The Avengers

I have never really been a fan of the Marvel comics but my brother-in-law is and one day while he was watching "The Avengers", I sat with him and watched the last part of it (I think this was some time last year). I did not have any expectations of the movie seeing that I don't have much interest in it. Anyway, I watched the last part of it (the last big battle) and quite enjoyed it. So I became curious of how it got that far and told myself that I would take the opportunity (when it came along) to watch it from the start. And that opportunity came over the weekend...

My boyfriend and I wanted to watch another movie in our "movie marathon weekend" and came across "The Avengers" on Netflix. My boyfriend has not seen it (he is a fan, though) and I was still curious about how it all began, so we decided to watch it. My expectations were now quite a bit higher than the previous time and I was a little disappointed because the first part bored me a bit. But, the antics of Iron Man and the final battle made up for all of that and I consider the movie a good one.
Favorite part of the movie? Where Hulk "plays" with Loki like a spoiled kid throwing a tantrum *great laugh*

If you are into the Marvel comics or like super heroes, I recommend you watch this movie.

Bullet to the head

After sleeping late on Sunday, we got up and decided to watch a movie (it was a "laze about at home" weekend for us). My boyfriend has wanted to watch "Bullet to the head" for quite a while now, so we decided to watch it. At last! We both like Sylvester Stallone (I'm crazy about "Rocky") and it didn't seem to be a very intense movie.

And that it wasn't. I've never heard of the movie before so did not have any expectations. And I was quite impressed: the story is good, it has lots of funny moments and the acting isn't half bad. There is quite a bit of violence in the movie (lots of blood) but not so much as to put one off. And it is not drowned in too much cursing (like lots of movies these days).

Stallone plays Jimmy Bobo, a hitman who, together with his partner, kills an ex corrupt cop. But when his partner gets killed in a bar, he goes on a hunt for the killer (and whoever called the hit). Meanwhile, a detective from Washington (played by Sung Kang) shows up to investigate the murder of the ex cop and find whoever he was blackmailing. Bobo and detective Kwon end up working together in their attempt to find the same person.

"Bullet to the head" is based on a french novel, Du Plomb Dans La Tete, and was released in 2012. It was Stallone's worst opening gross in 32 years and was not well received, it seems. But I do not really agree with the critics. Like I've mentioned, I am a fan of Stallone. He is not the best actor in the world but I appreciate his work. It was fun to see him in something different than "Rocky" but this did kind of feel like a more modern version of "Rambo". If you haven't seen "Bullet to the head" and enjoy action movies, I would recommend you watch this.

The Fugitive

This has been a movie marathon weekend for my boyfriend and I. It started with "Burn after reading" Friday night followed by "The Fugitive" last night (Saturday night). We wanted to watch a movie but couldn't decide what,  so we checked the imdb's list of Top 500 movies and together we decided on "The Fugitive". Both of us have seen it (although not together) and the 2 lead actors are masters in their field.

The movie was released in 1993 and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, two veterans in the movie industry. Ford plays Dr Richard Kimble who is wrongfully accused of murdering his wife. On transit to prison, an accident happens and 2 of the prisoners escape, one of them Dr Kimble. He wants to find the one armed man who really killed his wife but he has a very determined US Marshal (Jones) on his tail...

This is a typical action movie with a good performance from Jones. It does not contain excessive swearing or violence and is good entertainment for a Saturday night.

Burn after reading

My boyfriend and I had bit of a slumber party last night and at about 1am decided to watch a movie. And although he has been a doll regarding "chick flicks", he wasn't up for it again last night. He suggested we watch "Burn after reading". I reluctantly agreed...

My boyfriend said it was an action comedy and I thought it would be something along the lines of "Red". But it wasn't. I found it to be quite creepy and a little bit sick.

Initially it seemed like the movie was made up of a multiple of stories which weren't related to one another at all but slowly but surely they started tying into each other. A long list of bad decisions and lots of selfishness later, two people lost their lives; the only two that seemed to be good and only wanted to help others. How could a demotion at work and the longing to be more desirable have such devastating effects...?

The movies stars John Malkovich, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. It was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and released in 2008. It was nominated for 2 Golden Globe awards and grossed $19.1 million in it's first weekend.

I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone but I guess I do not have the same dark humour as the critics...

Funny Face

Last night, after we watched "Center Stage", I scrolled through a list of dance-type movies and found this one: Funny Face.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have never heard of it because it's a movie from 1957, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. I decided to watch it because for many years I have heard Fred Astaire being hailed as a brilliant dancer but have never seen the evidence to support that. 

The movie is about a shy bookstore clerk (Hepburn) who ends up being a model for a top fashion magazine. Astaire plays a fashion photographer who works with the magazine editor (played by Kay Thompson) and together the 3 of them jet off to Paris for a major fashion event. And it is here, in lovely Paris, that love blossoms... 

It's a pity to say that I did not enjoy the movie very much. Found it to be quite boring and was disappointed that there wasn't more dancing involved. But the scenes that did involve dancing were well choreographed and the movement between Hepburn and Astaire was quite flawless. I was also quite impressed by the performance of Thompson. 

Unless you absolutely love old movies, I would recommend you give this one a skip! And what do I find of Astaire? Still undecided... 

Center Stage

Ah, bliss...! Last night we watched an old favourite of mine again: Center Stage.

I first saw "Center Stage" in 2001/2 with my oldest brother. I love dancing (as do all of my siblings) and although this is based more on ballet (rather than ballroom or latin american dancing), I can still appreciate the artistry and love for music and movement.

"Center stage" is a typical "chick flick" with your typical "girl next door" who becomes the star after heartache and disappointments pushes her to work even harder at her goals. And ofcourse, romance is inevitable...

My absolute favourite song from the movie is "The way you make me feel" from Michael Jackson. It's high energy with a great beat. Always gets my feet tapping!

So, if you are into dance and love a happy ending, I would suggest you watch this!

Jerry Maguire

Last night my boyfriend got home somewhat earlier than expected and we went out to get Burger King. Afterwards, we came home to watch a movie: Jerry Maguire. I have seen "Jerry Maguire" many times before and actually consider it one of my favourites. I love sports and there was a time in my life that I wanted to do what "Jerry" does, I wanted to be a sports agent.

Anyway, obviously the romance part appeals to me as a female but there is also a great lesson to be learned about being loyal towards others. I take loyalty very serious in my life: loyalty towards family, friends, my relationship, sports teams and even the schools I attended.

Last night was the first time really that I realised how he pitied himself. Through all the hype and money, he lost sight of who he really was and seemed to forget that he was working with people, not pay cheques. But with the help (and loyalty) of Rod, Dorothy and little Ray, he found his soul again and could set a good foundation to work his way up the ladder again.

Not only does this movie have romance and drama, there is also some comedy hidden in there. And it has some lines that have become pretty legendary: "Show me the moneeeyyy"!!

"Jerry Maguire" was nominated 5 times for Academy Awards and 3 times for Golden Globes. Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire) won 2 awards for best actor and Cuba Gooding Jr (Rod Tidwell) won 3 for best supporting actor.

It is definitely a film worth the watch and I definitely recommend it!