Ollie's 7 Favourite Films

My turn!

1. Psycho (1960)
The initial shock value is incredible. While the film may not be able to scare any more  it can still shock, I literally love everything about it. The cast, plot and the legacy. 

2. American Beauty (1999)
It may not be the most complex of plots but it's a beautiful and touching insight into life and a film everyone should see.

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Funny and sad, each character has such amazing qualities and it's just so lovely.

4. Forrest Gump (1994)
One of the most quotable films ever, Tom Hanks is excellent and it's funny and moving at the same time, much like Cuckoo's Nest.

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
My favourite animation, my favourite childrens film, my favourite christmas film. It's cute, kooky and great to sing along to.

6. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
One of the most psychologically disturbing films I've ever seen, every time you rewatch new ambiguity is revealed. Probably the least well known on my list, but a defnite must see. 

7. Babel (2006)
Intertwining story, beautiful and moving, performances by all the cast are top notch and even though it's on for 2 and a half hours it doesn't even seem that long due to the faultless performances.

Rosie's 7 favourite films

Myself and Ollie have decided to set ourselves a weekly challenge for this blog. This week it was my turn to decide what we do and i thought a good starting point would be some of our favourite films! So, without any further ado, these are my 7 favourite films of all time (Not in order)...

1. The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledgers brilliant performance makes this one of the best films of all time, and the fact i just love Batman (and Christian Bale!)

2. Shutter Island (2010)

I love the plot and psychological twist at the end. Mix that with the performances of Leo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley and you've got yourself a jolly good film!

3. Babel (2006)

One of the perhaps less well known ones on my list, the intertwining stories are emotionally breathtaking. A definite must see!

4. Up (2009)

A Disney film, i know... but i can't help but love it! Gets me crying every time and it is by far the best Disney movie ever! 

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

Of course every Harry Potter movie is one of my favourite movies, but the final one ends an era. An era that i enjoyed so much. Saying goodbye to Ron, Harry and Hermione brought a tear to my eye (Although Dobby dying in part 1 made me weep for at least 2 minutes).

6. Sweeney Todd (2007)

A bit of a different one and i am not a musical lover, but the horror mixed with the music mixed with Johnny Depp is perfection. I know every song word for word and I would very much like to go and see it on stage.

7. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975)

Last on the list, but not last in my mind is this little beauty. A brilliant story and Jack Nicholson's best film.

To The Wonder - Coming Soon

After visiting Mont Saint-Michel, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Marina meets a priest and fellow exile, who is struggling with his vocation, while Neil renews his ties with a childhood friend, Jane.

To The Wonder trailer: 

Even though neither of us liked Terrence Malick's last film, The Tree of Life (read our review here), I am excited to see Ben Afflek's performance in this new film.

The Tree of Life - Review

Rosie's review -

So after reading so many reviews of this critically acclaimed film I finally decided to purchase and watch it. What a complete waste of £3.75. I knew that i would either be wowed or utterly disappointed, and unfortunately it was the latter. 

There is simply very little plot- within the first 15 minutes we find out that a family had lost their son, of whom the father had a love/hate relationship with. And that is it. The rest of the movie, all 2 hours of it, reveal absolutely nothing else. It is just a string of random clips put together with some music and occasional talking (of which was very cringe worthy). The clips looked like they had been stolen from Planet Earth and i was expecting David Attenborough to start speaking as the film showed space, the creation of germs and even dinosaurs, all strung together with the main characters questioning of existence. 

The constant "why is this happening to me?" whispered so quietly it sounded like a moan, over the top of a 5 minute shot of planet Earth was very annoying. I was quite ready to turn it off after 20 minutes, however i made myself watch until the end as i wanted the film to redeem itself, perhaps with a plot twist or more information of this sons death. It did not. There was no closure to the story, and sometimes this is good in films, but it was extremely frustrating in this film. 

The only reason i give it the score i did is simply because it was beautifully shot and the performance of Brad Pitt was very good (the 20 minutes we see of him during the entire film). This film could have been a real masterpiece- the idea of life and death and how it effects us all is a story we can all connect to, however it was not pulled off. I was desperately trying to find the point and any deeper meaning the film had by the end. I could not. It's one of those films i think you have to see, it is completely different, but i do warn you- it may be the most boring two hours of your life you will ever spend

Verdict: 2/10

Ollie's Review - 

Never before have I watched a film that has made me feel the need to write a review like 'The Tree of Life' has.

With a great cast and what sounds like a good plot/concept, I sat down to watch this with high hopes, the only thing worrying me the negative reviews I had seen on here shortly before viewing. A birthday gift from a friend, it seemed like my kind of thing, I like Brad Pitt, I like Sean Penn and I like experimental film. I can tell you now, listen to the reviews, this 'film' is 2 hours of pretentious drivel, without a plot.

It could have been so good, but it's as if they tried too hard. I've given it the score i have because a) it's very well filmed and very beautiful in places and b) the cast, but that is literally all that it has going for it. At times there are points where you find yourself slightly getting into it but these are gone as soon as they started due to the scene changes and lack of plot. Half way through I was thinking perhaps it could pick up but it doesn't, in fact, it gets worse, finishing with a confusing and extremely unsatisfying ending.

This film, put simply, is made rotten by trying to be amazing. And it's such a shame. I can see why some left the cinema during screenings of it - I gave a sigh of relief as the credits finally rolled.

Verdict: 2/10

Overall Rollie score: 2/10

Welcome to Rollie Films

On this blog will be all you need to know to keep up to date with the film world. Myself and my friend Ollie are very into films and we have decided to start this blog and post different things such as reviews, and new film release information on a weekly basis. We hope to create our own film community, so please feel free to leave comments on our posts.