golly they were good. Everything fitted the characters perfectly and captured the heart of what the story was about, and yet again added a modern twist. I particularly liked Mila Kunis' burgundy hat and jacket, as it was feminine yet cool and collected at the same time. Kunis did a great job as Theodora and I definitely preferred her as being the good witch over the bad witch. Talking of good witches, I also have to mention Michelle Williams as Glinda, as I think she did an absolutely brilliant job. She was spot on with the kindness and was exactly how Glinda should be.
The only thing I have to say I got confused about was the name of the china world. On the sign it said 'Chinatown' and automatically you think of Chinese people, and only later did I get that it was referring to actual china as in the crockery. I think it would have been slightly better if it was named something else, but that was probably to do with the book rather than the writers.
Although there are many continuity errors according the book, this story was directed brilliantly and will capture the hearts of many children in the world. I gave it 8 stars out of 10 on iMDB and it was a great cinema experience.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Review 6: Vertigo
As promised, here is my review of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'.
Going into this film I have to say, I expected a lot more of a horror type atmosphere, but it was generally a lot more laid back than I thought (after the initial death at the start, of course). At the beginning, I found the character of Scottie (James Stewart), to be not very likeable. It may be because of his piercing blue eyes, which made him seem quite cold, but in the end actually contributed quite well to his character. I connected to him more as I went through the film because I was able to learn about him and his life.
I really liked the character of Madeleine, because Kim Novak played her extremely well. I'm quite surprised I've never heard of her, because she's so beautiful and actually quite talented. I connected with her character immediately, and she manages to balance her normal self and her 'hypnotised' side really well together, pulling off a very convincing performance. She is the character that stands out the most and I'm definitely considering watching some of her other films.
I have to say, I wasn't completely satisfied with this film, as some parts just didn't make sense to me. The character of Midge didn't seem to have any purpose whatsoever, and I didn't really understand their relationship. He's not dating her, but he has a key to her house? Despite this, I did enjoy the use of the settings, as they were really emphasised in the plot as having some significance, and they worked well with the story.
I particularly enjoyed the storyline because it was quite individual, like nowadays everything seems to be quite similar unless it's a thriller or indie film. If you enjoy an enticing story with twists everywhere, this is definitely for you. I gave it 6 stars out of 10 on iMDB because although it was good, it wasn't anything particularly special.
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Review 5: Twelve Monkeys
Hello again folks, and welcome to the fifth entry of haveyouseenitall.com. Notice the brand new banner and enjoy the progress this blog is making!
So, I read a post about the ten best time travel films of all time, and upon reading it, I saw a film called Twelve Monkeys. Naturally, I was attracted to it because of Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and the mention of a mental institution.
This film is well pieced together, visually captivating and has a brilliant storyline (credited from La Jetee, of course). We start off in Bruce Willis' dream, of a woman running towards a man. This is not explained to us, straight away hooking the audience. This is repeated throughout the film, creating a recurring theme, allowing us to link back with other parts of the storyline, and also making us desperate to find out what's going on. One of my favourite parts has to be when we are first introduced to Brad Pitt. His mannerisms are absolutely fantastic, and the use of the cartoon television noises behind him really emphasised his madness. He was completely captivating, no wonder he won countless awards for 'Best Actor in Supporting Role' for this film. The continuing mannerisms made him stand out above all others, and even (dare I say it?) above Bruce Willis, although he did impress me with some of his scenes. He was able to show how different his world was to the others around him, which is a skill that not many actors have. Madeleine Stowe also put in a good appearance, playing the role of psychiatrist turned runaway with ease.
Another aspect of the film that stood out for me was the French inspired background music, obviously taken from La Jetee. It really worked with the different scenes and was integrated well in order to create emphasis and tension within the storyline. Terry Gwilliam directed this film brilliantly, and integrated the future and past fluently. Despite this, if you're one of those people who didn't get 'Inception' or 'Avatar', this may not be the film for you.
Overall, my IMDb rating for this film was 9 stars out of 10, as I really enjoyed the direction and feel to it. It's definitely one to watch again and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys really good films. I was also inspired to watch Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo', as one of the scenes is shown in this film. Look out for that review coming your way soon!
So, I read a post about the ten best time travel films of all time, and upon reading it, I saw a film called Twelve Monkeys. Naturally, I was attracted to it because of Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and the mention of a mental institution.
This film is well pieced together, visually captivating and has a brilliant storyline (credited from La Jetee, of course). We start off in Bruce Willis' dream, of a woman running towards a man. This is not explained to us, straight away hooking the audience. This is repeated throughout the film, creating a recurring theme, allowing us to link back with other parts of the storyline, and also making us desperate to find out what's going on. One of my favourite parts has to be when we are first introduced to Brad Pitt. His mannerisms are absolutely fantastic, and the use of the cartoon television noises behind him really emphasised his madness. He was completely captivating, no wonder he won countless awards for 'Best Actor in Supporting Role' for this film. The continuing mannerisms made him stand out above all others, and even (dare I say it?) above Bruce Willis, although he did impress me with some of his scenes. He was able to show how different his world was to the others around him, which is a skill that not many actors have. Madeleine Stowe also put in a good appearance, playing the role of psychiatrist turned runaway with ease.
Another aspect of the film that stood out for me was the French inspired background music, obviously taken from La Jetee. It really worked with the different scenes and was integrated well in order to create emphasis and tension within the storyline. Terry Gwilliam directed this film brilliantly, and integrated the future and past fluently. Despite this, if you're one of those people who didn't get 'Inception' or 'Avatar', this may not be the film for you.
Overall, my IMDb rating for this film was 9 stars out of 10, as I really enjoyed the direction and feel to it. It's definitely one to watch again and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys really good films. I was also inspired to watch Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo', as one of the scenes is shown in this film. Look out for that review coming your way soon!
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