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Filmsi - A not so serious look at films and film reviews

Anything film =D

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Filmsi - July 2011

The Ides of March - Trailer

New political drama with Clooney, Ryan Gosling, and Paul Giamatti. There are a lot of big names in this one. So should be exciting. Not even sure what exactly is going on and the trailer is a bit sketchy but I guess they don't want to give too much away. And it said it was directed by George Clooney which I was like what did I read it wrong but it actually said it so it should be interesting. It said Academy Award Nominated Director George Clooney - I was like what?? When did he get nominated for directing but hey clearly my knowledge Clooney is a bit sketchy.

It's coming out according to the trailer this fall so for us Aussies most likely Spring - near future.

Here's the link to the trailer Movie Trailer

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July 31st 2011 @ 13:39

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, 2009

Hey all hope everything is going well. Today I will be reviewing the film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus directed by Terry Gilliam staring Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield and Lily Cole. But other famous faces include Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.

I wanted to tell you what the story of this movie was but as I was about to write I had to think - how can I really explain something that I don't quite understand. I don't want to tell you the whole story because well that would ruin it. So here is the best I can conjure up. This is a tale of many tales about good and evil and most importantly a man's ability to play out one's desires. Doctor Parnassus is a strange old man with powers and abilities that cannot be believed without witnessing it yourself. Experience a land or place where your desires and dreams can be shown and lived. Where your imagination can run wild into the wind, where anything can be achieved. Wouldn't that be a wonderful place? But of course nothing is ever that rosy. Doctor Parnassus has a secret, a terrifying secret, a secret that if you knew you may reconsider ever entering his imaginarium. Doctor Parnassus has made a deal with the Devil, a life of immortality for the life of his first born child. But of course the Devil is a tricky fella could Doctor Parnassus free his daughter from the Devil? Could a mysterious stranger be the answer to his woes or bring him more misfortune.

Okay I hope that little tease was enough to tantalize your innate curiosity. Now to the business end of this review. Well visually this was an amazing film to watch where beautiful scenes are created. And the concept of the world created by Gilliam with the devil and Doctor Parnassus was intriguing and delight to watch. It was like when you were a child and you were being told about the old folk stories. It played on those old folk stories about good and evil and about how evil can trick mortals into questionable situations. It was great in that sense but the delivery was not as smooth as I would have liked it. As I mentioned earlier I wasn't quite sure if I had even understood the movie in the first place. The concept of the imaginarium or what it was actually was revealed really slowly and since it was never truly explained what it actually does remains a mystery to me. I understand some of it but there are still aspects that are cloudy. I understand Gilliam is trying to make a world of mystery but I feel at little cheated as I never quite understood what the purpose of imaginarium or why Doctor Parnassus needed to keeping doing the shows. Thus much of the movie was confusing and the story was disjointed and didn't make much sense. But it was so pretty to watch and the characters were so engaging and for most the time you're hooked because you're waiting for some explanation or really wondering where is this movie going. It's incredibly intriguing and engaging as a result. Brilliant cast with Heath Ledger as the mysterious stranger Tony, Plummer as Doctor Parnassus and Tom Waits as Mr. Nick/devil. Ledger is great in this as he is in everything but I guess I'm bias but I think his character of Tony was so well created - was he good or was he bad? I can't really tell but I guess that's part of the fun. The clear hero is the sweet love-sick Anton (Garfield) another member of Dr. Parnassus's show. Garfield is adorable in this movie but he is really always adorable thus really not much of a stretch. And fantastic performances from Ledger's famous friends (Depp, Law and Farrell) essentially if weren't for them we would not have seen the final product.

So the final words on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is that it’s so pretty and engaging that you nearly forget its shortcomings. But I like I said nearly, it is still quite confusing and a little disjointed and there will be no doubts a whole lot of huhs and whats during the screening. But don't dismiss it for if fantasy is your thing this is definitely something that should be watched. If not watch it because of Ledger as this was officially his last film.

Lastly I just wanted to make a quick announcement I suppose, I’m going to be a little busy in the next month thus my reviewing and updating will probably decrease. I know this isn’t that crazy I do seem to disappear all the time. But please be patient I will return and thank you again for reading or even caring to take a peek at my blog. Much appreciated I shall be back soon.

Adieu and much love,
Samira =D

I totally forgot to give it a rating I'm giving it a 7.7/10

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July 29th 2011 @ 14:30

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009

The Men Who Stare at Goats can be summed up as a weird and thoroughly hilarious satire about US military and conspiracy theorists.

The Men Who Stare At Goat is about a man named Bob (Ewan McGregor) who was recently dumped by his wife for his editor. Bob wanting to prove to his wife that he is better than his editor he decides to go to Iraq to possibly get a report on life as a soldier. As a small town journalist Bob is not having much luck until he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), Lyn is a former secret soldier of the US army who was part of the new wave of special forces. Under the mentor of Bill (Jeff Bridges) a Vietnam veteran, Lyn and other "special" officers trained and develop the mind skills or better known as the Jedi Mind Skills. Bob completely intrigued with Lyn he follows Lyn across the desert for his secret mission.

Clooney Vs. Spacey

This film was a strange little gem. For most of the time you are wondering why a reasonable man like Bob would be follow a crazy like Lyn. But despite the obvious problems with Lyn's reasoning and his stories a part of you are wondering if maybe he is telling the truth. The movie is like one big adventure and you are drawn in by the amusement and curiosity of where this movie is going. Although the ending is a slight disappointment but like the cliche says it's not about the destination its about the journey. The Men Who Stare at Goats is different to anything I have seen and that's what makes it pretty awesome. But admittedly there isn't much of a story or traditional linear story to follow. It goes between flashbacks and present time all being narrated by Bob. I guess the part I enjoyed so much was that it sounded so crazy that it could be true. I loved the characters in this movie it was just a bunch of weirdos but they were all amusing and likable even the evil characters. Again with a fantastic cast with Clooney, McGregor, Bridges and Spacey - you really can't go wrong.

Jedi Warriors

It's a shame this movie wasn't that much of hit, but I don't think it appealed to the audiences and critics as much it to me. I thought the humour was different but exciting. But I understand if it's not everyone's cup of tea. I gave this movie 7.9/10.

There's the link to the trailer (link). Although I think it shows a little too much.

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July 25th 2011 @ 03:26

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallow Part 2, 2011(w/ flashback)

The Magical Trio

Hey everyone OMG it finally ends. I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as it concludes ten years of entertainment for all. For me personally if felt like ending of my childhood as I grew up with the characters and with the actors who played them. Finally putting to rest the series that filled half my life with joy and pleasure. So to me watching the final movie ever was incredibly sad and went into the movie theatre with excitement and a heavy heart. But came out feeling satisfied and full of nostalgia.

The unlikely hero

In Harry Potter 7 we see the great and final battle between Harry and Voldemort with the death and destruction of Hogwarts and some of the students whom inhabit it. As the Death Eaters and Voldemort descends on Hogwarts Harry, Ron and Hermione search for the remaining Horcrux in hopes to destroy it. The film is mostly based on this premise and although there is much that is revealed and the story finally unfolds and hopefully you can see the connections.

He Who Must Not Be Named

It's always hard to review a movie and question whether or not the plot makes sense when you have read the books and you basically already know the story so even if there are plot holes in the movie you wouldn't see it because you have read the book. This is probably my biggest dilemma. I loved this movie but I think for me it holds such an emotional and sentimental value that even it was completely muddled and silly I would still love it. Because it was Harry Potter but trying my best to be objective this movie still remains to be fantastic. I mean the excitement and the suspense was brilliant and the action was excellent to watch. The sense that this was really the final was quite evident. Everything seemed to work in this film - the performances were good, the emotional connection was there and of course the brilliant story was there to pull it all together. 9/10.

I heart Draco. And I don't know why they are holding hands

I think back all those years ago when I first watched a Harry Potter movie, not having read the books and only heard of them from hearsay I had not realised then how much it would be part of my life and how much I would grow so fond of it. And immediately after my first encounter with the world of Harry Potter I was obsessed, hoodwinked and completely fallen in love with such wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardry. And I was not alone in this state of Harry Potter induced euphoria as millions and millions of people around the world were equally crazed as much as I was about the boy wizard. My friends and I wanted to be part of the world beyond the movies and beyond the books to get to know everything that could be known. We didn't just read the books and watch the movies repeatedly we engaged in discussions and reflections about the world of Harry Potter. And to see it finish was like saying good bye to an old friend and even though we all knew this day would come but it didn't make it easy. When the last book came out in 2007 I was equally saddened because I could no longer wait for another adventure with Harry and mates but when the final movie was released to me it solidified the end. It was done and forever finished. I only take comfort in the fact Harry and friends will always stay me through the books and movies. And I think about the fact that all this would not have happened without the imagination and hard work of J.K. Rowling, so really here’s to you Ms. Rowling.

The Army

P.S. I know that was really sad and sappy I guess I'm a sad and sappy kind of person. So sorry about how emotional this post was. I promise to be my indifferent emotional self next time.

Much Love,
Samira =D

And here are some FLASH BACKS!! Enjoy!!
Now

Then

Now

Then

OMG so cute

Now

Then

OMG so cute

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July 18th 2011 @ 13:30

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon, 2011

So here we are again another Transformer movie to hate or love. I can't quit you transformers, as much as I try. It's like watching a bad soap opera, you know it’s bad but you can't stop.

Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is back but this time he is a recently graduated university student who does not have a job and feeling a little inadequate as he is now living with his girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-whatever) who basically supports him. Being an egoistic man he is all insecure because he is basically a very small fish is a very large pond. So he whinges for the first minutes of the movie about feeling like he "doesn't matter". Welcome to the real world, kid. Instead of being positive and thinking that he has so many opportunities out there he could explore he just whinges. But eventually he does get employment. But let's face it this movie isn't really about Sam and it’s really about blowing shit up. Let's be honest here. In the movie, we the audience are to believe that the moon landing in the 60's was really a way the US government to investigate suspicious activity on the Moon. After finding some sort of spacecraft and they decide to collect the evidence. They close down the moon mission (which we find out why and how later in the film) and that was the end. Or at least it was until present time when Opitmus Prime finds an item from his home planet and outraged that the humans have been holding out on him. Discovering this, the Autobots return to recover the former leader of the Autobots on the moon and revive him on the earth. But all is not well, there are suspicious activities as former officers and people involved with the space mission are dying off one and a time.

Naturally the Decepticons have returned and just as you thought Megatron was finally dead he somehow is alive again. And the next 1 and half hours is blowing shit up.

What can I say about Transformers that haven't been said before? It's a Michael Bay movie thus there is some requirement to BLOW SHIT UP. Visually a treat to watch because watching shit blow up is pretty entertaining and profitable. Regardless of bad screenplay, terrible actors and a questionable plot this is a bankable franchise and thus will probably not ending any time soon. But that being said this movie was much better than the 2nd movie, which should probably be forgotten. Transformers 3 do have its redeeming features; for one thing it wasn't trying too hard to have a complicated story per se. Yes there were some major plot holes like why wait 50 years for this to happen and this seems really inconsistent with the previous movies. And there were a couple scenes that do not make sense. And quite frankly the last battle was a little confusing but you get the jest of it; so you just go with it. Remember BLOW SHIT UP.

Let's blow shit up!

Other redeeming features are probably the characters of Bruce (John Malkovich) who was hilarious and Jerry Wang (Ken Jeong, Community) who was equally hilarious. But unfortunately the likelihood of Jerry coming back is really small as they did kill him off but let's hope they bring Bruce back. But despite these wonderful additions they still remain only minor characters in the background to the major characters. And the major characters are extremely disappointing. The character of Dylan (Patrick Dempsey) was just stupid and illogical and the only real purpose he served was to make Sam feel insecure more so. LaBeouf who usually carries these films is annoying and whinging in this film and although he remains the centre of the movie Sam's relevance is diminishing. Colonel Lennox (Josh Duhamel) much like the previous movies is underdeveloped while we see the return of Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson) who is really a walking stereotype and is a bit of an insult to black people. Then we come of course to Carly (Huntington-Whiteley, hot chick- to put bums in seats/replacement of Megan Fox), I would like to say she has big shoes to fill but I would be just taking the piss. Carly is very different to Mikaela (Megan Fox) but still lacks any real emotional connection or substance to her character. I don't know whether it's Huntington-Whatever’s a poor acting ability or the way her character was written, it's hard to say. Probably a combination of both.

So final conclusion- would I consider T3 a success? Well not quite however I would not call it a bomb either. It lacks the better characters and more emotional connection than the first film however it is not as predictable as T1. Furthermore has a more coherent plot than T2 despite the holes and confusing scenes but T1 is still remains the best so far in the franchise. Much of the entertainment comes from BLOWING SHIT UP and thus I did enjoy it and will give it 6.7/10.

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July 12th 2011 @ 04:59

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 2005

Today's review is a classic cult hit or I believe so for many sci-fi fans out there. When I heard about this movie all those years ago I totally wasn't interested and for some reason I came across it again and I was like I probably should check it out.

[ Click here to read more ]

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July 6th 2011 @ 13:28

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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X-Men: First Class, 2011

Hey all this is going to be a short review because it's one of the big hit movies that's out now and probably one that many have seen already. So basically doing my job for me really but of course since Transformers came out this week it has caused a lot of waves in the movie world with a lot of buzz and publicity; both good and bad. So slightly over shadowing the some of the other hits in the cinema out now including the X-Men: First Class

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July 5th 2011 @ 13:34

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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Capitalism: A Love Story, 2009

Hey all like I mentioned in the earlier post I'm in the mode for documentaries. So today's review is Capitalism: A Love Story. As many of you will know this is a Michael Moore film thus it will be my favourite type of left-wing anti-American type of film.

So what is Capitalism: A Love Story about I hear you ask? I say maybe you should listen to the news or possibly take a class in economics because it's pretty complicated. So credit for Moore to dumb it down for us simpletons. The film is really examines the pitfalls of living in a country or system that is purely based on free enterprise and idealistically thinking that everything is sweet when it may not be. As the GFC hit the world and CEO's went running in the streets begging poor people to pay for their lavish lifestyles and thus everyone else to freak out and went running and screaming into the streets. For many people in America this would have been a reasonable reaction and I don't mean the uber rich. Although it was horribly dark times for many, the GFC couldn't have just happened? There must've been signs? There has to be some sort of explanation as to why no one saw it coming or chose to ignore that it was coming. And this film explores the pitfalls of being a capitalist country

[ Click here to read more ]

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July 4th 2011 @ 04:54

Posted By: Samira - Category: No Category

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February 2012

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January 2012

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December 2011

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