The Book of Life - a refreshing take on animation

TDR RATING 7.5/10

An underestimated animation that came out last year, The Book of Life is beautiful and vibrant. If you have any small children, this is definitely a miserable Sunday afternoon movie that will bring a bit of sunshine back into your living room. It’s got some great re-workings of some chart hits like Mumford and Son’s I Will Wait and Radiohead’s Creep paired with some classic pieces from operas such as Carmen. With Guillermo del Toro taking a seat as a producer on the project and Jorge R. Guttiérrez at the helm as director and writer. The Book of Life has an inspiring artistic style, Guttiérrez has a fantastic eye for imagery with the Day of the Dead influencing the artistry. It’s not just the art that is impressive, the plot wonderfully addresses ideas of life, love, death and the afterlife. It’s a brilliantly refreshing animated movie, maybe that’s why it wasn't so successful on its world wide release in comparison to other films with a similar target audience since it ranks number 59 on IMDb's 2014 profit list. It’s just frustrating that TNMT and Rio 2 were above it on the list. Needless to say The Book of Life still has the star power of Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Diego Luna, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube and of course a cameo by Danny Trejo all absolutely on point, with a few hammy accent moments from Tatum. Guttiérrez and del Toro make a great team in animated movies, I hope they venture out together again soon. 

A movie about amnesia, Before I Go To Sleep isn't so forgettable.

TDR RATING - 6/10

There’s a couple of movies floating around with the theme of Anterograde Amnesia: 50 First Dates, Dory has it in Finding Nemo and Remember Sunday. Before I Go To Sleep takes a new and chilling approach to the predicament. Christine Lucas wakes up every day believing she is in her early 20’s when in fact she is 40. With a story board of photographs to remind her of her life and having to put instant faith into the first person she sees in the morning, her husband Ben (Colin Firth). One particular morning is different when she begins to question her life and the trust she has to place in her husband Ben. Nicole Kidman as Christine Lucas is unsurprisingly brilliant, Christine is vulnerable and overwhelmed by her surroundings. Watching her process the information as quickly as possible is captivating. Now if you are a fan of Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy or any other of his charming yet bumbling British gentlemen roles then you may not want to see this one. Firth is as surprising in Before I Go To Sleep as Robin Williams was in One Hour Photo. May all your previous opinions on him be quashed, Firth is more versatile than I had ever hoped. I found myself hiding behind pillows with the tension. An impressive thriller considering its initial reception. 

Mid Week Girls Night In movie.

 TDR RATING 6/10

Dick: Hi I'm Dick

Rosie: Of Course, you are. 

I just had to use a picture with that terrible wig on Claflin. 

So what! I am a sucker for a chick flick, I can’t help it. With Sam Claflin doing such a wonderful job as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games, who could possible resist that Riot Club boy smile? I sure couldn't. So here is where I confess to having watched Love, Rosie. Oh the Shame! A classic will-they-won’t-they story between Rosie and Alex played by Lily Collins and Sam Claflin respectively.  Mixed with a lot of really bad timing, it’s wonderfully cringe worthy. It’s got some great little slice of life moments which are in my opinion few and far between. Any of these moments then get totally pushed aside by some unsurprising Hollywood-isms. I have a big issue with some of the language used (not bad language, I mean geographically); two supposedly quintessential British teenagers were far too Americanised. This was pre Alex moving to America to study at Harvard; yes of course it was going to be Harvard. 

The cast were great, they were emotive and fun. Lily Collins is enchanting and that isn't just because of those incredible eyebrows! She is really charismatic and excels at the part of Rosie; I can’t help but think that Rosie should have been a more salt of the earth kind of girl. Jaime Winstone provided a wonderful best friend to Rosie, but it stuck to the same archetypes that every chick flick/ teen romance does.  The best friends are what can only be described as bubbly and fun and the women that are projected as the enemy are much taller, much more beautiful, blonde and not quite as nice as the heroine. So you equally envy and dislike them. There are no real surprises in this movie but fun to say the least and most definitely a mid-week girl’s night in movie. 

New Marvel's Avengers:Age of Ultron Trailer is here!

It's two weeks until the premier of the latest instalment of the Avengers saga with it's general release scheduled for the 1st May. Avengers:Age of Ultron marks the end of phase 2 of this particular story line with a cataclysmic destruction of the world. Supposedly Ant-Man, which is to be released on 17th July; will be the end of Marvel's phase 2 and the beginning of phase 3. This is set to be a pretty action packed year, along with the new reworking of Fantastic Four; out 7th August. So I figured I'd put the latest TV Spots/Trailers in one place.

This teaser is a little old now, I expect there will be some new trailers soon. fingers crossed!

Also click Here to see the cast/filmmaker commentary on the latest trailer. It looks a bit more serious than the  It's a bit empty of information but it looks ok, I'm not desperate to see it at the moment, 20th century Fox are trying to Christopher Nolan/Batman it. We'll see whether it works.

Meanwhile on the small screen the Daredevil trailer number 4 was released today (yes charlie cox yes!I am so so excited for this on Netflix! on the 10th April so here are the latest trailers #3 and #4 for your perusal.

I am so excited by this! Deborah Ann Woll, I am so happy you are back on my T.V. screen. 

(I haven't included any info on Arrow/The Flash I need to catch up with that, Thank you marvel for being so wonderful right now, just don't f-up spiderman again pls.)

Amy Winehouse documentary trailer just released!

Here is the Amy Trailer. The long awaited Amy Winehouse Documentary is coming out this year. I get the feeling this is going to be super sad. Tissues at the ready.

If music be the food of love...play on! How Suite Française; a bittersweet war-time romance wooed me.

TDR RATING - 8/10

It feels like every minute there is a movie adaptation of a book. Please don't take that the wrong way, I don’t have anything against this because pictures need source material.  If anything I'm as pro-adaptation as I am genuine originality; How many guises have we seen a re-hashed Shakespeare play.  Suite Française, adds to the plethora of adaptations out there. For me there were reminders the passion of Charlotte Gray (2001) and a hint of grit of 2014’s Fury. The romance is a well-executed story; believable in the time and an honest glimpse of how it was to live as a married woman in war-time France, when marriages were a thing of status. The social impact of a German army descending onto a small French town was depicted with brutal realism and truth.  

Other than the enchanting Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas and new 'hot property' Margot Robbie, there is very little that is Hollywood about this picture. The colour and tone of the picture is stark and grim. The only true glimpse of colour are in the dresses of Lucille Angellier played by Williams, they are very much representational of her emotions. Irène Némirovsky wrote the text during Nazi occupied France; Suite Française it is thought of as a true reflection of the times, the pain is very real.  Though the text was unfinished due to her classification as a person of Jewish faith, despite her conversion to Catholicism; her fate was to die of typhus in Auschwitz in 1942. 

The power of the music is perfect, sublime and yet epic; it’s a tour de force of emotion. A couple brought together through a mutual love of music is a true Romeo and Juliet scenario, I know another Shakespeare reference! I suppose this could be seen as a chick flick, it’s target audience is most definitely women. But that isn’t to say that it doesn’t have a broader range of appeal. It’s just not all gunfire and violence.

I need to give a quick nod to Sam Riley as Benoit Labarie; Berets off to you sir you did a cracking job, what a hero!

Brandon Routh looks SO happy with his A.T.O.M. suit!

Brandon Routh tweeted this still from the next Arrow/The Flash crossover. He looks so so happy! I think THIS was the role you were meant for in your own serial, not Superman. No Biggie. oh Felicity Smoak is a lucky girl!