Based on a true story of how Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane attempted to put a baseball team together on a small budget. Using computer generated analysis on the players stats bringing in Peter Brand to help with that side.
The road to the Oscars is very much starting with the nominations coming out thick and fast for all of the other awards shows. The Golden Globes is always a popular show and the nominations for the 2012 Golden Globes are as follows. The Golden Globes combine the best of film and television into the one awards show.
I decided that after watching more films and giving my Top 10 – Tragic Love Stories post more thought that a second part of tragic love stories should be done. Mainly because lets face it so many tragic love stories seem to happen on the movie world. I have taken into consideration the comments on what is now Tragic Love Stories: Part 1 – with people letting me know which films they feel have the most tragic love stories in them. I agreed with a lot of them as well, but had already done the first list.
This part contains quite a lot of more recent film love stories and some which were missed from Part 1!
Ok so I have slightly caved and decided to admit for at least this blog post that I am a romantic at heart . . . by making a list of love movie quotes that I would love a man to say to me! But I had decided not to place them in a 1-10 order, as they are all in the list for the same reason of thinking that it would be just lovely for a man to say them to me. Yes some are very cheesy! But I guess I do have to conform at some point for some Valentine’s Day slushiness!!!
“You complete me” (Jerry Maguire, 1996)
Who wouldn’t want a man to inform them that you complete them . . . not something that they are going to tell you ever day. As corny as this is, I still love it!
Well the newest craze hitting the blogosphere has been 10 movie facts about me a meme. Andy from Fandango Groovers so kindly tagged me to post 10 movie facts. Love it! This will all be off the top of my head, so I have no idea which direction it will head in (if any). Big shout out to who originally started this post, we really are feeling the love in the movie blogging world over the past few weeks and I think it really is just brilliant.
1. I am a total geek when it comes to going to the cinema, as I keep the tickets from every film I go to see. This helps when myself and friends argue about the last film we saw in a certain screen (from 1-11 in our local cinema).
2. The first film I ever saw at the cinema was Aladdin which would have made me 4 or 5 (depending on UK release date) and I am pretty sure I went to see it twice.
3. I can remember a hell of a lot of film quotes and find myself telling them to people in certain situations, often to help them feel better.
4. I have hundreds and hundreds of DVDs. Some of which have been watched lots and lots of times (Lord of the Rings, Julia Roberts films . . . ) and some have been watched once (Hope Springs is one I can think of off the top of my head) and about 25 have never been watched and on my must watch list.
5. I am extremely pleased that I suddenly decided to start this blog one day as it has allowed me to meet a lot of interesting people through there blogs, getting involved in blogging events and encouraging me to really think about some films whilst writing reviews and even paying closer attention when watching them. To say the least it has become somewhat a hobby.
6. Every now and then I have an actor of the moment which causes me to dive into their past work, often buying more DVDs. Over the years this has happened with Richard Gere, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and most recently Daniel Craig (thank you Casino Royale !!!).
7. My feel good, never fails to put a smile on my face movie is “The Sound of Music” possibly my most watched film EVER. As I grew up watching it and still love it to this day. I always thought Julie Andrews was the most perfect speaking woman.
8. I have a Cineworld cinema pass which I think is the best 13.50 a month to come out of my bank account! Unlimited cinema for that much a month really is something else. I do my best to go twice a week maybe more if loads of different films are out.
9. As I have probably mentioned before I never read a review before I see the film. The furthest I will go when reading a paper with a review in is looking to see how many stars they gave the review – as this doesn’t often make it very obvious how the film goes. But after I have seen a film and wrote my review, I will then read what other people thought of the film.
10. My friends and family often ask me if I have seen certain films and what I thought of them. It’s not very often I actually tell people a film is bad unless I wanted to turn it off or leave the cinema. I don’t often do that because I find that everyone has different opinions so something I hate they may love and vice versa.
Well there we go 10 random movie facts about me!!!
Being an actor and being attractive at the same time and in some cases being labelled a “pretty boy” can place a lot of extra pressure on the actor. After so long if they are not already showing brilliant acting roles they hit a point when their good looks no longer cut it in the world of film. This could be related to that if they are a young actor their “fan girls” grow up and they are still trying to do the same type of roles, this loses some of their fan base and its either show you can act or the work will dry up and you will slowly be forgotten about. But if they can act and show they can act what a career they will have!
Today’s quote comes from Benjamin Button . . . yes I know I have picked way too many quotes from that film. But this is very nice and possibly very true?
“We’re meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?”
Today’s quote comes from Benjamin Button . . . quite funny that it was a year ago this week that I went out to America where I stayed for 5 and a half months. I felt this way when I came home and still feel it now . . .
“Its funny about coming home, looks the same, smells the same, feels the same, you’ll realize what’s changed is you.”
Every now and then I am going to post a movie scene which I think is brilliant, and you can say if you agree or disagree with my choice.
The first in the series is from “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” when we see how much little decisions and things that happen can have a major impact on events which unfold.
Well my original plan was to have this top 10 done and out on Valentine’s Day mainly because tragic love stories where people don’t end up together seem to be more of a reality than the rom-com’s with the whole cliché of they lived happily ever after the end. I decided to make a long list of possible films which I could have put in my top 10 list.
In the list you will find many different love stories but all a lot shorter than they should have been.
Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, The Bridges of Madison County, Splendor In The Grass, Titanic, Brokeback Mountain, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Romeo & Juliet, City of Angels, Ghost, Love Story, A Walk to Remember, (500) Days of Summer, Phantom of the Opera and The Way We Were.
For quite a few years now I have had problems buying DVDs of films which I have never seen before. These films may have one of my favorite actors in, won a lot of awards (mainly Oscar’s), I had heard a lot about the film or I missed it at the cinema. This is made more difficult when HMV, Asda and play.com all start selling DVDs for £2 or £3.
This morning I decided to have a look and see how many of my DVDs that I have not ever watched . . . just the ones that I have never seen the film either. I have 30 of these DVDs and my plan is to watch them over the next few months. I probably have tried to watch a couple of them before but other than that they are films that I have never got round to seeing.
I have decided that I am not going to buy any more DVDs of the films I have not yet seen until I start watching some of these which are just sitting around. That may encourage me to watch these a little faster.
Here is the 30 long list of films I plan on watching over the next few months . . . or maybe longer I am not going to put a timescale on it but they are now top of my to see list. Why not? I have them ready to watch whenever I want.
The long list of possible nominee’s for this year’s BAFTA awards has been released today. I was not going to blog about this, but as I got further down the long list and to the actor in a leading and supporting role, I was extremely happy to see both Michael Sheen and Timonthy Spall’s names down for their work in “The Damned United” which is a film I enjoyed a lot. So now we just have to hope that they both get into the last 5, who will then be up for the award. It is best of British so *fingers crossed*. Also the best adapted screenplay possibility for it too.
I am also pleased to see Gran Torino on the list too, as it missed the cut off point for last year, if I remember rightly someone didn’t send a copy of the film in time for it to be viewed? Clint Eastwood could indeed be up against himself as Invictus is in the best picture and director list. Interesting . . . I suppose it is rather silly talking about that now.
Have to wait until 21st January to find out the actual nominations.
A Tarantino film about the Nazi’s, yes you just know its going to be blood and guts every now and then. With some random conversations (everyone knows the burger conversation from Pulp Fiction). Tarantino likes to be a bit different and kinda do his own thing.
I have been a fan of Jules aka Julia Roberts, since I can remember. I have just always loved her loads, and still to this day watch her movies over and over, while hoping that she will keep making more movies. Maybe even add more Oscar’s to the one she has as well. That would be fantastic!
To pick this top 10 I based it on how enjoyable the movie is and how much I love Jules character and the acting. So some movies may be missed off because of the enjoyed factor. This is also a difficult list to complete as it quite often changes around.
Films I’ve seen: Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich, Runaway Bride, Hook, Steel Magnolias, Conspiracy Theory, My Best Friends Wedding, Oceans 11, Oceans 12, America’s Sweethearts, Notting Hill, Charlie Wilson’s War, Closer, Mona Lisa Smile, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Mexican, Stepmom, I love Trouble, The Pelican Brief, Dying Young, Something to Talk About
Films yet to see: Mary Reilly, Sleeping with the Enemy, Michael Collins, Everyone Says I Love You, Full Frontal, Duplicity
So here it goes. Yes your probably thinking, its about time. But I have been trying to complete this since like February haha.
10. Body of Lies
Leonardo DiCaprio is really showing the different depths and roles he can take on. While Russell Crowe ate his way through the film, it must have been some type of record as in nearly every scene he was in he was eating something. I think he put so much weight on for the role as well. It was a pretty long film, and to be completely honest I thought it was going to be a bit boring and drag. But I really got into it and enjoyed it. Mark Strong who was in “RocknRolla” really impressed me in this film.
9. Mamma Mia!
It just had to make the list, because while it is my no means the best film ever made or anything like that. It is such a feel good movie its unreal, you cannot help to smile and be happy while watching (and singing along). Meryl Streep shows that she can sing, and Pierce Brosnan shows that he is up for a laugh as he really can’t sing. Everyone in the theatre started to laugh every time he sung. But it was all in good sport for the movie. It just looks as though all the cast had such a fantastic time while making the movie.
8. Flashbacks of a Fool
Probably not a film many people went to see, I think it was on limited release and only stayed on at the cinema I go to for a week. But with being a huge Daniel Craig fan I really wanted to see this film (yes, I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t in it for a big part of the movie) but that was essential to the story. Harry Eden was fantastic playing the younger Joe Scott. In the story explaining why Joe acted the way he did in the present day.
7. Tropic Thunder
I suppose reading what this movie about is rather complicated. A movie about making a movie, that goes wrong when they end up in a real warzone. But some fantastically funny moments with loads of great one liners. Robert Downey Jr becoming black, Tom Cruise in a fat suit as a movie producer dancing was just hilarious.
6. RocknRolla
I really enjoy the movies that Guy Ritchie makes, and this was no exception. Gerard Butler was just great, but Mark Strong really stood out for me. He was just fantastic and I loved the Archie slap, pure brilliance. So funny but so serious all at the same time, love it. It was like Richie’s other movies in terms of the swearing and violence. But also so funny like his other movies, I would say this is his best since Snatch (not as good though – but close). I was a little annoyed with the ending as it suggested sequel straight away. Just concentrate on one movie at a time, haha.
5. Iron Man
Probably the biggest supriseof the year for me, as I hadn’t read much about this or heard any of the hype about it before I went to see it. I love the comic book adaptation movies, so was like ok “Iron Man” will see what its like. Ended up totally loving it. Robert Downey Jr was just again so great as Tony Stark.I loved the whole story of how he became Iron Man and trying out the different suits was so funny. It was a typical early summer blockbuster. You really cannot beat a comic book movie.
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Benjamin Button was born old and getting younger. This causes a problem when he meets the love of his life, but they do eventually meet in the middle and manage to have a few years together when they are physically the same age, although in reality he is only a year or two older than her. A really adorable love story and the chemistry between Brad and Cate was just fantastic. I really loved how much they cared for each other and looked after each other in a backwards way of the ageing process.
3. The Dark Knight
Probably a suprise this isn’t my number 1 but it was such a difficult decision to make. “The Dark Knight” was such a fantastic installment in the new batman series brought to us by Christopher Nolan with Christan Bale in the helm as Batman/Bruce Wayne. With such incredible actors, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman as support to Bale, and the introduction of the Joker portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, it was really just an incredible movie. Heath Ledger brought a whole different edge to the Joker and was so psychotic. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent deserves some praise as well , as he was another major part in the puzzle for the great cast.
2. In Bruges
Biggest surprise package of the year. Not much was really said about this movie at the time of release, which was April time. It was such a refreshing British movie which basically offended everyone it could (with so many different jokes to laugh at). A story of two hitmen hiding out in Bruges, is such an interesting story. As it unfolds why they are there, its rather sad and the emotions are flying. Fantastic screenplay, totally original. Colin Farrell was brilliant as Ray, who was most of the time like a spoilt child.
1. The Wrestler
Brilliant, its just totally unreal. I fell for this film well and truly and I feel for the ram, I felt everything for him and cried with him. Mickey Rourke is truly brilliant and put so much into the role it. I was a fan of this from just watching the trailer as I just knew that I was going to love it from the Bruce Springsteen song played over the trailer. (Which is also on the credits). I firmly think this film is my joint favorite with ‘Million Dollar Baby’. Yes I have a thing for sport, and can understand the need and desire to compete in your chosen sport.
Zac Efron has been named one of the world’s most influential people by a U.S. magazine – and the teen idol is in good company alongside U.S. President Barack Obama, George Clooney, Bono and Oprah Winfrey.
Efron, who shot to fame in Disney’s High School Musical franchise, has made his first entry in Time magazine’s annual list of the planet’s top 100 influential figures.
And Efron’s Me And Orson Welles co-star Claire Danes is adamant the 21 year old is worthy of the honour, comparing him to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Danes, who starred with DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet, tells the magazine: “(Working with Zac) I couldn’t help being reminded of the time I had spent with another gifted idol, Leonardo DiCaprio, about a decade before. I saw the simmering ardour of the teenage masses turn into unbridled hysteria after Titanic was released. But this was even more intense. The difference, I realised, was that Zac is not only an actor but also a musician, a bona fide song-and-dance man. We ladies are defenceless against such a combination.
“But I suppose we all know that Zac is a song-and-dance man. What is less known – and what I had the privilege of learning firsthand – is that he is a performer capable of great subtlety and vulnerability. It seems Zac is not only an entertainer but also an artist. He is going to make us swoon for many years to come.”
Other stars on the list include rapper M.I.A., actors Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks, sports star Tiger Woods as well as actresses Kate Winslet and Tina Fey.
