fantastic films for my friends
We finally finished reading the first Harry Potter book with Ella as her bedtime story this week, so Friday was a special movie night treat where she got to watch the movie for the first time. And my treat was to watch her watching it. She had the biggest smile on her face. I think this is going to be on heavy rotation in our house while we start to read the second volume every night…
If you are looking for something different, this is one of the best Anime films to come out in years. Its hand-drawn animation is stunningly beautiful, the main characters don’t feel like caricatures and the story is both funny and moving. This movie really felt like a breath of fresh air, and I can’t recommend it enough. Try and track it down, it is well worth it!
At first, I was going to give this one a pass. And then, I started to hear good things about it. Great thing about it, even. So, I grew curious, and went… Wow, what a treat. This will be my second favourite Star Wars movie, I am sure. Take note, George Lucas. This is how you make a prequel. Oh, and those last few frames were just the perfect ending.
I can’t believe I completely missed this one when it came out, and then never heard about it until a friend pointed it out today. And then I watched it. And I liked it. A lot. A huge lot. With a stellar cast, a wacky premise, but not as silly as it sounds, and a big heart, it just might very well be the best thing I have watched this year so far. Oh, and one more thing, if you want to be surprised, don’t even watch the trailer below, just dive right in, enjoy, and tell me what you think about it afterwards.
An amazing movie from first time director Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko refuses to be easily categorized: Is it Science-Fiction, a glimpse inside a mentally ill teenager’s mind, or a chronicle of suburban malaise? Maybe a bit of everything. In any case, this little cult gem is truly worth watching and will be a great topic of discussion afterwards.
Remember, remember the 5th of November… I guess I am a tad late for this, but that little nursery rhyme was playing in my head today and reminded me that I should write about this movie. You may not care about comic books but Alan Moore who wrote this one (as well as Watchmen and From Hell, amongst others) is very good. With a fantastic plot set in a parallel fascist United Kingdom, great acting from both Natalie Portman and a masked Hugo Weaving, you will be hooked until the final fireworks.
From one of my favourite directors David Fincher comes a beautiful and magical old-fashioned story about a man with a very peculiar problem, a woman, and life bringing them together or keeping them apart. If this sounds like the most banal storyline, the movie is anything but. Served by a great ensemble cast of talented actors, superb special effects, a fantastic short story from F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is truly a masterpiece.
An extraordinary and magical tale from director Guillermo del Toro set against the Spanish civil war backdrop, this is a complex story of innocence and evil, of growing up and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality. I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t come out of this movie profoundly touched. Don’t let the title and synopsis fool you, this is very much an adult movie.