Soundtracks are essential.

Soundtracks are the best. My favorite is the soundtrack and score from the 2009 Marc Webb film (500) Days Of Summer. I wanna see more rom-coms from you, not Spider-Man 4.

Anyways, i am currently crazy about these:

Burlesque (2010) - Whole soundtrack.

Leap Year (2010) - The very lovely score by Randy Edelman.

No Strings Attached (2011) - "Ours" by The Bravery.

Friends With Benefits (2011) - "Closing Time" by Semisonic.

The Social Network (2010) - "Hand Cover Bruises" & Scala Choir's amazing "Creep".

Let Me In (2010) - Beautiful score by Michael Giacchino.

Inception (2010) - Stunning score by Hans Zimmer.

127 Hours (2010) - Band Of Horses' "The Funeral".

The Next Three Days (2010) - The beautiful score "The Truth" from Danny Elfman.

Easy A (2010) - Whole soundtrack rules.

The Kids Are All Right (2010) - "Our House" by Madness & Carter Burwell's score.

Restless (2011) - The Stills' "I'm With You".

This is not a soundtrack but i am very much in love with it: SHE & HIM's VOLUME TWO. They rock. So does Carla Bruni's Quelqu'un M'a Dit.

I am obsessed with...

Mulholland Dr (2001)

My Naomi Watts obsession led me to David Lynch's headfuck thriller. Have yet to watch it but very keen to. There is an awesome trailer made with Melissa George's 'Every Little Star' accompanying it. Lesbian scenes? involving Watts? Not interested! She's sexy, but i don't really like watching my favorite actresses doing hardcore sex scenes or lesbian ones. Anyways, very excited to catch this, hope it disturbs me!

Requiem For A Dream (2000)

Everyone is on Oscar craze, and the film that garners a lot of attention is Black Swan. Which brings us to Darren Aronofsky's earlier film. This film is very disturbing from what I've heard, the trailer is disturbing as well and gives me the goosebumps, especially the part where Jennifer Connelly's underwater and screams. Can't wait to watch this, hope Black Swan leaves me feeling insane too!

Dogville (2003)

I think i'm basically just obsessed with disturbing films. Read this film's plot and it's very disturbing especially what happens the the lovely Nicole Kidman's character, Grace. If you read the plot it seems very harsh but i watched some clips and i didn't feel as bad as i thought i would because she wasn't crying or begging etc., she was just like a poor little girl, maybe already numb. Already viewed the ending, not very satisfying, more gore please and show us the fuckers who dies, but a very good storyline. Lars Von Trier, someone to look out for, should check out Breaking The Waves too.

The Hours (2002)

Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep. Whao. 'Someone has to die in order that we should value life more'.

King Kong (2005)

Watched this in the cinema in 2005, very memorable but was a little freaked out because i was little. On Naomi Watts craze, so i'm gonna go buy a DVD and watch it again.

Some films that I've watched recently but is still stuck in my head - The Kids Are All Right, Easy A, the Modern Family episode 'Caught In The Act', Juno, Fair Game etc.

#4 I Love Hong Kong

I Love Hong Kong (2011)

Director: Eric Tsang, Chung Shu Kai

Writers: Wong Yeung Tat, Heiward Mak

Cast: Ensemble, too many. Sandra Ng.

Chinese Title: 我爱HK开心万岁

This Chinese New Year film with a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE ensemble cast is bound to make movie goers laugh and have a good time.

Plot-wise, this film is generic and... sucks. I am getting sick of Eric Tsang, he does a bad job at directing and also acting. Anyways, after 2010's 72 Tenants Of Prosperity, we have this follow-up, which has basically the same idea. So nothing new here. Lots of laughs delivered by the talented cast (except Eric Tsang and a very annoying guy with a mole).

Sandra Ng, who i love, i think left the All's Well Ends Well franchise to do this film, and did i good job. There are LOADS of cameos and a very impressive ensemble cast that make this film worth watching. The parodies are hilarious, especially the ones that parody the TVB Show No Regrets, which was very popular. The cameos were lovely, short and sweet.

There's a lot to complain about the storyline but i'll not get into that. The flashbacks were unnecessary and i felt that the film should've ended earlier than it did. There is also a very lame but addictive "I Like Hong Kong" song that accompanies the film.

Dancing at the end - bleurgh.

3/5

#3 All's Well Ends Well 2011

All's Well Ends Well 2011 (2011)

Director: Janet Chun, Chan Hing-Ka

Writer: Edmond Wong, Chan Hing-Ka

Cast: Ensemble, too many.

Chinese Title: 最强喜事

The third installment in this wildly popular Chinese New Year film franchise, has lost it's momentum. The first one, was a very pleasant surprise, making me and everyone else in the theater laugh our asses off in 30 second intervals. The second one was less funnier but enjoyable. I guess this is relatively equal the the second one.

It does deliver the expected laughs and had some original ones, but no one expects anything great from a CNY film. If it makes everyone in the theater laugh, have a good time with their families, and feel like its the New Year, then wa-bam, it's a good Chinese New Year film. This film succeeds at this.

The storyline is of course, cheesier than ever. Guy pretends to be gay for his make-up job, falls for a girl, ends up helping someone who's in love with the girl he's in love with because he doesn't know he's straight etc. Lots of generic elements but still enjoyable. The one particular scene done very well is when "Dream Dream", a woman whose boyfriend is very rich and gives her lots of money and materialistic items but not enough love, after thinking his boyfriend has had enough of her and left her, pretends to smile like a fool in front of a worker but as she walks away, starts tearing up. I don't know why but i think the actress did i great job at this. Angelababy was funny as the bitch of the show, bringing a gun to a wedding. And Louis does a good job at being gay, Donnie was awkward not doing any action sequences that he normally does and Cecilia is gorgeous.

That about sums it up.

3/5

#2 The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet (2011)

Director: Michel Gondry

Writer: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen

Cast: Jay Chou, Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Christolph Waltz, Analeigh Tipton, Wom Wilkinson, James Franco.

Based On: The TV Show, Serial Films, Comic Books of The Green Hornet

A lot of people doubted Seth Rogen's ability to play a superhero, he didn't suck, but he wasn't good as well. This film, directed by The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind's Michel Gondry is... well, not that impressive.

The films i about two people who "protect the law by breaking it", such bullshit. Let's talk about the cast, Cameron Diaz is decent but plays an unimportant role anyway, Seth Rogen is not impressive, Christolph Waltz is surprisingly funny. The real scene stealer here is Jay Chou, who does a surprisingly good job as Kato, with his very cute accent and out-of-his-comfort-zone humor. There is also the great James Franco, who was a cameo in the film. I missed out America's Next Top Model's Analeigh Tipton, hmm forgot who she was.

The film is overall fun but has a lot of flaws. The script is decent, nothing special. There is also actually not much visually stunning effects. The action sequences are quite interesting, especially the one where Kato and the fat guy (fine, Britt) have a boy fight. The 3D, um there's no 3D except for a spinning bottle cap.

Let's talk about the flaws, Kato and Britt are not heroes. They say they are trying to protect the law but end up damaging LOTS AND LOTS of property and injuring/ killing innocent people including cops. They did not have any idea about the gangsters or bad guys around. They just randomly went to "the streets" and killed a bunch of people who called them bitches. A very illogical scene in near the finale and another one is the ending. How could someone get shot in the shoulder, not care about it for a day, then pretend it's a fresh wound? And for the damage they've done they did not own up to it and acted like pussies and decided to protect the law by breaking it... again. Don't even mention the stupid slow down time/ Waltz supposed to shoot Kato but talks a lot and then holds the trigger for a very long time to wait for Britt to kick his ass sequence.

Anyways, this film is very illogical, but it is senseless fun, thanks to the action sequences, Diaz, Franco, and the adorable Jay Chou.

3/5

#1 The Way Back

The Way Back (2010)

Director: Peter Weir
Writer: Peter Weir, Keith R. Clarke

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Mark Strong

Based On The Book: "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz

I wasn't particularly interested in this film but it had an interesting storyline, so i decided to give it a try. A big part of the reason i wanted to watch this was for the lovely Saoirse Ronan, who was incredible in The Lovely Bones (which i absolutely loved) and earned herself an Academy Award nod for her stunning performance in Joe Wright's Atonement back in 2007. She's so beautiful and talented, and i can't wait for Hanna.

Peter Weir, who directed The Truman Show and Master & Commander directs this epic film about survival. I have not heard of him before but people seem to have every high expectations for a film of his.

The film is about prisoners in Russia who escape and walk for a long, long time and a long, long distance to India, to freedom. The story is very inspiring as we examine these people's will to survive and how they long to have the sweet taste of freedom. Colin Farrell plays the adorable (not really) Valka with a very funny accent. Jim playes a spy working for Poland and is put in prison after being betrayed by his wife. Ed plays a tough old man but with a soft heart deep inside. Ronan is the brave young woman who escapes from an orphanage. There are other cute characters that add some humor to the film.

We are shown how these people try to survive in the prison as well as during their long walk, they are really very creative and smart people with a very strong will. They are, of course a few people who don't make it, for example, Irena (T_T). But at least they died a free man (mm-hm, comforting).

The scenery is breathtaking and you smile everytime you see them succeed at something and cringe everytime they are suffering. You know right from the beginning that some of them make it but it's the journey that is the point of the film. I did not fancy Valka staying in his country but it was cute, and the ending where Sturgess' character reconciles with his wife, but that's just my opinion.

Overall, this film has beautiful imagery, a very inspiring message and truly shows us what freedom and willpower really means, as well as telling us that there is nothing more powerful than the will to survive (127 Hours, guys?).

3.5/5

02 I Spit On Your Grave

I Spit On Your Grave (2010)

Director: Steven R. Monroe

Writer: Stuart Morse

Cast: Sarah Butler

Remake of: Day of the Woman/ I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

Yet another Hollywood remake of an old horror film. It was more of a exploitation film, i would say. Remakes usually are so-so, but this one kick ass.

The story is simple, it's your The Last House On The Left style revenge-is-best-served-gory flick and is a lot of fun. Jennifer (played by the surprisingly promising Sarah Butler) rents a cabin in the woods for a few months to settle down and focus on her writing. She unintentionally embarrasses a worker at a gas station, he along with his friends, turn out to be (gasps) perverts. They are really sick fucks. They find her and torture her (i will not be watching this part ever again, just the revenge parts after). The rape scenes are very hard to watch especially the one with the retarded Matthew. They really symbolize the sick people that exist in this world.

Jennifer survives and flees, after recovering and preparing for her massacre, she hunts the 5 people down one by one. The film has very original and creative death scenes that are very interesting and make this revenge flick better than average. In the 1978 version, the part where Jennifer is tortured and raped are much worse plus the revenge part is very dissatisfying. I guess that is to show viewers that that is something that can never be retributed. However, i prefer this version.

The kills are very memorable, there is, for instance the acid in your face, the fish guts in your eyes, the shotgun in your ass or your penis in your mouth. The first 3 men died slowly, with Jennifer delivering some very awesome one-liners ('Please'...'Please is what i said to you, you know what you said? You said "suck it, bitch"). The whole castration scene and the dentist playtime scene is awesome. I wasn't completely satisfied with the Sheriff's death because it was quick, but he died believing that his precious daughter was tortured or brutally killed and was raped by a shotgun (ew).

Jennifer is also portrayed as a human being rather than an emotionless robot after her traumatic experience and this is what i like about the film. She is clearly damaged by what happened but this hasn't turned her into someone without feelings, she shouts at the rapists sometimes during the revenge and screams when she knocks them out etc. She is clearly still angry about what happened, and that makes it real.

Anyways, this is a very good horror film that i will remember for a long time. Though i prefer 2009's The Last House On The Left to this one, this is one film to check out. And Sarah Butler, you are my new hero.

4/5

01 Fair Game

Fair Game (2010)

Director: Doug Liman

Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn

Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth

Based On The Books: Fair Game by Valerie Plame & 'The Politic of Truth' by Joseph Wilson

Fair Game was released in my country on December 17th, 2010 but sadly i was on vacation and when i came back it was in it's last week and i just couldn't go because of the hectic new school year. I'm wanted to watch this mainly because of Naomi Watts, oh well, we'll have to wait for Dream House, The Impossible, J.Edgar (woot) and Blonde. So pumped. Anyways, i downloaded it and here's my review:

'Fair Game' is directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs Smith) and is based on the true story of CIA covert agent Valerie Plame Wilson, whose cover was blown and was betrayed by the CIA.

The film stared the gorgeous and terrific Naomi Watts (21 Grams, King Kong, Mulholland Dr) and Sean Penn (Naomi's co-star in 21 Grams, Milk). It also has Modern Family's Ty Burell in one scene (that's all i can recall).

The trailer itself is very misleading, making some of us interested in this because it depicts the film as a Salt-esque thriller with Plame being betrayed halfway through the trailer and also dramatic music in the background. You would think that Plame would be determined to clean her name and deliver a kick-ass heroin performance since this film was also labeled as a 'thriller', but that it not the truth.

Watts' character, Valerie, is a CIA covert agent who is on a mission to find the truth about Iraq's/ Saddam's WMD or nuclear weapons. Her husband, Joe Wilson is then sent to Africa to investigate this and comes to a conclusion that it is impossible that Iraq could've bought 'aluminum tubes' to make nuclear weapons. After he publishes this on the news, the CIA finds a scapegoat, who is none other than Valerie.

This happens about halfway through the film, i myself was mislead by the trailer and expected this to happen earlier in the film. The story itself is interesting but at times boring. As i mentioned before, audiences may think Valerie would be the tough woman on the road to justice, and she is, but not in the certain way is some other films. She is tough, but vulnerable and does not wish to fight back, at least not publicly. Watts delivers this excellently.

Joe, on the other hand, is determined to set the record straight ('They'll bury us if we don't!'), appearing on TV shows and such. Valerie is against this, worrying that this might jeopardy her family.

The acting is superb, thanks to Watts and Penn, the script is nothing special but decent. Liman succeeds at directing it such that it seemed more realistic, with the plain colors etc. At the end it is revealed that the point of this film is about a marriage and less about the conspiracy. That was not a pleasant surprise but it was still overall an OK film.

The ending left me very satisfied and i was very glad that they showed the real life Valerie on trial. I can't get over how beautiful Watts is. It was kind of like watching Inception (for the first time), the ending kinda slapped me in the space and woke me up. (i was tired, don't judge)

In conclusion, this is a good look into the Plame affair and although there is not much to the story, Watts and Penn deliver great performances.

3/5

First.

I've just started a blog!

This blog is to document my experiences as i try to accomplish my goal of having 100 cinematic experiences in 2011, that is watching films 100 times (or more) in the cinema.

Not necessarily 100 films as i do watch some films twice or thrice. If i am able to make 100 films, that would be awesome.

2009 was 57 films.

2010 was 93 films.

2011 will be 100 films.

I am just a teenager so i do not have time to watch more (if you count in the films i watch at home than there could be a lot) as i have to focus on my studies sometimes.

I will put every film on this blog and also some films of the past or future releases (thought etc.)

Hope anyone that reads my blog enjoys. Please do comment so i can know if there's a human being reading me writing about what i breathe - film.

The title, is 'inspired' by Julie & Julia, if you're wondering. =)

Films that are watched at the cinema is marked with a '#' before the number whilst films that are watched elsewhere are like this: 01, 02, 03....