G E N T L E M E N B R O N C O S

'Oh my holy crap, surveillance does... I hate those. This is ridiculous, that's the most well guarded yeast factory I've ever seen!'

- A hilarious moment from the film.

This is Jared Hess' third feature film, following Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. I happened to catch Gentlemen Broncos on television one Sunday afternoon but was unable to finish watching it due to some commitments. But, I did manage to find it a few weeks later and view the second half of the film. I was drawn in immediately during the first viewing and was again during the second. I really admire Hess' unique style. I wouldn't know how to describe it but he seems to be inspired by the 1980s with his use of fashion, music, settings and props. It's totally corny but he makes it really cool.

Gentlemen Broncos tells the story of Benjamin, a shy teenager who writes sci-fi novels and lives with his strange mother who is a fashion designer of hideous sleepwear. When he attends a writers convention he meets his favourite author, Chevalier who turns out to be a bit of an arrogant asshole.

Benjamin is played by my new favourite actor, Michael Angarano (mentioned in Ceremony review) who is perfect as the insecure Benjamin. Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) is hilarious as Chevalier putting on an amazing voice as the rude sci-fi author.

Hess' style is amazing in this film and the characters are quirky and unique (Hector Jimenez as Lonnie is a standout, his facial expressions are hilarious), however, the story was somewhat lacking. The film starts out really great, but kind of loses it an hour in. It must be hard for Hess to live up to his debut feature, which became insanely popular worldwide and had us all saying, 'Your mum goes to college,' and so on. Unfortunately Gentlemen Broncos doesn't quite have the same appeal as Napoleon Dynamite but it still maintains the quirkiness minus the memorable quotable lines.

Look I'm going to give this a good rating because I did find it rather entertaining and fairly amusing. It just probably isn't the best thing to come from Hess (which is forgivable of course.)

Rating: 3.5/5

D R I V E

A standout performance by Ryan Gosling

This has to be one of the best films I have seen this year if not the best. After seeing Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love the other week and now this; it makes me wonder if there's nothing Gosling can't do. He has to be one of the greatest actors of our time.

There is so much I could say about it but I have no idea where to begin. I'm not going to tell a synopsis of the film but rather describe why I enjoyed it so much.

Firstly, the look and style of the film is brilliant. It is shot so beautifully. Most of the scenes are dark though. I was completely unaware of how violent this film was until I saw some pretty graphic scenes. (There's quite a confronting scene taken in an elevator... not going to give it away, but oh boy!) So it's not for the faint hearted because trust me these guys are not pussies, this is like some Tarantino shit.

The soundtrack is phenomenal! PHENOMENAL! I am listening to it as I write this and I am getting major goosebumps. The soundtrack and my dear friend Gabby is what made me want to see this film. After she played me 'Nightfall' by Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx, I was like, 'Girl! I need to get me that soundtrack and see this film immediately!'

The song 'Tick of the Clock' by The Chromatics used in the opening sequence is perfect! It works so well with the intensity of that scene, helping to build the tension. The soundtrack along with the look of the film & the bright pink titles seem to be influenced by the 1980s, which also work very well with the film. The 1980s influence was a big plus for me.

All of this along with the performances of the entire cast (except for perhaps Carey Mulligan who I found to be inappropriately casted as Irene) was exceptional. Gosling is a stand out for sure but Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks, etc. are all flawless!

I cannot stop thinking about Drive since I got home from the cinema and it will probably be on my mind for the rest of the week. I am highly recommending this one. Do not miss it!

Rating: 5/5

G I R L , I N T E R R U P T E D

Winona is too cute with that pixie haircut. Such a style icon.

'Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.'

These were the first words that Winona Ryder said at the beginning of the film as the character Susanna Kaysen. This film literally grabs you from these beginning words & holds onto you until the closing credits.

I am no stranger to this film. I own it on D.V.D. & have seen it numerous times. The reason behind me reviewing it is because this week on my radio show we are talking about the extraordinary Winona Ryder. In my opinion the first 15 or so years of her career were phenomenal. We saw her in such films as Heathers, Beetlejuice, Mermaids, The Age of Innocence, Little Women, Reality Bites and of course the phenomenal Girl, Interrupted which, I think, is most definitely one of her best roles.

Girl, Interrupted is based on a true story following Susanna Kaysen who checked in to a mental hospital in the 1960s after she nearly killed herself or as she puts it, 'I was trying to make the shit stop.' Believing she doesn't belong there, Susanna tries coping and along the way befriends her fellow mental patients including, Lisa (Angelina Jolie) a sociopath.

What I love about Girl, Interrupted is the setting of the 1960s, the awesome soundtrack, the performances of all actors are phenomenal (Goldberg, Jolie, Murphy, and most definitely Ryder who really should have won an award), and although it's a dark story it has it's subtle humorous and beautiful moments i.e. when Susanna sings 'Downtown' to one of the patients to cheer her up - so sweet!

I think Winona Ryder is exceptional in this film! I absolutely adored her as Susanna. I found her incredibly smart, witty, insightful and very real. I never tire of watching this film. Definitely a Winona classic from the 1990s.

Rating: 4.5/5

S P U N

Mena Suvari & Brittany Murphy in a scene from the film

What I like about Spun is that it portrays the awful side to the life of drug taking/dealing that puts you off ever wanting to become a part of that world as well as adding some humor to the genre which you don't often see. Drug films are often so in your face and off-putting that it can make you feel ill & depressed. So it was nice to see a film that didn't indulge in the ugly side of the drug world as much.

Spun spans three days in the life of Ross, (Schwartzman) a young guy hooked on speed who visits his dealer and then chaos ensues. We are introduced to an abundance of characters and some bizarre events occur.

This film really does have an amazing cast; Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo (that guy who played Tybalt in Luhrman's Romeo & Juliet), Mickey Rourke and the amazing Deborah Harry (who plays Ross' dyke neighbour/phone sex worker - brilliant!) All actors are perfect in their roles and seeing Murphy as the bubbly Nikki makes you feel a little sad that she died so young because it really does remind you how good of an actor she was.

Spun doesn't shy away from your typical drug style film editing. There's the fast paced scenes when Ross is waiting for his next hit & then the chill that follows once he has snorted the speed, the extreme close up shots; in particular the eyes when they dilate (reminiscent of Requiem For A Dream), and just simple things like make-up (Mena Suvari's teeth are a great example, oh boy are they gross).

I did enjoy Spun, it wasn't your stereotypical druggie film. I like that there was humorous moments i.e. the cops from the over-the-top 'Bust' show.

Of course the fact that Jason Schwartzman was in it also made it all the more appealing. It's not a typical role for him but he still manages to do an excellent job and still look babe'n (in a 'speed freak' kinda way).

Rating: 4/5

B U R L E S Q U E

Cher... she may be getting old but that girl's still got it

I am never hesitant to raise my hand to the fact that I am a fan of the fabulous Cher. For me it started as a young girl hearing the single Believe; I woke up early every morning to watch Rage waiting for that clip to come on. Later I would receive a Cher: Greatest Hits album on my 12th birthday and go on to create dance routines to such classics as Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves, The Beat Goes On and many more. Another great thing about Cher is she is an incredible actor. Some of my favourite films she has starred in are Mask and Mermaids.

So my point to this is I was pretty excited about the release of Burlesque, (but not excited enough to see it at the cinema or rush to see it when it was released on DVD... ok so my love for her isn't as strong as when I was playing with Barbies) and watched it in preparation for my film based radio show* this week. The topic being, Musicals.

So what did I think about Cher starring alongside Christina Aguilera in the end... Not much really. Sadly I was a little disappointed. The storyline had been overdone, small town girl with big dreams moves to the city and tries at nothing to pursue her dream of becoming a singer/dancer... The storyline may have been lacking but the songs and dancing were what kept me watching this film. It really stuck to the Musical genre, not holding back on the show tunes. Most of the songs started to sound the same, but a few of the numbers where quite good. Sadly Cher only performed in two songs though... boo!

I hate to say it but I was distracted throughout Burlesque often playing Fruit Ninja on my phone and I paused it about three times to go and do other things. Look I'm a GenY girl with a short attention span; you just gotta keep me entertained is all I'm saying. And lets face it, Christina Aguilera is pretty painful and to see her playing the sweet girl next door type in this film is even more aggravating. As much as I love you Cher you just didn't save this one for me!

Rating: 1/5

*Yes, I have a radio show now. A little guiltless promotion on the side: http://syn.org.au/program/ellys-film-review

C E R E M O N Y

Michael Angarano and Reece Thompson in a scene from the film

Two names: Michael Angarano and Reece Thompson.

These two guys star in Max Winkler's (Harry Winkler's (The Fonz) son) debut film; Ceremony.

Michael Angarano is none other than little William from Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous who shouted in the backseat of his mum's car, "I'm eleven? ELEVEN?!" He is also Jack McFarland's sperm donor child, Elliott in Will & Grace. Now Angarano is 24-years-old and I gotta tell you, he is babe'n!

The other guy I mentioned; Reece Thompson, a name you will have recognised from my last review, is the main reason I hired this film and being the bitch I am, I have now lost interest in him and have developed a crush on Angarano. Something about that mustache in the first third of the film and his slicked back hair just made me go, "Ohhhh yep."

So as for the film, it's got a lot of cool things about it; witty banter, and an awesome party that I so badly wanted to be a part of and indie fashion (think wayfarers, cardigans, old-school suits).

Being Winkler's first film though, I'm not going to be totally harsh. The film had a lot of promise what with the cast and all but the story was kind of lacking and for the second half I found myself playing Monopoly on my iPhone whilst taking occasional glances at the screen, (yeahhh never a good thing).

It wasn't a completely disappointing film, I just felt that it started out so well but just kind of fell flat at the end. Plus I wasn't really buying the relationship between Angarano and Uma Thurman. That or I was feeling a little envious of Thurman...

Rating: 2.5/5

D A Y D R E A M N A T I O N

Kat Dennings and Reece Thompson in a scene from the film

Described as being like, 'Juno as reimagined by David Lynch...' I'm not entirely sure if that's a good comparison but there are moments in this film that are abnormally cool, so to speak.

Daydream Nation features everything you'd expect from an indie teen film; a soundtrack featuring Stars, young guys experimenting with drugs, affairs with teachers, bike riding, house parties, cupcakes and of course Kat Dennings and Reece Thompson. I suck though, having not seen Reece Thompson in anything before seeing this film, so of course after falling in love with him after this I jumped onto imdb and wrote down everything he has been in followed by me going into work and searching all those films. (Yes, I can turn into a creep sometimes when it comes to cute male actors.)

This is a super cool teen film. It's dark in parts and hilarious in others. Reece Thompson's character is quirky and adorable. Kat Dennings is the new girl in school; confident and sexy. But I can't help but notice she has a 'Keira Knightley nose' (looks like she's constipated most of the time) which is kind of distracting and annoying. I had noticed this before when I saw her in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, I didn't let it ruin the movie for me then so this time was definitely no exception.

I highly recommend this film to those of you who love a quirky indie teen film. Sure they're making a heck load of them these days, but like I have said before, this is one film genre that isn't getting old for me.

Rating: 4/5