Ruby Movie Reviews – April 2012

Wow I have been slack-as with my movie reviews. I don’t even know if I should keep them up? I see movies ALL the time but somehow always forget to review them. Worst blogger ever? Probably. Anyway, here’s the last FOUR films I have watched:

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

I will admit I saw this film simply because of the cast. I adore older, English actors and have a little bit of a crush maybe on Bill Nighy. The storyline seemed simple enough, some elderly Poms decide to go to a hotel in India for a retreat where they discover the over-enthusiastic owner (played by Dev Patel, the guy from Slumdog Millionaire) has embellished the advert somewhat and are faced with less than savoury facilities in the hotel. However (most) of them make the most of it and get right into making themselves at home and discovering their surroundings. Two of the characters have trouble aclimatising, one of which is there against her will (to get surgery) while the other is really just a whiney cow who never seems to be happy anywhere, much to her husband’s dismay.

The story is very sweet and definitely not too complex but very enjoyable. The characters are all wonderful and it’s always a pleasure seeing Maggie Smith plating a grumpy old codger. There’s an interesting/sad twist on the development of one character that is also kind of bittersweet. It also delves into the lives of young, modern Indian people who are trying to adapt to the new world while fighting off the predjudices of the old way. The scene with Maggie Smith’s character when she becomes friendly with the “untouchable” servant girl is especially nice.

THE HUNGER GAMES

So apparently I am in the minority of people I know who actually liked this film. In fact, I will go as far as saying I loved it! I decided not to read the books before seeing the film as I am sick of being disappointed by a film because I went and read the book right before it. I am very eager to read the books after seeing this film because I thought it was fabulous. With the exception of the main premise of the film, I want to live in that future! The colours, the fashion, the futuristic-yet-old-fashioned styling ala Blade Runner (but much cleaner and sparklier). It was a total feast for my eyes!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the storyline revolves around Katniss, who volunteers herself to enter the Hunger Games in place of her little sister. Basically, there was some apocalyptic event that destroyed the USA after which there were rebellions from people in the poor areas surrounding the capital city, called “Districts”. To punish the districts for their rebellion there is an annual game called the Hunger Games where two children aged between 12 and 18 are picked to represent the district in a battle to the death. Grim, I know. It’s a big televised event and big bucks for the people who run the show. Katniss and a boy she went to school with are trained up and it’s soon learned that Katniss could possibly win the games due to her cunning at archery and her fiesty attitude.

I don’t understand why people didn’t enjoy this movie. Not just those who’ve read the books either, I got bad reviews from heaps of people. I thought it was shot beautifully and full of suspense and have thought about the film a lot since I walked out of the cinema. If you didn’t like the film and can elaborate beyond “I just hated it”, please explain why!

BATTLESHIP

Ahhh this movie was pretty fun. I didn’t have much in the way of great expectations when I went to see this film, in fact after the abysmal wreck that was Transformers 2, I was kind of expecting it to be high-action rubbish (which isn’t such a bad thing). But it as actually pretty good. It actually could have done being in 3D which I’m guessing it was meant to be in, but maybe we just lucked out in Australia. And that’s a big thing because I think 3D is over-rated and pointless in most of the films I see it used on. Or maybe I am just so used to seeing EVERY ACTION FILM EVER in 3D these days.

The plot is pretty simple, the main character Alex is forced to join the Navy by his big brother Stone (played very handsomely by Alexander Skarsgård) after fucking up his life one too many times. Alex is about to be booted out of the Navy by the father of his fiance because he is a turd who never obeys he rules. But first, RIMCPAC! Which seems to me to just be war games between US naval forces which Japan also joins in on. Meanwhile we discover there are satellites in Hawaii that are beaming out radio signals to a planet in a distant galaxy that has very similar conditns to Earth and therefore probably hosts living creatures. Obviously it does and those damn satellites probably woke them up early on a Sunday morning so they come to Earth and bring their terrifying battleship to fuck shit up with us humans.

Cue epic battle scenes, encounters with very human-like aliens and lots of witty one-liners. Unfortunately Stone doesn’t last long so it’s all up to deadbeat Alex to save the day. Very fun indeed.

THE AVENGERS

I just saw this last night and LOVED it! I am partial to all Marvel comic book adaptations so I knew I’d enjoy it, but had no idea it would be this much fun! Before seeing this, you need to have seen Thor because it’s almost a carry-on of it, and maybe also Captain America for good measure. If you haven’t seen Iron Man or Hulk before then it’s no biggie because they basically explain their parts in the early scenes of this film.

Loki, the angry, disillusioned brother of Thor has decided to come to Earth to bust shit up, partly because he wants power but mostly because he wants revenge on his perfect sibling. He has an army of vicious monsters to help him out but first he needs a fancy cube called the Tesseract which will create a portal for them to come to Earth. Once he has the cube, it’s up to S.H.I.E.L.D. to get Iron Man, Hulk and Captain America to form together to combine their powers and stop him. Thor turns up since it is his brother causing all the fuss and this the team The Avengers is born. They start off hating one another and fighting a lot, which works to Loki’s advantage, but they all manage to pull together and do what superheroes do best – bust the bad guy.

I loved the dynamic of all f the characters. Iron Man and Captain America are polar opposites so they fight a lot. Thor is just his handsome self while I really liked how Hulk was portrayed by Mark Ruffalo. Oh and I was surprisingly impressed with Hawkeye. Looks like archery is going to be the new in-thing thanks to him and Katniss! The action was awesome the final battle scene was nice and long and made the 3D worthwhile (thank god). Definitely one to see, ya’ll!

Ruby Movie Reviews: The Artist

I saw an advanced screening of The Artist today and felt that it deserved its own review as I loved it that much. But just quickly, a little bit of background on my interest in this film. I have been passionate about silent cinema for years now. I was totally obsessed with it in high school and all of my year 12 art was about my favourite silent comedians. It all started when I read a book about Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, and progressed to a massive love affair with silent comedy, in particular Buster Keaton (the guy pictured in my movie review header, as a matter of fact). Ever since then the golden era of Hollywood silent film is one of my favourite eras of cinema. It was a simpler time where so much could be conveyed without the need to resort to lots of talking (though I am also a huge fan of film noir of the 1940s which was the complete opposite of silent film, but I won’t go into that just now). So naturally, when I heard about this film many months ago, I was thrilled and have been counting down the weeks and days until I was finally able to see it.

The Artist is about famous Hollywood actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who is the king of silent cinema. A chance encounter with a female fan, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) propels her into the public eye and due to her peppy (heh) nature and good looks she quickly starts to rise as a new star. Two years pass and as George’s home life starts to deteriorate, he is told by studio boss Al Zimmer (John Goodman) that they will cease production on all silent films and start making talkies. George is repelled by the thought of talking pictures and vows to make his own silent films by directing and staring in his own picture. But unfortunately for George, no one is interested in silent films any more and when his film is released, it is overshadowed by Peppy’s new talkie which is released on the same day. So begins George’s descent into obscurity, mostly because he is too proud to conform. His wife leaves him and within a few years winds up in a tiny apartment with his dog Jack (Uggie) and and alcohol problem. Meanwhile Peppy is the new big thing and the new darling of Hollywood, though she never stops thinking about George who helped her get where she is.

The most important thing you need to know about the film is that it is a silent film. Not just that it doesn’t have spoken dialogue, it is completely filmed in the same style as many silent films from the 1920s. Instead there is a wonderful music track that helps tell the story. The style of acting is even quite similar to how silent films were acted, with some slight exaggeration in order to convey emotions, though not enough to become hammy. They use title cards throughout, but nowhere near as many as you might expect for a modern silent film. There is actually small amount of proper audio, but I won’t elaborate on when they occur of why they’re there because that would give too much away. I know there will be a lot of people who will find this whole concept really bizarre and might not be able to enjoy it at first, which is why I’d suggest people to check out a few silent movies on youtube to get their head around how they work. It’s not all slapstick, fast motion, lingering looks and title cards telling you what was just said, there’s a fine and subtle art to how it all works and I’d hate for anyone to hate this movie because they don’t  get how silent films work.

Can I just say Jean Dujardin is my new movie star crush? Without him this film might not have been all that great. He embodies the silent movie star persona and never have I seen such fantastic acting. The way he can convey emotions without a single word is mind blowing! Plus he looks just like the classic Hollywood actor, clearly based on the likes of Douglas Fairbanks or Gene Kelly. He just… stole my heart! The way he could make the audience laugh and cry without actually saying a thing is no small feat. I don’t know if he is a dancer, but the way he danced in the film was so effortless, like he’d been doing it all his life. Amazing! Of course the other actors were terrific, but basically none of them manner in comparison to Jean.

OK I could gush for hours about how good this film is, but I won’t because I INSIST THAT YOU GO AND SEE IT. I know I recommend you go see a lot of the films I review BUT you can forget all of them right now and go see this film as soon as you possibly can. I want everyone to see what I can honestly say is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. After all, it’s been nominated for 10 Academy Awards and has won dozens of others all over the world. Please do yourself a favour and go see it. Hell, I plan to see it at least another couple of times so hit me up if you want someone to go with. I cannot praise it enough! I kind of feel like that crazy cat girl from youtube who just wants to hug all of the cats in the world, except I want to see every single screening of this movie ever!

Ruby’s Movie Reviews – August 2011

So this is a bit late. What can I say? I’m slack as hell and never gonna change! But that’s part of my charm, right???

COWBOYS & ALIENS
I had been looking forward to this film for some time. I saw the trailer a while ago online and couldn’t wait to finally see it. Daniel Craig as a tough (sexy) cowboy who doesn’t remember who he is, combined with the likes of Harrison Ford AND aliens? It was too good to be true. I took mum to see it as she was just as eager as I was, and it surpassed our expectations! Thankfully it wasn’t in 3D (have I told you just how OVER 3D films I am now?) and instead relied on a great story line and awesome special effects as well as fantastic casting.

The year is 1873 and a man wakes up with no recollection of how he wound up in the middle of nowhere, who he is, nor where the fancy metal cuff got onto his wrist. He quickly learns he is a wanted man and as he’s about to be carted off to be tried for his crimes, the town is attacked by aliens who steal people away, leaving the town devastated. The remaining citizens then go after the aliens to retrieve their loved ones and get rid of the evil aliens. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but I am telling you now, it is fantastic. I also loved how authentic it was, there was no need to glamourise that era of make it trendy by being a bit steampunk (which is something I normally love, but it would have been tacky if done in this particular film).

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
When I first saw the trailer for this I was a little bit sceptical. After all, the remake of Planet of the Apes by Tim Burton was an absolute travesty and he’s a damn good director so I kind of assumed there was no hope. But then the reviews started rolling in and they were all excellent so between that and the fact James Franco is a dreamboat, so I went to see it with neutral feelings, hoping for something amazing but accepting of the fact it might completely blow.

Fortunately, it was EXCELLENT! The CGI as mind-blowing, to the point where you were absolutely certain that most of the apes (particularly the orang-utan’s) were real. The story line was pretty simple but very well told and as hopes, James Franco was his usual charming self and John Lithgow’s did a terrific job as his aging dad who was the catalyst for much of what happens in the film.

I really hope they don’t make a ”sequel”  as the ending explains how the world becomes the Planet of the Apes in the 1968 classic. But based on its success and the way Hollywood can;t leave a good thing alone, I’m sure one will be in production soon.

RED DOG
Now this is a film I never thought I’d see, let alone love. I saw the poster for it back when HP: DH2 was out and I recall slinging off at it and saying “I’d rather die than see that”. This is a definite case of  ”don’t judge a book by its cover” because the poster did not reflect the beauty of the film one bit, and believe me, Red Dog was one of the most wonderful films I’ve seen in years. It’s very, very Aussie but not in an alienating way that only Aussies will get. It was just really authentic without going overboard with the cliche’s or the “zany” Australian style of film making that can make our films hard to market overseas.

Red Dog is the main character and is a kelpie whom the residents of the rural town of Dampier fell in love with in the 1970s. They retell his story to a truck driver who happens to stop by their only pub as Red Dog has been found gravely ill (don’t worry, this is the very first scene so I didn’t just spoil the film horribly for you). They recall his grand adventures which include his wanderings through Western Australia‘s Pilbara region, as well as the many wonderful ways that he impacted their lives.

I really don’t want to go into more detail because I want everyone to go see it and enjoy it for themselves. Ignore the lame movie poster and take some tissues because it gets really bloody sad, more than once. I really hope this film does well because it deserves to be shown all over the world and appreciated by anyone who loves dogs or just enjoys well-made Australia movies. I seriously got a tear in my eye from just reading the synopsis of the film, which means I’m probably going to have to see it again. Oh darn!

 

Ruby’s Movie Reviews – July 2011

So I actually saw more than three films this month, but three of them happened to be the final Harry Potter movie. I’ve decided not to review it as I don’t want to nerd you all into a coma and also I think I need to see it one more time before committing to putting my thought to paper (or keyboard, as the case may be). So count your lucky stars and enjoy the latest trio of film reviews!

BRIDESMAIDS

This is without a doubt, one of the funniest films I have seen in a very long time. Possibly ever. I don’t often laugh until I cry but I absolutely did during this film. Due to its popularity and the fact I have poor time management skills, I wound up being in the front row right to the side, which didn’t even ruin the experience. That is how damn good this movie is.

They say it’s the female version of the Hangover but that’s a bit of a cop put, because in reality it’s actually nothing like the Hangover but then again, if there was going to be a female version of it, this would be about it. I doubt there’s a woman under the age of 70 who wouldn’t identify with at least one of the characters, particularly the lead character Annie. The poor girl is having a shit time at life and now her best friend is buddying up to a stuck up rich bitch who is taking over all of the things she, as maid of honour, is meant to look after. There are some seriously gross parts, but mostly it’s laugh-out-loud funny and also very sweet (not in a sickening, girly-flick kind of way though, thank god). And the temper tantrum scene is just about the best scene in comedy history, I kid you not.

SUPER 8

I had very high expectations for Super 8, and fortunately for me the film exceeded them. I saw a teaser trailer for it months ago and was fascinated, but I managed to avoid as much of the hyper surrounding the film as I could so I wouldn’t know too much about the film to ensure maximum enjoyment when I finally get to see it. I did hear someone describe it as the Goonies meets Jurassic Park, which did spoil the plot a little bit, but not enough to ruin my experience.

Think back to your favourite film from the 80s where a group of young boys have some sort of adventure that sums up your childhood and always makes you happy (and possibly makes you want to go on an adventure on your own ASAP). For me this is Stand By Me or the Lost Boys. Now imagine if that film was made now with a supernatural twist and awesome CGI, but still maintaining that child-like innocence. That would be the best way to describe Super 8. Make sure to watch the end credits too!

TRANSFORMERS 3: DARK OF THE MOON

First off, let me just say that 3D movies are not very impressive these days. For the price you pay for a movie ticket to a 3D film, I expect things to pop out of the screen and look friggen awesome. Sadly, the best you get is the occasional bit of ash coming off the screen and the background looks a little bit further back than the characters. The new Transformers is no exception. There were a few key scenes that would have made for some mind blowing 3D, but sadly they didn’t take advantage of them. I was also disappointed that the trailer looked fucking amazing in 3D but the film was nowhere near is in-your-face spectacular.

But that’s not to say the film was bad. It was actually pretty good and a huge improvement on the 2nd one, much of which can be thanked by the absence of Megan Fox (god I hate her). It was fun, action-packed and featured some kick-arse robot battles. Like the first two films though, the dialogue is kind of… odd. They talk too fast and the story goes all over the place quickly and without being properly explained. It can be a bit disconcerting, particularly when you’re trying to work out which robot is good and what the hell is going on. But  then again, I doubt few people saw this film for the dialogue and story line, so maybe I’m getting a bit carried away by trying to dissect this film too much. It is excessive and loud, but it is fun and robot battles are awesome.

Ruby’s Movie Reviews – May & June 2011

SNOWTOWN

What can I say about this Australian thriller? Aside from the fact I am glad I didn’t have to pay to go? Actually I think that just about sums it up. It was basically the most unpleasant film I’ve probably seen in my entire life. It also felt like the longest despite the fact it was barely 2 hours long. Imagine long shots of ugly landscapes, close ups of people smoking, having to hear the characters eat noisily for 50% of the film, punctuated by graphic depictions of rape and torture. It’s a shame because the true story of the murders is actually very fascinating, it’s a shock that it happened in Australia and poor little Snowtown has been tarnished with it since. But it’s not worth seeing, not even worth illegally downloading if you ask me. I am not exaggerating when I say about a quarter of the cinema left about half way through after one particularly nasty scene. Save yourself the trouble and just read about the murders yourself.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4: ON STRANGER TIDES

What is not to love about these movies? Even my intense loathing for Kiera Knightly didn’t stop me from enjoying the first three films, so it was with great relish that I saw this film knowing she wasn’t going to be on the screen, infuriating me with that damn pout, ribs sticking out all over the place. It was the first of the PotC films to be in 3D and I do get the feeling they were following the lead of Shrek by making one last film to cash in on the 3D craze. Never mind, it was still a lot of fun and worth drawing the franchise out one last time. Johnny Depp was magnificent as expected, as was Geoffrey Rush who played a very significant role in this one. I also really enjoyed the parts played by Ian McShane and Penélope Cruz (Blackbeard and his daughter, respectively). Don’t go to see this film, expecting to see something new. It’s just another swashbuckler (this time they’re after the fountain of youth which is not exactly new territory) but it’s fun and funny and has Captain Jack Sparrow, who they obviously tried to roughen up by giving him some sores and making him look especially filthy, but still happens to be the handsomest pirate to have ever existed.

X MEN: FIRST CLASS

I am not a big comic buff, I will tell you right now. I do like comics and I definitely do love films based on comics, but I am not an expert by any means, which is why I always go to these movies with my boyfriend who is basically the king of Marvel. He was so excited about this film, whereas I was a bit sceptical as I really liked the first three X Men films and all of these comic-to-film reboots are getting ridiculous. But this was very different from the other films (and indeed, most of the other Marvel films to date), and in a good way. Even I could tell these were truer portrayals of the characters than ever before, without knowing much more than few names and mutant powers of the most famous X Men. It delved in the characters of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr and Professor X/Charles Xavier and explained a lot which you’d have to read a lot of the comics to ascertain otherwise. It also made their powers seem more realistic, knowing where they came from and seeing them struggle to control them before the big and epic climax. Watch out for a hilarious cameo appearance by everyone’s favourite mutant ;)

Ruby’s Movie Reviews for April – May 2011

It’s been a little while since my last movie review, but let’s just say I was saving it up for three really good and varied films for your review-reading pleasure.

PAUL

I knew I would like Paul no matter what. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are amazing together and have so far picked some of the best film genres to poke fun at. And now it’s time for them to get really geeky. In case you’ve been living under a rock or on the moon or some such dark, fun-less place, Paul is about two geeky English friends who go on a  road trip across the USA after attending Comic-con, to see all of the famous alien sites. Along the way they meet a real alien called Paul who lacks manners, class and tact. They end up being pursued by scary government people who are hell bent on catching Paul and naturally, hilarity ensues.

This film is not for kids, there is a LOT of swearing and general adult themes. But it is a terrific comedy that makes you go AWWWWW at the end because everything works out perfectly as we all knew it would. I managed to miss the very start and one of the key scenes thanks to my lame bladder, so I am looking forward to seeing it again soon.

MAD BASTARDS

I read a couple of decent reviews about this film, and then managed to score myself a free double pass to see a preview screening. I didn’t know what to expect, and in all honesty my expectations weren’t very high. I was expecting it to be depressing and all about the agonies Aboriginal people endure every day. In some respects I was right but I was very pleasantly surprised by how it didn’t make me feel sad at all. In fact I would say it made me feel hopeful, which is a far cry from walking out of the cinema with puffy eyes from sobbing too much. The film is essentially about a young Aboriginal boy who lives with his mum in the Kimberly region of WA. He’s starting to get into trouble so gets sent to type of camp for naughty kids to try and remind them of their heritage and help them avoid jail in the future. Meanwhile his father who he’s never met travels all the way up from Perth to finally meet his young son.

It was beautifully shot, the cinematography was just divine and I thought the pacing was really good. The acting wasn’t exactly top notch, but they used real people from the region and I think they did a magnificent job considering they’re not professional actors. It was a little bit sad, but it was mostly bittersweet and you know things were going to work out well in the end, though they didn’t delve into that and kind of let left it so you make up your own mind about what happens next. I also liked how they had candid interviews with the actors during the credits, telling their stories which the film was based on. I highly recommend it.

THOR

I had some pretty high expectations of Thor and I am delighted that I wasn’t disappointed.  admit I always found the idea of the Thor comics kind of odd, I mean he’s not a superhero really, he’s the god of thunder! But I guess the definition of what a superhero is can be very varied (after all, Batman is just a rich guy with lots of cool gadgets and Superman is actually an alien who is just average on his home planet). I didn’t realise this was directed by Kenneth Branagh, but in hindsight it was so very Branagh (aka excellent).

In the film Thor is set to become king but his dad realises he’s a bit too much of an arse with a lot of growing up to do after he incites war with an old enemy. So he banishes him to Earth to learn a few things about life. Thor quickly discovers he’s not a god on earth and when he hears bad news from back home he grows up quick-smart while also falling in love with the girl who discovered him. Then he and his cool troupe of friends do some serious arse kicking and also he takes his shirt off to the delight of women everywhere.

Without giving much away, the only flaw I found was that he learned his lesson a bit too quickly. But then again, I wouldn’t have sat through three hours of him being a pratt before he eventually realises he needs to grow up if he’s ever to go back to Asgard. But aside from that everything was wonderful. Chris Hemsworth was excellent, and although I was disappointed that Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t to play Thor, Chris more than made up for it by being equally handsome and possibly an even better actor.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

While writing this (let’s just say WordPress and I are not on very good terms right now so this has taken a lot longer than the average post) I saw yet another film which I thought I will add on the end here…

SOURCE CODE

I saw this film on a whim and am glad I did. I hadn’t heard much about it and had only seen a snippet of the trailer which had piqued my interest. I love sci-fi and I love action movies so I really, really liked this. The plot is quite complex so you do need to think a fair bit throughout, but it’s so different and engaging that even the laziest film-goer would find themselved immersed in the story.

I could spent ages trying to give you a decent enough synopsis of the movie, but I recommend you just go and read this review and then take my word that it was great. Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job, which is lucky because after Prince of Persia I have been wary of his acting (luckily that was just a one-off that we will all forget about soon enough). I kind of felt the ending pandered a bit too much to the audience who always needs a happy ending, but then again it was such a twist that I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw the film which I guess is a sign of a good ending after all. I still don’t quite get how it all worked out, so I am going to have to make my smarter friends see it so I can pick their brains afterwards.

Extra Long Ester Long Weekend

This is a little something I used to do back in the good old days of Livejournal (which I neglect very badly these days). After a big weekend I would do a “Weekend Roundup” which went through everything that happened on my weekend since I used my LJ as a personal diary more than anything and I did live a fairly hectic and fun-filled life in London which I wanted to remember forever. Since we just had a five-day weekend thanks to Easter and Anzac Day and I have been a tad slack with my blog lately, I thought I would run thorugh the events of my action packeed weekend for you all.

On Thursday night I went to my mum’s place as I am still getting used to being paid monthly and wanted to chill out with mum and spend as little money as possible. I knew there’d be people at my place all weekend since the boyfriend is a social butterfly, and I was looking forward to peace and quiet. Good Friday was fairly uneventful, we just lounged around reading, watching TV and hanging out with mum’s pup Lily who has just come on heat which means she had a few male callers which I had to chase off with a broom more than once. My sister and her boyfriend came over for dinner for a roast (can you tell we’re all atheists?) and I got a bit tipsy on fancy cider and black Sambucca.

On Saturday mum and I went shopping. As Borders stores are closing most of their stores, they’re selling all of their stuff for cheap. Including their ebook reader the Kobo which I desperately wanted. So we made the trek to the store which still had some and got one each for just $112 (mum already has an Amazon Kindle which she doesn’t like much because it’s tied to Amazon). Needless to say I love it and have already downloaded the Harry Potter series which I am re-reading right now. I might post a review once I get some more use out of it.

Later on Saturday night we went to the movies and saw Paul, which was hilarious. I highly recommend you go and see it, if you haven’t already. On our way home though, we came pretty damn close to death. A Commodore sped through a Give Way sign right in front of us, and had I not had a bad feeling as we approached the intersection and been looking for something, we probably wouldn’t have seen that car until too late and it probably would have been the end of all in both cars. It was a terrifying moment, and I’m so glad I have a little bit of ESP now and then for moments like these. We tried chasing the jerk but they’d long gone by the time we turned mum’s car around.

On Sunday morning we were woken up by one of Lily’s lover friends who the night before had found a way to dug under the house and get into mum’s backyard. He’d gotten much further than this though, and had managed to break in through the locked doggie door and got into the house! Mum almost had a heart attack when she got up to take Lily outside to pee! He was so stealthy, we hadn’t heard him and he’d managed ton squeeze through a doggie door that’s about 3 sizes too small for him AND WAS LOCKED FROM BOTH SIDES. It took us almost two hours but we managed to get a collar and leash on him, get him into mum’s car and take him to the pound. Luckily there were two guys there who helped us get him into the cage. He was a nice dog but we’re pretty sure he’s a stray and t was kind of scary wondering if he’d bite us at some point. Thankfully the most he did was snap at one of the men as he was locked into the cage at the pound.

After that we had a pretty lazy morning before I finally went home. That afternooa few of us went to a BBQ for a friend who had only breezed into town for a day, Janette Slack. Here she is having some post-nap milk (how very rock n roll, we all joked):

Afterwards I attempted to go out with a few girlfriends but due to the fact the next day was Anzac Day, everything shut at midnight. In retrospect I’m glad this was the case as I really couldn’t afford to go out drinking, thanks to my dear little e-reader purchase the day before.

And the last two days? Well, let’s just say not much has been done at all. Sleeping in late, watching movies, cooking enormous meals and lazing about has been all that’s really taken place, and it’s been wonderful. I managed to venture out of the house today to get my nails done in some cutesy colours, but that was about it:

How was your Easter long weekend?

Ruby Movie Reviews – Part 1

I love movies. I go to to see them all the time and prefer going to a cinema than downloading them and watching them at home as I love the whole experience. As such I’m not sure why I’ve never really bothered to review any of the films I go and see. I thought I might change that though and give you all a little run down of the films I’ve seen lately. I’m definitely not a film critic, in fact I am very easily pleased and find most film reviews kind of boring by getting too deep and intellectual about everything. I’ll keep mine shot and sweet and avoid spoilers as much as possible.

BLACK SWAN
I wasn’t sure what to expect because of all the hype about this film. First and foremost I was more than a little bit curious about the alleged lesbian sex scene between the two main characters, after all both actresses are very attractive and it’s not something you hear much about in Hollywood (except for the occasional girl-on-girl kiss). I was quite surprised by how the film turned out. It was implied that Mila Kunis was the antagonist and was playing mind games with Natalie Portman when all along it was Natalie Portman just being crazy as hell. I loved that little twist, and I loved the end sequence when she goes nuts during the Black Swan routine and then the demise of the White Swan. Ahhh, I love crazy lead female characters.

TRON
I hate to admit it, but I was kind of disappointed with this film. I loved the look of it (I was delighted by how the 3D only kicked in when he was in the game) and though the costumes were amazing but aside from that, it was kind of dull. I really need to watch the original again, I can’t even be sure if I’ve ever seen it in full, because I’m sure there was a lot I missed as a result of my ignorance. It was a little bit too complex at times and there absolutely could have been more action. I loved the character Quorra, as she has the best haircut ever (I am seriously contemplating getting it myself) and was all round very cute and sweet, but they could have probably developed her character a bit more. I’m still considering dressing s her for Supanova though ;)

127 HOURS
I only just saw this and really liked it. Admittedly I have a soft for for James Franco, but I really think he did an awesome job. For a film where the character is trapped by a rock for most of the film, a surprising amount of stuff happens. I’ve done a little bit of reading up the film and am happy to hear the real Aron Ralston not only loved the film, but said “the film is “so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama.” I’d be pretty chuffed about that if I was Danny Boyle (the director who also did Slumdog Millionaire). The scene where he cuts off his arm is realistic but not as graphic or sickening as I expected. Definitely cringe worthy though! Go see it if you haven’t already.