Movies I've watched recently and would recommend.

Well would you look at that. It's almost exam time again. So MOVIE TIME!

Spiderman 3: Spiderman returns this time as a confused student, with issues in his personal life, as he discovers that the identity of his uncle's killer was wrong, and the real killer has now escaped. Spidey sees in his mind how it must have gone, a malicious murder. He starts to think about revenge, at the same time as a strange alien form falls to earth, that enhances the negative emotions already felt by it's carrier.

There are new villains in this movie, with the Sandman and Venom, and the Harry the New Goblin returns to get vengence for the death of his father.

There are very strong overtones of the pain jealousy, revengeful thoughts and disunity can bring, and even stronger ones of the healing effect of forgiveness. At times they can be a little cloying, but overall it is an entertaining movie. In places, I found the music to be too obvious and manipulative. I don't appreciate movies where I can sense myself being manipulated to think a certain way - I'd much prefer it were subtley done.

While this is not a perfect film, I went in expecting it to be be far worse than the others, and I cannot understand where this opinion came from. The plot developed, and the film did not drag. The fights were entertaining, and the use of computer graphics, while at times obvious, did not detract. I loved the scenes with an Emo Spiderman strutting his stuff, and thought it a worthy member of the trilogy.



Garden State: Andrew Largeman returns home for a family funeral, and decides not to take his emotion surpressant drugs with him, making him drug free for the first time in 15 years. His visit is a rediscovery of life, as he reconnects with friends and family.

This movie is a bit of an Orson Wells attempt by Zach Braff, but it's one of my favourites! He directed, wrote and starred in this quiet comedy, which thankfully does not have (too much of) the usual American in-your-face humour. It is for the little things that I enjoy it, for Natalie Portman's compulsive liar, for the furniture-less house, the petrol nozzle. It is a sad story, but also uplifting. While predictable, there are still unexpected turns on the road to the inevitable outcome, and as with all feel-good films, the interest comes in how they get to the end, rather than the end itself.

It's obvious that this movie was made by a young person, and it has the good feeling of being a first, a bit experimental. The jokes are immature at times, but that's ok, they're funny.

Watch this film, expect some swearing and some drug use, but also expect an intriguing story of a person searching for the ability to feel emotions, and the journey (literal and metaphorical) he takes to get there. It's good, and for some reason I put it in the same kind of category as Saving Grace and Little Miss Sunshine (maybe it's the drug thing...??) I loved it the first time I saw it at the movies, and the second time in Austria, the third time, on dvd, I got more out of it, and the fourth time this week I just laughed.



Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: I was pretty pumped about this one, and I wasn't disappointed! Captain Jack Sparrow is missing and everyone wants him back for Davy Jones' locker, for their own reasons. Off they set on a crusade to rescue him, save the world and stop the evil people all in 3 hours.

The plot is a bit confusing - who wants to save whom for what reason isn't always clear, but since when has that been a problem in adventure movies? All the usual characters are there, and as a continuation from number 2, it is far more satisfying to watch than the 2nd. I found it a little sad, but after the credits comes some closure (WAIT TILL AFTER THE CREDITS!)...

There are some running jokes continued, and the usual frivolities. It has some fantastic computer graphics, enhancing the fun fight scenes. There is violence, and some scary scenes, so take someone to hide behind if you're that way inclined (otherwise take someone who needs to hide... I can suggest a few...), but it is immensably enjoyable. There is room for another, which would make me happy, but who knows - the rumours are unclear about that.

If you enjoyed the first Pirates movie, go see this one! At almost 3 hours long, it has the potential to drag and be boring, but I barely noticed the time going by, so don't worry about that. Go in to have fun, and you'll be fine!




Little Miss Sunshine: Olive wants to be a beauty queen. She gets into the Little Miss Sunshine competition, in California, but they must drive from somewhere much further away (it's another American state I know that much....). The family has a few problems, a motivational speaker who fails, a grandfather who was kicked out of the nursing home for starting a cocaine habit, a Nietzsche following brother who's taken a vow of silence, a suicidal scholar uncle, a mother trying to hold them all together, and Olive, the completely normal, average 7 year old girl. They all pile into a kombi for a road trip!

This movie is hilarious for the twists put into a basic road trip story - I wouldn't usually expect some body smuggling, or a horn that jsut won't stop. It has hope, without being horribly corny, and the end is satisfying without being sickly sweet.

Watch this when you want a great laugh, watch it with friends and chocolate. It's a little odd, not your usual road-trip film, and some have found it a little slow or haven't understood it at all. But it's worth watching, especially if you like Garden State or Saving Grace.