Review: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

“I write a letter when I have a crush so intense I don’t know what else to do.”
– Lara Jean

SYNOPSIS: A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life. – via IMDB

So these movies aren’t typically my cup of tea. However, Natasha is naturally my screener. She knows what I can deal with, and then when it is just too much, so I wait on her to tell me to watch things (like The Duff or Crazy, Stupid, Love), and I have learned to listen to her when she tells me that I should do it.

So this one is just an overload of super sweet, but it is set apart from others thanks to the fantastic leads. Honestly, Noah Centineo oozes incredible amounts charm and is so smooth, and Lana Condor is just too adorable for words, and they have great chemistry. And I do mean great. I just couldn’t get enough of the two of them! One also can’t overlook John Corbett’s performance as her dad, or Janel Parrish and Anna Cathcart as her sisters.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is heart-warming and super cute, but it never really feels like it is too much, which I highly appreciate. The movie also has a good cast that works well together and just gels, and has some really fun banter throughout, so it’s really easy to watch, and is super cute. I enjoyed the humour in this, and I feel that it all came together really well.

I had fun with this one, and it is something I have, in fact, gone back to rewatch, and liked it enough that I was wary of the sequel, but watched it too, and even got a little giddy seeing there is a new one releasing this week. I will, of course, be watching. I might even look into reading these, who knows? Anyway, all I can say is this movie is a goodie, and is light and sweet and easy comfort watching. Definitely worth checking out.

Sporadic Scene: The Vampire Diaries (Season 3×11) – Klaus Heals Caroline

This scene… was beautiful. Unexpected. Up until this point, Klaus had just been a crazy, psychotic killer Original. Heck, he was even the one that sent Tyler out to bite Caroline, so I was really surprised to see him show up on her doorstep, and more than a little wary. Then he sits there and has the sweetest, most touching conversation with Caroline and I was amazed. What a beautiful side. He owed her nothing, and there was nothing here to indicate it was a romance, it was just a selfless moment where Klaus shared something, inspired something in Caroline – he stood to gain nothing, and yet he still did it. I didn’t trust the turn in character one iota initially, but it was the first time we got a look at something genuine within Klaus, and it really is stunning. It turned me into a fan. I liked him well enough before, but he was never really a layered character, and this single scene changed my entire opinion of him. From here on out he just grows. Well played, writers, well played.

January Blind Spot Review: Say Anything (1989)

“What I really want to do with my life – what I want to do for a living – is I want to be with your daughter. I’m good at it.”
– Lloyd Dobler

SYNOPSIS: A noble underachiever and a beautiful valedictorian fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.- via IMDB

Ah man, this was actually so sweet. I know the iconic image of John Cusack with a boombox, and I know it comes from this, but it was really cool to finally see what this is all about. I really appreciated the fact that Say Anything isn’t overly soppy or drowning under sexual innuendo. Instead it was pretty smart, witty, and had heart.

Obviously one cannot talk about this movie and overlook John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler. He was perfectly cast, and is adorable, lovable, sweet and fun, and I love what he does for Diane. I can totally see him having quite the following. Gosh, they way he was around her, and the way he moved the glass, and… and… there was so much about Lloyd that was awesome. That being said, Diane Court was also a great character. The whole movie pretty much revolves around Lloyd’s love for her, and the drama with her father, and she truly is essential to the story. Also, let’s not forget just how delightful her and Lloyd were together, you root for them every step of the way. It was great just to watch them chill together, to just be, and to see how their relationship develops.

The relationship between Diane and her father was a good one. They were really open and honest with each other, and Diane could share a lot with him. He was sweet, supportive and yes, he was pushy, too, but he meant well. Unfortunately it seems that Diane was more open with her father than the other way around. Jim Court also respected his daughter, and that is something that scores some major points. Man, what a conflicted character. The movie is so eighties, but I really liked that.

The pacing for this is great. Really. Nothing is rushed, nothing dragged, it comes together really well in that sense. Also, you are captivated from the off. It comes across as honest, especially when you watch the interactions between the characters. The film manages to balance the comedy and the drama, so it isn’t forcing for laughs, but it isn’t wallowing in too much seriousness, either.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one. It looked great, it sounded great, Lloyd was a sweetheart, and Skye and Cusack had lovely chemistry together. I can see why this was popular, and I am sure that this is something I will rewatch. It is filled with quick dialogue and heartwarming moments, totally worth a look see if you haven’t checked this out already.

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.

Rapid Review: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

“We don’t really move. I mean, we’d like to, but… my mom is sort of attached to the house. Attached is, I guess, not the right word. She’s pretty much wedged in.”
– Gilbert Grape

SYNOPSIS: Gilbert Grape lives in Endora, a place where nothing much happens. The only times the police get something to do is when Gilbert’s autistic brother Arnie tries to climb up on the watertower nearby. Taking care of Arnie is mostly Gilbert’s task which can be pretty demanding, at least while you are working at the local grocery store. Then one day Becky and her grandmother pass through Endora getting trouble with the car. Gilbert falls in love with Becky, but gets problems when he tries to find time for his own private life. – via IMDB

I am sure most people have seen this, and if not, that is certainly something that needs to be changed! There is a lot to like about this movie, even after so many years. For one, DiCaprio. Of course I was going to start there, you all know I head up the DiCaprio club around here hahaha. No matter how young or how old, or how complex the role, DiCaprio never ceases to amaze me. His portrayal of Arnie was heartwrenching and heartwarming both at once, and his character was adorable. He really shines here, stands out, and is so totally believable every step of the way. Johnny Depp is not to be forgotten, playing Gilbert Grape, back when he still used to take on diverse roles. I was a fan of Gilbert, he was a complex and layered character, someone I could identify with and root for. The relationship between Arnie and Gilbert is beautiful, and DiCaprio and Depp give it so much power, too. The movie is a slow burn and a heavy drama, so don’t think you are going to sit down, get ninety minutes of simple film, and move on. The story tells us about Gilbert, the obstacles in his life, the people he is surrounded by, his friendships and his family, the burden he bears, and the responsibilities he perceives. Watching his struggles is quite an ordeal, and you admire Gilbert for holding things together for so long. I think he and Becky were a great fit for each other. The humour is very entertaining in here, and at the same time it can get so damn depressing you actually feel it inside (think – bathtub, slaps). The supporting characters all contribute to the story in their own way, too, and help make this film something that lingers after you have seen it. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape gets you thinking on a lot of things in life, and is shot well, the pacing is right, drawing you into a lazy day in Endora, showing us that small town and the life it holds and the people that populate it. I enjoyed this, and would highly recommend this, even after all these years it holds up quite well.

Review: The Rosie Project – Graeme C. Simsion

 

Don Tillman #1

SYNOPSIS: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don’s Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper. – via Goodreads

Abbi recommended this read for me (of course she did), and it was yet another awesome pick. Thanks lady! I had inordinate amounts of fun with this book. Within the first few pages I knew that this was my cup of tea. We are introduced to Don, and he is weird, most likely suffering from Asperger’s. As a psychology student, I delighted in reading about Don, his Standardized Meal Systems, his rituals and lack of social skills, and how he just managed to step on other people’s toes and not mean to. Simsion did a fantastic job with the writing style, which made this read that much more enjoyable and realistic. It is written in a cold, clinical sense. You cannot help but laugh when you see how Don’s reasoning works, what he perceives to be “minor” social mistakes that he makes but are absolutely unacceptable actually, and get sucked into his life story. Don is funny and entertaining, but he is cut off from the norms of society, due largely to the fact that his skills of empathy are completely non-existent. The moment Rosie entered the equation I was grinning. She was so not what Don had set out to find when he conceived of the Wife Project, and was, in actual fact, not even a candidate, but she sure as hell gave him a run for his money, and that was just something else. Their interactions were amusing, and Rosie’s exasperation at time was perfectly executed. Claudia and Gene were more side characters than anything else, but that also gels with the whole story being told from Don’s perspective, and he is pretty absent around and toward other people. Watching him grow and change, question his life and learn new skills was an absolute joy. I had plenty moments where I just laughed out loud, and other times where Don made realisations that were rather sad. Reading this tried to put you in his shoes, and while we still get the social norms, it was also a great way to identify with Don’s struggle. There were flaws with the book (that end got pretty rom-com like but it was fine, and Don changed a lot of things really quickly with minor distress), of course, but nothing so bad as to cripple the experience. Overall I reckon it is an excellent read that is engaging and zips by, I would highly recommend checking out The Rosie Project.

Rapid Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)

“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.”
– Stephen Hawking

SYNOPSIS: A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife. – via IMDB

I have been waiting to see The Theory of Everything for a while, I really have, but we get things late. However, this was something I truly feel was well worth the wait and it was an amazing watch. Eddie Redmayne deserves his Oscar, no doubt. His portrayal of Stephen Hawking was simply astounding, you cannot deny that he went to great lengths to learn all he could about Hawking as well as the disease, and then realise it. There were times where I could easily mistake him for being the real Hawking in his youth. Redmayne had a demanding presence on screen, and he worked wonderfully with Felicity Jones. She truly held her own alongside him, and they had the most arresting chemistry, too. They played off one another perfectly and I was just taken with them every second they were on screen together. Now, this movie does not really deal with the science and the physics of Hawking so much, which I initially thought would hold the story back. However, instead of doing that, it focuses on Stephen Hawking, the man. We all know about the insanely brilliant physicist and his disease, but we don’t really know too much about Hawking, his life, his family, his struggle. The story is astounding, and it is told here with style and feeling. Obviously the physics and science gets touched on – you simply cannot extricate Hawking from his work, but his marriage is the biggest focus of the movie. I know this bothered a lot of people, but it was just fine for me. Redmayne and Jones give it their everything, and it shows. The pacing is fine, and the length didn’t bother me one iota seeing as it managed to fit everything it needed to into the given time. The supporting cast all did a good job with their material. There are so many scenes here that are just shot so well and so arresting, and the way that colour was used and changed throughout the movie also made it beautiful. I had so much fun with the humour in here, it was sharp and witty and fast and sweet, so definitely makes it worth the watch. It was also painfully adorable to watch Jane and Stephen meeting each other, and watching them grow, the changes and challenges they faced, was absolutely stunning. It is a heavy story to tell, and I know people have flaws with the film, and there are a few things that niggle, but overall it is a wonderfully constructed film with an awesome cast and score to carry it. James Marsh really knew how to handle the material, and gave us a visually stunning and heartfelt love story and a bit of biopic in between it, and I, personally, felt that it worked. I was captivated from the off, and never once did my attention wander or dwindle, it was beautiful and inspiring and crushing all at once, even while it gives in to clichés at times, and even though the end was slightly rushed.

Review: About A Boy (2002)

“It happens, and I wish it didn’t, but that’s life, isn’t it?”
– Marcus

SYNOPSIS: Will, a rich, child-free and irresponsible Londoner in his thirties who, in search of available women, invents an imaginary son and starts attending single parent meetings. As a result of one of his liaisons, he meets Marcus, an odd 12-year-old boy with problems at school. Gradually, Will and Marcus become friends, and as Will teaches Marcus how to be a cool kid, Marcus helps Will to finally grow up. – via IMDB

So a few months back I read Dan’s review of this film, and it got me thinking back on it. There was not a lot that I remembered about it, but then I was like 12 or 13 when I last saw it. I decided that it was time to check this out again, and I am glad that I did. About A Boy is an incredibly depressing film, but also inspiring and hopeful. I got so crushed and angry watching Marcus because kids are cruel, and I was peeved as sin at his mother. It is never the child’s job to look after the parent. However, there were a few things that niggled at me. For instance, it was never explained why Fiona was so depressed, and why she attempted suicide, little things like that. Then again, I was not watching this for Fiona. About A Boy is all about the relationship that forms between Marcus and Will in both of their lowest and most desperate moments. The change that comes over Marcus is astounding now that he just has someone that takes an interest in him. He is such a sweet and adorable young boy. I think that Nicholas Hoult did an amazing job with his character. I don’t know when last I have seen Hugh Grant in a movie, and probably the first time I have watched him in anything as an adult. I don’t think I will ever understand why this man was so popular when I was younger. He sort of slipped off the radar, too. Aside from all that, I really liked what he did with his character in this, and it was lovely to watch him grow, too. Will and Marcus provided beautiful things for one another. There were a few scenes that had me laughing here, and I was particularly amused by the “Watch Yourself” bit at school, that was one thing I always remembered clearly from this. If you have never seen About A Boy, I would recommend you check it out, and if you have, it’s probably not too crazy to consider a rewatch!

Sporadic Scene: Forrest Gump (1994) – I Know What Love Is

Forrest Gump is a fantastic movie in  my eyes, and it is infinitely quotable. It balances of the knife edge of being hilarious as well as being a heavy drama. This is just one of those scenes that was just so heartbreakingly sad, showing us that Forrest was more that just some silly dimwit with extremely good fortune.

If you have a scene that you would like featured, drop me a mail at sporadiczoe@hotmail.com with a picture/gif/video of the scene and an explanation as to why (should you want to include it).

Review: Warm Bodies (2013)

“So much for dreaming. You can’t be whatever you want. All I’ll ever be is a slow, pale, hunched-over, dead-eyed zombie.”
– R

SYNOPSIS: After a highly unusual zombie saves a still-living girl from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world. – via IMDB

I thought R and his way of expressing things was so dry but entertaining.

Some of the best conversational skills of all time, no two ways about it.

His desperate attempts at being human and normal were painful and hilarious.

R and Julie were so sweet, it made me laugh how he was just so out of touch with most normal things, but he really tried.

R and Julie certainly had completely different ideas about what she was doing there.

M always had R’s back, and as a zombie, dropping the “bitches” line? Priceless.

A sentiment I can totally identify with too much sometimes.

A Polaroid camera provided some sweetness and amusement all round.

This was just… yes. I really liked it.

My reaction, decently summed up.

So I finally had to watch this after both Abbi and Natasha insisted that it was fresh, new, and most certainly not Twilight. I decided it was time, and popped it in. What followed was a total surprise to me. While not my favourite zombie movie of all time (and I am with Mr O on the zombie purist thing most of the time, sorry Abbi) – I was willing to suspend all the beliefs I had about zombies to see this. I actually really enjoyed it. It really isn’t Twilight with zombies, so give it a shot if that is what kept you from looking into it. It was shot well and the acting was relatively good. R really made me laugh at times. He was lost, lonely, sad, desperately didn’t want to be what he was, and he was most certainly different from your average zombie. The message he carried across was cool, too, and his humour and outlook was really dry and drab, but it was both amusing and touching. He was very impressive in here, and I think he is an under-appreciated actor, he’s pretty good. There was a lot to like in this one. However, this was one super cutie zombie to come from the zombie apocalypse! The score worked well, too, though it is certainly not my favourite soundtrack of all time. I had a lot of fun with what the movie was saying, and John Malkovich played a real tool, really. Also, Dave Franco went from being such a nice guy to a real idiot, though when you see the history you can understand that, too. Teresa Palmer was good as Julie, she never actually started working on my nerves. She was not a barbie and she was in touch with what was going on around her, yet still she wanted love, life, and freedom. She also had nice chemistry with Nicholas Hoult. I really liked the friendship between R and M, gave me quite a few giggles. Overall, Warm Bodies is sweet, funny, and not a horror, so don’t go in watching that if you are expecting a Dawn of the Dead or Night of the Living Dead. If you watch it with no preconceived notions, and just accept it for what it is, then this will be a great little watch.