Kiwi Film Reivew: Skyfall

IMDB: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomaotes: 92%
Roger Ebert: 4/4 stars
What The Flick: 9.5/10

Stars: Daniel Craig, Judy Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw
Directed By: Sam Mendes
Written By: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan

Release Date: 9 November 2012
Described by IMDB as: "Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."


I feel like this was the first Bond film (that I've seen at least) thats been really much more then cars and bond girls, but even from the beginning of this film it is full of action. The opening sequence shows Bond being sort of betrayed by M and is thought to be killed off. No worries, this won't have any spoilers, if you've seen the trailer you know this much at least already. The staple "Bond opening sequence" was breathtaking. The beautiful design combined with Adele's "Skyfall" was nothing short of perfection, truly beautiful.

I feel like this is a pretty different film then Sam Mendes is used to directing, but I was previously a huge fan of his work. American Beauty is one of my all-time favorite films, and I really enjoyed Revolutionary Road, but neither are very action-packed, but I have to say, even without a history in Action films, he did an amazing job of balancing story with action. Kept it interesting without making it completely unbelievable. The storyline was great, I really enjoyed the backstory to Bond's childhood and how he became the was he is. The cinematography was beautiful. All of the scenes over Shanghai were awesome, as were the scenes of London. Lots of views of the London Eye in this one. The views in Scotland are also completely gorgeous, the last quarter of the film was my favorite, and the cinematography was probably half of the reason, it was just so beautiful.

I really love everything about Daniel Craig as Bond. He's been strong and sexy, but also truly weak and vulnerable in all of the films, especially this one. I love how he's the suave, tuxedo Bond, but he's also a more down and dirty, gritty Bond, I really liked the whole "unshaven" look in the beginning, really added a different feeling. The whole film you really wonder whether M(Judy Dench) is on his side or not, especially after you learn all of Silvia's(Javier Bardem) story, and you find out that it may not be the first time she's turned her back on one of her star spies.

Javier Bardem was unreal in this film, so genuinely creepy, but so good. He was incredibly intense throughout his entire performance, it really felt like genuine emotion. He was definitely a great and classic Bond villan.  Ben Whishaw is the new tech and toys guy "Q". He's having a pretty great year, he was in Cloud Atlas a few weeks ago. There is also a pretty strong chance that I am totally in love with him, he is probably one of my new favorite actors. (I've also started watching The Hour which is awesome).

Best part about this movie is that I heard a few days ago that Daniel Craig has signed on for another 2 Bond movies! Pretty excited about this.

If I haven't already made it clear, I loved this film and pretty much everything about it. I'm giving it a 9.5/10. Definitely go see it asap, great for any action, thriller, drama, or Bond lover. 

Kiwi Film Review: The Queen

IMDB: 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Roger Ebert: 4/4

Stars: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Alex Jennings
Written By: Peter Morgan
Directed By: Stephen Frears

Release Date: 20 October 2006
Described by IMDB as: "Diana the 'People's Princess' has died in a car accident in Paris. The Queen and her family decide that for the best, they should remain hidden behind the closed doors of Balmoral Castle. The heartbroken public do not understand and request that the Queen comforts her people. This also puts pressure on newly elected Tony Blair, who constantly tries to convince the monarchy to address the public."


The death of Princess Diana has always been intriguing to me. I was only 6 when she was killed but I remember it vividly. I think it was mostly the funeral that I remember being on the television, but it was all anyone talked about for so long that it was burned into my mind. A while later my mother bought a book about her life and death. I don't remember what it was called but was gold and had a picture of her on the cover. I was still too young to read it but I remember flicking through the pictures of her has a child and a teenager inside. I just remember how tragic her death was, and knowing it was clearly entirely the press's fault. You'd think they would have stepped back a bit, but its obviously only gotten worse. 

This movie was really excellent. Hellen Mirren was almost unrecognizable. Michael Sheen I felt did a great job as well, although I can't say I really know much about Tony Blair, especially in the beginning of his time as Prime Minister. Thats the hard thing about this movie, clearly most of it at least has to be complete fiction, because there is truly no way of knowing the truth about what happened behind closed doors, especially the parts with the Queen and the royal family itself. I was thinking that they could have gotten a lot of information from the book that he wrote after his resignation, but I'm pretty sure the movie was released a few years before the book was released. So, clearly can't be true, meaning that pretty much the entire film has to be fiction, which I think is actually ok.

I have to say this film really changed my views on Prince Charles. I feel like children absorbe a lot that they hear as fact, and that really sticks with you. I remember hearing, when I was quite young, maybe 8 or 9, that many people believed that Prince Charles was behind Princess Diana's death, and that she had written a letter saying that if anything had happened to her to look to him first, and I've hated him ever since. I really don't know how much of what happened in this movie actually happened, but I'm hoping his general reaction is mostly true, I'm sure it probably was. 

I also hadn't realized how much the people loved Tony Blair so much at that time. I'm not extremely familiar on British politics but I always thought that the people mostly hated him, but that was probably just at the end when he resigned. He seemed to handle the situation well, especially compared to how the monarchy handled it. I suppose they had to have a hero and a bad guy to try and rationalize what had happend. 

I have to say that its really an interesting perspective on the whole subject, showing it through the eyes of the Queen. Although to choose this of all subjects to make a movie called "The Queen" is interesting, since its mostly about Princess Diana. 

Great movie, and excellent acting on both Mirren and Sheen's behalf, but also on pretty much everyone else in the film. If you have any interest in history, Princess Diana, or the monarchy, or if you just like a good drama, this film is for you.

I'm giving this film an 8.5/10. Very good, very enjoyable.

New Kiwi Film Review Logo

Well, I'm not 100% happy with it, but without the border it looks too plain, and with the border it just doesn't look right, so thusfar, I'm keeping the border. I'm sure I'll do some updating soon, but for now.. here we are. It wasn't too difficult actually. I had made the border a while ago, so I just keep it as stock. The kiwi itself was actually pretty easy, just trying to get the seeds in a good position was hard, then actually finding a layout I was happy with was definitely the hardest part. I chose Helvetica for the font as it is one of my favorites. I love the cool clean look of it.

Now, I present to you, Kiwi Film Review Logo 1:

Feel free to give feedback.

Kiwi Film Review: Cloud Atlas

IMDB: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Roger Ebert: 4/4 stars
What The Flick: 6.3/10 (The average of 3, 7.1, 7.1, 8. Clearly would have been higher if Christie hadn't lost her mind.)

Stars: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Braodbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae,  Ben Whishaw, Keith David, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant.
Written by: David Mitchell(novel), Tom Tykwer(screenplay), Andy Wachowski(screenplay),, Lana Wachowski(screenplay)
Directed by: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

Release Date: 26 October 2012
Described by IMDB as: Everything is connected: an 1849 diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific; letters from a composer to his friend; a thriller about a murder at a nuclear power plant; a farce about a publisher in a nursing home; a rebellious clone in futuristic Korea; and the tale of a tribe living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii, far in the future.

Finally, a new science fiction movie with a great story, great acting, and great overall theme.

I'm not even sure how to begin with this film. I don't think I'm going to go into too much detail, because I want everyone to see this film, and I don't want to ruin it. Also, lets be real, I'm not really sure I could properly explain it. I guess when it comes down to it, its a possible answer to the question of "is there an afterlife, and if there is, what is it?" I guess this movie comes down to being about reincarnation... even though I don't believe in this, I try to keep an open mind so that I don't ruin the film for myself. Its funny, because even though that was the message they were trying to get across, what I got was to never let injustices happen, and to stand up when you see something horrible happening. That one person can make a change in the world if they just have the courage to do what they know is right.

It basically takes place in 6 different times and places.

• Pacific Ocean in 1849
• Edinburgh, Scotland in 1936
• San Francisco, California in 1975
• United Kingdom, 2012
• Neo Seoul(Korea), 22nd Century
• Sometime in the distant future on another planet

I have to say I really liked all of the different times and places in which this film took place. All of them were very interesting and quite inspiring. Some of them were uplifting and others quite heartbreaking. I think my favorite may have been the 1849 storyline, though all of them were great.. Jim Sturgess was charming and uplifting in his gradual fight against slavery. Tom Hanks as an evil doctor was equally as interesting. I also really enjoyed the Neo Seoul Storyline in the 22nd Century. The story of another sort of slave having the courage to stand up against a regime. Doona Bae was amazing. She has so many strong subtle scenes, very impressive.  I don't think there was a single storyline that wasn't excellently executed.  I also really liked that in each world/time/place one of the lead actors was a main character.

The acting lineup could easily be the most impressive I've ever seen. There were even a few "supporting actors" that I had no idea were even going to be in this (Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant). All of the acting was fantastic, I think that Tom Hanks plays the most different characters in this film, so impressive. Although, Halle Berry also had quite an array of characters as well, my favorite probably being her character in the "distant future, another planet" storyline. Great costume and story in that one. Although, her 1970's storyline was also great where she stands up against a big company when she suspects they're doing something that would cause huge problems for the people in the surrounding area. Ben Whishaw's character in 1936 was very enlightening and charming, with a love filled story, and a heartbreaking ending. It was really beautiful.  Jim Braodbent was also brilliant in this film. His 2012 storyline was also filled with love and regret. The seniors home breakout scheme was hilarious and delightful.

The music played a big role in this, and I have to say it was really great. I will definitely download the soundtrack. The Cloud Atlas Sextet was really quite beautiful. I feel like if this film doesn't get an Oscar nod for makeup I will be shocked. There were so many times I could hardly tell who the actors under the prosthetics were. Really great work.  

In Roger Ebert's review, he stated that this film was "one of the most ambitious films ever made" and I have to agree. I've seen that thusfar this film may be a "100 million dollar flop." I really, really hope not. It was a fantastic movie, and even though its pushing 3 hours in length, at no point was I bored or did I feel as if it was being dragged out. I think that can be attributed to the fact that it was constantly cut up into chunks to keep 6 story-lines running smoothly.

I'm going to give this film a 9.5/10. Its seriously that good.

UPDATE: November 10th

I ended up seeing this film again a few days ago, and I felt the need to ad an update. This film is really worth seeing twice, you get so much more information.

Its much more clear how the stories are linked together than it was the first time. I was also able to see more of the characters who were in each setting. I didn't notice Ben Whishaw in the "2012" storyline until the second time, and I didn't notice Hugh Grant in the "Neo Seoul" storyline until the second time either.

I also wanted to add how much I love the 1936 storyline. I had forgotten how much I loved it when I was writing my first review. It was definitely the one that touched me the most, I just loved the love story between Robert Frobisher and Rufus Sixsmith there was so much passion in it, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Even the second time I watched it, it ended with me in tears and inspiration. I definitely still recommend this film to anyone who enjoys movies at all. 

Halloween 2012

This may have been the most successful halloween to date. Definitely since I've been in St. John's anyways. 

On Sunday 2 of my friends and I carved some pumpkins (pictures below) and then I had a few other friends over for a pot luck where I made some Taco Cupcakes . We then watched Hocus Pocus (Best Halloween movie ever) and then ventured to my other friends house to watch the Halloween episode of Once Upon A Time(because I don't have cable).


Here is my Jack Skellington pumpkin :)

Jack Skellintgon, Cheerful Pumpkin, and The Tardis

Pumpkins and their creators

All of the party people

Kiwi Film Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

IMDB: 8.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Roger Ebert: 3.5/4

Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev, Kate Walsh, Paul Rudd, Joan Cusack
Directed By: Stephen Chbosky
Written By: Stephen Chbosky (Novel & Screenplay)

Release Date: 28 September 2012
Described by IMDB as: "Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, this is about 15-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman), an endearing and naive outsider, coping with first love (Emma Watson), the suicide of his best friend, and his own mental illness while struggling to find a group of people with whom he belongs. The introvert freshman is taken under the wings of two seniors, Sam and Patrick, who welcome him to the real world."

Wow, just WOW. The only thing that I didn't like about this movie was that I hadn't perviously read the book. I think I can seriously add that to the list of regrets in my life. All I knew going into it was that some kid had no friends, but then did have friends. But there were so many moving parts to this movie I don't even know where to begin. Its about so many different things; suicide, depression, love, abuse, loneliness, mistakes, and just growing up in general.

In the beginning you see how Charlie(Logan Lerman) is alone, and wants nothing more to just have some friends. From the letters he's writing to an anonymous person you know he's had some problems in the past but its not until a little later that you start finding out what they are. Seeing him sit alone at lunch, is just so sad. When he finally meets Sam(Emma Watson) and Patrick(Ezra Miller) everything starts turning around (or so you think). I went into this thinking it was going to be an uplifting happy film about finally finding friends and all of your problems going away, but I quickly discovered this was not the case. It seems like everything starts coming out in that first party they go to together after the Homecoming dance. First when you find out about Charlie's(Lerman) best(and only) friend killing himself, and then about Patrick's(Miller) secret affair with the most popular jock in school, Brad(Johnny Simmons).

After this it starts being happy-go-lucky again for the most part. I mean there's that whole "I'm in love with this girl who's a year or two older then me and who happens to be dating jack-ass college guys" thing going on, but thats a manageable situation. Then when you find out that she was molested by her fathers boss at age 11, you have that moment of "wtf?" but it ultimately ends in Charlie having his first kiss with the girl he's in love with (Watson), even if it can't last longer then that night. Honestly, that whole "secret santa" night was just so sweet, it just showed how much he cared about all of them, and how they cared for him. 

I loved the love of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in this film, the last time you see it its sort of like his final "coming out" into the school. Which leads me to that dreaded Mary Elizabeth(Mae Whitman) relationship. I felt so bad for him for that entire part of the movie because you know he's just too nice to have done anything about how much he didn't want to be there. I couldn't even watch when they were playing "truth or dare" and he kissed Sam(Watson) instead of Mary Elizabeth(Whitman). You just knew it was coming and couldn't bear it. When this basically (and understandably) ruins his relationships with his friends the movie goes back to being unbelievably sad for this poor kid.

Poor, poor Patrick. Honestly, you sort of get the feeling from the beginning that something bad is going to happen with him and Brad, because they say from the beginning that if Brad's dad ever finds out, he'll kill him, but the thought of a father ACTUALLY beating the shit out of his son is so unreal to me that I sort of forgot about it until it actually happened. Then to be torn down infront of the whole school while Brad stands by? Horrible, so, so sad.  Thankfully Charlie redeems himself by saving Patrick from an insane fight of which he blacks out and remembers nothing. 

Finally, Charlie and Sam have that one perfect night together, where they both know exactly how the other feels. Unfortunately this is EXTREMELY short lived by the fact that Sam is heading off to College the next morning. At this point Charlie completely breaks and ends up in a mental hospital for the summer.

Obviously the saddest part is when you finally realize everything thats happened with "Aunt Helen" throughout the whole film basically boils down to the fact that she molested Charlie when he was a kid. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was that I felt as if it wasn't really fully explained in the film. I mean, I dont think it was necessary to have exact details, but if you weren't paying enough attention you could have easily missed the part where you actually find out. In the end Charlie gets help, and figures how exactly what he needs to survive in life. 

I loved every moment of this film. Its seriously the best movie I've seen in a very long time. I need to go buy the book tomorrow and just read. I will be a complete mess the whole time, but it will be a great experience. I want everyone in the world to watch this, because its so many different things that I think it has something for everyone. 

I'm giving this film a 10/10. I've never given this before, but I just can't get past how amazing this film is.

PS. Who the heck is he writing all those darn letters to???

Kiwi Film Review: The Shining

IMDB: 8.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd.
Written By: Stanley Kubrick(Screenplay), Stephen King(Novel)
Directed By: Stanley Kubrick


Release Date: 23 May 1980
Described by IMDB as: "A man, his son and wife become the winter caretakers of an isolated hotel where Danny, the son, sees disturbing visions of the hotel's past using a telepathic gift known as "The Shining". The father, Jack Torrance, is underway in a writing project when he slowly slips into insanity as a result of cabin fever and former guests of the hotel's ghosts. After being convinced by a waiter's ghost to "correct" the family, Jack goes completely insane. The only thing that can save Danny and his mother is 'The Shining'."



Well, its close to Halloween so I decided to bite the bullet and confront my scary movie fears head on. I was forced against my will to watch Paranormal Activity 3 last weekend, so I figured if I could live through that, I could probably handle a classic Kubrick like "The Shining," and boy am I glad I did.

Such a classic in every way. I mean give me a break, Jack Nicholson is unreal in this movie, although, the kid who plays Danny(Danny Lloyd) is almost equally as impressive. He's so creepy its unreal! I had no idea why this movie was called "The Shining' until I started watching, but its actually really cool. I liked that the kid has his "special ability," really adds to the story, which most scary movies do not do well enough. Unlike most other scary movies, at no point is this a happy family, I like that. From the beginning you know there's a troubled background; ie, Jack (Nicholson) "accidentally" hurting Danny (Lloyd), and his alcoholism. 

There are just so many creepy scenarios about this movie. The fact that they're alone, or that they're completely isolated in the middle of nowhere for so many months. The two twin dead girls who keep appearing in the beginning definitely don't help the creepiness. Or probably more importantly that the kid is possessed by some weird spirit thing. When he talks as Tony, his voice is so creepy! "REDRUM!" I can't imagine having the ability to do that when I was his age. Its really too bad that this was the only real movie he did, because I'm sure he would've become even more impressive with age. But clearly the creepiest part is Nicholson himself. I mean, when he finally loses his mind and goes completely apeshit? Amazing. I was waiting the whole movie for that classic "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" line, and when it came it was so good.

I feel like I would've been not really interested in ever being friends with Stanley Kubrick, because he has a seriously messed up mind. After watching A Clockwork Orange, and this movie, its unreal how much violence was in this man's mind. Although, in his defence, both were based on novels, so not entirely his fault. Also, both were AMAZING films, so I'm not complaining. I finally understand why this is such a classic. Finally a horror movie that is so much more then that. Its actually an interesting story where I was wondering what was going to happen the whole time.

This movie is great for anyone who loves movies, but scary movies in particular. Definitely a great halloween movie. No cheap scares in this one my friends! So, I give this one a 7.5/10. So damn good.

New Blog Header

As I promised earlier I created a new header for my blog. I felt like it was serious need of a facelift and thats what it got. Even though you can clearly see it above I figured I'd post it anyways for future reference. I'm actually extremely happy with it. As you can see its a pretty similar

Here she is:

New Business Card Design

Well, since its been about 10 years since my last update, I thought I'd finally add some design to my blog, which seems legit since I'm a design student. I spent most of the night on a new business card concept. 
I'm actually quite impressed with my work on this one.

Take a look:

I'll try to be back with a new movie review ASAP. I've seen a lot of great ones lately so I'm sure I'll have a bunch all at once. I'll also have a bunch of photography posts in the next few weeks. Now that I'm back to school and a schedule, I promise I'll have more updates! Also, keep an eye out for a new look for the blog!

Penelope

So I'm just noticing I haven't done a blog post in over a month, and today that's going to change. I've actually started a bunch of movie reviews  but just haven't found time to finish them. Today I'm thinking I'll do a post about my favorite kitty; Penelope. The day before I left to come back home for the summer I had a photoshoot with Penny and it was so cute! But first; some background story.

Around April 22nd my roommate Natasha and I were fed up with our mouse infestation, so we decided it was time to get a cat. I'd always been a cat lover, so this was more of an excuse to get a cat in our house. Unfortunately, my mom is afraid that if I get an animal while I'm still a student, she will somehow become responsible for it, which is ridiculous, so she completely forbid me from having any financial responsibility for this cat. But, I still wanted to be part of the process, so we went to the SPCA looking. We found this beautiful little short haired white cat named "DRU" in the first room we went into. We knew then she'd be ours, but we had to wait 2 days for the SPCA to figure it out.

On April 24th we got the call and went to pick her up. They told us she is between a year pr 2 years old, and that she was a stray from Bell Island. I expected her to be not-so-friendly because of the fact that she was a stray, but it was quite the contrary. She is the friendliest cat I've ever seen! She loves nothing more then a good cuddle, and she's always waiting at the door for me when I get home.

Needless to say, I miss her quite a bit. Anyways, here are some pics from the photoshoot. Enjoy!