Talking about 'Her'

Her is the the fourth film by Spike Jonze and is a romantic comedy-drama starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams and Chris Pratt.

The film is about a man called Theodore Twombly who is recently going through a divorce he feels lonely and separated from the world. He purchases a system called OS (operating system) which produces an AI with a female voice called Samantha. The two begin to bond and develop a romantic relationship.

This film is set in a futuristic Los Angele's where we see almost what the future could potentially look like some day. I love the look it looks fantastic, from the computers, the design of peoples homes, workplaces even the fashion. The color palette really adds to the look with a colorful palette which is bold yet almost pale in a sense. It all looks like what our world could look like in the next 10 - 20 years. Spike Jonze has created a beautiful world with a truly unique look and design. It doesn't blow the future out of proportion with flying cars, weather control etc. It keeps everything grounded but does present us with a futuristic looking world.

Joaquin Phoenix is easily my favorite actor in my mind this guy is everything an actor should be. In this film he almost has to present the movies meaning and feelings on his own. He does this with such depth and grace. He shows us what it is like for someone with a broken heart to learn to love again and learn to live. Scarlett Johansson once again delivers a fantastic performance having to deliver a performance with voice alone is a huge feat and she does it masterfully. Even though she is never on screen physically and you can only hear her voice. The amount of emotion she puts into her performance makes it almost seem like she is there physically. It is truly a tremendous performance. All the supporting actors deliver great performances with Amy Adams playing the best friend of Theodore and Chris Pratt playing his goofy co worker.

This film looks beautiful, the color of the sets, the outfits, the shots everything just looks spectacular. The soundtrack too this film is also amazing, it sounds so whimsical and brilliant. With both fantastic song choices and some fun bits with a ukulele.

Her delivers a truly original story with fantastic characters, a relationship that you truly do care about about in its own unique sci-fi setting. A lovely, funny film that dives into the state of modern day relationships. Her is one of my favorite films and I would truly recommend seeing it. I'm sure you will love it as much as I do.

4/4 Stars.

Talking about 'Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind'

Its kind of hard to know where to begin with this because there are just so many reasons as to why I love this film. This film is one of the films that bought about my passion in films and showed me that a film can be a piece of art. I am in love with this film.

The synopsis of this film is that a couple partake in a procedure to delete each other from their memories when there relationship begins to go south, but during this procedure they re-experience these memories and realize why they were together in the first place. It is a basic yet complex love story. We can relate to both Joel and Clementine despite how absurd the extreme is that they're taking to get over there break up. I love seeing natural characters go through out of this world experiences. This film gives us a complex plot with a lot of fun opportunities for both interesting visuals and set pieces. Yet the story never loses sight of its characters. The characters are what drives this film and the story embraces that. The complex parts of this film are amazing.

Jim Carrey plays the part of Joel with an amazing amount of nuance and subtlety. Joel is nothing like any other character Carrey has portrayed. He isn’t loud, he isn’t exceptionally funny, he’s the polar opposite. Joel is likeable, sympathetic, timid and feels so so real. He does the whole ‘socially awkward’ thing perfectly, which is no easy feat because in so many films that kind of character can come off as obnoxious and over the top. For such a quiet and resolved character to be able to lead a film so well is incredibly impressive and this, along with Truman is my favorite Jim Carrey performance. As for Kate Winslet as Clementine, she also delivers an incredible performance. Clementine is a chaotic mess who really shouldn’t be with anyone like Joel, yet we love her. Both of these characters are so different but work so well together and you really hope everything’ll be okay in the end for the two of them. Two incredible characters in an equally incredible film. All of the other actors do a great job too, Elijah Wood in particular. Patrick is a beautifully tragic and disturbed character. Very well played.

Michael Gondry is one of my favorite directors and one of the directors that showed me that films can be a work of art. This film is so brilliantly directed. The cinematography is cold and natural which suits the film perfectly. The natural approach to directing in this film feels so perfect in a film that feels so natural. The visuals in this film become more and more surreal as the film continues. The scenes in this film transition seamlessly.

If you haven't seen this film go watch it. It is a beautiful film which will always be one of my favorites. A true work of art.

4/4 Stars

Talking about 'Life Itself'

I have a huge soft spot for Roger Ebert he was of my personal heroes, regardless I love Life Itself.

This documentary celebrates the life of legendary film critic Roger Ebert with an amazing amount of admiration and respect for the man. But unlike other documentary it never shies away from the more lets say unsavory parts of his life. From his struggle to alcoholism, to his legendary show with Gene Siskel. The documentary talks plenty about his talents as a writer, as a real appreciator of cinema but more than anything the film celebrates that he was much more than just that. For a film about a film critic there isn't a huge emphasis put on it. We see him as a "soldier of cinema" a man who discovered so many young film makers and helped shape their careers. He made more people appreciate films as art. For ten years he battled cancer which took away his ability to speak but that didn't stop him from continuing to inspire and review movies till the day he died.

This is an incredibly touching film especially if you're fan of Roger Ebert I even found myself tearing up towards the end. Like I said it doesn't really capture the bad side of him but that wouldn't have been the most respectful. They mention it but overall they show just how much of an inspiring figure he was to people. If you're interested in film or film criticism I would recommend this film to you. I really enjoyed this film. I'm extremely sad that he's gone and that I'll never get to meet him. He continues to inspire me to this day and I can only hope to be like him someday.

3/4 Stars

Talking about 'Locke'

I didn't think I would enjoy Locke as much as I did. The film takes place entirely in one car, with one man, traveling from Birmingham to London. It doesn't sound like the most exciting concept ever but you have no idea. From beginning to end this film delivers a compelling narrative.

We spend the entire film inside the car of Ivan Locke as he heads down the motorway. Throughout this journey we learn the story of Locke a concrete pourer, who's life we see fall apart through this journey, as he talks with his family, his co-workers and sometimes himself. Tom Hardy plays this role masterfully. We have a great number of actors joining Hardy coming out of the speakers of his car as he speaks to them on the phone. Olivia Coleman plays Locke's desperate and distraught mistress who reach's out for Locke's help as she goes through labor. Ruth Wilson plays Locke's gentle, broken wife who finds herself horrified as she learns of her husband's one time affair. Andrew Scott plays Locke's goofy assistant who is left to clean up after Locke abandons their biggest pour yet. All of these actors play their part with incredible performance's. Its one thing to perform both visually and vocally but another thing entirely to simply perform vocally and to be able to convey such a well drawn character through voice is a huge feat.

The entire film is drenched in such pure atmosphere. The orange street lamps he passes on his journey, the freezing cold air and the lights of cars passing in different directions. It gives you a real sense of where Ivan is. The director Steven Knight implements many beautiful thoughts and visuals as he drives down the motorway. Locke's life takes a major change as he goes through this journey and the way his mind is almost warped by it is done beautifully.

Experiencing this journey in real time makes us feel closer to the characters and like we're really there with them experiencing ourselves what they're being put through. The film has such a different flowing narrative it grips you all the way through. An entire journey taking place on the M25 full of tense phone calls with loved ones. Locke brings something new with a compelling story and characters. If you like drama I am almost certain that this film is for you.

3/4 Stars

Talking about 'Nightcrawler'

Nightcrawler written and directed by Dan Gilroy is his directorial debut. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed.

Nightcrawler is the tale of Lou Bloom a man who is down on his luck looking for a permanent job. Describing himself as 'Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told I'm persistent'. One night whilst driving home Lou witnesses a car crash being filmed by a stringer. Inspired by this Lou acquires a camcorder and a police scanner and sets out to become a stringer. Discovering he has a talent for it, from their strives to be the best no matter what.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom I'm a huge fan of his acting and this for me is his best performance. He dropped over 20 pounds in weight for the role, he barely slept, his face caved in and his eyes began to bulge out. The character he plays is almost scary sometimes, he is insidious, amoral, corrupting and relentless. Yet you still find yourself rooting for Lou. Terrorizing all those around him and Jake plays it brilliantly. Delivering a scary yet stunning performance. Where at times you find yourself scared of him. You don't see Jake Gyllenhaal in this film you see Lou Bloom. Rene Russo stars as Nina Sharp a veteran of TV news a relentless women who wants the most captivating stories to earn the best ratings. Mainly seeking violent incidents in suburban neighborhoods as they attract most viewers. She buys Lou's first footage and from their they begin there almost exclusive partnership. Rene Russo gives a brilliant performance, playing a strong female character who will do anything to hold onto her job and get the best ratings. Almost captivating whenever she is on screen at some points stealing the show from Gyllenhaal. Riz Ahmed plays Rick a young man desperate for money who Lou hires as his assistant. Riz Ahmed is a great actor and in this film he truly shines. A truly brilliant intense performance. A character who becomes almost addicted to his abusive work relationship with Lou and ultimately becomes Lou's victim. There are strong performances from all the cast in this film from Bill Paxton playing Lou's cocky rival too Michael Hyatt playing Detective Frontieri who is looking to take down Lou.

This film is a pitch black satire an exploration of American news culture and capitalism. A truly compelling movie. The character of Lou at times comes across as crazy but more than anything he is a product of his environment. He does monstrous things but he is not a monster. More than anything Lou is the American dream at its most basic form a self made man conquering the streets of LA. Quoting from the self help books and how to succeed manuals in order to advance.

This film looks beautiful the way they capture the streets of LA the people, the night life and the corruption. The cinematography and lighting are truly captivating constantly matching the mood of the film. Creating almost a chilling feeling from both the cinematography and the soundtrack. The film explores the American dream, what truly drives people and their need to succeed. A dark  success story and almost a study of what people are willing to do to get ahead. Nightcrawler leaves an almost strange uncomfortable feeling even making you almost question yourself, what lengths you would go to succeed to be the best to achieve the "American Dream". If you're into dark captivating thrillers this film is for you. Offering a truly brilliant original story and fantastic strong performances all around. Watch Nightcrawler. It is one of my favorite films and hopefully after watching it, it will become one of yours.

4/4 Stars

Talking about 'Frank'

Frank is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Frank is a film about a young man Jon who one day stumbles across a band in need of keyboard player. The band known as "the Soronprfbs an experimental band made up of the weirdo's of society each one having their own personal or mental issues. The most notable member of the band is Frank the band leader who wears a paper mache head all of the time never taking it off even when going for a shower. From their Jon is invited to join the band full time and they head to Ireland to record their first album. That's all you really need to now.

An almost simple plot but yet executed in such a strange and unique way.
The performances in this film are on point each actor playing their own unique character. Domhnall Gleeson (Jon) being the mild timid young man wanting to make it big. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Clara) the angry, scary one who constantly torments Jon. Michael Fassbender (Frank) the leader of the band who is kind, yet so strange and unique, easily my favorite performance by Fassbender. Even those his head is covered the entire film the honesty of his performance is in full display. Each other member of the band being their own strange individual with their own traits. Strong performances all across the board.

The music in this film is great its so strange and unique.The band singing their crazy unique songs and making their own sounds out of all sorts of different things, from smashing different objects too rubbing toothbrushes on different objects. The music matches the film perfectly and adds to the overall strange feel of the film with some weird lyrics to boot.

The comedy is brilliant being both dark and clever and making for some laugh out loud moments which I find myself rarely doing when watching comedies. The awkward humor in this film makes for some hilarious dialogue between the different characters. Even the music in this film is funny it sounds so bizarre with such strange lyrics its hard not to find it funny. It is a finely tuned balance of black humor.

Its very rare these days when a unique film shows up these days Frank is one of those films. It is an extremely clever film with a combination of both dark comedy and drama which match the mood perfectly. Its story manages to be surprisingly though provoking even with its unusual setup. A quirky gem that is almost a commentary on the nature of artists and their integrity.

3/4 Stars

Talking about 'Boyhood'

Boyhood a film by Richard Linklater is a story about the life of Mason Evans Jr, his adolescence from age Six to Eighteen. Throughout the film we grow up with him and his family sharing their experiences. We see them go through different obstacles in life and coming out the other side. One of the things that makes this film unique is the way the actors themselves added to the plot of the film and their character development. Each actor was allowed to incorporate their own experiences into the characters story. Changes the director saw in the actors were incorporated into the script as well. Because of this we feel more like we are following these people's lives rather than the life of a character they're playing whilst we watch this film. We actually see the actors grow and change rather than just different actors take their place as they grow up. Each actor in this film delivers a great performance.

Despite the incredible production of this film it stands as a fantastic piece of storytelling. The 12 years thing could be seen as a quirky aspect rather than adding to the story but no, it strengthens the story and makes the it truly something unique.

This film is three hours long usually I find myself finding these movies just a bit too long but with Boyhood those three hours flew by. It is both beautiful and immersive watching Mason change physically and develop before our own eyes. The film covers childhood, the awkward teenage years and approaching adulthood. For me personally I could relate to this more than any other film I have ever watched I felt like I was watching my own life pass by on the screen. I even found myself tearing up towards the end I had watched a life. I had seen Mason overcome his trials in life and I felt happy for him to see him come out the over side. I was hopeful for his future.

The film captures the tone of the early stages of life perfectly. The thrill of collecting things as a child, the enjoyment in playing video games, the happy times with friends. To the awkward teenage years, drinking, experimenting with drugs, the awkward "talk" with the parents and falling in love for the first time.

One thing that stand out in this film is the soundtrack as the film starts the music that plays is all popular music from that time period. But as Boyhood goes on the music develops playing older classics. This was certainly the case for me when growing up I found myself enjoying different variations of music more and more. Its little bits like this that add to the experience more and more. Being my age and being a student I found myself being able to relate to this movie very easily. But I think anyone could relate to this film and that everyone should watch it at some point in their life. There's a little something for everyone with this film.

Boyhood has quickly become one of my most loved films and I will do my best to share it with people for years to come.

4/4 Stars

Talking about 'Under the Skin'

‘Under the Skin’ a true masterpiece.
Without a doubt one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen yet it is also one of the most disturbing.

The film has what seems to be a simple premise. Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who drives around Glasgow and picks up hitchhikers in her van to lure them back to her apartment. There she takes them to a dimension where they’re consumed by the darkness, all the while she is observing human life and beginning to both appreciate and experience it. At least that is how I perceived the plot, I won’t give away anymore due to spoilers and such. The plot may not sound the most compelling in the world but as soon as I started watching this film I could not take my eyes off the screen. Everything about this film was fantastic.

Scarlett Johansson delivers an iconic and terrifying performance which may well be the best performance of her career. She portrays this alien perfectly, playing both a seductress and a creature puzzled by its new environment. Her performance in the film is entrancing almost hypnotizing sometimes. The supporting actors in this film are also fantastic. Each other giving different yet great deliveries. Each actor has their own presence in this movie.

The cinematography in this movie is some of the best I have ever seen. Some shots in the film capture some truly beautiful imagery. Some capture some truly disturbing and terrifying imagery. The imagery in this film is terrifying and disturbing with a soundtrack to match. It makes some disturbing almost uncomfortable moments watching this film. Each time I have watched this film I watched it in the dark and each time I felt uncomfortable enough and scared enough that I found myself turning on a light source. The imagery whilst being uncomfortable can also be a bizarre and full of imagination and Johansson fits right in to all.

The film itself is not just a montage of weird imagery and music. There is narrative that is compelling enough to make you want to follow this alien through its journey. This film is one of those films that will have you thinking about it for days after watching it questioning every element of it and trying to piece together what the film itself was. That to me is a masterpiece a film that ends up stuck in your mind for days after watching a film that you can’t stop thinking about and trying to interpret. One that seeps into your mind and you could almost say leaves the screen a piece of art.

This film is not for everyone I would recommend watching the trailer before you give this film a try. This film was for me and has become one of my favorite films of all time. I found it compelling and felt uncomfortable throughout the whole film truly something else.

4/4 Stars