Review: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

 

“I don’t like to do what people expect.Why should I live up to other people’s expectations instead of my own?”
– Kat Stratford

SYNOPSIS: A pretty, popular teenager can’t go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does. – via IMDB

This is such a classic in my opinion. I have seen it plenty of times and I still love it. There is so much about it that just screams the nineties but it pulls it off. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this movie, and it is still a blast from start to finish. It has held up really well after all these years.

Everyone does a great job with their characters. Julia Stiles is a fantastic, bitter girl, Heath Ledger is fantastic as the outcast bad boy, Larisa Oleynik is a suitably spoiled brat, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is that sweet boy-next-door type. There are so many characters to talk about here so I will not really get into them all. It’s a sweet, fun story with plenty of humour in it. No matter how many times I have seen this, there are still things I laugh at. 10 Things I Hate About You is also super quotable, and will stay with you long after you have moved on.

The humour is great and the story keeps you hooked throughout. There are so many little things that come together in this to make it worth the watch, and I loved to see how certain characters interacted with others. The soundtrack also totally works with the movie. I thought the rumour mill surrounding Patrick was absolutely amazing, too. While this is not the most original and unpredictable movie ever, it is done so well and the cast work so well together that it still has a fresh feeling to it. Also, I absolutely love the chemistry between Stiles and Ledger.

So much has been said about this fantastic movie over the years, and there is not really much that I can contribute to the discussion. I will just say that 10 Things I Hate About You is quirky and sweet and has heart and gets me every time. It manages the fine balance between sweet but not sappy, and I appreciate that. It is the kind of movie that guys and girls alike can enjoy. The movie is bags of fun every time and I highly recommend it, and not just because of the nostalgia!

Also, could we just take a moment to admire Heath Ledger in this??

Review: The Babysitter (2017)

“Things get messy when you make a deal with the devil.”
– Bee

SYNOPSIS: The events of one evening take an unexpected turn for the worst for a young boy trying to spy on his babysitter. – via IMDB

Ah! This movie! This is so my cup of tea, and I enjoyed the hell out of this. Chop, I am so with you on this one, it’s great! Everything works.

The cast is really what makes this – they all seem to be having an absolute blast, and that comes through. I think that Judah Lewis was fantastic as Cole, and Samara Weaving was great as Bee. She totally nailed down that sort of girl next door thing but with an extremely healthy dose of crazy. The two of them play off one another really well, and I loved watching them together. She really was like the best babysitter, and you could understand how he saw her as probably his best friend, even if it meant she had to stay his babysitter.

I would like to thank McG and co from the bottom of my heart for a shirtless Robbie Amell for essentially the whole movie. Yes, for science, and your contribution is immensely appreciated. So. Much. He was hilarious to boot, too, but still. Science.

Okay, back to the movie, right? Sorry, can’t help it, he was distracting in the movie, too. I think the humour for The Babysitter was spot on, and definitely had me laugh quite a few times. This movie totally embraces how crazy it is, and it just works. I really loved the little cuts in the movie to show certain events (the pocket knife, Cole’s plans, etc). I also think that things were just pretty weird all round. The Babysitter is a load of fun, and just goes for it every step of the way.

Anyway, as you can tell I had a great time with The Babysitter. If you are into horror comedy, this should totally work for you. It’s a total blast and it has some fantastic moments and silly characters, with a solid score and it looks stylish, too. Absolutely worth the watch!

Sporadic Scene: The Fate of the Furious (2017) – Haka

Goodness, this scene! When it opened with Dwayne Johnson giving the lecture, I was like “oh, I am sure this is just gonna be some scene with some kids for the lols”,  but man, it was so much more than just that. Manis and pedis for everyone after, sure, but man, this scene is fantastic all round. Dwayne Johnson leads a girls soccer team in the haka and it is truly both hilarious to boot and at the same time rather inspiring, as you can see it means a lot to him and the girls take it seriously. It is more than just a choreographed skit, especially when you see how much respect was actually afforded the scene, that the haka was blessed by the elders, everything. That’s just great, in my mind.

Sporadic Scene: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015) – Hit Me Baby One More Time

Man, this sure was a movie that knew what it was about and how to embrace it. There was tons of silly stuff going on and giggles to be had, but a standout scene from this is hands down the Britney Spears/zombie sing out that happened. Oh man, really now. It seriously cracked me up as everything about the scene is insanely ridiculous, and yet it feels right at home in this movie.

Sporadic Scene: The Boondock Saints (1999) – Name One Thing You Would Need A Rope For

Wow, yeah, I haven’t done one of these in a while, and stumbled on this scene the other day and it cracked me up, as it always does. The McManus brothers and their banter is something that one cannot help but enjoy immensely. Naturally this scene of the brothers shopping for some mission gear is hilarious, as it really comes across as boys who watch a lot of movies being let loose in a weapon store and being told to pick anything their heart’s desire. Excellent scene.

Sporadic Scene: The Sopranos (Season 1×11) – Paulie’s Car Horn

So I started watching The Sopranos recently, and I gotta say, I am a fan. In this latest endeavour, we met Paulie Gaultieri, one of Tony Sopranos guys, and he is so entertaining. Paulie is hilarious, ridiculously proud of his heritage, and the one that gets the most peeved and the fastest when it comes to cultural appropriation. Man, there was that time where he stole that thing out of the one coffee shop purely because they stole from the Italian dream. Golden man, golden. Anyhow, Tony suspects a rat in his organisation, and Paulie is tasked to check out his colleague, Pussy. Totally besides the point. The point here is that this car horn had me in freaking stitches. It is perfect, and totally something Paulie would have hooked up in his car.

Rapid Review: Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)

“Uncle, you’re basically a criminal now. But on the bright side, you’re famous.”
– Ricky Baker

SYNOPSIS: A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush. – via IMDB

Alright, so obviously I was excited to check this out because I adored What We Do In The Shadows, and still laugh every time I watch it. This was not disappointing, although it is a totally different type of film. This one is more good, clean, family fun (well, mostly clean), and it has this really cringy, awkward humour to it that I thoroughly enjoyed – so dry. Plus it had Sam Neill, and I quite enjoy him. Anyway, the movie starts off painfully awkward, and after a while it catches its flow, and it gets on a roll and it is enjoyable. I felt that there were times where the pacing was a little off, but that was no big issue. The score was totally suiting, and I loved watching Sam Neill and Julian Dennison together; they really were the biggest sellers here. That relationship man! The story is nothing groundbreaking (two characters dislike each other, slowly form respect, then they are tight), but it is handled exceptionally well, and the film is engaging throughout. There is a particularly enjoyable scene explaining why Jesus is a tricky fellow, as well as the certainty that “shit just got real”. Ricky incessantly calling Hec “Uncle” was also dead amusing for me, and Rachel House’s Paula was a right piece of work, and yet entertaining. I feel that the movie had a solid story and a dramatic element that was flawlessly woven throughout, never coming across as forced, but giving the comedy some bite, too. A lighthearted, fun film that has moments of majestical heart, The Hunt For The Wilderpeople is definitely worth a watch.

Character Tribute: Walter Bishop

Walter Bishop – one of the most amazing characters on television ever. He has the ability to crack you up, but is also the one to evoke the strongest sense of emotion from you in the blink of an eye. A genius, definitely crazy and a massive lover of sweets and food, Walter has a mind that you envy and pity in equal measure, depending on what is going on, but his brilliance can never be denied. Fiercely loyal and absolutely awesome, I am pro Walter Bishop forever!

First and foremost, don’t ever mess with Walter and his pudding.

He loves his drugs. Always had a soft spot for recreational drug use. His favourite, though, seems to be LSD.

Living with Walter must be an experience, especially considering he is mostly in the nude at home, or doing experiments in the wee hours of the morning in his underwear.

Walter really has made the lab his home, and he isn’t more comfortable anywhere in the world. 

His love for Peter truly is boundless.

His indignation about Faulivia’s deception.

Such astute observations at the best of times.

His ability to take things from absolutely hilarious to dreadfully painful in a heartbeat.

He can get really snappy and rude when he is under pressure, though he never does it to be a total dweeb, he just isn’t blessed with the most patience.

Walter was always cooking up experiments and having such fun.

Dr Walter Bishop has mad phone skills.

He’s so hip.

The relationship between him and Astrid is absolutely beautiful.

His addiction to Red Vines is legendary.

Sometimes he can really come across as paranoid… yet he does it with such style! 

Walter can get so enthusiastic about things, and I love how he always drags Astrid into it all. 

Never, ever to be known as the prude 😛

Walter somehow always manages to look shocked.

The time he had that awful acid trip, the pity that I felt for him was profound. Plus, this shot was stunning!

When he ran to hug Olivia after not seeing her for over a decade? OMG IT HURT!

The names he had for Astrid never ceased to amaze me, though my favourite will always remain “Ostrich”.

Pot smoking with Nina in the park, but never fear, he has a medicinal licence!

The tulip, Walter’s sign of hope and forgiveness, laced throughout the show. It is actually so important and beautiful.

The childlike tendencies that Walter can sometimes exercise. I envy him at times.

He sees things completely differently, no matter how serious it all gets.

Character Tribute: Noah Foster

So I watched Scream recently, and while I was not the biggest fan of the show, necessarily (review here), I was a massive fan of Noah Foster. For so many reasons. The guy… he is amazing, and such a cutie to boot. Anyway, he entertained me so much that I thought to do a character tribute on him and share it with you all. I know, it’s been a while!

No game? Really? It’s always been the cute, geeky ones that kicked it for me. However, how he feels about his realisation of being that nerdy dude is hilarious.

Being the virgin of the show was funny, especially when he and his bestie became Bi-Curious and The Virgin!

Noah is comfortable in his own skin. Yes, he might be strange, and quirky and ditzy and all sorts of things, and awkward about other things, but he does not hide the fact that he is a horror fanatic of note and has a deep-seated fascination with serial killers. His honesty is refreshing.

He can be adorkable at times xD Wouldn’t want to let his mama down after she made the cape!

The way that Noah applies horror logic to (undeniably) creepy situations. Yes, he really does live and breathe this stuff.

Another time? Refusing to fall victim to the deadly clichés.

How, even in a dire situation, he is still the one carrying all the humour, and pointing out the delightfully obvious.

Noah was also essentially the narrator for the Scream series, and the throwbacks he had to Randy Meeks thrilled me no end, I won’t lie. Noah, like Randy, gives us the rules, points out the obvious, and is super entertaining while he is at it.

Okay, Noah Foster screaming is a thing of beauty. Like, really. It rivals Dean Winchester.

He just has a way of saying things, he can get so excited and then it is like this crazy word vomit… another favourite of mine (but I can’t find a gif) is “Oh, holy Manson Family album!”

Friendship goals! Audrey gets taken in for questioning, and what is Noah doing? Printing up some epic shirts!

How finicky on the details he is, no matter how sketchy it might make him look xD

Noah is hilarious – caught in a bad situation, he is going to freak his way out of it, homemade weapons and all.

I will always appreciate how smart Noah is, and how he actually spends time picking at some damaged logic in shows/movies.

I love how Noah can get on a roll and just keep talking, even when he sees he is walking right into a tricky situation. It’s almost like he thinks that somehow, this time he will talk himself out of it. It’s too funny.

His wonderful modesty at times.

Just because it looks fantastic, and suits Noah down to a tee.

His epic monologue about a what a slasher is, well worth the look see!

Rapid Review: The Final Girls (2015)

“Camp Bloodbath is like the granddaddy of all campsite slasher films, okay. Amazing production design, insane music, over-the-top acting. It’s a cult classic!”
– Duncan

SYNOPSIS: A young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom’s most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film’s maniacal killer. – via IMDB

Yes. This. Excellent. I know, I sound like a bumbling, incoherent fool, but that’s because this movie was just that good. Like, seriously. I didn’t have super high hopes for it, though there are fellow bloggers of mine that thoroughly enjoyed it. Why? Because, well, often these horror comedy endeavours just go so wrong. This is not the case here. Within the opening few minutes, I was laughing. There was potential. So, to see where it was all going to go, that was the important bit. Luckily for us, The Final Girls delivers on so many levels. The humour is maintained throughout the film, and while I can not say that this was a horror in any which way, I can acknowledge that it relied heavily on old school horror to use as a setting to tell the story, and fans of horror will love the implementation that was used to portray the movie. It was spans of fun. I mean, there was the über disgusting Kurt, and his obsession with sex and the female anatomy was so nasty. Then, of course, there was the cuckoo Tina. She started as super annoying, and don’t get me wrong, that didn’t necessarily improve, but she did provide a barrel of laughs – especially if you recall her Adderall induced Cherry Pie moment. Taissa Farmiga was very good here, though I expected that. Alexander Ludwig was a solid pick for his role, and I particularly enjoyed him, though I do miss his accent and just plain down intimidation factor from Vikings. Don’t even judge me, monkeys! One thing that I also really liked about The Final Girls is that, no matter how much fun we are having throughout, it very successfully manages to bring some serious heart to the film, and not to the extent where you roll your eyes and wonder why in the world they are pissing something so good away, but you are left exceptionally impressed with the fact that they integrated it so successfully. Anyway, I must admit that The Final Girls is one smart horror comedy, and is fresh and unique, definitely something that horror fans might enjoy on the level of The Cabin In The Woods. The cast was perfect for this, it was shot well, the music was complementary, the jokes were excellent and there was tons of fun to be had all around. The Final Girls is that something different, if you are looking for a change of scenery in the tired horror genre.