Watched, Read, Loved: August 2017

Yay! It’s spring! (I am writing this up quickly in September). The weather has turned me into a positive, upbeat person for the time being. There is something to be said to drive to work and the sun is actually up when you get there, so I am pretty thankful. The saddest thing is naturally not being in the sun during the day, but it makes life worth it.

Life-wise, we went to the Modderfontein nature reserve for a friend’s birthday. It’s quite lovely, and as it is not the one I usually head to for a it-doesn’t-feel-like-the-city feel, it felt like a new place to see in the concrete jungle I live in. Had some amazing cupcakes too, which changed my life – like WOW.

I also watched the international Dota championships – like, I still don’t know how that happened. I hope to have actually played this game by next year to have a clue what is happening.

I also did a Parkrun – naturally the morning was chillier than all the rest, but I did one. I’d love to 1) make better time 2) remember my barcode and 3) get fitter. We are doing an international health challenge at work, starting the 27^th of September, and the aim is 10 000 steps a day. It is scary because I don’t think I manage 2000 a day at this stage.

Ghost (1990) – I really thoroughly enjoyed Ghost. The effects had me giggling, while the youth of Swayze and Demi Moore was really pretty to look at. Definitely one of the best Blindspots this year, though my selection has been pretty on point if I say so myself.

The Intern (2015) – you can read my review here. The Intern is a heartwarming film with a great message, and I had a great time.

Ella Enchanted (2004) – I seemed to have had a lot of exposure to Anne Hathaway this month, but I’m not complaining as I really like both films. Hathaway is joined by Hugh Dancy, who has the most perfect face to play any form of a Prince. So handsome. This is a really fun movie, and I always enjoy it.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) – yes, again. Don’t judge.

Sully (2016) – probably my favorite watch this month, Sully is inspirational and I was on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended.

Wild (2014) – Wild is a prime example why I don’t like real life adaptions. The lead character was uninspiring and selfish, and a track across the NST couldn’t convince me to root for her.

Mean Girls (2004) – Is Mean Girls the most quotable movie of all time? This movie is definitely one of my favorite films ever. It is relatable, accurate, hilarious and just so much fun.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them (2016) – I have a friend who was really outraged that I talked smack about this film. His attempt to convince me was to have me watch it at home in Bluray with 3D Glasses. I don’t have the heart to say that just because something is pretty to look at it means it is good, but it did improve on rewatch.

Stranger Things – the amounts of hearts I want to draw around this show. STRANGER THINGS IS EVERYTHING AND I NEED MORE NOW. The soundtrack, the premise, the whole I difference of it all, the miraculous amount of kids who can actually act. I was told by ten million people to watch Stranger Things, and now, after watching, my life is richer as a result. I need the second season now. Like NOW.

Game of Thrones Season 7 – I joined everyone and their grandma’s to watch the amazing penultimate season of Game of Thrones. I still need to do a recap of the last two episodes, which are some of the best this show as given us.

Vampire Diaries Season 7 and 8

Season 7 nearly sunk the show for me. The departure of Nina Dobrev proved to be a terrible blow to the show. The odd thing is that Season 7 started fine and halfway just lost the plot. It became so bad that Damon slipped in his number one ranking for me, and was replaced by Enzo. Even after being done with the show, Enzo remains as number one. I need to find it in me to review the last two seasons, but man, some things just can’t be forgiven, DAMON.

The Rise of Nine (Pittacus Lore)

I am steadily working my way through the Lorien Legacies series of Pittacus Lore. I am enjoying the Rise of Nine quite a bit, although I still find the battles way too frequent and drawn out.

The Gunslinger (Stephen King)

Finally, I am also trying to attempt to work my way through The Gunslinger. I really like Stephen King’s way – I’m not always sure whether his books are for me, the man is amazing with words. I was about 5 sentences in when I googled a word to check what it means, and that rarely happens for me. I’ll still have to see what the book is all about, and hope to finish at least the first one.

What have you been up to this month?

September 22, 2017September 12, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Blindspot, Books, movies, novels, reading, UncategorizedTags: Aaron Eckhart, Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Bonnie Bennet, Candice Accola, Candice King, Damon Salvatore, Demi Moore, Ella Enchanted, Enzo StJohn, Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, Game of Thrones, Ghost, Hugh Dancy, I am Number Four, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Lily James, Lindsay Lohan, Lorien Legacies, Matt Davis, Mean Girls, Michael Malarkey, Michael Trevino, Michiel Huisman, Patrick Swayze, Paul Wesley, Pittacus Lore, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Rachel McAdams, Reese Witherspoon, Robert DeNiro, Sam Riley, Stephen King, Stranger Things, Sully, The Gunslinger, The Intern, Tiny Fey, Tom Hanks, Vampire Diaries, Wild, Winona Ryder 7 Comments

Movie Review: Sully (2016)

Plot:The story of Chesley Sullenberger, an American pilot who became a hero after landing his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight’s passengers and crew.

Situations where airplanes malfunction rarely have a happy ending. It’s either disappearances or crashes and morbidity is synonymous with these events. So when Captain Chelsea “Sully” Sullenberger sent out a mayday signal on the 15^th of January 2009 after birds took out both of the engines on the Airbus 320 on Flight 1549 which Captain Sullenberger was the pilot of, no one believed it possible that Sullenberger could put down the plane on the Hudson River successfully. In doing so, he saved the lives of his 154 co-passengers. The successful landing was a combined result of a lifetime of experience and a man that not only excelled at his job but was born to do it. I followed this story obsessively when it came out, and recently checked again the technical difficulty this landing required. I love stories about human courage and defeating unimaginable odds (who doesn’t?), and the event kept me glued to the screen for weeks.

That said, I’ve burned my fingers the last few months with real life events turned into movie adaptions. It’s a seemingly difficult task for directors to tell these stories accurately and keep the inspirational levels as well as the truth intact. However, with Sully, director Clint Eastwood made a film that wasn’t only true and inspirational, it is Oscar worthy.

Tom Hanks plays veteran pilot Chelsey Sullenberger. He does so by portraying a pilot who had the correct level of confidence in his abilities, which he combined with good sense and humility. Hanks shows you all the sides – the PTSD, the stress he and his family is shouldering, the fatigue and overpowering sense of media frenzy. Aaron Eckhart is the lighter of heart Co-pilot Jeff Skiles. His importance to the success of the landing is paramount, as he did not, as I would have, started yelling “what the fuck” at the top of his lungs.

The passengers get their moments too – a woman with her elderly mother, a mother with her infant daughter, business men and women, a father and his sons rushing to make the gates for the flight – real people with real lives all just planning a quick trip. It adds a human element, and the chanting of the passengers as they braced for landing is heartbreaking to listen to.

I was engrossed by Sully. It is chilling and inspiring and I will definitely watch it again. Eastwood and Hanks are a power combination that should be explored further. If you need to feel inspired, watch this. It is a story about thinking on your feet, being insanely courageous and calm, and using the experience life has given you to fulfill your life’s work.

Have you seen Sully? What did you think?

Rating: 8/10

September 15, 2017September 12, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2016, Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: 2016, Aaron Eckhart, Airbus 320, Anna Gunn, Chelsey Sullenberger, Flight 1549, Holl McCullany, Jamey Sheridan, Jeff Skiles, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley, Miracle on the Hudson, movie, Review, Tom Hanks 7 Comments

Five things Friday: Impressive movies I watched lately

Happy Friday!

It feels that I put up a FTF post about a million years (three weeks) ago, and when this idea suddenly came to me, I decided that I immediately had to adhere to this before stuff (soccer) corrupted my mind again badly that I forgot. Without further ado, here are five movies that I saw lately and was enormously impressed by.

Saving Private Ryan

I think I saw this movie as a teen a few years back, but when I watched it in April it certainly felt like new material. Saving Private Ryan is gory, sad, intense and apparently very realistic to the real thing that went down. I enjoyed every single suspense filled moment of it.

Lawless

I enjoyed this Prohibition Crime Drama very much. Every performance was top notch, and I even liked the Beefster in here, something that very rarely happens.

Taken

I saw some negative reviews on this movie that I can’t understand. I had so much fun with Liam Neeson going on an enormous ass kicking spree and thought the entire movie was extremely well put together.

The Green Mile

A movie about death row did not sound like the most enticing tale ever, but I was shocked at how much I enjoyed the movie. Tom Hanks was once again perfect with his performance, and the way the whole story came together and how the plot lines worked made for excellent viewing material. I am currently reading the book, and so far it is an excellent adaption of how it went down in Stephen King’s novel.

Drive

There was never a movie with so little conversation in that wasn’t a silent movie and still managed to stay spectacular as was Drive. It is Ryan Gosling’s finest role. He WAS the Driver, and the underlying tension and power of the character was nail biting all the way through.

What have you seen lately that you loooooved? Tell me!

June 20, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Five Things Friday, MoviesTags: Drive, Five Things Friday, Green Mile, Jessica Chastain, Lawless, Liam Neeson, Movies, Ryan Gosling, Saving Private Ryan, Shia LeBeouf, Taken, Tom Hanks, Tom Hardy 10 Comments

Review: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

IMDb Top 250: 35^th with 8.5/10 rating

Plot:

It D Day, June 6, 1944. American soldiers plan to land on Omaha Beach, but their landing is waylaid by the German infantry, who starts shooting them to pieces the moment they second they come close to the beach. Many American soldiers die, but Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) survives and assembles a group of soldiers to take down the German defences, leading to a breakout from the beach.

Back in Washington, D.C, General George Marshall (Harve Resnell) is informed that three of four Ryan brothers were killed in the war, and that their mother will receive notification that very day. Her fourth son, Private First Class James Francis Ryan is a paratrooper, assumed alive but missing in action in Normandy. Marshall reads Abraham Lincoln’s Bixby Letter, and this moves him to order that Ryan must be found alive and sent back to his mother so that she can at least have one son.

Executive Mansion, Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A.

Three days after D-day, Miller is ordered to find and return Ryan to his mother. He assembles six men: Horvath, Reiben, Mellish, Carparzo, Jackson and the medic Wade, and Upham, a cartographer that speaks French and German and who tells Miller from the start he hasn’t been in combat and has the barest of training.

They move on to Neuville. They meet a platoon of the 101^st Airborne Division. After entering the town, Caparzo (Vin Diesel) is shot by a sniper. Jackson (Barry Pepper) takes the sniper out but they still lose Caparzo. They find a Private James Ryan, but he is not the Ryan they are searching for. A member of the incorrect Ryan’s party tells them that the man they are looking may have rallied at the drop zone at Vierville. Miller and his men head there and hear that Ryan is helping defend a strategically important bridge over the Merderet River in Ramelle, and they continue on their search mission.

While travelling to Ramelle, Miller decides to neutralize a German gun position. Wade (Giovanni Ribisi) is fatally wounded and when a last surviving German soldier is found, the Americans want to kill him, except Upham (Jeremy Davis), who pleads for his life to be spared. To the incredulity of the other men Miller lets the German walk away, blindfolded. Reiben (Edward Burns) speaks up and questions Miller’s leadership. He plans to leave but is pulled into a confrontation with Horvath (Tom Sizemore). To defuse the suddenly volatile situation, Miller tells his men information they have been desperately curious about – what Miller’s profession is outside of War. Reiben grudgingly stays with the troop.

In Ramelle they finally find Ryan (Matt Damon). He is told of his brothers’ death, Miller’s mission and that he is allowed to go home. He is saddened by the loss of his brothers and the for the lives of the two men who died on the mission to find him, but he says that he must stays with his troop, the brothers he has left, and help them defend the seriously undermanned bridge. This causes some upset amongst Miller’s men because they risked their lives finding him, but eventually they stay to help the men on the bridge and Miller takes over control.

Will Ryan make it out alive? Was the mission been vain? Will Miller and his men get out alive?

Rating: 8.5/10

Even though it was excellent, this wasn’t the easiest movie to watch. It is gruelling, brutal and intense but also gripping and entertaining. The opening scene was horrific, the senseless slaughter, the hopelessness of the soldiers stuck in an impossible situation, watching their fellow soldiers die in agony. The bloody waves rolling onto the beach really touched me because the sea is something that should bring you great peace and those soldiers were just being shot to pieces.

I haven’t ever seen Tom Hanks being anything less than fantastic and he didn’t disappoint here either. Captain John H. Miller was a good man, and I found how he kept his true job a secret and how he later used it as a tool to calm everyone down. At the end of the day, Miller’s occupation was so vastly removed from his war life I was like whaaat? It seemed incomprehensible to me that he was such a normal family man and a war general everyone naturally followed at the same time.

He was obviously the right leader for the mission. One of the saddest scenes was when he broke down away from his men because he knew they needed a stable person they could rely on leading them.

Richard Reiben was one of my favourite characters – he was cocky and did not mind one bit telling Miller what was on his mind. He was the first to voice his opinion, even if it got him into trouble, and I respected him for that. I had a huge amount of sympathy for Upham – even though the other men weren’t necessarily glorifying what they did in the war and struggled with adapting, he had the most trouble accepting what he saw and the horrors of War. The death of the medic, Wade, made me so sad just to think that he exactly knew how he was dying and what was wrong but couldn’t even fix himself.

I was feeling pretty steamed at Private James Ryan when he was eventually found, and his rejection of the offer to return home maddened me even while seeing sense in what he was saying. I completely stood with the incredulity of the other men that risked their life to get there to take him back to his mother.

If you are one of the few people who haven’t seen Saving Private Ryan, like I was, I suggest you do so. It is excellent.

May 19, 2014May 18, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Edward Burns, IMDb Top 250, Matt Damon, Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks, Vin Diesel 10 Comments

Movie Review: The Green Mile (1999)

Paul Edgecomb: “They usually call death row the Last Mile, but we called ours the Green Mile, because the floor was the color of faded limes. We had the electric chair then. Old Sparky, we called it. I’ve lived a lot of years, Ellie, but 1935 takes the prize. That was the year I had the worst urinary infection of my life. That was also the year of John Coffey and the two dead girls”

Plot:

It’s 1999, and an elderly Paul Edgecomb lives in a nursing home in Louisiana. He is very popular with his fellow home members and with the staff. He takes walks during the day, going somewhere specific each time.

One night, Paul and his elderly friends are watching the movie Top Hat. His friend Elaine notices he is distressed and when she asks Paul what the matter is, he tells her the film reminds him of a time when he was in charge of death row inmates at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary in 1935.

Paul (Tom Hanks) thinks back to 1935, where he is working with his fellow prison guards Brutus “Brutal” Howell (David Morse), Harry Terwillinger (Jeffrey DeMunn), Dean Stanton (Barry Pepper) and Percy Whitmore (Doug Hutchinson). Paul, Brutus, Harry and Dean get along fine, but they dislike Percy who is childish and cruel and who only works in the ward because of family connections and his wish to see someone die on the electric chair.

John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) arrives at the prison. He is huge and intimidating but his despite his size he is shy, soft spoken, very innocent and kind. Coffey is convicted for raping and killing two young sisters but his guilt is immediately questionable.

John Coffey:  “Do you leave a light on after bedtime? Because I get a little scared in the dark sometimes. If it’s a strange place.”

Paul is suffering from an UTI and he is in extreme pain all the time. One morning, after an excruciating urinating session, Paul is determined to go to the doctor, much to his wife’s relief. Before he is able to do that, Coffey supernaturally cures Paul. Paul is shocked by this immense power. He comes to the conclusion that Coffey can cure the wife of Warden Hal Moores (James Cromwell), who is dying of a brain tumour. They manage to sneak Coffey out of prison by putting Percy into the isolation room, something he richly deserves for the part he played in the botched execution of Eduard Delacroix (Michael Jeter), another inmate that got the taste of Percy’s cruelty a bit too often. Delacroix gives the Mile some entertainment by forming a bond with a Mouse and teaching it tricks. Delacroix is distraught when Percy kills it, but Coffey makes it alive again by his spectacular powers.

“Wild Bill” Wharton (Sam Rockwell), a psychopathic inmate is scheduled for arrival at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Coffey warns Paul of him, and he is proven to be correct when Wharton attacks the guards seconds after entering the building. They restrain him, but it is the first of many incidents involving Wharton. He is sent into isolation a few times, but he gets himself into trouble constantly. He touches Coffey and with his powers Coffey sees that it is Wharton who raped and killed the girls he is being sent to execution for. Coffey “releases” the tumour he took from Mrs. Moores (Patricia Clarkson) into Percy, making him kill Wharton and then lapse into a catatonic state.

Paul knows that nothing he can do will save Coffey’s life because they have no hard evidence. He asks Coffey what to do and Coffey’s answer surprises him. Coffey says that he wants to die, that living in such a hateful world is too much for him and that he is tired of it all. Coffey gets his execution, and the wardens have a difficult time controlling their emotions.

Back in 1999, Paul tells Elaine that he has lived such a long life because of Coffey curing his UTI, somehow giving him more life as well. He shows Elaine Delacroix mouse, who is still living years later because Coffey had restored him to full health as well. He tells Elaine that he knows he will die someday, but thinks his long life is punishment because he didn’t save Coffey back in 1935.

 Rating: 8.5/10

While visiting Zoë, I casually mentioned (now I realize in great error) that I’ve never seen The Green Mile. Cue Zoë grasping for breath, shocked and a bit teary eyed. So we sat down to watch it.

I went in mostly blind. I knew something about death row and some sadist and that it is based on a Stephen King novel, but that was it. People love this movie so I knew it had a chance to be really good, but I have to say I was expecting violence and swearing and generally not my type of thing.

HOW WRONG CAN ONE PERSON BE?!

It was AMAZING. Like laugh out of your tummy amazing, be sad and angry (that FUCKING TOOL PERCY WETMORE) and confused. It was so good I wanted to re-watch it again and I can say that I definitely will.

 

The tool, Percy Whitmore

I have to say I thought the movie could have worked just as well without the supernatural element but there was just enough in it to make it interesting without making it completely unrealistic. The supernatural element is thrown upon the watcher, so suddenly; it comes as a massive surprise. That there was well done because I just sat there thinking this is a strangely nice story about death row and then it was like BAM, HELLO SUPERPOWERS. The story was excellently developed and clear and I never felt that the movie was too long – an exceptional for feat for a three hour film. I also thought the uniforms were so beautifully cut and done – it made every officer just look that much more authoritative (except that tool Percy Whitmore). I found Coffey’s execution one of the most emotional scenes I have ever witnessed. It was wrenching to experience everyone’s pain and how no one wanted Coffey to die at the end.

The cast

I’ve always thought that Tom Hanks is an exceptional actor and he just showed it constantly in here. He did an amazing job as Paul Edgecomb and how he was someone in power who actually thought about the repercussions of his job and was determined to do it with dignity. He was most powerful when he showed how he would always treat inmates with dignity, especially John Coffey, and always inexplicably Wild Bill. I loved how he realised when it was time to send someone to isolation and when it could be prevented.

The portrayal Michael Clarke Duncan gives as John Coffey is too good for me to put into words. He really looked huge, especially when compared to Brutus, but he was a gentle giant. Even from the start I couldn’t get how he murdered those two blonde girls. I found him so sad. Coffey was a huge, hulking figure that didn’t wear any shoes. He was so tender-hearted about everything and I found it endearing how he called Edgecomb “boss”. He also just knew Percy Whitmore was a cruel, vile man that had absolutely no redeeming qualities in him and THAT I loved.

Brutus “Brutal” Howell

Brutus

This guy was way too entertaining as well. I liked that how he, despite his size, was the person after Edgecomb who treated the inmates with the most respect and that he was the clear leader after Edgecomb. His friendship with Edgecomb and the entertaining they found in a lot of things together in prison was so sweet and funny.

Another mention on excellent acting should be given to Sam Rockwell who played the psychotic murdered “Wild Bill” Wharton. He freaked the hell out of me and I have to say that so many of the laughs I got out of here came from him. That scene where he spits the chocolate in Brutus’s face was hilarious and I admired the hell out of Brutus for not losing his temper there and then.

Okay, the last have to say about the characters involves Percy Whitmore, played by Doug Hutchinson. He is, without a doubt, in the most hated characters list ever (if there isn’t such a list, there should be). He is on the same level as Umbridge, who is on the very top of the list. I felt such animosity towards him. Were it possible, I would have climbed through the screen to kick him. He is everything I despise in some men – men who love to beat down on people either smaller or in lesser positions than them, men who are cruel and enjoy brutality and men who love throwing their connections around. In fairness to Hutchinson, he played the part perfectly and was just as well cast as the rest of the group.

I obviously really liked this and would recommend it to just about everyone. It is an excellent story without a lot of violence and it is gripping from the start.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

 

May 5, 2014May 4, 2014 by Natasha Categories: MoviesTags: Barry Pepper, Brutus “Brutal” Howell, Bryce Johnson, David Morse, Dean Stanton, Doug Hutchinson, Eduard Delacroix, Hal Moores, Harry Terwillinger, James Cromwell, Jeffrey DeMunn, John Coffey, Michael Clarke Duncan, Michael Jeter, Movies, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Edgecomb, Percy Whitmore, Reviews, Sam Rockwell, Stephen King, The Green Mile, Tom Hanks, Wild Bill Wharton 11 Comments