DESPICABLE ME 2 - Review

On Saturday night Ollie and I went to the cinema to watch Despicable me 2. We were both very excited and had a right to be so after recently watching the first and loving it! I did go in thinking 'this cant be as good as the first' as sequels usually aren't. But i have to say it was very close between the two. It was cute, funny and had an ending which made me an Ollie cry a little bit...

I would probably give this a 9 (the first a 10) as i think the plot of the first films was a little better, but the second was still brilliant! I am now looking forward to the minions movie!

I also now want my own army of minions and Gru as a dad.

Over and out
Rosie. x

Unexciting, unpleasant and ultraviolent: My review of Lawless (2012)

You know the film you're watching is pretty bad when less than an hour in you count down how long is left until the end. I thought I was actually going to enjoy Lawless, I enjoy American inter-war/prohibition films but this really could've been a story shot at any time in history. It didn't capture the time period at all and the plot was just all over the place. It tried to be a romance, revenge story, bromance and historical piece at the same time and the result is a tangled and uninteresting film that I really gave up with after half an hour. It really was just unexciting. And the lousy plot tries to cover itself with graphic violence. This adds nothing to the film at all. And I really have no idea of Gary Oldman's purpose in the film. Overall a lazy and nasty film that I wouldn't recommend at all. Points go to the directing and cast I guess, but yeah. Didn't do it for me at all.

Overall verdict: 4/10

Ollie x

P.s - 27 films later update. I am currently on 9 films, 1/3 of my way through, and I think Rosie is on about 8 too. I've found some great films already and the challenge is going really well. We'll keep you updated!

Rollie is moving (sentimental post get the tissues)

Now as you may have heard if you read Ollie's last blog post (its here if you didnt!) I am moving house. This marks a very big change in the Rollie way, my home has always been the film night house and mine and Ollie's friendship started there, thats why it is such a big deal to us. Granted, I'm only moving around the corner but it really is a sad time for both of us, we love my house, and we spend a lot of time there (due to the fact we never get invited out anywhere apart from the cinema and wetherspoons with each other!). But film night will continue to all of your joy! We will be hosting a farewell film night and will welcome the new home of Rollie with open arms (kind of. lol not really). 

So now I'm going to talk about some of the highlights of our Rollie film nights. The first night of course marked a big stepping stone in the creation of Rollie films. I was home alone and seeing as Ollie lived round the corner I invited him over for a film. After looking through my vast dvd collection which must contain near 1000 films we narrowed it down to 2 possibilities. Who better to decide which one to watch than my cat Charlie. so we put the films on the floor and he ran over to Taken - our first Rollie film! And from there the films nights grew- we were bored, had little to do with our weekends and both loved film. We quickly came up with the Rollie name (Rosie +Ollie incase you didnt get it you fools) and we set to work on watching films! 

We have since had 2 Rollie film awards- one when we reached 50 films, and another at 100. It is very heartbreaking that the 150th wont be in my home anymore. Another highlight was our first trip to the local cinema together, watching Paranorman, and we have since kept every cinema ticket from every film we've seen there together. We've also watched some great film collections- such as the Halloween series which we are near finishing, as well as the Hannibal series. Now these may not be the best films ever but we love them, and the amount of jokes we make and spew out while watching them is ridiculous, they are our trademark Rollie films in a way. 

Our love of films has grown with the love we have of each other (in a non-sexual way) and even though it is inevitable that one day we wont have these film nights anymore, we are enjoying them while they're here.

Speak soon

Rosie xxx

<3

To Kill a Mockingbird: a near perfect film

The 'maniac': Boo Radley

 By Ollie

Yesterday (Tuesday, yes, I know, a strange day for a film night), Rosie and I met and looked around her NEW HOUSE (it's so sad we're leaving our current premises, this weekend we are having a Farewell Film Night for the house which we will post about sometime after) and afterwards sat down to watch a good old film. Yes, old, Rosie did actually allow it. It was the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee's novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. I'd heard great things about this film and wanted to see it for a long time, so at long last, I rented it from Lovefilm. It also fits in well with our current history topic of American civil rights so I think this was one reason why Rosie allowed us to watch an older film.

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and like my title suggests, it was almost a perfect film. Even Rosie liked it. It dealt with issues such as racism, discrimination, innocence, fear, and exposure to limelight, and dealt with each issue very well. The cast are great, even the child actors are quite good as usually child actors from the 60s are as annoying as tinnitus, and the film produces loveable heroes such as Boo, Tommy and Atticus and villains such as the rape 'victim' and her husband. Surprisingly scary for a 1962 drama film, the film would've benefited with being 10 minutes shorter. The first 50 minutes, which seem irrelevant to the plot until the final few minutes of the film, do go on a little too long, and I'd rather the extremely engaging courtroom scenes to have been longer than these sequences.

Overall, the film, which is emotional, evocative and has wonderful characters, is near perfect for the above reasons. It is one of the best black and white films I have ever seen and I would recommend it to anyone who has a heart.

Overall verdict: 9/10

3 films I hate that everyone else seems to love

Hey guys, bored on a Monday afternoon so thought I'd do this!

1. Inception (2010)

With an amazing cast and what seems a good plot I was very excited to see Inception at long last when I watched it late last year. However I was left bitterly disappointed. This is for me, the most overhyped pretentious rubbish I've ever seen. It tries to be 'deep' and succeeds, so much its hard to understand whats going on. That's not always a bad thing, of course, and the protagonists try to explain what is happening throughout but when its for 95% of this drawn out film it is. Inception seems to be so liked because of how 'deep' it is, however I have seen far deeper films in my life and theres a fine line between being deep and being completely unenjoyable. I know film goers are hardly unintelligent but its a victim of itself by trying to be too clever.

2. Rear Window (1954)

I love Hitchcock however this really isn't his best like many people say is. In fact it's one of my least favourite films I've seen from the 50s. The plot itself is quite boring - the premise of observing others and what people do behind closed doors is interesting but there is nothing clever about this film. Murderer gets caught at the end because someone proves he killed someone - wow. Hardly groundbreaking. Don't get me wrong it's not an awful film just very lame compared to Hitchcock's other masterpieces and the love story between James Stewart and Grace Kelly's characters is completely unneeded and takes you away from the plot a bit. It was just very long... so long...

3. Ratatouille (2007)

Ratatouille? One of the best childrens films ever? No. You must be joking. I could name about 50 better than this. An annoying protagonist you can't sympathise with in the form of the rat isn't the best start really. It gets progressively worse as the film goes on, it is literally about a rat learning to cook. There's no moral story to this for children to take home and learn from, it is literally just a story about an annoying rat who wants to be a chef. It doesn't sound that bad, but when its currently regarded as one of the best 200 films ever made on IMDb it's quite shocking. Maybe I just didn't like it because I'm an adult, but I love Despicable Me and Wreck it Ralph so I don't see that as why I don't like it.

Ollie xxxx

Man of Steel - Review

Marvel movies are my kind of thing, like really. So myself and Ollie trundled down to our local cinema on friday to watch Man of Steel on its opening night (ooooh very fancy) and i have to admit it did fulfill my expectations. It did feel a little 'batmany' which was totally okay with me and probably to do with the fact it was produced by Chris Nolan - creator of the Batman trilogy (my favourite films). Sometimes we both thought the action went on for a little too long, especially at the end where villain General Zod just wouldn't die. But it was what every superhero film should be- plenty of action, with a buff superhero and a love interest. I would highly recommend this film, I was amazed at some of the cinematography.

Overall verdict: 8/10

Animated Favourites - Ollie

Ollie's favourite animated films!

A very impressive title I think you'll agree. Same as Rosie really, I've selected my three favourite animated films in history and I'm going to discuss. Because I have an exam tomorrow and I obviously have nothing better to do.

Here we go.

3. Dumbo (1941)

This was one of my favourite when I was little and I haven't seen it for a long long time because I only have it on VHS and not on DVD. However it's such a cute film, and so sad and uplifting too, Dumbo and Timothy Q are my favourite team in film history. It's a shame it doesn't get as well recognised as some Disney films from that era but it's so so good and if you haven't seen it then you were obviously mistreated as a child. Oh and I love elephants. I mean look at them, aw.

2. Despicable Me (2010)

I don't know whether I'm just hyping this one up too much but even though I only watched this about 3 weeks ago this has actually become one of my favourite animated films. It's cute, got a good soundtrack, the minions are just amazing lets face it and its just perfect really. Like I say it really made an impression with me and I can't wait to go and see the sequel when it comes out in a few weeks time.

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

My favourite Christmas film, favourite musical, favourite animated film and one of my favourite films in general, this Gothic animation by Tim Burton is a classic in many peoples eyes including mine, I watch it every Christmas without fail. It follows Jack Skellington, King of Halloweentown who stumbles across Christmastown. Overjoyed by the celebrations there, Jack attempts to recreate what happens everyday in Christmastown in Halloweentown, however he doesn't quite get the concept... A brilliant film overall and slightly scary too. It ticks all the boxes.

Animated Favourites - Rosie

Hello again, you are reading the blog post of the century..

~*Rosie's favourite animated films!*~

Do you like my title? yes, i was pretty impressed with it too.
So to kick it off I narrowed every single animated film ever on the earth ever, down to my top 3, which I will discuss with you now:

3. Rango (2011)

This film was just really cool. Johnny Depp was cool, the soundtrack was cool and the plot was cool.. a little different from your usual animated film: Rango is a chameleon who ends up in a town called Dirt, a lawless outpost in the wild west which needs a new sheriff. The film was really enjoyable and one which is not perhaps thought of when you think of the term 'animated film'. 

2. Monsters Inc. (2001)

If this isn't one of your favourite animated films you can leave. Now. 

I dont think I need to tell you the plot or how good it is as most of you have hopefully seen it. It was a very new concept when it first came out back in 2001, mixing monsters with animation in a kids Disney Pixar film, but it worked so well. I cannot wait to go and see Monsters University when it comes out later this year. I could sit down and happily watch Mike, Scully and Boo any day.

1. Up (2009)

So here we are, the top of what makes Rosie tick. Up is a story of love and making dreams come true, not matter how big they are or however much they seem impossible. The story follows 78 year old Carl as he sets out to live his and his wife's dream after she dies, of exploring the wilderness of South America. Of course not everything runs smoothly and he soon bumps into a chubby little boy who might just help him in ways he could never imagine. I love this film, not only is it one of my favourite animated movies but also one of my all time favourite films, it's cute, sad, and filled with hope. If there is only one animated film you ever watch, make it this one. 

Thanks for reading - post comments!

R. x

Now is Good - Review

Rosie's Review - 

So on Saturday night Ollie and myself both sat down to watch his lovefilm and we weren't expecting a lot. As soon as the film started i knew i would like it. It was quirky, with a good soundtrack and exactly my kind of film. The story follows 17 year old English girl Tessa (played amazingly by Dakota Fanning - her accent was spot on!) who compiles a list of the things she wants to do before she dies of her long suffering leukemia. Her father is a cancer freak continuously looking for cures and her mother has never really been there. I wont go into too much more of the plot but there is also an incredibly good looking next door neighbour, ooo I say! This film is the perfect mix of humour with great tragedy - by the end Ollie and I (along with my cat) were crying. I can't believe how it got such an average rating on imdb and how it is not more well known. It has become one of my favourite films (not that any of you care).

Verdict: 10/10

 

Ollie's Review -
Lol hey. I felt very much the same as Rosie about this film. Dakota Fanning comes of age and is a far cry from her character in 'Dreamer' that we'd watched earlier in the week. It's emotional and shows the impact of her illness from everyone around her, her parents, her best friend, her new love interest and many others. It's beautifully quotable, and I will always remember this film. After the credits rolled, Ellie Goulding's haunting 'I Know You Care' began to play, and I turned to Rosie and we said we'd never felt a mood like we were feeling after watching a film together. Just amazing really. So glad we decided to watch it.

Verdict: 10/10

P.s - sorry for our absence lately, we both are in the middle of exams so..

 

Sequels

Hiii, and happy June!

I'm pretty bored this morning so thought I'd come on and discuss some sequels that Rosie and I are going to watch in the near future or are currently being made/are yet to be released to the world of films that we have already watched during the past 123 films. Yes! 123. What an achievement, our 123rd film was 'The Object of My Affection' starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd which was very cute and we both enjoyed. 

So anyway, sequels!


Sequels that have already been made that we plan to see:

• Halloween VII: 20 Years Later, Halloween VIII: Resurrection, Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Sequels to: The previous 5 Halloween films we have watched (1978-1995)

We have just two of the original Halloween films left to see that revolve around the Michael Myers story, Halloween 7 & 8. After we have watched those we will watch the one remaining original Halloween film we haven't seen yet, Halloween 3. We have left Halloween 3 til last as it is the only standalone film in the series as the Michael Myers plot was only originally going to last 2 films, and then new stories would come out for each Halloween film every year. However after number 3 flopped they returned to the Myers storyline. Although Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, has nothing to do with witches, we are both looking forward to seeing it. We also plan to watch the 2 negatively received reboots of the series, Halloween and Halloween II, directed by Rob Zombie. These will be interesting to see as they will probably be jumpier than the originals however I doubt they are anywhere near as good.

• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Sequels to: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

These 'pretty bad to the point they're funny' films do actually get scary by the time they're being rebooted in the 21st Century. 2 & 3 are infamous for their different plot lines to the original however the 2003 remake is one of the tensest films I've ever seen. Rosie is yet to see it so we will be watching that together at some point no doubt after the 2 original sequels.

Upcoming sequels to be released in cinemas soon:

• Taken 3

Sequel to: Taken, Taken 2 (2008-2012)

Little information is known on the third part and rumoured  final part of the Taken series. All that is known is that it is happening, it was confirmed upon the confirmation of Taken 2 in 2009. Liam Neeson is likely to reprise his role for the third time however it will be interesting to see what will happen in the next instalment and whether it will live up to the original or be on the same level as Taken 2. Taken, as the first film ever watched on a Rollie film night, has a special place in our hearts so when this is released we will no doubt go to see it regardless of the reviews. I just hope its not another someone gets kidnapped and Liam Neeson saves the day plot because that being used again in Taken 2 was unrealistic, tired and why we didn't like it half as much as the original. Expected release in 2014/5 so we have a while to wait for this one. 

• Insidious: Chapter 2

Sequel to: Insidious (2010)

'Insidious' won scariest film at the first Rollie film awards and all horror films have their jumpiness compared to this film. 'Was it Insidious level?' we ask each other. No is usually the answer. The second film, stylised as 'Insidiou2' which is a bit naff to be honest, revolves around the family in the first film trying to find out why the evil presence that has stalked them since the fathers childhood exists. This has so much to live up to and so much potential. The plot sounds very good and I actually think/hope this could come close to as being as good as the first film. All the original cast are returning and it's out in September. Ooooo.

• Despicable Me 2

Sequel to: Despicable Me (2010)

We recently watched Despicable Me and both adored it, giving it top scores. When we found out there was a sequel coming out and so soon (later this month) we were both excited. The minions are possibly the cutest  animated film creation ever. We plan to see this film later this month when it comes out and we will probably post out reviews about it after we see it.

• Sinister 2

Sequel to: Sinister (2012)

Confirmed but not much else, we're unsure how this sequel is going to work. All the main characters from the original film are dead (soz for spoiler there) and the audience know how Baguul, or Mr Boogey collects his children. Unless it's a prequel and visits the families from the tapes of the original films before they died or show the Police officer from the first film trying to stop Baguul somehow, I honestly think the film will be boring as it will probably follow another family going through the same fate as those in the original Sinister. I loved this film, it oozed creepiness and was very different to other horrors out there, however I think it should've been laid to rest after the first film. The studio are trying to make more money out of its success and I just hope they get a good plot concept so they don't ruin its reputation in the process. It's not out for at least 2 years but when it comes out I will definitely want to see it. I've seen Sinister 4 times since it was released 8 months ago, so that shows how much I like it!

Anyway I've written a bit of essay and this has successfully made me avoid revision! We'll be back on here with more stuff to talk about that no one really cares about very soon so don't miss us too much.

Ollie xxxx