The Film Buzz

The Film Buzz Official Review

A little late but better than never – I got round to watching this little gem and I was surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite it being a sad film with dark underlying tones, it was strangely uplifting and inspiring at the same time.

With performances by Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton and even Mariah Carey without make-up (she was about 5 shades of scary).

The Plot

Set in 1987, Claireece “Precious” Jones played by Gabourey Sidibe is an obese, illiterate, black 16 year old who lives in Harlem with her dysfunctional family – consisting of her abusive mother and rapist father. Her father raped and impregnated her twice – her first child “Mongo” has Down’s Syndrome and Precious is currently carrying her second child.

When her school finds out that she is pregnant for the second time, she is suspended and referred to an alternative school which would hopefully alter her life direction. Precious finds ways to fight her traumatic experiences every day by imagining she is another person in another world very different to her own – one in which she is loved and appreciated.

Inspired by her new teacher, Ms Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins to learn to read and make friends with her classmates – there she finds a community, one in which she is welcome and loved.

However, the abuse at home doesn’t stop, and her abusive mother reaches a crescendo once Precious’ second child is born and all hell breaks loose…

The Thoughts

A film full of life and love, realistic enough to be gritty but overpowered by compassion to strive for one’s dreams.

Powerful performances by the whole cast, every emotion conveyed was so real and believable and the plot was so cleverly composed in order to shed light on every character’s shortcomings and the reasons behind their actions steering the film clear of “characters abusing each other without apparent reason”.

Overall, it was a beautiful film about abuse, hardship and perseverance and thoroughly touched my heart.

If you just missed Precious in the cinemas, you can catch it on DVD and Blu-ray by March 9, 2010.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: 7/10

UK Cinema Release Date: 29 January 2010

DVD Release Date: 9 March 2010

Director: Lee Daniels

Writer: Geoffrey Fletcher(screenplay), Sapphire(novel)

Links: IMDB, Official Site

Chloe is a very intriguing Drama/Thriller that caught my eye – starring Julianne Moore (Children of Men), Liam Neeson (Taken) and Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer’s Body).

Julianne Moore stars as Catherine alongisde Liam Neeson who plays David as the “perfectly married couple” with a teenage son but when David misses a flight and his surprise birthday party – Catherine starts to suspect that there is more than meets the eye. Her imagination runs wild with thoughts of David cheating on her and she decides to hire an escort to test his loyalty. Catherine employs attractive young Chloe and directs her encounters with David and Chloe reports back exactly what goes down in those encounters. However, as the meetings multiply, descriptions get more graphic and things start to get very out of control…

Directed by Atom Egoyan who previously brought us Where the Truth Lies (2005), you are fore-warned that the sexual scenes are going to be of graphic nature, however fear not, it’s not trashy porn material – we are reassured that the eroticism is tastefully done.

If that doesn’t persuade you to see this erotic thriller – Julianne Moore gives a truly excellent performance whilst Amanda Seyfried is absolutely stunning as the steamy “seductress” – 100 times better than her performance in Jennifer’s Body.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7/10

UK Release Date: March 26th 2010

Director: Atom Egoyan

Writer: Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay), Anne Fontaine

Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes

The Film Buzz Official Review

The Road is yet another apocalyptic tale from the never-ending flow of miserable stories/previews of our world “as we know it” ending. Differing from 2012 and Knowing, The Road is a dark, chilling drama/thriller that is gritty and depressing rather than a colourful, action-packed adventure, and is actually based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy.

The Plot

Fans of the book will be pleased to know that the film plot sticks very closely to the book’s – a nameless father and son are among the last remaining survivors on Earth after an unexplained tragedy and as the pair head south, they encounter many problems including man-eating cannibals. Nice. The plot is minimal and doesn’t overload you with technicalities, rather it examines the relationship between a man and his son, and their struggle for sheer survival.

Starring critically-acclaimed Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings series) as nameless man and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the boy, both of which are nominated for numerous acting awards. The film itself is being vigorously nominated for best cinematography, screenplay etc.

The Thoughts

This film is definitely depressing, dark, bleak and weary. Do not watch if you are already suffering from depression, however mild. Because I found this film extremely depressing and not in an entertaining/worthwhile way. Not that depression should ever be entertaining or worthwhile, but it wasn’t something I felt I needed to go through. I’ll admit the acting was exceptional and the relationship between man and son is touching but that wasn’t enough to hold my interest – particularly as my brain felt like it was going through a strainer the whole time – ouch. The landscapes photography was impressive though, and if anything this film has done a great job in capturing McCarthy’s vision of a cold and bone-chilling Earth.

However miserable it makes you feel, The Road will still leave it’s mark in reminding us what we’re in store for if we abuse Mother Earth any more, like many apocalyptic films preceding it.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: 5/10

UK Release Date: January 8th 2010

Director: John Hillcoat

Writer: Cormac McCarthy(novel), Joe Penhall (adaptation)

Links: IMDB, Official Site, Rotten Tomatoes

Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen, Erin Brockovich), The Informant! is a politically themed comedy about an innocent employee Mark Whitacre, (Matt Damon) who has worked his way up the hierarchy only to be approached one day by the FBI to aid them in spying  on the company he has worked in for so many years.

In the time Mark Whitacre progresses as an informant, he feels the extreme pressure of working for the FBI and his own company at the same time and soon ends up losing more than just his mind.

This comedic take on the book (written by Kurt Eichenwald) is based on true events about the ADM price fixing conspiracy. With the screenplay by Scott Z. Burns, the film stars Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale and Melanie Lynskey.

I immediately had a smile on my face after watching the trailer as there were parts there that I definitely found amusing. It seems as though Matt Damon makes for a very good adaptation, portraying how clumsy the character was at the beginning of being an informant until the end where I could easily see Matt Damon gradually losing his grip on reality.

Matt has also done remarkable works in his past films both in comedy (Ocean’s Eleven) and drama (Good Will Hunting), this role is well suited for him. In fact the role Matt plays in Ocean’s Eleven as an agent from the ‘Nevada Gaming Commission’ to remove Bernie Mac for fraud reminds me a lot of  his role in The Informant! Having said that, it does seem like a very typical film for Steven Soderbergh to direct, it may lack originality or differentiate from his older works with Matt Damon.

I personally think that this comedy goes along the same lines of ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’ so if you like that particular style of comedy then I think you will appreciate and enjoy this film. So based on the fact that this type of comedy may not be for everyone I will give this a Film Buzz Anticipation Rating of…….7 Buzzes!

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7/10

UK Release Date: 20^th November 2009

Director’s: Steven Soderbergh

Writer’s: Scott Z. Burns

Links: IMDB, Official Site, Rotten Tomatoes

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A Serious Man is a drama film dripping with black comedy loosely retelling the Biblical story of Job set in the 1960’s era of America, centring in on an average man and his struggles to find clarity in life.

Larry Gopnik is a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university who has just been informed by his wife that she has fallen in love with one of his pompous colleagues and is leaving him, his jobless nuisance brother is sleeping on his couch, his son has discipline problems and is dabbling with pot and on top of all that his daughter is stealing money from his wallet to save up for a nose job amongst other troubles. As a last resort, Larry decides to seek advice from three different rabbi’s – will they be able to help him cope with life’s difficulties and provide the answers to being a serious man?

Starring the excellent Michael Stuhlbarg (Body of Lies) as Larry Gopnik and appearances by Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Aaron Wolff and Jessica McManus.

The film is written, produced and directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen a.k.a. the Coen brothers who were also the creators of The Big Lebowski (1998), No Country for Old Men (2007) and Burn After Reading (2008).

Deeply compelling, thought-provoking and most importantly very genuine, this film examines ordinary life crisis’s in an extraordinary way. Experience sadness mixed with a perfect blend of humour as Larry Gopnik goes on a journey of realisation and self-discovery intricately captured by the Coen brothers.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 6.5/10

Release Date: 20th November 2009

Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Writer’s: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Links: IMDB, Official Site, Rotten Tomatoes

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All you R-Patz fans rejoice you don’t need to wait until Eclipse to get your next Robert Pattinson fix. Rob will be starring in the drama Remember Me in Spring 2010.

Pattinson plays Tyler a rebellious young man who’s brothers suicide tears his family apart. He then meets Ally (Emilie De Ravin from Lost) who saw her mother killed before her eyes. The two share in their family tragedies and fall for each other, but soon troubles surface when hidden pasts and secrets start to emerge and cracks begin to show in their relationship.

Remember Me Film Poster

It’s nice to see Pattinson staying clear of all the fantasy (Twilight, Harry Potter) and get himself involved in a nice gritty drama, we’ll get to see him do something other than brood over some under age chick for a change. Remember Me also stars the fifth man to play James Bond, Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia) as Pattinson’s father and Chris Cooper (American Beauty) as De Ravin’s father.

This flick will probably be a winner for Summit Entertainment. Kudos on the R-Patz casting to you.  I never would have put De Ravin and Pattionson together but the two do seem to have some chemistry. From the trailer it seems their will be a lot of  ‘my father doesn’t love/understand me‘ which we’ve all seen before, this may just work for most people. I on the other hand wish to stay clear of what looks like a vehicle to keep all the Twilight Saga fans hanging on in there till their next Twilight fix.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 5.5/10

UK Release Date: Spring 2010

Director: Allen Coulter

Writer’s: Will Fetters, Jenny Lumet

Links: IMDB, Official Site

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Bright Star is a Drama Romance film inspired by the biography of the the poet John Keats by Andrew Motion.  Directed by Jane Campion who also wrote the screenplay, this is a beautifully written and directed three year romance between the English poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and girl next door Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) and is set in the early 19th Century.

The couple begin as polar opposites: – Fanny Brawne is an out-spoken high fashion student who thinks writing poetry and literature is a waste of time, and John Keats – a dreamer and a romanticist with words thinks Fanny is a stylish minx. However, as Keats brother falls ill, Brawne is required to take care of him, and Keats warmed to her gracious efforts. Keats agrees to teach Brawne poetry and soon the poetry served as a romantic formula for a intense and spell-binding attraction that only increased in velocity til it became a full on love affair. When family members started to find out, this still didn’t stop the couple as they were hopelessly and fatally absorbed by one another.

“If I do not hear from him, I feel as though I’ve died”.

Together they ride a wave of lustful obsession and romantic addiction, that only deepened as their troubles grew. A great misfortune was charged upon them, with Keats falling ill a year later, leading to the couple’s heart achingly tragic separation.

This epic romance is beautifully depicted by Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, Kerry Fox, Paul Schneider and Thomas Sangster.

Definitely recommended for couples to go and see together, you may find that this film is a breath of fresh air (from all the below-par rom coms of recent months). This film is beautifully directed with poignantly poetic dialogue and a story is resonating in raw, deep and meaningful love.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7.5/10

Clash of the Titans is based on the myth of Perseus (in Greek Mythology, Perseus was a hero who was born as  God but raised as a man and killed legendary monsters). Perseus, with nothing left to lose, decides to take on Hades (Ralph Fiennes) who is trying to take the power from Zeus.

Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 film by the same name that starred Laurence Olivier (Spartacus) and the wonderful Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter). This time around, Sam Worthington (Avatar) takes on the role of Perseus to battle sea monsters – Medusa, the God of the Underworld, and win his love Andromeda. Tantalizing stuff indeed, check out the trailer above.

Clash of the Titans Poster

So what did you think? Pretty awesome looking I think you’ll agree. Worthington is joined by a host of stars for this retelling including Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), Liam Neeson (Taken) and Nicholas Hoult (Skins).

The Film Buzz Antcipation Rating: 7/10

UK Release Date: 26th March 2010

Director: Louis Leterrier

Writer’s: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, Travis Beacham & Beverly Cross (original screenplay)

Links: IMDB

Thirst (Korean title Bakjwi) is a Korean-made horror/drama film written and directed by Park Chan-wook, loosely based on the novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. A Moho Film production, it topped the box office in Korea, has won three awards including the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Thirst is now released here for UK audience to enjoy.

Sang-Hyeon is a self-less priest (played by Kang-ho Song) who cherishes life very much and spends a lot of his free time volunteering at the local hospital. Sang is well-respected by all for his unwavering faith but he secretly suffers from self-doubt and depression, and hoping to make a difference and save lives, he participates in an experiment to find a vaccine for a deadly virus that causes victims to vomit blood and erupt in boils.  However the virus takes over the priest and he nearly dies. By the transfusion of blood, he is saved, however the transfusion contained vampire blood and soon the priest finds his sole reason for living is for the pleasures of flesh and blood. Confused and conflicted between his morals and desires, he also finds himself precariously drawn to his friend’s wife Tae-ju, and she also falls for his new, gaunter and rougher appearance. Will she be able to accept the true nature of Sang when she finds out?

Starring Kang-ho Song as Sang the Priest, Ok-vin Kim as Tae-ju, and also Hae-sook Kim and Ha-kyun Shin.

Thirst Poster

Although it is yet another vampire film to be released this fall (we can only take so many?) and it’s not one to rival with Twilight either, but it has a very interesting plot indeed, a vampire film with jet black comedy and nasty twists and turns. And if anyone can do nasty, Chan-wook Park certainly can. He was the director of Old Boy – 2004 brutal thriller winning 17 awards and 10 nominations all round, and Park  is known for his unique directing style – comical yet horrific, sexy yet disturbing, wrong yet so right. Not only is this film a horror/drama, it’s also a tragic love triangle story and it’s also the first mainstream Korean film to feature full-frontal male nudity – exceedingly daring indeed. With such a fresh, raw take on this genre, it’s bound to make Twilight look like High School Musical.

What do you think of this film/trailer? Will it spark controversy or is it just the kind of twisted horror the vampire genre needs?

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7/10

Release Date: 16 October 2009

Director: Chan-wook Park

Writer’s: Chan-wook Park, Seo-Gyeong Jeong

Links: IMDB, Official Site, Rotten Tomatoes

Set in 1960s suburban England, it is a coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl called Jenny and the changes in her life due to the arrival of a playboy David almost twice her age. She finds herself sucked into an enthralling romance with him, and her previous aspirations to excel at Oxford goes out of the window when she sees the glamorous and stylish lifestyle David leads. Jenny transforms from an intelligent school girl into a sophisticated young lady, but at what are the dangers in not staying true to oneself?

This film is based on an autobiographical memoir written by Lynn Barber and is directed by Lone Scherfig with screenplay by Nick Hornby.

Carey Mulligan who plays young Jenny is fresh new talent, storming her way onto the movie scene – she’s one of the fastest rising young stars of the moment, winning the Best Female Breakthrough Performance at the Hollywood Film Festival.

The rest of the cast is also very strong including Olivia Williams,  Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour.

Already gaining critical acclaim at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival by winning the Audience Choice award and the Cinematography award, this film is about a girl’s journey to womanhood in all it’s complexity and confusion, both passionate and tragic, innocent and seductive and a film teenagers that are on that very same journey can relate to.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7.5/10

Release Date: 30 October 2009

Director: Lone Scherfig

Writer’s: Nick Hornby (screenplay), Lynn Barber (memoir)

Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes