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

B R I D E S M A I D S

"I had a dream last night that we went down... you were in it."

Okay so I'm not the kind of person to see a movie at the cinema more than once, mainly because I can see them for free when they come out on D.V.D. (perks of working at a video store). I have only ever done it with Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (I saw it three times, I kid you not) and now the hilarious film Bridesmaids, which I saw twice last week!

I honestly don't think I have laughed so hard throughout a movie. There are hardly any moments in this film where you're not smiling or crying with laughter. I can't stop quoting it... "What kind of a name is Stove? Are you an appliance?" (If you have seen it, you totally just laughed then.)

So what is Bridesmaids about, I hear you ask. It follows Annie (Kristen Wiig) who is asked by her best friend to be her maid of honour. It is after this we meet the bride's bridal party consisting of some amazing characters but the best is definitely the groom's sister, Megan played by the hilarious Melissa McCarthy. Her character is brilliant and provides for some super hilarious moments i.e. when she takes a whole bunch of labrador puppies (party favours) from the bridal shower. Amazing stuff!

What I love about Bridesmaids is that the characters are very relatable. The conversations that are shared between Annie and her best friend remind me a lot of my conversations with my best girl friends. It's also a female take on the male driven films that we love like The 40-Year-Old Virgin & Superbad. Paul Feig has done a great job with Bridesmaids, it's super hilarious and still kind of keeps that chick flick feel without being overly lame. I could not say a bad thing about it. Go and see it!

Rating: 4.5/5

R A B B I T H O L E

Kidman and Eckhart in a scene from the film

Okay, unlike a lot of people out there, I am not a Nicole Kidman hater. She doesn't shit me. I can see why some get irritated by her, but fortunately I can still watch films starring her and not want to throw myself off a bridge by the end of it. So with that being said, I was really looking forward to seeing Rabbit Hole starring Kidman of course and the awesome Aaron Eckhart (awesome because he was awesome in Thank You for Smoking... enough said). The film tells the story of Becca and Howie who are coping with the fact that their son died eight months ago. It's a hard topic to handle for Shortbus director John Cameron Mitchell, (yes I couldn't quite believe it either... from Shortbus to Rabbit Hole, very interesting indeed) but he does it well.

Visually this film is shot beautifully. I really appreciate it when a film captures the small things and takes pleasure in them. Such as the simple moment of Kidman planting a flower in the beginning of the film where we see Kidman in focus and then the camera focuses on the flower. Simple. Beautiful. Mmmm yeah.

I also really liked Miles Teller in the film, a bit of a newcomer and someone I think we'll be seeing a lot of in the future. I won't go into detail who his character is but what I loved about his character was in the beginning we didn't see his face but rather these drawings he was creating for his comic book, 'Rabbit Hole.' (ahhh link to the title of the film!) The illustrations are so amazing to look at and are quite original in style. Whoever they got to draw those in the film is seriously talented.

I truly enjoyed this film. I was completely engrossed in the characters' lives from beginning to end and even got a little teary! (Always a good sign for me)

So I highly recommend to check it out unless you are one of those Nicole Kidman haters... shame on you! She was totally awesome in Moulin Rouge! Yep, I said it.

Rating: 4/5

U N M A D E B E D S

Vera and the babe aka my new obsession...

I literally just finished watching Unmade Beds. Yes I can't hold back the excitement, I have to type this now, that's how freaking amazing this film was. I'm sure this review will be poorly written but alas I am way to antsy, fingers must type away now.

So why did I see this film? One of my favourite customers happened to return it this evening & upon returning it informed me that she Loved this film. Without hesitation I returned it in the system & then immediately brought up my name & scanned that baby!

The film is set in London where foreigners, Vera & Axl are living/visiting. They both live in the same warehouse but they don't come acquainted til two thirds into the film. Axl is sweet & all but Vera totally stole it for me. Her story is such an intriguing one. It seems she has just broken up with her boyfriend and in amongst getting over him, she meets a strange man in a bar. They spend a night together in a motel where they just sleep & nothing more. Then as fate has it they run into each other again and after that encounter they decide to keep seeing each other but never exchange numbers or tell each other their names; just set a date and place and meet up. This relationship they share is so exciting and the way it's shown is done so beautifully. For example, one time when they meet we are shown clips of them catching a train, walking along a beach, smoking cigarettes and overhead we hear a conversation between them where they reveal a secret about themselves. Visually it is so beautiful but we never see them have this conversation we just hear it. So good!

I got to tell you I am so in love with this man that Vera shares this unusual relationship with. He got me giddy from the get go. This may lead to me watching every film he has ever been in... Yes once I see a babe in a film I am all over that (I am a creep).

This film was told and shot so beautifully. It makes me really appreciate being young and makes me want to make the most of my youth whilst it's still around... I kind of just want to party now and meet a boy. Yep.

Rating: 4.5/5