The Fly

The Fly is a movie about eccentric scientist Seth Brundle, played by Jeff Goldblum, and his attempts at teleporting various objects from one telepod to another.

He lets a reporter, played by Geena Davis, monitor his every move by filming and writing about him. He successfully manages to teleport inanimate objects but encounters problems when he tries to teleport living things. He thinks he's ironed out all the creases, but when he manages to teleport himself, he starts to become a very different man...

I won't say more, but I would definitely recommend this movie. It's very creepy, sinister, dramatic, and in places, quite moving. I was gripped from start to end, and I felt like I couldn't take my eyes off the screen in case I missed something.

The acting was good, and I actually cared about the characters. If you haven't already seen it, then definitely give it a go!

9/10

American Psycho

I'd been wanting to see American Psycho for a while. It was a film that really intruiged me, despite the fact that I didn't really know what it was about. Perhaps it was the bizarre image of Christian Bale wearing an eye mask on the posters/dvd covers etc.

I was surprised at how amusing I actually found it. I had always been under the impression that American Psycho wasn't supposed to be funny, but what I found was a terrific black comedy mixed with psycho-like murders and such.

Christian Bale is superb in the lead role. He totally makes the film. His portayal of scary, narcissistic Patrick Bateman is both hilarious and terrifying. You end up feeling sorry for him in parts. I liked the ending, confusing as it was. I like to think you get to make up your own mind about how it ends.

Great film overall, excellent acting, and a super 80's soundtrack!! Definitely worth a watch, I'd say.

9/10

The Sword In The Stone

I adore Disney movies. The Sword In The Stone is probably one of my favourites. It very much reminds me of my childhood (like most Disney movies do). Such a nostalgic film.

I wouldn't say it's neccessarily the BEST Disney film, but it's certainly one of the most entertaining. Merlin has to be one of the best Disney characters ever. The part where he gets his beard caught in the door of his cottage is very amusing indeed.

One of the best scenes is the one where Merlin turns himself and Arthur into squirrels. As a squirrel lover, I just found this scene both adorable and hilarious. Arthur gets pursued by this cute little girl squirrel, while Merlin has his hands full with a funny little fat squirrel. Almost impossible to watch this scene without giggling.

Oh, and every scene with Sir Pelinore is giggleworthy too :)

I would say that The Sword In The Stone is quite an underrated Disney film. It's a simple plot, very easy for kids to follow. The animation is good and it provides plenty of laughs.

9/10

Thank You For Smoking

"Thank You For Smoking" takes a satirical look at the tobacco industry and follows spokesman Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) as he does his best to convince the public that smoking is cool and acceptable whilst trying to remain a positive role model to his son.

It's a very amusing film, sarcastic, clever and interesting to watch. It covers the tricky subject of smoking very well. I loved the part where Naylor gets kidnapped by an anti-smoking group... technically shouldn't be funny, but it is.

I think the script is excellent, and there were some brilliant one liners. The cast is impressive. Aaron Eckhart was an actor that I wasn't really familiar with, but he is so good in this role. He comes across as so charming and intelligent. Team this up with excellent supporting roles from Rob Lowe and William H Macy, and you have a brilliantly cast movie.

Definitely worth a watch.

9/10

Pretty Woman

Good old romantic comedies.

They never fail to make you feel good. Pretty Woman is no exception. The film follows prostitute Julia Roberts who is hired by the very successful Richard Gere for a week as an escort for a few business events.

I liked the storyline for this film. It was very much like a lot of other romantic movies, yet it felt so different. Julia Roberts is really great in this film. She is totally likeable. You really warm to her character and feel sorry for her. Roberts and Gere are extremely good together on film.

The soundtrack is unbelievably 80's (technically though, this is a 90's film as it was released in 1990). I loved it :P Regardless of the cheesy soundtrack, it's a timeless film. Quite easily one of the best romantic comedies of the past 20 years.

9/10

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

I was going to go and see Sweeney Todd at the cinema, but I forgot. So I bought it when it was released last week. From the very first trailer, I knew it was a film I had to see. I really like Johnny Depp as an actor and this film looked like a cross between two of his other films: From Hell and Sleepy Hollow.

I'm not too familiar with the Stephen Sondheim musical, but I very much enjoyed the story. I think Tim Burton and Depp are a perfect filmmaking team.

First off, this film is very aesthetically pleasing. The cinematography is excellent. It's dark, spooky and almost looks black and white in parts. Because of this, when you do see blood, it's bright red which I think is really effective and makes you squirm.

It's both horrid and funny at the same time, with lots of amusing scenes between Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. The singing was good, the costumes and make up are brilliant and the story is deliciously gruesome. Excellent entertainment, but probably not for the faint-hearted or squeamish.

Oh, and was it wrong of me to have urges for meat pies all the way through it?

9/10

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

After watching Goblet of Fire the other day, I decided to watch the next Harry Potter film in the series (and the most recent), "Order of the Phoenix".

OOTP is Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts. However, things are set to change as the Ministry of Magic, unwilling to believe that the evil Lord Voldemort has returned, stations Dolores Umbridge as a new teacher at the school. Umbridge is a nasty piece of work, tries to take over the school and is brilliantly played by Imelda Staunton.

I think this is the best Potter film to date, despite the book being my least favourite. I think all the right things were included in the film. The scenes in the Room of Requirement are some of my favourites. Having all the students together in one place is really good to see, especially when you get to see them conjuring their Patronuses (charms that takes the form of an animal and will protect against dark creatures).

My favourite scene in the entire film is the battle scene at the end between Voldemort and Dumbledore. It's wonderful. The special effects are amazing and the fact that there's no background music in it makes it quite chilling.

It's a really good adaptation, very entertaining and it keeps you gripped from beginning to end.

Now I can't wait for Half-Blood Prince to be released this November!!

9/10

Black Book

This was the second time I'd watched Black Book and I enjoyed it as much as the first time.

The film follows Ellis de Vries (played by Carice van Houten), a Jew who spies on the Nazi's for the Dutch Resistance. The film is in Dutch and German, with a tiny bit of English towards the end.

Carice van Houten is really good in this film. Her character is tough, strong and is not afraid to do anything for the Resistance. There is a scene in which Ellis wears the most beautiful long red dress and has a red flower in her hair. She looks stunning. I've always been a sucker for 1940's fashion.

Sebastian Koch plays Hauptsturmfuhrer Muntze, who for a high ranking SS officer, is unbelievably likeable. He's sensitive and collect stamps for crying out loud! The chemistry between Koch and van Houten is excellent and really makes the film a success.

A really good war movie with great acting, wonderful costumes and a gripping plotline. Definitely worth a watch.

9/10

"Coffee & TV" by Blur

This is one of my favourite songs at the moment. I really love the majority of Blur's songs, but this one really stands out for me. It's simple, and it never fails to get my feet tapping.

But I especially love the video. It's regularly in lists of Top Music Videos of All Time, and I can see why. Anything with walking milk cartons is excellent. It's such a simple concept for a music video and it really works well with the music.

Song - 9/10
Video - 10/10