22 Jump Street | Movie Review

Why oh WHY are sequels to movies always so awful??? I cannot actually recall one film that busted out a follow up that was better than the first.

On Sunday last week, in my tragically hungover state (my dog died, so I got absolutely trollied at a 60th Hawaiian themed birthday party on Saturday night,) I finally dragged my ass out of bed and headed to the video store. 

I was so excited when I saw that this film was still available because I adored the first one. I liked it because it was just a little bit of everything all rolled into one. Action, comedy, drama and even a sugar-coated slice of romance. 

The film is based on the 1987 TV series called 21 Jump Street and follows two (really shitty) police officers oozing with ''Bro-mance'' who are assigned a case where they have to go undercover in high school. Their mission is to find the supplier of a new drug that's been released and arrest him.

It's the typical duo of an overweight nerd who hated high school the first time round and the muscular, no-brains jock that reveled in it. Together - they are legen-wait for it - dary.  

I laughed SO hard in the first film and gushed about how amazing the second one would be to my bearded fellow, getting him just as eager to give it a watch. 

It's about now that I should probably inform you of my impeccable track-record for choosing the absolute WORST movies. All the time. It's actually not even funny anymore. 

So, after downing two glasses of Southern Comfort and Lime to try and revive me to some form of life - we meandered back to his cozy little cabin where we plopped the movie into his playstation.

We ended up switching it off. We didn't even finish it. 

It was awful. 

Again, the duo are back in action as undercover cops - still chasing narcotics and suppliers. This time they get dunked into college after a student dies from taking another new drug on the scene. Their mission, once again, is to catch the supplier and stop the outbreak of the drug. 

It was beyond lame. 

I actually didn't find one part of this film remotely funny. 

I mean seriously, it was actually cringe-worthy what a flop it was. I think that the success of the first one led the team to try way to hard with the second film. They layered on the jokes, not one of them being any good. It was homophobic and odd - just a very, very strange film that I couldn't endure for more than an hour. 

Look, the cast, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, are great. 

They are both fantastic actors and both of them I really enjoy but the film-makers definitely rode this wave thinking that because of these two actors (flourishing with chemistry on-set together,) the movie would be an instant hit.

Well, it wasn't. 

It felt as though the actors were weighed down on the poor, identical story-line and nauseating attempted humor poured into every scene.

I am usually not one to do reviews on things I didn't really enjoy - whether it be a movie or a book, a place or a product. I prefer to focus solely on the good and recommend great things to you guys - it's one of the things I love most about blogging: being able to share fantastic things with you all and hearing your thoughts and feedback... but, every so often, I feel I need to pre-warn you about certain things that you really shouldn't bother wasting your time with. 

I know it will bite me in the ass one day. Hey, I'm a writer with a book out myself. I know there are going to be awful reviews out about my work one day too. Critics who hate it and make it known. It's never a nice feeling. You pour your heart and soul into something and dedicate your life to it only to have the finished product be ripped to shreds - I do feel awful about doing bad reviews - but you know what? It has to be done. 

Have you seen this film?

If so, what were your thoughts on it? 

Do you share my view - or did you see something else in it? 

Discussion time.... GO:

A Case of You | Movie Review

I know this is cliche, but I kind of love movies based on quirky girls with pixie hair-cuts and a vintage fettish. 

I also adore movies based on writers, considering I am one and all.

I've also never been disappointed by anything starring Evan Rachel Wood - so for me, this movie was a must see. It seemed to be the complete package - and you know what, it didn't disappoint. 

Sam (Justin Long), spends his days writing novels in a local Brooklyn coffee shop and falls for a quirky barista called Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood). 

She doesn't seem to notice him so when all else fails, he reverts to her Facebook page and scopes out all of her interests, transforming himself into what he'd like to believe is her 'Dream Man.' From French cuisine, judo and strumming on a guitar - Sam does everything to win her heart.

When Birdie does fall for Sam's ploy, he must now keep up the tiring façade to keep her. 

The situation is both drastically sad for him but also fabulous, as he manages to gain inspiration for a new book from his time with her. He writes a memoir of their time together and I for one think that it was really a very special film.

Wood and Long have an undeniable on-set chemistry that is so likable and easy to watch. The concept is great and it focuses on a lot of current society-driven issues. Love, not being good enough, trying to be good enough... you name it - and to top it all off, it's done with the perfect sprinkle of humor.

I wouldn't go as far as to say this movie WOW-ed me silly - but it was good. 

There's also a few appearances of the much love Vince Vaughn who plays Sam's crude and appalling publisher. 

Peter Dinklage (from Game of Thrones) makes a brilliantly creepy role as Birdie's gay co-worker too which had me in fits of laughter.

 Have you seen any good movies lately? 

I'd love some recommendations.

The Impossible | Movie Review

Things that make Jade cry 

(in no specific order)

1. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
2. Weddings (particularly the moment when the groom catches the first sight of his bride).
3. Funerals (the speeches kill me. I've gone to funerals for people that I don't even know (don't worry, I am not a funeral crasher!) and I've always been led to tears during the speeches about the deceased!) 
4. When the wine runs out.

I am not a crier. As you can see from the above list, very few things makes the waterworks flow for me, but I'm terribly bad at watching anything to do with devastation. I also appear to be really bad at watching anything incredibly happy! (Although they would be tears of happiness rolling down my cheeks - I still get teased and laughed at for it!)

In 2004, a tsunami swept through South East Asia. The devastating news made international headlines. Many were killed, thousands left homeless. Many lost their loved ones and the lives that the Thai had built up was completely destroyed. 

The Impossible is a harrowing tale based on an incredible true story of a family of five who were in Thailand on the 26th December 2004, when the tsunami hit. It is a film about the families strength, belief and stubbornness to not only survive the disaster but to also find each other again - fighting the odds and keeping hope and faith.

When the tsunami came, the family was ripped apart and had no idea if they had survived the tragic event. 

Naomi Watts (mum,) seemed to have suffered the worst of the injuries but quickly spots her son amidst the chaos. She lets go of the palm tree that she had clung herself onto and got swept into the vicious water after her eldest son. The two finally manage to grab hold of each other as the are flung around in the water. They cling onto each other for dear life as to not be separated. 

The tsunami took Ewan McGregor (dad) and the two younger boys on another course but, miraculously, they also manage to stick together. 

This spine-chilling film follows both mum and dad as they fight for their families lives while they go on a journey to find each other again with no way of contacting each other to find out if they had even survived the traumatic day.

Naomi Watts gave an absolutely breathtaking performance. In fact, all of the acting was jaw-dropping. Ewan Mcgregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast were equally as compelling and hoisted this film up to reach the highest of highs.

The scenes were beyond gory and graphic - making it literally impossible for even the manliest of men not to shiver. If you've got a weak stomach for blood and wounds, I wouldn't suggest that you watch this film but it really is so worth it. At times I did have to close my eyes and look away if I wasn't already wiping the tears from my eyes with my blanket or cringing from the gore. 

This film just took my blew me away and does such a good job of reminding us of the ghastly events that took place on the 26th December 2004. 

About Time | Movie Review

 

As a hopeless romantic, perhaps I am biased towards enjoying films directed by the man that also did Love Actually and Notting Hill, ie: Richard Curtis.

When I rented this from my local DVD store, I did so for two reasons. The first being that I was in the mood for a mindless rom-com. I was spending the night in by myself and therefore intended on doing so in real stereotypical 'Girl's Night In' style. The second reason was that I believe any movie starring Rachel McAdams is bound to be good.

I know that you should never judge something from its cover - but I did. From the look of the cover it seemed just like the sort of film I fancied watching that night. I didn't even bother reading the back of the box.

I was so pleasantly surprised by not only the witty and dry British humor - particularly from the effortless and brilliant Bill Nighy, but also by the storyline!

Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson), learns that from the age of 21, all of the men in his family develop the ability to time travel. There are rules to this though, such as they cannot go forward in time - only backwards. They can revisit their past memories by entering a quiet and dark space such as a closet and clenching their fists tightly.

His whole life, Tim's main goal has been to find love. So when he meets the women of his dreams, quirky and  indie-looking Mary (Rachel McAdams) in a Dating in the Dark restaurant he is thrilled. Little does he know that when he travels back in time in order to help out a friend of his it catastrophically ends in him un-meeting her. Now he has to remember as much as he can from their date in the dark to piece together the pieces of her life and discover how he can meet her again.

Inevitably, he does manage to meet her again after a few incredibly cringe worthy situations he gets himself into. Luckily he is able to go back in time and tweak each moment to perfection which wins her heart and they fall in love. 

This is a wonderfully unique romance with the intriguing addition of sci-fi blended in. 

The most beautiful message is brought to the surface nearing the end of the film as Tim learns to live each day to the fullest - to see and appreciate the smallest intricacies that life has to offer and to never take a single moment for granted.

I truly adored this film and the concept behind it.

Trance - Movie Review

I leave out no enthusiasm when I say that Trance is by far one of the best films that I have ever seen. It is one of those films that you really need to pay attention to right from the start – yet even if you do you are ensured to get wonderfully and hopelessly lost.

The film opens with Simon (James McAvoy), hosting a fine art auction. McAvoy opens with a gripping voiceover, explaining the procedure of what to do should a robbery take place with the million pound artworks that he deals with.
Of course, a robbery pursues that night; a robbery controlled by gang-leader Franck (Vincent Cassel). What you don’t realize right off the bat is that Simon turns out to be the inside man in the heist. 

Simon suffers a severe blow to the head during the robbery as he tries to juggle the act of ‘protecting’ the artwork while at the same time, stealing it. The blow to his head causes a bad bout of memory loss which only infuriates Franck as the whereabouts of said painting is now unbeknown to all.

Franck is convinced that Simon is lying when he says he cannot remember where he stashed the painting and so Franck and the gang try to torture the truth out of him. When this doesn’t work, they then decide to send him to a hypnotherapist.

Simon is given a few choices of hypnotherapists but finds himself particularly drawn to a woman by the name of Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson). Little does Simon know that choosing Elizabeth as his hypnotherapist was no coincidence at all and will inevitably open up a whole new can of worms. 

This is such a mesmerizing, psychological film to try and dissect and understand because you have absolutely no grasp on what is reality and what is not. You are also strangely puzzled by who is the hero and who is the villain in the movie – even once it is over. That alone is something that makes this film such a unique gem and so enjoyable to watch.
The second you feel like you finally understand what is going on yet another twist is added into the equation, leaving you speechless, confused and biting right down to your nail bed in anticipation.

It is a mind-teasing, sexy crime-thriller that you find new understandings with each time you watch it.

When I finished director, Danny Boyle’s, latest film I literally wanted to re-watch it all over again right then and there.