Popcorn at the Movies
In the last month or so of my cinema visits I have found myself getting popcorn quite a lot, something I seem to go through phases with when going to the cinema. This got me thinking after seeing Iron Man 3 for the second time this week that some films are very good when eating popcorn, Iron Man 3 is one of those films because it is a noisy film and you can get away with making a little bit more noise than usual which is something that happens when your eating popcorn.
Happy 6 Years???
Yesterday when checking my blog I received the above notification wishing me a Happy Anniversary with WordPress! I was very shocked when it said 6 years as I didn’t think that I’d created my account that long ago. I was under the impression that I created me account not long before I launched Let’s Go To The Movies which was in February 2009. I also thought this was the first blog I ran on WordPress so maybe I had the idea in mind a couple of years before eventually going for it with this blog? I am a little confused in all honesty!
While on this matter I did miss posting my Happy 4 Years to Let’s Go To The Movies back in February so thought I’d just talk a little in this blog post. I have managed to review a lot of films recently (mainly from Netflix and the odd cinema release). Something which I had been slacking in at times during last year. I think as a film blogger you sometimes go through phases where you don’t have the time to write reviews or seem to lose your voice a little. I think sometimes certain films are much harder to review than others, I am sure you can all understand what I mean with that!
I have been aware that I haven’t managed to do any lists recently and decided that the way forward is to find as many blogathon’s as possible and really get involved in some posts which require more thought as well as comparing to fellow bloggers. So if you have or know of any Blogathon’s currently taking place or that will be taking place in the future, please let me know! I am hoping this year I will manage to be creative enough to start my own Blogathon!
10 Years On . . . That’s Chicago
Chicago winning Best Picture in 2003 at the Oscars is often regarded as a mistake due to the other films nominated that year. I fell in love with it but then again I am just a little bit of musical geek. So obviously I still love it and have it as one of my all time favorite films. The academy showed its supposed love for musicals that year but Oliver! was the previous Best Picture winner for a musical so it had been a very long time between a musical winning the best picture award. I think it’s quite scary that it is now 10 years on and loved how the cast we involved in the 2013 ceremony. Especially the All That Jazz performance from Catherine Zeta Jones that totally made the whole show for me. It’s a great song one of the best openings to a musical and it also helped show that she still has it after more than 10 years!
2012 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 220,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 4 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!
Why we must search for the Silver Lining!
So two days after I have seen Silver Linings Playbook and it is still on my mind, I actually used the phrase silver lining today after something changed with work and I have to do something else in the morning. But I worked out my silver lining for that, but if I had not just seen this film I probably wouldn’t have used that phrase! So the point of this blog post? Well just to show that films really can have a big impact on your thinking, they can help you get a clear perspective for something and really change your mindset about life.
Lawrence and Cooper
Bon Jovi – Because We Can Tour 2013
An announcement was made today for Bon Jovi’s 2013 tour named “Because We Can” the UK dates. I have been waiting for this since I saw them 2011 in Manchester. But this time I won’t have to travel that far, as they are coming to Sunderland. Back to the North East England for the first time in 12 years! Honestly I couldn’t actually be any more excited. Bon Jovi are my all time favorites! That being the reason that I just had to make this post on my blog. Rule on 13th June 2013, we will all be livin’ on a prayer!
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) Review
The one after Sean Connery . . . It was always going to be difficult for another actor to step into the role George Lazenby attempted to in this film. He is regarded as the worst Bond and only made one film.
007 at the Movies
As we are gearing up to James Bond’s 23rd cinema outing Skyfall at the end of this month, everything is Bond! Last week Adele reached number 1 with the single of the same name for the up and coming film, with a very traditional Bond theme! Daniel Craig is back for his 3rd outing, but Sky Movies have also got involved by having a whole Movie channel devoted to 007. Showing every film, over and over again! Brilliant build up to Skyfall’s release. I am going to attend to review the other 22 Bond films before the release of Skyfall . . . It is going to be a difficult task but I am going to try!!! 007
But who is your favorite Bond?
Official James Bond films
- Dr. No (1962-Sean Connery) – REVIEW
- From Russia With Love (1963-Sean Connery) – REVIEW
- Goldfinger (1964-Sean Connery) - REVIEW
- Thunderball (1965-Sean Connery) - REVIEW
- You Only Live Twice (1967-Sean Connery) - REVIEW
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969-George Lazenby) -REVIEW
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971-Sean Connery) — REVIEW
- Live and Let Die (1973-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- Moonraker (1979-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- For Your Eyes Only (1981-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- Octopussy (1983-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- A View to a Kill (1985-Roger Moore) - REVIEW
- The Living Daylights (1987-Timothy Dalton) - REVIEW
- Licence to Kill (1989-Timothy Dalton) - REVIEW
- GoldenEye (1995-Pierce Brosnan) - REVIEW
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997-Pierce Brosnan) - REVIEW
- The World is Not Enough (1999-Pierce Brosnan) - REVIEW
- Die Another Day (2002-Pierce Brosnan) - REVIEW
- Casino Royale (2006-Daniel Craig) - REVIEW
- Quantum of Solace (2008-Daniel Craig) - REVIEW
- Skyfall (November 2012-Daniel Craig) - REVIEW
Other films
- Never Say Never Again (1983-Sean Connery) - REVIEW
50 Years On and Marilyn Will Never Be Forgotten
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the death of Marilyn Monroe, you wouldn’t think that it had been that long as she is still very much in everyone’s lives. She is constantly referenced in songs and films, a lot of her films are classics and still shown on TV. She was without a doubt one of a kind and I find her fascinating, amazing and incredible. She played the dumb blonde role on so many occasions but was far from that! She was so much more and that is why I love her!
No story is more tragic than the life Marilyn had, it was never easy but she just seemed to get on with it. She was full of controversy even after her death rumours spread which she was not able to deny, I always find that terrible as it seemed as though people would not let her rest in peace. Let’s face it she was just a girl who wanted to be loved and be happy, and who doesn’t want that?
Blood Brothers
Having been to see this musical at the theatre earlier this year, I was very happy to hear the song titled ‘Marilyn Monroe’ as she really played a massive part in describing the story in the show. I hadn’t really heard much of the music before hand but really loved the tribute to Marilyn in the song. Which is reprise three times throughout, with slightly different lyrics but all mean so much.
Nicki Minaj – Marilyn Monroe
An amazing tribute song to such an idol, I really love how they have a few quotes in and address how difficult life must have been for Marilyn. Inspiring us that if she could do it so can we. So even in 2012 the 50th year since her untimely death tributes are being paid in song to the fabulous actress.
My Week with Marilyn (2011) – My Review
The film based on a book and brought to the big screen with Michelle Williams putting in a brilliant performance as Monroe which really was captivating from start to finish. Just showing that she is still very much capable of being the main focus in a film, baring in mind this film is based on the making of another film! Which does not happen very often at all.
Smash (2012) TV Show
Premiered this year, it’s about a production of a Broadway show based on Marilyn’s life. This just shows that Monroe is still well thought about 50 years after her death, just backing up my thoughts on this blog post. The TV series has been a massive hit in the US and I am watching from the UK on Sky Atlantic. Hopefully a lot of people are really appreciating this well thought about TV series which just shows what it’s like behind the scenes on Broadway. One thing is for sure I really want to see this musical about Marilyn, such a shame it is just a TV show.
So even in 2012 which marks the 50th year since Marilyn’s death she is a the main subject of a TV show and in song lyrics and has songs about her. She is still one of the biggest stars, even with her tragic untimely death. I really do think it is such a sad story as all she ever wanted was to be loved and happy. Her legacy will forever live on, as will her very famous quotes about pretty much everything. But it always seemed to go back to love and men. “It’s not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on” – one of my personal favorites. She always seemed to have such a good sense of humour even if people were trying to trap her. Saying the unexpected she really was something else. Another who appeared to be too far ahead of her time and wanting to be equal but will rather old-fashioned values as well.
I still have a few of her films which I have not seen yet and are on my must see lists! I really do want to see everything Marilyn made and enjoy each and every one of her films. The one’s I have seen are just fantastic I am sure I won’t be disappointed in the rest.
RIP forever Marilyn Monroe . . . Norma Jean <3
London 2012: Opening Ceremony
Danny Boyle took on the task of doing the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. A film theme was seen throughout as it celebrated the best of British. Everything from well-known and loved actors, songs, films and athletes were all involved from start to finish.
The ceremony focused on how England has changed and developed over the years, with countryside to start with and then what happened as the industrial revolution hit and brought all the way up to the present day and how social media has now taken over everyday life. It really was just breathtaking and incredible to watch. The appearance from Kenneth Branagh near the start and his small speech from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ was just fantastic, he looked so proud to be there and involved so happy which made it even better to watch.
We were never really sure what was going to happen next and which direction the show was going to head in. We had a brilliant performance from Rowan Atkinson as his very famous character Mr Bean with a Chariots of Fire piece. It really was so funny. Helping to show the sense of humour side to Britain which was talked about as being very important from the off. The vision from Boyle was truly amazing to come up with all of the different things. Mary Poppins defeating Lord Voldemort and J.K Rowling reading an extract from Peter Pan.
My favorite part came when Daniel Craig as James Bond was shown with the Queen and her greeting of “Good Evening Mr Bond” was just incredible. As he then escorted her to the opening in such incredible style, making it look like she jumped out of the helicopter to get there. Showing that The Queen really does have a sense of humour and willing to get involved in an amazing show.
After the unbelievable spectacle that we saw unfold the athletes were to come in and that took so long, tweets at that point were rather amusing and spot on that it was like a Geography lesson when countries we had never heard of kept appearing. I didn’t think I knew that few countries as we started a guessing game at each letter and I don’t think we ever got them all right!
Waiting the arrival of Team GB and as it got closer you could hear the crowd getting more excited as that meant we would eventually find out who was going to light the flame and what it was going to look like! But after Team GB lead by Chris Hoy arrived we did not have long to wait. With David Beckham passing the flame onto Sir Steve Redgrave but that wasn’t it. He carried the flame into the stadium but along with other brilliant Olympians they passed torches and flames onto some promising young athletes which kept in with the theme of inspiring a generation which I found to be an incredible touch to it all. The flame was amazing as well as it all lit up and then formed a huge flame as it all lifted together another breathtaking moment which became even more breathtaking as the incredible fireworks began!
This brought a cue for the ending and what better way that a British anthem . . . Hey Jude was to be sung, which would and should have been incredible but Sir Paul McCartney really seems to be struggling now. If only they had kept the Artic Monkeys around to help him sing it. It really was a brilliant idea for the ending though, as we waited and waited for Hey Jude at the Queen’s Jubilee concert.
Overall though it was a truly incredible opening ceremony, so moving from start to finish and such an amazing way to start the 2012 Olympic Games. Really proud to be British!
Come on Team GB!
25 Today!
That’s right I am 25 years old today and decided on a birthday post of the last 25 years top of the cinema box office for each year! I have seen most of the films and actually seen a lot of them at the cinema as well, Aladdin being the first film I ever went to see at the cinema! So it just shows that I have contributed to the top grossing film at the cinema too, especially with 3 viewings of The Dark Knight!
1987 – Fatal Attraction
1988 – Rain Man
1989 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1990 – Ghost
1991 – Terminator 2: Judgement Day
1992 – Aladdin
1993 – Jurassic Park
1994 – The Lion King
1995 – Die Hard: With A Vengeance
1996 - Independence Day
1997 – Titanic
1998 – Armageddon
1999 – Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menance
2000 – Mission: Impossible II
2001 – Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
2002 – Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003 – Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2004 – Shrek 2
2005 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2006 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
2008 – The Dark Knight
2009 – Avatar
2010 – Toy Story 3
2011 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
2012 – Marvel’s The Avengers (so far)
So . . . Happy Birthday to me!!!
Fifty Shades of Grey Book Review
The first book in the much talked about Fifty Shades trilogy gives us the starting point in the relationship between Ana and the mysterious Christian Grey. This book is intense and very erotic, the way I have heard it described the most though is filthy. I didn’t actually think it was that filthy (I’m not entirely sure what that says about me though). I thought the detail was rather incredible at times, but I felt like I could relate to parts of it for the intensity of feelings towards someone.
Happy 3 Year Anniversary!
It has been 3 years now for Let’s Go To The Movies (well slightly over as the first post I made was 9th February 2009) I had no idea that when I started this blog, actually that was the date of my first post! I registered the blog on January 28, 2009. Now this blog is something that I wish I had started years before that date. As I had seen some very random films and I would have loved to have been able to look back and remember what I thought of them at the time. A reason why I keep going with reviews, especially for films I have seen in the cinema to get my thoughts saved as soon as possible. I try to complete cinema reviews as soon as I return home or the next day. I find it gets harder to review a film the longer you leave it. I have enjoyed creating top 10 lists and making general posts on movies or actors.
I go to the cinema at least twice a week most of the time (depending on how many films are released) due to having a Cineworld Unlimited Card so why not try to review everything that I see on the big screen? But some films do slip through the net!
But I have to admit that if you told me I would keep this blog going for 3 years with not many gaps in posts, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I also find it just brilliant to see that so many fellow bloggers who started in Feb 2009 are still going strong today and posting about 3 years themselves. I still enjoy reading those blogs too!
So we shall now focus on the year ahead and what 2012 has to bring in the year of film!
Why The Artist is a Truly Fantastic Cinema Experience
It’s 2011 . . . it’s in black and white . . . it’s a silent film . . . it’s ‘The Artist’ . . .
A very risky move to make not only a black and white movie but also a silent movie. In the world of current cinema, with the high budgets for action sequences and having the most famous actors in them. All about box office and how popular films are with critics. Then came ‘The Artist’ which would ask the question: Do actions really speak louder than words?
YES
2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 160,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 7 days for that many people to see it.
2012 Challenges
Instead of setting some New Year’s resolutions for the blog or movie watching I have decided to set some 2012 challenges in regards to film watching!
- Try to review each film I see at the cinema – now this wasn’t far off in 2011 but must do better!
- Watch the films I have on DVD that I have never actually seen
- Focus on old films with the year ending in 2 . . . 2002, 1992, 1982 etc
- Form top 10 lists with regards to the above challenge
- Catch up on films I missed in 2011
- Make more use of my LOVEFiLM subscription
- See more than 57 films at the cinema (2011′s total)
What about anyone else, any 2012 challenges?
RIP 9/11
10 years to the day, RIP to all of those who lost their lives in the awful 9/11 attacks in New York. It’s scary to think that it was now 10 years ago, but we will never forget the people lost that day.
Singing in the Car Movie Scenes
One of my favorite things about driving a lot and being alone in the car is singing along to the songs on the radio (or CD). So when I see a character in a film doing exactly that I really do just love it. Mainly because I can relate to it so much! I have spent quite a lot of time on YouTube trying to find clips, which has proven to be quite difficult! Let’s admit it, gone are the days of singing in the shower . . . it’s all about letting go and singing your heart out in the car. I love seeing other drivers do it as well, especially if you realise you both have the same radio station on. Just brilliant! But don’t forget that singing along in a car can be done as duet or you can get a group singing going along! Funny moments can also happen when just one person decides to go for it and sing!
Although a great one and possibly one of the best to start off with. Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire . . . now if you don’t act like this when a song you love comes on the radio, don’t forget the changing radio station to find a good song, then you must be boring whilst driving! Over to Tom . . .
250 Films
Looking back at some of my blog posts I first had the idea of doing a top 25o film list back in 2009, but never actually started with the blog posts. I’ve now decided the format in which it is all going to happen. My top 250 films are going to be more based on the films which I have watched over and over again and have a love for – so that means they might not be the best acting wise or even storyline wise . . . as I am going to go back to some of the films which I used to watch in my childhood. The list might not stay at 250 films, it could end up being longer and having more than that.
I will be doing one film per post, so it’s going to be quite an epic journey. Each post will have a brief plot line about the story, stills from the film, possible video of different scenes and most importantly why I love the film – or what I have always loved about it. If you follow my blog regularly I am sure you will have a pretty good idea which films are going to be in this feature.
I think it is going to be interesting looking back, but these posts aren’t going to end up like a full review of the films – I will keep all of that separate. So be prepared to join Let’s Go To The Movies making a top 250 list of films which I love!
I have noticed a few other film bloggers have done or are doing this type of thing – which has also helped me decided to really go for this now! Wish me luck!
New Header
Something that I have been thinking about doing for a while is making a header containing pictures of some of my favorite films, with my favorite actors and actresses in them. Ranging from classic films to more recent, all of them having something that actually means something to me.
Why Dirty Dancing should not be remade . . .
A lot of speculation and rumours online yesterday about a possible remake for ‘Dirty Dancing’. I am in the please don’t remake it side. I just cannot understand why a film which is still so loved and watched over and over should be remade. Even if you try to update it, it won’t have the same effect at all. You could not get away with the same lines which while some are so cheesy yet some are so brilliant. It would not be the same hearing someone different say them after nearly 25 years of this film. Patrick Swayze’s best known film and why all women (including myself) love him.
No way the ending could be recreated like that, and with that song . . . which everyone just loves to dance and sing along to. A very big hit at party’s and discos, with people trying to recreate the lift! (Yes I have been attempted to be lifted before).
The Hobbit (2012) First Pictures
The first pictures have been released for ‘The Hobbit’ and Martin Freeman in full Bilbo costume! So annoying that we still have a year and a half to wait to see the first film part of ‘The Hobbit’. They are currently filming in New Zealand.
Harry Potter Challenge – Day 8: What do you think would be your fave lesson
Transfiguration
Mainly because I think it would be cool to turn an object into something different. Plus Professor McGonagall whilst strict does seem very cool at the same time. Being Griffindor’s head of house is a big pull towards that lesson too.
Larry Crowne (2011) Pictures
I am starting to get really excited about the release of the film, mainly because as you will probably already know Julia Roberts is my favorite actress! And the trailer for this film seems to have been attached to everything I have been to see at the cinema recently. Making me want to see it even more, lets take a look at some stills from the movie. Tom Hanks looks to be back in good form in this too!
