www.NoelBoyd.com

CNA Up Your Alley: Changi

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 06:12:00 +0000

I am honoured to be featured in CNA's Up Your Alley. It's been one of my goals to be noticed by my favourite news channel so this is really awesome.

S.W.I.M MOVEMENT SINGAPORE

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 10:08:00 +0000

My neighbours have a nice social enterprise called S.W.I.M Movement Singapore. Swim Movement is an innovative and engaging swim school devoted to all levels of learners, swimmers and triathletes. Whether you’re a beginner who’d like to learn freestyle, an intermediate triathlete who wants to develop their stroke technique or an advanced swimmer looking to excel further, Swim Movement is for you.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SWIM Movement International (@swim_movement)

This is their philosophy:

1. No two persons are the SAME so we do not coach a “One Way only” approach.

Every child/adult is different hence your ideal stroke and learning pace is different from another person. We identify your stroke to suit you. We don’t coach a ‘One Way Only’ approach to swimming. Your ideal stroke technique is different from another person. We identify your individual needs and how best to develop and improve your stroke to suit you. We will do this for you whatever your experience, whatever your skill level, whatever your body type.

2. Balance of swim technique and fitness

Technique stroke work is very important to your swim speed. But we also find that fitness training further enhance your speed too. Striking the correct balance of technique and fitness will help swimmers to keep improving.

3. Engaging

Our coaching philosophy is based around a simple but very powerful principle: Engaging. No matters how good is the coach if he/she cannot engage the class, the coach fails. Over at Swim Movement, this is the first criteria for Swim teachers recruitment.

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A post shared by SWIM Movement International (@swim_movement)

About Jeremy (a.k.a my neighbour, ak.a The S.W.I.M Dad & Swim Educator)

Jeremy Tan graduated from Nottingham Trent University and Staffordshire University in Business Admin major in marketing, formerly a competitive swimmer and waterpolo player in his schooldays and represented the ARMY ‘Signal Formation’ in 1997-1998. He enjoys sports and outdoor activities. He took on Triathlon training to overcome his phobia to swim in the sea during his university days, however, it was cut short due to back injuries. In 2007, he was the co-team manager for Punggol Central CSC swim team for the annual swim Meet.

Being a professional swim coach had never crossed his mind until one of his close friends died of cancer. It dawned onto him to help people in need. His first voluntary job was to assist a swimming coach to teach children with disabilities in 2002. However, the coach left after one month and the organisation sent Jeremy for coaching certification with ‘AUSTSWIM’ as the offical coach. In 2003, Jeremy has joined APS Swim School under Mr Ang Peng Siong a swim teacher before setting up the S.W.I.M Movement in 2013.

In 2012, Jeremy developed the “S.W.I.M DAD Programme(Safety in Water Inclusive Model) while he engaged his son in the water by chance. The S.W.I.M DAD programme has built a closer tie between him and his son. S.W.I.M DAD Programme was a interactive programme which helps his son to love and enjoy the water without fear. Like him, his son has aquaphobia.

Jeremy is currently the principal S.W.I.M educator at SWIM MOVEMENT. His focus is always on the overall wellness of a learner. Besides, developing the right swim technique, the learners will benefit from “indirect front-loading the experience” swim programme.

To find out more about S.W.I.M Movement Singapore, please tap on the links below....

Website: http://swimmovement.sg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWIMmovement
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swim_movement

Exclusive Halloween Livestream Event

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 06:09:00 +0000

The question "when are you ghost hunting again?" has been asked by so many of you. The short answer is this Saturday, the 30th of October! Get ready for a one of a kind experience as I bring you on a ghostly adventure at a secret location. My buddy Tristan De Kretser and I will be using my favourite paranormal gadgets such as the K2 meter, Spirit Box, Laser Grid and a new gadget will make an appearance.

This is the only live paranormal investigation in Singapore this Halloween and it's an event that you can watch with your family in the comfort of your home.

To watch us live on Facebook, please sign-up at the event page by tapping here. The livestream starts at 11.40pm.

DARKNESS Has Arrived

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:11:00 +0000

Welcome to the world of Darkness, where your nightmares come to life. Here you will find chilling real-life ghost stories, creepy footage of our resident paranormal investigator Noel Boyd exploring haunted locations and communicating with entities, articles with spiritual advice and guidance and all things supernatural. We look forward to bringing you on countless dark adventures.

Subscribers will get:

- Brand new, exclusive footage of authentic paranormal investigations conducted by Noel Boyd (monthly)
- New ghost stories (weekly)
- Discord channel for subscribers
- Video clips of Noel Boyd re-telling his personal experiences with the supernatural
- Top 5 Countdown Videos weekly

Visit www.Darkness.asia to subscribe!

Little Flower Hut Review

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 01:30:00 +0000

My wife gave birth to my second daughter on the 26th of August. It was an emergency cesarean delivery. As much as it was traumatic for me, she went through a whole lot more. I cannot even begin to imagine what she felt throughout the ordeal. That rollercoaster of emotions must have been daunting to deal with.

To show her what she meant to me and that I appreciate her for everything that she is, I wanted to get her a beautiful bouquet. Something that would take her mind off the pain from the surgery and the exhaustion of looking after a newborn baby.

So I went online to search for the perfect bouquet. I settled on Little Flower Hut after looking at various merchants. Little Flower Hut stood out to me. I love their clean looking website. It's a breeze to scroll through and shopping by flower type made my search easier. I've given my wife Gabrielle flowers twice since in the 5 years we've been together. I needed the THIRD time to be ultra special. So I settled on red roses. But it had to be super duper special!

This is the bouquet I ordered for Gabrielle.

IT"S HUGE!

Here's my arm as reference.

It has lots of roses and baby's-breath.

Not only did it make my wife smile, it made her emotional too. She’s so happy with the flowers. It things like this that create memories that last a lifetime. My sincere thanks to the team at Little Flower Hut. You guys rock! It's little wonder why Little Flower Hut is one of the top online florists in Singapore!

Please visit https://www.littleflowerhut.com.sg/ for all your flower needs. These guys won’t disappoint. I can confirm plus chop guarantee this.

A-Z of Movies: Day 26 - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

noreply@blogger.com (Ellariel) — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 05:22:00 +0000

Day 26: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Released in 2011

"I spend my entire life inside a box. A person should remain in a box only when he is dead."

Directed by Zoya Akhtar
Starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif

Rating on IMDB: 8.2/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

The translation for this title is "Life will never come again." It definitely gives off that vibe because it's a 'Carpe Diem, live for the moment' type of film. I will say Hrithik Roshan was one of the main reasons I chose this film and also the fact that I knew a lot of it was filmed in Europe. At 2 and a half hours, it's quite long and although I had to stop and start many times, I still thought it was pretty enjoyable and heartwarming.

The storyline is straightforward: Three friends decide to turn their fantasy vacation into reality after one of their friends gets engaged. Think of a more family-friendly version of The Hangover with a few hiccups here and there, some heartfelt moments and LOTS of beautiful scenery and cinematography.

Kabir is our groom-to-be and his fiancée Natasha appears pretty high maintenance from the very beginning. It was nice to see a variety in terms of the female characters, some were needy and quite materialistic, whereas Katrina Kaif, our heroine that the boys meet while traveling, is a breath of fresh air as the free-spirited, devil-may-care Laila.

I absolutely loved the fact that this was not a typical Bollywood film because it had a few kissing scenes, it wasn't overly dramatized and there were only one or two choreographed dance scenes that were a hybrid of Spanish and Hindi music (although in traditional Bollywood movies I live for the dance numbers). I appreciated that the director also focused on Spanish culture and traditional festivals like La Tomatina and running with the bulls. I'd love to see more films like these that include a taste of East meets West because I think many people don’t know a lot about the celebrations held on the other side of the world. Even though this movie was released 10 years ago, it didn't feel outdated or old-fashioned.

She said "I love you from my head tomatoes...."

Trivia Time

Imran played by Farhan Akhtar is seen having a fear of skydiving in the movie but in real life he's a certified skydiver and Arjun played by Hrithik Roshan is a certified scuba diver but his character is afraid of water.

Katrina Kaif's introduction scene on the beach was shot on a nude beach. The production crew had to continuously request people to move out of the frame.

The crew and the cast of the movie were present in Spain during the football finals in 2010 and got to see the country's historic win.

The La Tomatina festival shown in the movie was re-created in Buñol, Valencia, Spain with almost 16 tons of tomatoes specially flown in from Portugal.

Post the release, several tomatina themed events were organized across India.

As a part of the promotions, the cast took an actual road trip from Mumbai to Delhi via Gujarat and Rajasthan. En route, Hrithik and Katrina indulged in some roadside dhaba food, played pranks on common people and let their hair down like they do in the film.

Imraan (Farhan Akhtar) recited poetry throughout the movie, his father Javed Akhtar wrote them.

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Not sure I'd jump at the chance to watch this again but I would give it a decent 7/10. A nice travel movie about friendship, going on adventures, experiencing a little dash of romance, and learning more about yourself along the way.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 25 - Yellow Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 09:32:00 +0000

Day 25: Yellow Rose

Released in 2019

Directed by Diane Paragas
Starring Eva Noblezada, Princess Punzalan, Liam Booth, Lea Salonga, Dale Watson

Rating on IMDB: 6.5/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I had never heard of this film before and I was pleased to find it on Netflix after a LOT of searching. It didn't entirely move me to tears but I liked a lot of elements and it wasn't too heavy or overly dramatic.

Rose (Eva Noblezada), an undocumented 17 year old Filipina, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.

I thought Eva Noblezada did a great job as Rose especially during the emotional scenes. I found her singing voice to be awesome too, I only wish she sang more during the film. Super surprised to spot Lea Salonga in a teeny tiny role and I would have loved to see her sing more as well. In terms of the storyline, it was fairly basic but with little moments of triumph and sadness too. I found myself rooting for Rose to stay in the US for as long as she could even though she kept having to continuously find new places to reside. I'm happy the story didn't digress too much or focus on other external factors that might have led her down a scary path (like drugs/child predators etc)

Dale Watson, legit country singer is so-so when it comes to being Rose's mentor and father figure and his character fell a bit flat for me when he was acting but he made up for it whenever he sang or performed on stage. The two of them sounded great together and I wish there had been more duets! I think they wanted to focus more on Rose's struggles as an immigrant but it would have been such a wonderful journey if while she was gaining the courage to sing and play in front of people, she was discovered by some talent agency or record label that really wanted to have her and so they applied for her to have a green card and reside in the US legally. It was starting to just touch the surface of that by the end of the film but I feel they could have pushed it a bit more. It's interesting that there is only one line of trivia for this movie! Both Lea Salonga and Eva Noblezada have played the lead role of Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway and the West End (that explains the amazing pipes!!)

All in all, I don't know if I'd necessarily watch the whole movie again but I'd definitely watch the clips of Rose singing her original songs or her duets with Dale. I'd agree with IMDB's rating. This Yellow Rose appears to be in full bloom.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 24 - Xoxo

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 06:10:00 +0000

Day 24: Xoxo

"Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat."

Released in 2016

Directed by Christopher Louie

Starring Sarah Hyland, Graham Phillips, Brett Delbuono, Hayley Kiyoko, Chris D'Elia

Rating on IMDB: 5.3/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I've never been into raves but this film was actually surprisingly fun to watch and even though it wasn't exactly Oscar-worthy as some of the other movies on my list, it's not half bad.

The plot summary on IMDB was condensed into just one line: 'Six strangers' lives collide in one frenetic, dream-chasing, hopelessly romantic night.'

EDM is not my number one music genre of choice but when I was a lot younger (and probably highly intoxicated) I'm sure I partied hard like a lot of the kids in this movie. In the film, XOXO is an epic dance music festival and aspiring DJ Ethan Shaw finds out he's going to be making his stage debut in a matter of hours thanks to his best friend/manager Tariq (who reminded me so much of my friend who's a local actor) Loved-up couple Shannie and Ray want to have one last hurrah before Shannie moves to New York for a year so the two of them see XOXO as the perfect opportunity. Krystal (Sarah Hyland) plans to meet Jordan at the festival too, a cutie she's been texting and is convinced is her soulmate and one true love. Neil (Chris D'Elia) was the character I think I related to the most because he was 'the older guy' that was just sick of it all and didn't have any patience for all the mindless youth around him.

I think Christopher Louie did a pretty decent job writing and directing this colorful film because it felt like an extended music video with lots of vibrant costumes, neon makeup and he managed to capture the epic-ness of festival vibes. Even though the storyline is very simple and straightforward, it really made me feel like I was one of the painted faces in the crowd and perhaps the reason why I liked this movie more than most people is because it brought back such great memories of my first festival experience in the UK.

I found all the characters to be likeable and I remember feeling nervous for Ethan when he was about to make his debut on such a huge stage because clearly he was just a kid with the insecurities and doubts we all had as teenagers. Sarah Hyland was good too and I've always enjoyed her on Modern Family. I was happy when her character decided to just embrace the fact that she could make the most out of the festival without needing a boy by her side. Shannie and Ray were adorable as a couple and even though the movie had so many 'main' characters, it didn't spend too much time on each person so the pace was fast-moving and not draggy at all.

Unfortunately there isn't a lot of trivia about this movie and I honestly feel like it deserved a higher rating than 5.3. I'd say it's a pretty strong 6 because a lot of the animated emojis, text bubbles and LSD-induced scenes were fun to watch and well done considering it was Christopher Louie's directorial debut. Wouldn't say no to watching this again just to re-live those fantastic festival vibes I will always hold dear to my heart.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 23 - Welcome to Marwen

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 06:40:00 +0000

Day 23: Welcome to Marwen

"You just don't get it, do you? Women are the saviors of the world!"

Released in 2018

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Starring Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Falk Hentschel, Merritt Wever, Janelle Monae, Diane Kruger

Rating on IMDB: 6.2/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

When I first saw the trailer for this film I had no idea what the concept was but it did seem very unusual. It made me think of Toy Story, Small Soldiers and Inglourious Basterds. I think I expected a little more since it's based on real events but it wasn't a bad film.

Aspiring artist Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) is a victim of a violent assault when five men beat him up and leave him for dead. Following the attack, Mark is left with little to no memory of his previous life due to brain damage inflicted by his attackers. In a desperate attempt to regain his memories, Hogancamp constructs a miniature World War II village called Marwen in his yard to help in his recovery. Unfortunately, Mark's demons come back to haunt him when he's asked to testify against the five men that attacked him.

I will say I really appreciated the animated scenes in this film because the dolls were so lifelike and realistic. I'm a huge fan of Steve Carell and he played Mark Hogancamp as a very odd, shy and socially awkward character that really makes you feel sorry for what he went through. The entire time I had a very saddening feeling because I knew all this happened to the real Mark Hogancamp and I wish they had shown more of his emotional turmoil about losing his memory and ability to draw. The tough girl dolls were pretty bad-ass but I think the movie could have introduced who the characters were based on a little sooner because at the start I was like 'ok these chicks are cool but what link do they have with our main man?'

Barbie and Ken never looked better

The town of Marwen was clearly an outlet for Mark to express how much he hated all the men around him throughout his struggles and it was quite endearing that he had a thing for women's shoes because he claimed it captured 'their essence' and there was something quite innocent about his affinity for high heels. Leslie Mann was brilliant as always and she never fails to play the likeable love interest that's just the right amount of sweet, thoughtful girl-next-door without being overly ditzy. There were a few cringe scenes and I'm not sure if those scenarios really happened like him proposing to Nicol and being rejected. There were a lot of subtle moments where you see little notes left around Mark's house about 'turning off the lights' or 'taking x number of pills in the morning' and those were so poignant and believable about him not being able to remember what he's meant to do everyday.

The miniature town was remarkable and had such intricate attention to detail, it's no surprise that director Robert Zemeckis was behind it all. He's responsible for classics like Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Death Becomes Her and many more.

Trivia Time

The dolls were portrayed via motion capture by their respective actors and actresses.

When Mark lifts up the Time Machine and turns it on, you can hear the sound of the flux capacitor from the DeLorean of the "Back to the Future" trilogy. (He couldn't resist)

The person upon whom the film is based, Mark Hogancamp, was physically assaulted on 8 April 2008. Suffering injuries to every part of his body, Hogancamp was in a coma for nine days. His memories of his life before the assault have been virtually extinguished. Limitations of his health insurance prevented continued rehabilitation. Only three of his attackers went to prison, and all were released within two years. (Wish they had shown more of this)

Deja asks Mark to make a time machine and asks for it to fly. The time machine he makes resembles the DeLorean from the Back to the Future series, including the wheels that rotate to make the car hover. Both films were directed by Robert Zemeckis, and both films were scored by Alan Silvestri.

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I also found an interesting article that highlighted the woes that the real Mark Hogancamp experienced and you can read more about it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/oct/28/mark-hogancamp-marwencol-jon-ronson-miniature-town-horrors-of-war

I'm not sure I'd watch this again but I am quite interested to watch the documentary 'Marwencol' as the town is now called. I'd agree with IMDB's rating and Welcome to Marwen made me feel like I was welcomed into a magical world of tough Glamonistas and Nazi soldiers.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 22 - Vantage Point

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:16:00 +0000

Day 22: Vantage Point

"This is a wondrous day. Today, we make history!"

Released in 2008

Directed by Pete Travis

Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Edgar Ramirez, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt

Rating on IMDB: 6.6/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I actually enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. Dennis Quaid is usually pretty good and the concept of the film was really unusual. I normally don't choose politically-themed action movies but when you're looking for a movie starting with the letter 'V', options can be limited.

The United States President is in Salamanca, Spain, about to address the city in a public square. We see a plain-clothes cop, his girlfriend with another man, a mother and child, an American tourist with a video camera, and a Secret Service agent newly returned from medical leave. Shots ring out and the President falls; a few minutes later, we hear a distant explosion, then a bomb goes off in the square. Those minutes are retold, several times, emphasizing different characters' actions. Gradually, we discover who's behind the plot.

I was quite surprised to see Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver in the opening scenes of the film but then they never reappear later on. I would have liked to see more of their characters but I suppose they were not entirely essential to the main plot. Dennis Quaid is Thomas Barnes, Secret Service man of the hour and he does a great job portraying an anxious, jittery agent that previously jumped in front of the president to save his life. He's on edge throughout the entire public address scene and I felt his anxiety from the moment his character is introduced. It took me a while to recognize Edgar Ramirez because he's been in so many things, loved him as Gianni Versace in American Crime Story.

Dennis doesn't react well when someone says Randy is the better-looking brother

I loved the way the story unfolded by just showing all the characters' varying points of view of the same situation. Essentially all the vital moments of the attack take place in the same 15-30 minutes but we only see it all make sense about halfway or three quarters of the way through. The car chases were very well done but did make me a little dizzy. Some scenes were extremely unnerving and jarring, like the entire crowd running amok and dealing with the aftershock of the bomb blasts and the bit where the little girl Anna is standing in the middle of a busy road and Forest Whitaker has to run out and save her life.

Trivia Time

In order to keep the dozens of video monitors in the TV control booth synchronized properly, the screens were actually greenscreen panels that were replaced in post-production.

The explosion on the Plaza was filmed by fifteen different cameras.

TV Executive Rex Brooks was originally written as a male. Director Pete Travis changed it to a woman because he felt the movie lacked a strong female character.

The studio originally wanted to shoot the entire film in Salamanca, Spain, but the local government refused to close the Plaza Mayor for nearly 3 months. Production was moved to Cuernavaca and Puebla, Mexico. Only the scenes filmed from the air were shot in Spain.

When the bomb goes off, with the aerial view of the plaza, the same smoke effect that covers the view, is the same special effect that is use in Back to the Future III, when the train explodes.

One of the key themes of this film is the way that expectations influence our point-of-view. To emphasize this, some lines were filmed in two different ways, depending on whose POV is being represented, and what the audience has learned about the plot layers. In particular, several of Matthew Fox's scenes were played in two subtly different ways depending on whether we're seeing him as the good guy or we've realized he's a villain.

..............

I wouldn't say no to watching this again although seeing it for the first time definitely maintained the element of surprise and unpredictability. I'd give it a solid 6.5 - 7/10 as a reasonably engaging action flick just because of the unique way the story was told. From my Vantage Point, this was not a bad film.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 21 - Up in the Air

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 13:40:00 +0000

Day 21: Up in the Air

"Everyone needs a co-pilot."

Released in 2009

Directed by Jason Reitman

Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman

Rating on IMDB: 7.4/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

This was such a delightful little comedy based on a novel by Walter Kirn but with some bittersweet moments and real-life downfalls. George Clooney has always been more of my mother's favorite because of his dashing good looks and I used to consider him quite one-dimensional but he wasn't terrible in this and neither was Anna Kendrick.

Ryan Bingham (Clooney) enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest, and a new hire presenting a new business model.

I really loved the sequences they used in this film to show time passing and Ryan travelling from state to state. It was so therapeutic to watch him just smoothly disembark and board the next plane, check into another hotel etc. Strangely it made me feel like I was travelling alongside him the whole time. I was actually quite envious of his fictional job because of how much he got to see and experience although I know in real life I would never be able to fire people for a living.

I've enjoyed Vera Farmiga ever since Bates Motel and she does a great job as Alex. One thing I appreciated a lot in the plot was that the 2 female leads had loads of things in common but were also vastly different in terms of their personalities and expectations in a relationship. It was interesting to discover that director Jason Reitman (responsible for movies Juno, Thank you for Smoking and several others) is the son of none other than Ivan Reitman, the legend responsible for Ghostbusters I and II, Fathers' Day and many more.

Even Anna Kendrick can't resist George's salt and pepper look

George Clooney was charming and basically played a more exaggerated version of himself since in real life he has been known to be quite the ladies man. I didn't really buy into the concept of him being a motivational speaker but I did find a lot of the content he shared quite deep and his character development didn't feel forced or unrealistic. Loved the small roles played by Jason Bateman and J.K Simmons too who never fail to steal the show with how organic and charismatic they can be. Even though the film was released in 2009, some of the issues they presented are still relevant today (especially during COVID) like companies letting a LOT of staff go, or choosing to use video-conferencing tools like Zoom instead of travelling for business.

Trivia Time

A large number of the people we see fired in the film are not actors, but people who were recently laid off. The filmmakers put out ads in St. Louis and Detroit posing as a documentary crew looking to document the effect of the recession. When people showed up, they were instructed to treat the camera like the person who fired them and respond as they did, or use the opportunity to say what they wished they had. A way to discern who are the actors, and who are the real people, is that the real people do not have dialogue with George Clooney or Anna Kendrick, as they were shot separately. Jason Reitman did this intentionally, feeling that the real people would freak out Clooney and Kendrick. (This was definitely something I sensed while watching it)

When Bob (J.K. Simmons) shows Ryan a photo of his two children, it is a photo of Simmons' real children.

George Clooney's wardrobe for the entire movie actually fits in one carry-on suitcase.

When Alex is at the Atlanta airport, she asks Ryan if he knows a good place for ribs. Ryan tells her to go to "Fat Matt's", a real rib shack on Piedmont Avenue. Jason Reitman is a big fan of the restaurant. In return, owners Matt and Kelly Harper presented Reitman with a card entitling him to a "lifetime of ribs".

At a press screening, Jason Reitman said that his father and producer Ivan Reitman had written "the best line in the movie." However, he declined to reveal which line in particular.

Anna Kendrick later claimed that she was financially insecure as a working actress when she made this movie, and that during the promotional tour her wardrobe was rented for her. Kendrick admitted that she felt bad about that, she thought it sent a misleading impression to young actresses.

Jason Reitman has worked with J.K. Simmons in Thank You for Smoking (2005), Juno (2007), Young Adult (2011), Labor Day (2013), and Men, Women & Children (2014).

George Clooney and J.K. Simmons both played DC characters. Clooney was the titular character in Batman & Robin (1997), & Simmons was Commissioner James Gordon in Justice League (2017).

(Cameo) Walter Kirn: The author of the novel sits to the left of Ryan Bingham during Natalie's introduction.

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I'd agree with IMDB's rating and I wouldn't say no to watching this again because it doesn't have a cookie-cutter Hollywood happy ending, but it's still a feel-good movie that leaves your spirits quite high Up in the Air.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 20 - Thoroughbreds

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 07:51:00 +0000

Day 20: Thoroughbreds

"What do you want me to say?"

Released in 2017

Written & Directed by Cory Finley

Starring Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks

Rating on IMDB: 6.7/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

This is going to be my shortest review ever. I did NOT enjoy this film at all. I was really surprised at how awful it turned out to be because I loved Olivia Cooke in Bates Motel and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit. DO NOT believe what's written on the poster, in my humble opinion, I didn't see any references to Heathers OR American Psycho.

Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems-no matter what the cost.

I'll be honest, I chose this movie because I knew it was less than 2 hours and I thought it would be an easy watch. Boy I couldn't have been more wrong. When I read the reviews a lot of people considered it to be a dark comedy, but I didn't view it as one at all. It was not funny or interesting in any way. Many reviews I saw also focused on the fact that they are two attractive girls with evil intentions and that's why they gave the film high ratings #facepalm.

The plot was extremely thin, dialogue was boring and some scenes took way too long to get to the point and all the characters had no depth whatsoever. I felt like the writer was trying very hard to make the premise dark, menacing and ominous but he didn't spend enough time actually building on the relationships between characters for me to be even remotely emotionally invested in any of them.

Amanda (Cooke) nonchalantly talks about mercy-killing her horse and is supposed to appear as a sociopath with no feelings of guilt but she just comes across as extremely dull and one-dimensional instead of psychotic and murderous. Lily (Taylor-Joy) is the poor little rich girl who hates her stepfather (for no apparent reason other than the fact that he's kind of douchey and wants her to go to a boarding school of his choosing) Normally I try to find something I like in every movie I watch but this was the first time I really couldn't find any redeeming factors. Didn't bother with the trivia tidbits and if I could give it a negative rating I would. 100% never watching this again.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 19 - Scent of a Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:34:00 +0000

Day 19: Scent of a Woman

"If you’re tangled up, just tango on.”

Released in 1992

Directed by Martin Brest

Starring Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Rating on IMDB: 8/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I've known about this film for ages but I always thought it was about an older man finding love and I was totally wrong! Never been a huge fan of Al Pacino but this movie changed my mind.

Prep school student Charlie Simms (O'Donnell) needs money and so he agrees to "babysit" blind man Frank Slade (Pacino) but the job is not at all what he anticipated.

The first 30 minutes of the film is quite interesting because it introduces all the pivotal characters and their unique traits. Pacino plays Colonel Frank Slade as a hostile yet intuitive blind man that is impatient and extremely cantankerous. I was really impressed by how well he was able to portray a blind person. Charlie is soft-spoken and doesn't really fit in with the other rich boys at his school. An elaborate prank embarrasses a school superior and Charlie finds himself having to decide whether he wants to be a snitch or cover for the people responsible.

Towards the middle the film tends to slow down quite a bit but I think it's meant to show Frank's vulnerable side which was quite saddening. I kept waiting for Frank to meet an enchanting woman because the entire time I thought it was going to develop into a romantic storyline, but eventually I realized it was more about the relationship between him and Charlie. It was clearly shown that despite being visually impaired, Pacino had the gift of always guessing the 'scent of a woman' i.e what perfume she had on/what soap she used. His tango scene was pretty impressive too but I really thought Gabrielle Anwar was going to play a bigger part.

Gabrielle Anwar rehearsed this scene for 3 weeks alone. Al Pacino didn’t rehearse at all. Later, she admitted that Al Pacino constantly stepped on her feet and almost broke her toes. In an interview, she said, “It’s Al Pacino, for God’s sake, I couldn’t exactly complain.”

The climax of the film was very much worth the journey of the 120 minutes it took you on. Pacino's monologue at the school hearing was impeccable and to me, that was what earned him his Academy Award. Initially, I wasn't crazy about Chris O'Donnell but he did show a few moments of great acting especially in the hotel room when he stops Pacino from 'blowing his brains out.'

Trivia Time

Al Pacino was helped by a school for the blind in his preparation for this role. He said that he made himself appear blind by not allowing his eyes to focus on anything.

Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned to play Charlie. (He should have gotten it!)

As a guest on Inside the Actors Studio (1994) (Oct. 2, 2006), Al Pacino recounted to host James Lipton how he'd had an embarrassing moment in a crowded elevator after winning his first Oscar. Unbeknownst to Pacino was that the head of his statuette was poking a well-known actress in her posterior. When she turned around, Pacino quickly explained that his Oscar, not he, was to blame for her discomfort.

Al Pacino says "hoo-ah" or a variation of it exactly ten times throughout the movie.

This movie is the remake of the 1974 Italian drama Profumo di Donna. The film was even nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Writing (Screenplay Adapted From Other Material) categories. Maybe this is why Scent of a Woman has obvious references to Italy — Al Pacino as the lead actor and the name of the girl he dances the tango with, Donna, which means woman in Italian.

Philip Seymour Hoffman auditioned for his role five times before he was cast. He was working various odd jobs in between sporadic film and TV roles, stocking shelves at a Manhattan deli before being cast. Hoffman cited this as the film that changed everything for his career.

It was reported that, in order to make Chris O'Donnell cry during Lt. Colonel Slade's near-suicide scene, Al Pacino had to take him aside and scream at him "drill-sergeant style".

The screenplay writer for Scent of a Woman, Bo Goldman, said, “If there is a moral to the film, it’s that if we leave ourselves open and available to the surprising contradictions in life, we will find the strength to go on.”

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I will say I'm glad I didn't give up on this movie and it made me want to watch more Pacino films. I don't know if I'd rate it as an 8 but definitely a strong 7. Scent of a Woman lingered on as a sweet tale between two very different individuals that somehow found a meaningful connection with each other.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

Trivia taken from IMDB and https://brightside.me/wonder-films/20-secret-facts-about-scent-of-a-woman-which-was-actually-a-remake-798903/

A-Z of Movies: Day 18 - Roma

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 10:03:00 +0000

Day 18: Roma

"We love you so much, Cleo. We love you so, so much."

Released in 2018

Written and Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina De Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta, Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa

Rating on IMDB: 7.7/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I wanted to include as many foreign films as I could on this list and this artistic black and white movie was beautifully done but trust me, Alfonso Cuarón takes his time to tell a story.

Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) is one of two domestic workers who cares for a family with four children in 1970s Mexico City. 'Roma' tells her tale over the course of a year, from the quadrennial 1970s World Cup to the blood-drenched Corpus Christi Massacre--the unforeseen and sometimes unbearable complications of love, life and death.

I'll be honest, I nearly gave up on this film a number of times. It took a really long time to get anywhere. Alfonso Cuarón (who is responsible for directing films which include Gravity, Children of Men and even Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) really spent ages on many scenes, some were aesthetically gorgeous, but some felt a little too long-drawn and I found my attention waning quite a bit, especially at the beginning. I kept asking 'does this really have to go on for that long?' There was also a nude scene that I didn't expect and couldn't determine why it was even necessary. Another sequence that had me befuddled was when a forest fire was happening in the background with chaos and panic but a random character comes to the foreground and starts singing a Norwegian song. I think the intention was to juxtapose the chaotic scene perhaps with a poignant, poetic tune but it just felt confusing to me. I did appreciate a lot of the shots that were just one continuous take, especially the closing scenes in the ocean.

Bear in mind that Yalitza Aparicio really can't swim...and yet she did this scene flawlessly

There were a lot of moments that I did feel for Cleo but the one scene that left me extremely emotional and very traumatized was during the delivery of her baby girl only to find out she was stillborn. It was absolutely gut-wrenching in the worst way and it's one of those things that you just can't unsee or bounce back from. I have never seen a scene so devastating unfold in the way it did in this film. After reading more about the real-life history that took place in Mexico during that time, I strongly felt a deeper understanding and empathy for the people that went through all that pain and suffering. There's a LOT of interesting trivia about this film.

Trivia Time

The lengthy delivery scene in the hospital was only shot once. The doctors and nurses were real, not actors, hired to make the scene feel more authentic.

Alfonso Cuarón decided to shoot on location in Mexico City instead of using a soundstage. This is one reason for the several appearances of airplanes, because according to Cuarón they had a plane passing by every five minutes.

Roma was based heavily on director Alfonso Cuarón's real-life nanny, Liboria "Libo" Rodriguez, when he was a child. He is portrayed in the film by Carlos Peralta (Paco). The film is dedicated to her. As of 2018, the real Cleo, Liboria Rodríguez (Libo), is still alive and still part of Alfonso Cuarón's family, or Alfonso Cuarón's family is still part of Libo's life. She has made cameos or brief appearances in several of his previous films, including Y Tu Mamá También (2001) in a scene where she brings Diego Luna a sandwich.

Alfonso Cuarón was the only person on set to know the entire script and the direction of the film. Each day, before filming, the director would hand the lines to his cast, attempting to elicit real emotion and shock from his actors. Each actor would also receive contradictory directions and explanations, which meant that there was chaos on set every day. For Cuarón, "that's exactly what life is like: it's chaotic and you can't really plan how you'll react to a given situation."

Alfonso Cuarón's statement for the film: "There are periods in history that scar societies and moments in life that transform us as individuals. Time and space constrain us, but they also define who we are, creating inexplicable bonds with others that flow with us at the same time and through the same places. Roma is an attempt to capture the memory of events that I experienced almost fifty years ago. It is an exploration of Mexico's social hierarchy, where class and ethnicity have been perversely interwoven to this date and, above all, it's an intimate portrait of the women who raised me in a recognition of love as a mystery that transcends space, memory and time." (This made me view the movie in a completely different light)

First foreign language film to win the Academy Award for Best Director.

Alfonso Cuarón is the first person in Oscar history to be nominated for and to win the Academy Awards for both Best Director and Best Cinematography in the same year and for the same film. He received additional nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture for the film as well.

First black-and-white film to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 25 years, the previous winner being Schindler's List (1993).

While introducing the film at a screening at the New York Film Festival, Guillermo del Toro, who was also the president of the jury at the 75th Venice Film Festival which awarded the film with the Golden Lion, named Roma one of his top 5 favorite films of all time.

Every scene of the movie was shot on location where the events depicted took place or on sets that were exact replicas.

When Yalitza Aparicio met Libo, the person Cleo was based on, Libo never told Aparicio anything about her life that was going to happen in the film, only things that happened to her before the film starts. So after the birth scene, Aparicio cried non-stop.

Alfonso Cuarón claimed that it took six takes to get the shot of Cleo rescuing the children at sea and that the take used in the film was the only one in which the shot wasn't ruined by the camera derailing off its track. After which they ran out of time. Cuarón was very frustrated having to wrap the scene with only one usable take.

Along with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Roma holds the record for most Oscar nominations for a foreign language film (10).

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I won't watch this again and I'm not sure I agree with IMDB's rating but I do think Alfonso Cuarón deserved his Academy Award for the effort, artistic choices, cinematography and raw human emotions and experiences that went into making this film. I struggled to find a connection with the characters and while I did shed a few tears, I wouldn't consider it as high as a 7 or an 8. Roma left my mind roaming and perhaps I couldn't fully appreciate the depth of the artistry behind it.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 17 - Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 07:40:00 +0000

Day 17: Queen

"My sense of humour is very nice. You'll find out soon..."

Released in 2013

Directed by Vikas Bahl

Starring Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao, Lisa Haydon

Rating on IMDB: 8.2/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

When I was looking for a movie starting with the letter 'Q', this showed up in my results and it was between this and Quiz Show. I'm glad I chose this flick about female empowerment that leaves you feeling warm, fuzzy and proud to be a woman.

A Delhi girl (Kangana Ranaut) from a traditional family sets out on a solo honeymoon after her marriage gets cancelled. Along the way, she learns more about herself and meets interesting characters that lift her spirits and help her get her groove back.

In the first few minutes of the movie, you're already taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride because you're shown all the colorful, vibrant shots of traditional Indian pre-wedding celebrations, with amazing costumes, dancing and happy faces. It reminded me of my own wedding and made me feel like I was celebrating that special day all over again! But in our queen's case, her happiness was short-lived because a few days before the big day, her fiance Vijay decides he doesn't want to marry her anymore. What a tool.

Your heart breaks as you see her deal with the inevitable sorrow and loneliness that comes with being jilted on a day that you're supposed to remember for the rest of your life. (It reminded me of Mr Big walking out on Carrie in SATC. That killed me the first time I watched it) After a few days of grieving, our heroine decides she still wants to travel to Europe on what would have been her honeymoon. This is where I started to feel 'Eat, Pray, Love' vibes.

Going for a United Colors of Benetton casting call

I really enjoyed all the quirky characters she encountered on her travels and just seeing her evolve into a stronger, independent woman that embraced all the beauty and wonder life has to offer. It made me reminisce about my solo travels and all the unforgettable experiences I had while seeing the world. I think Kangana Ranaut did a wonderful job by initially portraying a very sheltered, insecure woman that soon learned how much she was worth and what she was capable of if given the opportunity. I hated the character of Vijay but I think that was the idea because he played the typical misogynistic, smug man who came crawling back after he realized how much he had lost.

Trivia Time

Vikas Bahl said, that they didn't have the budget to shoot elaborate sequences or stay put at one location for long. "We were just 25 people from India for the shoot. We would book a place for a couple of hours, then rush to another location. We would eat at the nearest hotel where we were shooting, and at times Kangana would change her clothes in public toilets! We shot in about 145 locations in 40 days."

Kangana Ranaut won the Best Actress Award at the National Film Awards for her portrayal of Rani Mehra. It is the highest honour for any actor in the country.

Lisa Haydon learnt French for a month to prepare for her role as a Indo-French hotel staff member, Vijaylaksmi.

The film's story is loosely based on Alice in Wonderland. (I didn't really get any references from AIW but maybe it was more about her going on a journey and learning more about people and herself)

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It was a refreshing choice that they didn't immediately throw in a new love interest for her to have a rebound with, but they suggested it very subtly towards the end. I wouldn't say no to watching this again because of how heartwarming it is and I think I actually preferred it to EPL. Not sure I'd rate it as high as an 8, but definitely a strong 7. Queen was a royal delight.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 16 - Paprika

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sun, 06 Jun 2021 05:02:00 +0000

Day 16: Paprika

"...the Internet and dreams are similar. They're areas where the repressed conscious mind escapes."

Released in 2006

Directed by Satoshi Kon

Starring Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Furuya, Koichi Yamadera

Rating on IMDB: 7.7/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

Since I was a teenager, I've known about the existence of this film but never felt compelled enough to watch it because I remember friends telling me it was 'super trippy.' They were not wrong.

Three scientists fail to secure a device they've invented, the D.C. Mini, which allows people to record and watch their dreams. A thief uses the device to enter people's minds, when awake, and distract them with their own dreams and those of others. Chaos ensues. The trio - Chiba, Tokita, and Shima - assisted by a police inspector and by a sprite named Paprika must try to identify the thief as they ward off the thief's attacks on their own psyches.

Many scenes reminded me a lot of Inception because the story clearly revolves around dreams and other people 'entering' or 'invading' them. After doing some research, I discovered I wasn't the only one to draw comparisons to it. Several critics and scholars have noted many striking similarities that appeared in Nolan's masterpiece, including plot similarities, similar scenes, and similar characters. There are gravity-defying hallways, and even an "elevator with each floor representing another layer of the host's subconscious."

Did Christopher Nolan think we wouldn't notice?

Because of the surreal animation that was used, a lot of the time I felt like I was on LSD or some other hallucinogenic. The sheer randomness of the characters and visuals were off the hook and while I did appreciate how far the director Satoshi Kon pushed the boundaries, the storyline was a little tough for me to follow. I think Inception (although initially confusing, eventually began to make sense)

I had to read up about Paprika's plot after the movie was over just so I could grasp what actually happened during those psychedelic 90 minutes. It's actually based on a novel written in 1993 about a research psychologist who uses a device that permits therapists to help patients by entering their dreams. (Thank you Wikipedia!)

The concept itself is genius and the possibilities to show that in a movie seem limitless. With that in mind, I think Paprika might have overstimulated my little brain with all the multiple identities for each character as well as their own individual motives and goals. Perhaps I should have paid more attention from the very beginning, then I might have felt more emotionally invested by the time I got to the ending.

For a film released more than a decade ago, there is surprisingly very little trivia about it but I found an interesting website that highlights the differences and similarities with this and Inception.

You can read more here:

https://www.cbr.com/why-paprika-is-a-better-dream-movie-than-inception/

I can't see myself re-watching this as many times as I've watched Inception (but I am biased because of how much I enjoy DiCaprio as an actor) and I don't think I'd rate it as high as a 7. At best I'd give it a 6/10 for the amazing animation and I commend the writers and artists for having such vivid imaginations. If you like trippy, sci-fi animated films, Paprika is the right condiment for you.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 15 - Oxygen

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 10:06:00 +0000

Day 15: Oxygen

"No escape. No memory. 90 min to live."

Released in 2021

Directed by Alexandre Aja

Starring Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric (voice), Malik Zidi

Rating on IMDB: 6.5/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

When I first chanced upon this thumbnail on Netflix, I thought the actress was Elisabeth Moss from The Invisible Man but it turned out to be Mélanie Laurent who played Shosanna in Inglourious Basterds. She is exceptional in this recently released French sci-fi thriller.

A woman (Laurent) wakes up in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there. As she's running out of oxygen, she must rebuild her memory to find a way out of her nightmare.

For the first 10 minutes I had so much anxiety because everything takes place in a tiny claustrophobic pod and just imagining myself in that situation was giving me palpitations. It was similar to that scene in Kill Bill Vol.2 where Beatrix has to punch her way out of a coffin after the baddies attempt to bury her alive. I will say I had half a mind to switch movies because of that element but I decided to see where the story would go since I was half-hoping that she'd eventually figure out a way to escape.

I salute Alexandre Aja (who is responsible for directing 'The Hills have Eyes', 'Crawl' and 'Piranha 3D' among many others) for creating this futuristic film that takes place in the aforementioned pod 80% of the time. Melanie Laurent paints such an emotional picture with her performance despite not being able to move around and with the exception of a disembodied voice (which reminded me a lot of those Windows Media Player visualizations) that she communicates with, she is all alone. There were a few scenes that were literally just close-ups of her eyes but I felt her anguish, desperation and growing frustration about how and why she got there.

8 years later, her movie was still buffering

This definitely reminded me of Black Mirror because of its use of technology and how it affects the state of humanity. Thankfully the ending wasn't as grim as it could have been. I appreciated the fact that it kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time because you honestly had no idea where the story was really taking you until maybe the last 15 minutes. There isn't much trivia about this film yet because of how new it is but I'm sure that will change over time.

The synopsis on Netflix unintentionally may have spoiled it slightly because it describes the movie as a hybrid between 'Buried' and 'Gravity'. That sentence alone created an expectation of a crucial factor in the plot and I wish they had just kept the description brief. It's not a mind-blowing or highly emotionally charged film but a strong 6.5 - 7/10 and I wouldn't say no to watching this again even though I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi. Oxygen definitely left me slightly breathless.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 14 - Nightcrawler

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 09:13:00 +0000

Day 14: Nightcrawler

"Why you pursue something is as important as what you pursue."

Released in 2014

Directed by Dan Gilroy

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed

Rating on IMDB: 7.8/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

When I first saw this movie poster I thought it was about the mutant with the same name from X-Men. I had no idea what to expect because I didn't watch the trailer or read anything about it. I enjoyed it immensely and it reminded me why I think Jake Gyllenhaal is super underrated.

Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal) is a driven young man desperate for work and he stumbles upon the high-speed world of crime journalism. From the very beginning, you find out that he's pretty much a conman and a thief so it seems only fitting that he falls right into his new cutthroat career very easily. Nina (Rene Russo) is a veteran in the local TV news industry and she takes a liking to Lou's work, not knowing that he is slowly slipping into the darkness that comes with being a nightcrawler.

This movie disturbed me on so many levels. The way they start building Lou Bloom's character doesn't take long because Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect for this role. He is slightly neurotic, highly intelligent and committed to his craft, very socially awkward but extremely motivated to get his way at all costs. Both Noel and I felt that he could play The Joker exceptionally. I always thought of Rene Russo as just an average actress but she was outstanding as Nina too. I only wish they had shown more of the relationship between Lou and Nina because I have a strong feeling it would be 100% weird af.

Jake after finding out he wasn't nominated for an Academy Award

Rick (Riz Ahmed) was also brilliant because he had this gentle pitiful quality about his character that you never really found out about. He seemed like a loner who was happy to tag along for the ride, not knowing the real dangers that awaited him around every corner. The way the writer & director told this story was so clever because it made you feel like you were really part of all these horrific crimes that were being documented.

I think fundamentally all humans are voyeurs so this sort of narrative was so riveting to watch because you had no idea what was going to happen next. It made me feel quite uneasy because at times it was a reflection of our society and how addicted everybody can be to videos and images of violence and crime.

Trivia Time

Jake Gyllenhaal lost 20 pounds for his role. This was Gyllenhaal's own idea, as he visualized Lou as a hungry coyote.

During the scene where Jake Gyllenhaal screams at himself in the mirror, Gyllenhaal got so into this improvised scene that the mirror broke, cutting his hand. He was driven to the hospital by the director after a 19-hour day of working and got 46 stitches in a 4-hour long operation, returning to the set only 6 hours after being discharged. This is the reason why Gyllenhaal had his hand behind his back in the scene where he tells the scrapyard owner his motto. (Reminds me of the time when DiCaprio cut his hand on the glass in Django. Respect)

Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed rode along with actual nightcrawlers in Los Angeles to prepare for their roles.

The filmmakers made a point of not having Lou Bloom undergo a "character arc" because they felt he would have become a certain type of person and stayed that way as an adult. That was also why the initial scene has Lou assaulting and robbing a security guard; it was important that the audience not feel Lou became a worse person because of his work as a nightcrawler, but instead recognized he was malevolent from the start.

Jake Gyllenhaal memorized the entire movie like a play.

Director Dan Gilroy on the impetus for the film: "I think to some degree it's certainly an indictment of local television news, but I'd like to cast a wider net in the sense that all of us really watch these images. I would hope that maybe a viewer would take it further and maybe go, 'Why do I watch these images and how many of these images do I want to put into my own spirit?'

Despite receiving nominations for Best Actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, SAG, Critics Choice awards, Independent Spirit Awards and even the Saturn Awards, Jake Gyllenhaal failed to receive an Academy Award nomination. Critics, audiences, major film groups and publications considered this a major snub. He is only one of eight actors that this has happened to. (Totally ridiculous! He should have won)

Directorial debut of Dan Gilroy.

This film is not related to the Marvel comics character Nightcrawler, who is a member of the X-Men. However, several actors from this film would later collaborate with Marvel projects. Jake Gyllenhaal played Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Rene Russo played Frigga in the MCU films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Riz Ahmed played Carlton Drake/Riot in Sony's Venom (2018).

During a Q&A, director Dan Gilroy stated that he views Lou's insane drive as an "infection" that spreads to each character Lou interacts with throughout the film. At the closing of the film, where Lou's company vans are parting ways down different streets is, as Gilroy describes, "the infection spreading through the veins of the city."

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It was quite unnerving to me that a lot of the crimes were probably happening in real life and I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that authentic nightcrawlers obviously exist because someone's gotta get the job done right? I feel like they are in a similar category to paparazzi photographers only they're on the hunt for more graphic results. These reporters and journalists have to be so thick-skinned and bold because they know they are putting themselves in danger, invading people's privacy and pushing boundaries and what's the worst part is that if they see a crime or wrongdoing taking place right in front of them, odds are they will document it instead of helping those in need. Even though Nightcrawler made my skin crawl more than a few times, I give it a strong 7/10.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 13 - Marriage Story

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Mon, 31 May 2021 10:17:00 +0000

Day 13: Marriage Story

"I want you to know that eventually this will all be over and whatever we win or lose..it will be the two of you having to figure this out together."

Released in 2019

Directed by Noah Baumbach

Starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Azhy Robertson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda

Rating on IMDB: 7.9/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

A lot of friends told me to watch this and I added it to my list ages ago and forgot about it. I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's a slow build but some scenes were brilliantly done and it was the first time I've seen Adam Driver's performance and boy was he impressive.

Charlie (Driver) and Nicole (Johansson) Barber decide to call it quits after a decade of marriage. They try to do what's best for both of them while simultaneously attempting to protect their 8-year-old son Henry (Robertson). Unable to come to an agreement on their own, they hire lawyers to help them figure things out.

From the very beginning, this movie reminded me a lot of another film on my list 'Kramer vs Kramer'. It was like a modern-day version with a few tweaks here and there. Johansson is not my favorite actress by any means but I think she did a reasonably decent job as doting mum Nicole. I didn't really like Henry though, he was more bratty and sulky than endearing. The MVP in this was 100% Adam Driver. His portrayal of Charlie was so multi-dimensional. There were scenes where you liked him, you sympathised with him, and others where you really hated his guts. The narration at the very beginning of the story makes you feel like they are a couple that love each other deeply and can overcome anything. However, as they both start to unravel, it's clear to see that there's just no way they would be able to be happy if they stayed together.

There was definitely more of a 'the dad is the bad guy' vibe in this than K vs K and I think it was the writer's motivation to sway the audience more towards the mother's side. Being a woman and a mother myself, I could definitely relate to some issues that were highlighted and mentioned but I also felt like they 'villainized' Charlie to make it seem like no matter what choice he made, he was still the selfish narcissistic artist that only cared about his own goals and dreams.

Ray Liotta. Still fierce at 66.

Alan Alda. Still adorable at 85.

I really appreciated some scenes where the focus was more on a character's reactions when another person was speaking, it isn't done enough in films. For instance, there is one occasion where the 2 lawyers are speaking to each other but you don't see them, instead what you see are alternate close-ups of Charlie and Nicole's emotionally drained faces filled with despair and regret. My favorite scene was the epic argument in Charlie's apartment just because of how realistic it was although Johansson was no match for Driver's intensity and raw emotion IMHO. It reminded me of another great movie about a couple's failed marriage 'Revolutionary Road' which had Leo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet battle it out in a fantastic heart-wrenching argument between husband and wife.

I also liked the random bits where you felt an inexplicable sense of awkwardness and anxiety like the scene in which Charlie and Henry were visited by an evaluator who would determine if he was deemed good enough to earn custody of his son. I was also surprised to spot Alan Alda and Ray Liotta in small but still pivotal roles as two lawyers with very different styles. It was extremely random and unexpected to see both Charlie and Nicole sing songs made popular in the world of musical theatre towards the end of the film but strangely it felt appropriate for their characters.

Trivia Time

Based in large part on Noah Baumbach's own experiences when he divorced Jennifer Jason Leigh in 2013. According to Baumbach, Leigh read the script, has seen the film, and likes it.

Adam Driver's performance of Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive" from the 1970 Broadway musical "Company" was recorded live and done in one take.

When Noah Baumbach approached Scarlett Johansson to join the film, unbeknownst to him, Scarlett was actually going through her second divorce.

It was Adam Driver's idea for his character Charlie to be a theatre director.

No dialogue or moments of hesitation are improvised in the fight scene in Charlie's apartment. Everything was scripted.

Adam Driver had to punch the wall 15 times due to multiple takes. At one point, he punched so hard he almost punched through the wall behind the breakaway wall.

The juice box that Nicole sips and sets down before their big fight, remains on the floor until the final shot of the scene. Director Noah Baumbach said "The juice box is [their son's] presence in their lives... he's not here... he's really powerless in this situation'.

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson did 50 takes of the fight scene in Charlie's apartment and Noah Baumbach would give notes to each of them separately to surprise the other actor and gain different reactions.

(My own little tidbit of trivia, this film also starred Laura Dern, who was in Little Women [the movie I watched before this one] AND Noah Baumbach is married to Greta Gerwig who directed LW! What a coincidence. Definitely enjoyed this film more though)

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Thankfully this was a movie that I felt deserved the high rating on IMDB and I'm not sure I'd watch the entire thing again because it's pretty sad but maybe just the few standout scenes on their own. I am pleased that they didn't try to make it a happy Hollywood ending and I give it a strong 7.5/10 with Adam Driver's performance getting an 8.5.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 12 - Little Women

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sat, 29 May 2021 11:03:00 +0000

Day 12: Little Women

"Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for."

Released in 2019

Directed by Greta Gerwig

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep

Rating on IMDB: 7.8/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I really wanted to like this remake of the 1994 original. Unfortunately I didn't at all. Perhaps if I had read the book, it might have made a difference. I did like a few elements of the film and some of the actresses' performances but I stopped watching with 30 minutes left of it. I hardly do that with films but this one was really tough and almost exhausting to get through.

In the years after the Civil War, Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) lives in New York City and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy March (Florence Pugh) studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Timothée Chalamet), a childhood crush who proposed to Jo, but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg March (Emma Watson), is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth (Eliza Scanlen) develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together.

For the first 20 minutes or so I was honestly just trying to remember each character's name and the traits that make them unique. The timeline was extremely messy and it seemed like they were trying to tell a hundred different stories in just 2 hours. Some of the male actors looked so similar that I couldn't tell them apart (but maybe that's just me)! The only female lead I particularly enjoyed was Saoirse Ronan as Jo because her character traits were well defined and she was very passionate without being overbearing. Her attitude was one of being extremely determined and confident while still showing a sense of vulnerability at times and I did like most of her dialogue.

Was the party theme Paddlepop flavors?

I appreciated the attention to detail with things like wardrobe and accessories, the use of horse carriages and pretty landscapes and scenery. I also could acknowledge some of the real-life struggles the women during that period faced like poverty and not being able to work or vote and how the only way they could have any money to their name was by marrying rich. But it was extremely hard to be emotionally invested in the characters when they kept jumping back and forth with random flashbacks without significant changes in their appearances so I didn't know what was happening at present and what was a memory. Meryl Streep was average at best (surprisingly!) with her portrayal of the cold and bitter Aunt March and Florence Pugh's Amy just irritated me. Emma Watson was also fairly mediocre and so was her American accent.

Don't even get me started on the character of Laurie. One minute he was being called Laurie, the next he was being called Teddy...One moment he was in adoration of Jo and the next he was going to marry Amy. There was nothing charming or likeable about him at all IMHO. The debilitating illness Beth developed which led to her unfortunate demise wasn't even enough to salvage this mess of a movie. The trivia about the film was more interesting than the film itself.

Trivia Time

Florence Pugh had just finished filming Midsommar (2019), a few days prior to when she started shooting this movie. She said that getting to play Amy after making such a stressful and anxiety-inducing movie was her version of therapy.

Emma Watson took over the role of Meg March from Emma Stone, who became unavailable due to scheduling conflicts with promoting The Favorite (2018). Coincidentally, Stone previously took over the role of Mia in La La Land (2016) after Watson dropped out of the project due to the commitment of her role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2017).

This movie was released December 25, 2019, 25 years after Little Women (1994).

The camera crew had to rely a lot on trick photography, special lenses, and forced perspective in order to obscure the fact that Timothée Chalamet is only five feet, ten inches tall.

The characters are heroines of American literature, but none of the four leading ladies are American. Emma Watson and Florence Pugh are English, and Eliza Scanlen is Australian. Saoirse Ronan was born in Bronx, New York and raised in Ireland.

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I definitely won't be watching this again since I couldn't even get through it the first time. I might give the original version a chance. Even though it was rated 7.8/10 on IMDB and received an Oscar, I'd only give it a 5/10. It might have worked better as a miniseries on Netflix so they could take their time to tell the story in chronological order. Little Women was more than a Little Disappointing.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd.

A-Z of Movies: Day 11 - Kramer vs Kramer

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Sat, 29 May 2021 10:13:00 +0000

Day 11: Kramer vs Kramer

"Some things, once they're done can't be undone."

Released in 1979

Directed by Robert Benton

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry

Rating on IMDB: 7.8/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I can't believe it took me this long to watch this spectacular film. Initially I planned to watch just the first half since it was already quite late at night and I thought I'd doze off while it was on. In the end I watched the entire movie from start to finish and I was so emotionally drained by the end of it and amazed at the stellar acting from these legends.

The plot is so simple but unfolds so amazingly well. Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is a career man who always puts his work before his family. His wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) cannot take it anymore and decides to leave him. They have a young son Billy (Justin Henry) who Ted now has to look after on his own while juggling his job and housekeeping duties. As soon as he readjusts to his new responsibilities, Joanna reappears and wants Billy back. The couple ends up going to court to fight for custody.

Right from the get-go, Ted and Joanna Kramer portray two vastly different personalities and even when they're not saying anything, their body language and non-verbal expressions speak volumes. I felt for both characters throughout the entire movie and my heart broke the most for seven-year-old Billy.

Billy clearly doesn't have any problem double-dipping

There were so many moments where I couldn't hold back my tears because of how realistic the scenes were between father and son, and Justin Henry did such a remarkable job as Billy. He pushed boundaries, sought attention and craved affection just like any child would. Meryl Streep is always a force to be reckoned with and in this film I empathised with her character because of how much of herself she had lost in the course of becoming a wife and mother but at the same time I was also mad at her for leaving Billy. The true standout performance for me was definitely Dustin Hoffman. I used to think he was an overrated actor, but after watching this film, I think the man is an absolute star, albeit slightly insane.

Trivia Time

Dustin Hoffman planned the moment when he throws his wine glass against the wall during the restaurant scene with Meryl Streep. The only person he warned in advance was the cameraman, to make sure that it got in the shot. Streep's shocked reaction was real, but she stayed in character long enough for writer and director Robert Benton to yell cut. In the documentary on the DVD, she recalls yelling at Hoffman as soon as the shot was over for scaring her so badly.

The famous ice cream scene, where Billy challenges his father by skipping dinner and going straight for dessert, was completely improvised by Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry. Writer and director Robert Benton liked the scene so much that he decided to keep it in the film.

The strength of the performances of the two leads can be at least partly attributed to what was going on in their private lives at the time. Dustin Hoffman was in the midst of a messy divorce, while Meryl Streep was still recovering from the death of her lover, John Cazale.

When Justin Henry was nominated for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Academy Award, Henry, at the age of eight, became the youngest person to be nominated for this award, as well as the youngest Oscar nominee in any category, a record which still stands today (2020).

Meryl Streep wrote her own courtroom speech upon writer and director Robert Benton's suggestion, after she told him she wasn't satisfied with the way it was originally written.

The highest-grossing movie of 1979.

Meryl Streep left her just-claimed Oscar for the film on the back of a toilet during the 1980 festivities.

There was initially tension between Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Hoffman was hearing lots of advance publicity about newcomer Streep and how she was mastering the role and Hoffman felt he was being upstaged. When Streep wanted to change around the dialogue in the restaurant meeting scene, Hoffman became furious. As Hoffman recalled, "I hated her guts. Yes, I hated her guts. But I respected her." He accepted that Streep wasn't arguing for what was best for her character, but what was best for the movie.

Meryl Streep said that after Dustin Hoffman hit her to get her into character, she decided she never wanted to work with him again.

Justin Henry, the actor who played the little boy Billy Kramer, retired from acting and went on to be a district manager in Media Sales.

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Being a child with divorced parents myself, some scenarios were hard to watch without imagining what it must have been like when my own mum and dad were trying to work through their differences. I really appreciated the fact that the film didn't take sides and it was up to both parents to make the choice of where Billy should be and who he lives with. I'd give this movie a strong 8 or 8.5 because of the incredible acting from the lead characters and the sheer realism of all the scenes and conversations.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 10 - John Wick

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Thu, 27 May 2021 07:02:00 +0000

Day 10: John Wick

"I'd like to make a dinner reservation for 12."

Released in 2014

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe

Rating on IMDB: 7.4/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

I avoided watching this for ages because I knew the storyline involved John Wick's dog being killed. Obviously I know it's just a movie but I can't handle scenes that include animal abuse/torture. I am a huge fan of Keanu though so I finally mustered up the courage to get through it, and I wasn't disappointed!

The plot is simple, ex-hit-man John Wick (Keanu) comes out of retirement to track down the assholes who stole his car and killed his dog. That's all you need to know.

For the first 10-15 minutes of the movie I was already on edge because I knew what was coming. When they introduced Daisy the dog I tried my best not to develop an emotional attachment to her but it was impossible! I had to shield my eyes and cover my ears during the scene in which the Russian gangsters take everything from John Wick and leave him battered and bleeding.

Only Keanu could get away with that hairstyle and still look cool

The action sequences were done brilliantly and the entire theme of the movie was for lack of a better word, rad. Keanu was the chief badass and he pulled it off so perfectly. I gotta say his apartment was absolutely breathtaking too, the assassin game must pay well.

The stunt driving, lighting and color effects were genius and the dialogue wasn't too cheesy either. Of course, it has that element of incredulous immortality on John Wick's part because the bugger just refuses to die but that's what we all hope for anyway. Soundtrack is super industrial and very apt for this genre. I found a ton of interesting trivia that amounts to more than my humble review.

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According to Keanu Reeves, he did 90% of his own stunts in the film. (Not bad for a dude in his 50s!)

Keanu learned and memorized the nightclub fight sequence the day that the scene was filmed.

When John Wick awakens to the Russians in his home, the scene mirrors a similar incident that happened to Keanu Reeves in 2014 (the same year the movie was released), where Reeves awoke to a stalker that had broken into his home. Reeves calmly talked to the stalker, then called the police at the first opportunity he had, and the stalker was arrested soon after.

Bacon grease was placed on Keanu Reeves' face to attract his dog to jump on him when he wakes up in bed.

While shooting a scene with a stuntman, Michael Nyqvist cut his head so badly that his ear was resting on his right shoulder. This resulted in eighty stitches. Some of the last scenes had to be re-done to hide Nyqvist's scar. (Yikes!)

(This one blew my mind!)

The story is loosely inspired by an incident in Texas involving former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who wrote Lone Survivor, about his fireteam's ordeal during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005. Luttrell was given a yellow labrador puppy, whom he named DASY, after the members of his fireteam. On April 1, 2009, at about 1:00 a.m., Luttrell was awakened by a gunshot, and saw four men drive away. DASY was dead in his yard from a gunshot wound. He armed himself with two 9mm Beretta pistols and chased the men through four counties in his truck until police apprehended them. They taunted Luttrell, threatened to kill him, and indicated no remorse for their actions. They were later sentenced for animal cruelty. Luttrell stated later, "I spared them, because I've killed enough people already."

Keanu Reeves' preparation for the role included weapons and martial arts training (eight hours per day for four months).

(And this one tore me up)

The death of John Wick's wife made the role very personal for Keanu Reeves, considering the death of his former girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, in a car accident in 2001. Syme gave birth to their child in 1999, but the child was stillborn. Syme's eventual car accident was claimed to be a result of heavy prescription medication for depression, and reports claim she died instantly. Reeves used that as emotional influence for the role of John Wick in regards to the character's dead wife.

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I'm already looking forward to watching the sequels because of how well Keanu did in this film. Totes agree with the 7.4/10 rating. I've always admired him because of how selfless, generous and grounded he is as a person and he may not have the most impressive acting skills but I think his real life is testament to what an awesome dude he really is.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 9 - Independence Day

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Wed, 26 May 2021 08:58:00 +0000

Day 9: Independence Day

"A toast, to the end of the world."

Released in 1996

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch

Rating on IMDB: 7/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

It's quite serendipitous that this is movie #9 on the list and I was only 9 when this originally came out. Back then I clearly wasn't compelled to watch it because I've never really been into alien movies unless there was an element of comedy like the Men in Black series or Mars Attacks. I must say I didn't dislike this film and there were a few memorable scenes, characters and jokes that aren't as outdated as I expected them to be since this was released more than 2 decades ago.

Giant spacecraft are heading to Earth just a few days before July the 4th. After ex-scientist David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) discovers that the aliens are going to attack major points around the world in less than a day, New York, LA, Washington as well as Paris, London and Moscow become obliterated. The President of the United States (Bill Pullman) and Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) along with hundreds of other survivors devise a plan to fight back against the extraterrestrials, and Independence Day becomes the day humanity will fight for its freedom.

Maybe the aliens were actually trying to help...

Considering that this movie was released in the mid-90s and CGI wasn't as advanced as it is now, most of the special effects are still pretty decent and realistic, especially the one of the White House blowing up into a million little pieces. The appearance of the aliens was also pretty rad but I only wish they had shown more battle scenes up close between them and humans, instead of dogfights with jets and missiles being launched.

I always enjoy Jeff Goldbum's performances because somehow he gets away with playing the same smug, knowledgable intellectual yet still incredibly suave gentleman. Will Smith basically just played Will Smith as usual but his character was relatively likeable and I think I would have cared a little if he had blown up into a million little pieces.

Every dog has its (Independence) Day

As expected there were some cheesy unbelievably over-the-top scenes like how Boomer the dog manages to escape the fiery explosions of the spaceship along a busy car-filled highway (but I was very thankful he did). Or how the First Lady can somehow survive half the movie but as soon as she gets medical attention, the President is told she's not gonna make it. Or how Will Smith inexplicably knows how to pilot an alien spacecraft that crash landed on Earth 50 years prior to that very moment.

The concept that was probably the most laughable was how perfect the timeline was for us humans. 'They're gonna annihilate us all." (But not before we discover a way to defeat them in the next 48 hours and save the planet #howconvenient)

Some interesting trivia about this other-worldly film:

The scene in which Will Smith drags the unconscious alien across the desert was filmed on the salt flats near Great Salt Lake in Utah. Smith's line "And what the hell is that *smell*?" was unscripted. Great Salt Lake is home to tiny brine shrimp. When they die, the bodies sink to the bottom and decompose. When the wind kicks up just right, the bottom mud is disturbed and the smell of millions of decaying brine shrimp can be very very bad. Apparently, nobody thought to warn Will.

Jeff Goldblum uses one of his lines from Jurassic Park (1993) in this film: "Must go faster, must go faster!," and is delivered with the same intensity.

On the Bonneville Salt Flats, cast and crew wearing long pants still managed to get sunburns on their legs; the white salty surface reflected the sunlight up their pant legs.

The White House which exploded was built at 1/12 scale, just to be blown up. Nine cameras filmed the explosion at various speeds, one of which was twelve times faster than normal, then played back at normal speed to make the explosion seem larger and slower on film. This scene appeared prominently in most teasers, trailers and TV spots, and is widely regarded as the film's most iconic shot.

The highest grossing movie of 1996 and became the second highest grossing film of all time worldwide, second only to Jurassic Park (1993). Jeff Goldblum was in both films.

To achieve the look of Houston as seen from the air at night, the crew simply poked holes in a sheet of black construction paper, placed the paper in front of a bright light in a smoke-filled room, and photographed it using special lighting to accomplish the effect.

During the scenes where David is searching for his ex-wife's telephone number, his computer screen displays humorous street names such as 'Heresheis Avenue.'

To give the aliens a slimy appearance, KY Jelly was used. It had to be applied to the alien prop several times during outdoor scenes because the intense heat in the Utah desert caused the jelly to evaporate in just a few minutes.

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I know this was just a far-fetched alien movie made purely for entertainment, but I did see some truths hidden in the mix. The existence of Area 51 for starters. I think this film did justice to an alien invasion scenario because it showed plenty of mass hysteria and people just looting and plundering because of the uncertainty and desperation they were experiencing. I don't doubt that those scenes would be very possible in our society now, with crackpots indulging in panic-buying and hoarding for the apocalypse. I'm not sure if I'll watch this again anytime soon but I agree with IMDB's rating and it's a pretty strong 7/10 for me too. If the aliens do invade, I hope there will be a Jeff Goldblum-type hero to save the day.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 8 - Her

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Tue, 25 May 2021 10:29:00 +0000

Day 8: Her

"I feel like I can be anything with you."

Released in 2013

Directed by Spike Jonze

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara

Rating on IMDB: 8/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

When this first came out, I avoided it because I felt it was pretty overhyped and now I wish I had skipped past it on my list of recommended films on Netflix. I don't mind Joaquin Phoenix in the roles I've seen him in and the premise of this story initially piqued my curiosity because I thought it would be something completely different and unexpected. Boy was I wrong.

Theodore Twombly is a lonely man going through a divorce. The setting of the film is in the distant future, where technology is part of everyone's daily routine and Theodore decides to purchase an artificially intelligent operating system that he soon develops a relationship with.

I honestly don't know how this managed to score an 8/10 on IMDB. For the first 20-30 minutes of the movie, I was intrigued because of the way technology was incorporated into Theodore's job and personal life. The fact that everyone seemed to be talking to themselves or looking at an electronic device made me feel like our own society was already heading in that direction. But as the story went on, I started to question 'where is this going and when is it going to get interesting?'

The concept of Samantha, an A.I OS voiced by the sultry Scarlett Johansson didn't seem exciting to me at all. She was basically a disembodied version of every jealous, insecure woman that would overthink situations or try to be a know-it-all about everything in the entire world and I just couldn't grasp the fact that she could express emotions or feelings when she was clearly just a computer. A lot of the time I ended up feeling quite sorry for Theodore because he couldn't seem to connect with other human beings the same way he clicked with Samantha. (See what I did there?)

Is it just me or does moustached Joaquin look like a young Tom Selleck?

I was really hoping that this would be Black Mirror-esque since I love that series and all the ways it shows the dark side of technology. There was nothing of that sort and I just felt like the entire movie was downright weird. Normally I like weird, but this is the kind of weird where it seems to be 'quirky' or different for the sake of it. There were no real conflicts or struggles with the main characters besides loneliness and Theodore going through his divorce (we never really find out the main reason either, just a vague flashback of 'us growing apart') His loneliness is also not that extreme because he still has friends and colleagues that he spends time with. It would have been more riveting if he was a true antisocial loner with no one else in his life and so him connecting with the sexy computer voice would make more sense. I would have even preferred it if we found out at the very end that he had multiple personalities the entire time and had really just been talking to himself. The ending was so anti-climactic that I felt so dissatisfied and annoyed.

Here are some of the most interesting trivia tidbits I could find about an otherwise dull movie:

Most of the city backgrounds, especially the ones featuring skyscrapers, are actually filmed in Shanghai. You can see many very identifiable skyscrapers such as the Shanghai World Financial Center. There are even Chinese signs if you look carefully.

This is the only movie Spike Jonze has written as well as directed, completely from his own original script. (So he's the one to blame!! I found out that he contributed to a lot of Jackass movies and episodes which I love, and a few Fatboy Slim music videos. It's safe to say that those will be the only projects of his that I support)

As of March 2021 Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix who play a married/divorced couple in the movie are engaged to be married and have a son, River, together.

Sofia Coppola won the 2003 Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Lost in Translation (2003) [Another film I unfortunately did not enjoy] which was loosely inspired by her relationship with her then-husband Spike Jonze. Ten years later, Jonze would win the same award for 'Her', both films star Scarlett Johansson. (Hmm, what a coincidence! Or is it?)

'Her' also won Best Film and Best Director for Jonze at the National Board of Review Awards, and the American Film Institute included the film in its list of the top ten films of 2013. (How...just how?)

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I will say I did appreciate the cinematography a great deal because of the use of bright, vivid colors and pretty scenery + warm sunshine/sunset filters. Those were the only positives I could find by the time the movie ended. I also managed to spot a much younger Chris Pratt in a supporting role and that was a pleasant surprise. Genuinely still feel that this is an overrated movie that I 100% will not watch again and I would only give it a 5/10. I'd rather re-watch all the seasons of Black Mirror.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd

A-Z of Movies: Day 7 - Gifted

noreply@blogger.com (Noel Boyd) — Mon, 24 May 2021 04:41:00 +0000

Day 7: Gifted

"He's a good person. He wanted me before I was smart."

Released in 2017

Directed by Marc Webb

Starring Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Jenny Slate, Octavia Spencer, Lindsay Duncan

Rating on IMDB: 7.6/10

Warning: SPOILERS!

It took me a whole week before I got to a film that would bring me to tears. I think it hit me even harder now that I'm a parent myself. Any theme related to raising a child or trying to make the right decisions for them really affects me on a much deeper level.

Frank Adler (played by Chris Evans) is a single man raising a precocious 7-year-old genius Mary (Mckenna Grace) and he's just trying to provide her with the most 'normal' childhood that includes socializing with other kids her age and encouraging her to be a good person. Mary and Frank are also the owners of an adorable one-eyed cat named Fred (he was such a scene stealer). As the story goes on we find out that Mary is an absolute math whiz and those genes came from her biological mother, Diane, Frank's late sister. Evelyn, Mary's grandmother thinks Mary should be transferred to a special school where her talent and potential would not go to waste but Frank refuses because he knows the negative impact all that pressure and expectations will have on Mary.

So much soul in those tiny blue eyes

This is one of those movies where the child actress just steals your heart right from the get-go. Mary has a mind of her own, she's not afraid to stand up and speak her mind but she never comes across as bratty or annoying. Mckenna Grace is absolutely brilliant playing this role. I've loved her from the time she played young Theo in the Haunting of Hill House. So much emotion from such a little human being, it's remarkable how versatile she is at such a young age.

I'm also a fan of Chris Evans because I think he's quite underrated and he's best known for playing everyone's favorite version of Captain America. This was the first time I saw him in a dramatic role and he definitely delivered when it came to being Mary's father figure and the bond the two of them shared onscreen was truly heartwarming. The scene where he has to leave Mary with a foster family got me right in the gut and I had to reach for the tissues almost immediately.

I think writer Tom Flynn along with director Marc Webb managed to tell a great story without it being too sappy or unrealistic. Webb's previous work includes 500 Days of Summer and that film surprised me too by not having a typical Hollywood happy ending.

Octavia Spencer was fantastic as Roberta, sassy and fierce while still having that maternal nurturing side as well. It was hard not to see her as Minnie from The Help because she was amazing in that movie too. My favorite project of hers was definitely the Netflix series 'Self-made.' She has an aura about her that just speaks volumes as soon as she enters a scene.

A lot of Singaporeans would be reminded of their own 'tiger moms' when they see Evelyn

Special mention goes out to Lindsay Duncan who plays the overbearing grandmother Evelyn and she took my breath away especially in the courtroom scene because she came from a place of wanting her child to excel in life (which I'm sure a lot of parents would be able to relate to) and her passionate monologue was extremely powerful.

Here are some interesting trivia tidbits about the film:

After filming ended, Chris Evans and Jenny Slate began a relationship and broke up almost a year later. In November 2017, it was announced that they had gotten back together, before breaking up once more in March 2018. (Aww. They look like they would have made a cute couple)

Mckenna Grace would later play a child prodigy on 'Young Sheldon.'

In addition to Chris Evans playing the title character in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and its sequels, Mckenna Grace plays a young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel (2019). Also, Jenny Slate was in another Marvel movie, Venom (2018).

Chris Evans found and adopted his dog Dodger from the pound scene where he goes to rescue Fred, Mary's cat.

Overall, I'd rate this a 7.5/10 and wouldn't say no to watching it again in the future, as long as I have tissues nearby.

Written by Gabrielle Boyd