Happy Easter

Hello!

Happy (nearly) Easter People! To kick off this post and keep things thematic I thought I would start with one of my favourite Family Guy scenes of all time. When they basically insinuate that jesus's miracles got a little bit blown out of proportion...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX8IRCz-7s4

Anyways, back to the movie thing....

Ive been thinking recently that when people ask me for film advice/recommendations the list I provide would often resemble one of a serial killer. Which, as an FYI, I am not. Though I do have a penchant for very dark/horror films. Usually the more creepy (the orphanage/the shining) as opposed to the depraved (Saw V etc) but I'll watch them all - call it thrill seeking I guess. If I havent already alienated any female readers as yet, try this - I hated the Sex and the City movie. It was crap. Annnywayyy... this was a more of an aside!

So just to update you on a few rather good films I have seen of late: Firstly (yes a rather dark film), The girl with the dragon tattoo, based on the award winning crime novel by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the first in his "Millennium Trilogy". I usually wholeheartedly object to seeing a film before reading the book, but I made an exception and it was absolutely brilliant.

The summary from IMDB

"Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vanger's are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves."

The main actress, in all her sinewy glory, was fantastic and the plot was amazing. Its complexity kind of reminded me of Tell No One, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362225/ and was gripping from start to finish in exactly the same way. Its very violent but not in an offensive or indulgent kind of way, in my opinion - but as mentioned earlier I border on the cusp of weird/sadistical with films.

Interesting article on it here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/mar/15/girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo

On quite a different note I watched a rather sweet film called 'Once' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/ kind of a heartwarming musical about a bond between an immigrant lady and a musician. At first I thought it was a bit weird and budget and made me want to sick, but once you meet the leading lady you completely fall in love with her. She is one of the most naturally charismatic and likeable characters I've seen ages. Its very sweet and the songs are also lovely, so would definitely recommend it for that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

On my list to see now is Shutter Island, The Green Zone, Crazy Heart and The Blind Side. The latter I saw a trailer for today and it made me cry - but that's not hard to do. It actually looks way to sentimental to be fair. Americans are good at that.

Hope you all have a fantastic Easter. I will be spending it mostly eating chocolate, cake and biscuits as gave them all up for lent!

xx

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

Awesome new Hot Chip video.

Mesrine, Part 1

Luckily for me LoveFilm sent me Paul Searl’s DVD’s this week by accident – a very arty (slightly pretentious) selection of foreign films including The Baaden Meinhof Complex and Mesrine. The former looked far too high brow and political for me so I opted for the latter, and what a choice on my part. Mesrine is a two-part French film about the career of French gangster Jacques Mesrine. The first part, Mesrine: Killer Instinct, which takes its title from the self-aggrandising memoir he wrote in prison in the 1970s, the second, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1, which is what he was called by the Canadian and the French police (I will get back to you on part 2 as I have big plans to watch it this wkend).

Starting in the late 1950’s, Part 1 tracks 20-something Mesrine’s return from the Algerian War, his disillusionment and dismay at civilian life, and his inevitable descent into the criminal underworld.  Mesrine is something of a Robin Hood cult hero in France - something that is certainly perpetuated in this film.

Not a film to watch with your mum and/or gran - Mesrine Part I is a 100% thrilling from the opening scene and one of the best gangster films I have seen in years. And I LOVE gangster films. Violent, sexy, at times funny and always exciting, I can’t think of anything bad to say about it, other than it ended. Thankfully part 1 and 2 were shot back to back so imminently I will be seeing how Mesrine’s story ends. Stylish, gritty and fast-paced, the success of this film is in no small part due to the superb performance by Vincent Cassel. As Jacques Mesrine – the jail-springing, wife-beating, bank-robbing, kidnapping, Arab-hating, anti-establishment poster boy of post-war France, Cassel makes what could have been just a standard gangster performance, somewhat outstanding. He is a horrible, unlikeable villain but so charismatic you can’t help but love and hate him in equal measure.

I won’t tell you the in’s and out’s of the plot as you really need to watch it. If not for Vincent Cassel’s performance then for the most awesome jail-break scene ever. Anyway – basically cheers Paul Searl – you’re not that pretentious after all!!

He loves Yoghurt.

Good morning,

So once again I managed to completely disregard my good intentions with my blogging, but I REALLY want to stick to it this time. *Come on Fran, you can do this* I think I proved I have some level of commitment in my completion of all 5 series of The Wire - which was truly awesome and I am devastated its over. I miss you Stringer Bell, and Omar.. why did he have to go like THAT? oh god. hold me.

Anyway, good a time as any to talk about films as we just had the Oscars.. I am beyond delighted that Avatar only won the special effects awards etc, and The Hurt Locker took the awards that matter. Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I felt Avatar was an absolute abomination and 3 hours of my life I will never get back. The plot was Pocahontus, the script was dreadful and it was about 1.5 hours too long. Yes, yes, it was very pretty, but I would rather eat my own arse than watch it again. The Hurt Locker was brilliant.. I wouldnt say I 'enjoyed' it, as its quite harrowing and hard to watch - but its a brilliant film.

A bit gutted that Colin Firth didnt win best actor, but as a massive Jeff Bridges (thanks to the Dude) I am not sorely disappointed. Also, very pleased the Monique lady won her award as her character in Precious is probably the most horrible villain I have seen in any film. On that note, the actress who plays Precious.. I know big is beautiful or whatever, but seriously, that's a coronary disease waiting to happen, and she's only about 10.. someone should intervene... She was absolutely fantastic in it though and I read somewhere she only went for the role on a whim, so a good on her.

Some things that made me laugh so far this week..

The Daily Mail list of 'Things that give you cancer'.
Snuff Box - Boyfriend Scenes

Back soooooon xx