What I've been watching #10

In this post, we have quite a few films that 'every film buff should have seen' as well as one on Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain (which I decided to watch in one night, great combo if you want to feel very sad afterwards).

THE WICKER MAN (1973)
★★★★
The Wicker Man starts with the protagonist, Sergeant Howie, venturing to an island to investigate a missing child. This island is predominantly Pagan, however, and Sergeant Howie is a conservative Christian so the commonplace pagan rituals freak him out a bit and get in the way of his investigation.

I feel like this is in that list of films that 'one should've watched' so I'm glad I've seen it now, I can definitely see why it is such a well known film. I did think it was quite an interesting film and the theme of apathy was quite interesting too, like your initial reaction with any film or book or whatever to empathise with the protagonist but Sergeant Howie isn't really a nice character so it questions that initial instinct of empathy. Something I found a bit disappointing (which I know wouldn't necessarily happen for me) but I guessed what was going to happen at the end and I think my brother did too - it could be a generational thing, because in the documentary we watched about it afterwards everyone said how the ending was such a shock and I feel like it wasn't much of a shock at all. Definitely worth a watch, it's a real classic horror movie and one every film buff should watch at least once.

CONTROL (2007)
★★★★
Control is a biopic about the life of Ian Curtis and Joy Division's rise to fame. It shows the leadup to Ian Curtis' suicide as his marriage is failing, the band is starting to become more famous, and his epilepsy is worsening.

I liked this film so much. I've always found Ian Curtis' life interesting and I'm a fan of Joy Division, but I think to enjoy this film those facts aren't even important. The film is so well made and it's really gripping. I loved how it was made in black and white, I feel like that makes the film so much more atmospheric and it just adds a whole other level to the film. It was very emotional, understandably, but such a great film. One I think any person would enjoy, but especially fans of Joy Division or people who are interested in Ian Curtis - top notch.

KURT COBAIN: ABOUT A SON (2006)
★★★
This film is a 'visual essay style documentary' about Kurt Cobain featuring interviews of Kurt Cobain with Michael Azerrad.

As you can tell, I had a themed movie night . . . In all honesty, I didn't think this was a particularly good documentary. Don't get me wrong, I love Nirvana and I'm really interested in Kurt Cobain so I, as a fan, enjoyed it but I don't think it was a particularly good film in its own right. I didn't really realise it was going to be a visual essay documentary so that in itself disappointed me a bit, but I also didn't think the clips used were all that relevant. I don't know, it was a all a little bit artsy, so I enjoyed it for Kurt but I think you'd have to be a fan to watch this.

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)
★★
Plan 9 from Outer Space takes place in California's San Fernando Valley where flying saucers from outer space have started to attack. The aliens intend to conquer the world by resurrecting corpses in a Hollywood graveyard. At the same time, the living dead start spying on humans who are looking for UFOs in the graveyard.

This is another one of those films that every film buff should've seen, although probably not in a good way. I've been wanting to watch this film since watching Ed Wood a while ago (great film by the way, Johnny Depp's great in it!). If you don't know, Ed Wood is quite well known as one of the worst movie makers ever and this is one of his most well known films so I've wanted to watch it for quite a while. My brother chose it for his movie choice and whilst in its own right, it's a very bad film, and I mean very bad - the special effects are abysmal, the story's a little bit all over the place, and one of the actors, Bela Lugosi, died halfway through the making of the film but they still carried on making it so the way they covered up that up wasn't done too well. That being said, I really enjoyed watching it. I thought the fact that it was so terrible just made it even funnier, so y'know in its own right it's a 2/5 movie but in terms of the enjoyment I got out of it, I'd probably give it a 4/5.

AMELIE (2001)
★★★★
Amelie is a story about a girl (shock horror, she's called Amelie) who's a waitress and she's quite shy because she was misdiagnosed with a heart condition when she was younger, and as a result she was cut off from real people. This leads Amelie to become a girl with her head in the clouds. When she moves to Paris, she finds a long-lost childhood treasure that belonged to a former occupant of her apartment and returns it to him, and after seeing how much of a positive affect it has on him she decides to set out and make other people happy. She then realises that in doing this, she's disrupting her own quest for love.

My housemate and I watched this rather than going out clubbing (lots of movie nights is the best way to do freshers - #confirmed), and I actually wanted to watch it for ages because I really liked the soundtrack - I actually learned to play one of the pieces on the piano quite a while back, I also quite like foreign films and I feel like this is a film I really needed to watch given its popularity. I really liked this film, I quite liked the storyline but I also thought the way it was shot was really lovely as well like the use of colours was really aesthetically pleasing. I think even if you're not into foreign films this might be a good one for you to watch because it's not a complex storyline, and the aesthetic of it all and the music is generally enjoyable too - it's a good'un.

What films have you watched recently?

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What I've been watching #9

I feel like this post has been boyband-centered (like we have a bit of a Beatles theme and then a One Direction movie), as well as a documentary on sugar - we're very versatile here on my blog.

THAT'LL BE THE DAY (1973)
★★★
This film is set in the late 50s and centres around the character Jim, who's a bit bored with his mundane life so he decides to leave home and work a few low-level jobs at a seaside amusement park, but in this job he discovers a world of cheap sex and minor crime. When this world comes to an end, he returns home but then the local music scene starts to explode, and Jim has to decide whether he wants to pursue this exciting world of rock 'n' roll or take on a world of adult responsibility.

This was my Mum's movie choice and she said she thought the sequel was better, this film is somewhat of an introduction to the sequel. I thought it was enjoyable, I do think the 50s was a pretty rad time for music (y'know being a Beatles fan and they were heavily inspired by a lot of 50s music at least in the beginning of their career) so I quite liked that being somewhat of a backdrop. I have to admit, the main reason I enjoyed this film was being Ringo Starr was in it, I think had he not been in it I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it quite so much but I found myself squealing a bit every time Ringo was on screen. Basically, this film's okay but I don't feel like a great deal happened? It definitely feels like the set up of a film, so I might wait until I watch the sequel to decide whether this is worth watching, but if you're a fan of Ringo Starr like me, you might enjoy him in this - he has a quiff and a rather snazzy outfit in it.

ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US (2013)
★★★★
This film is a behind-the-scenes sort of documentary sort-of-dealio about One Direction and their 'Take Me Home' tour, and it basically documents their life on the road.

Okay, spare me the judgement here. Yes, I'm lowkey 1D af and I'm a little bit in love with Zayn and I really wanted to watch this for a while. My friend who's a big directioner brought it to a sleepover and forcibly got us to watch it, forcibly I tell you . . . Anyway, I really enjoyed this film. I think the 1D boys are quite funny and it was quite interesting to see how they were living on the road, plus you had their songs in it which are pretty catchy. Although, I have to be honest, if you don't at all like One Direction (even if it's only ironically like me . . . okay, maybe it's not ironic but . . .) you won't enjoy this at all. I think this film makes the boys seem a lot more down to earth and it's definitely meant to try and make you like them but I do think this film has a very specific target audience and if you don't fit it, you probably won't like it. I must say though, Zayn is one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen so even if you don't like One Direction, you get to stare at Zayn for an hour and a half - you can't go too wrong with that, can you?

BIRTH OF THE BEATLES (1979)
★★★★
This film is a biopic about the beginnings of The Beatles which goes back to when The Beatles went to Hamburg and it ends when they go on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. It's the only Beatles biopic to be made about The Beatles when John Lennon was still alive.

I feel like any biopic about The Beatles is going to get a good rating from me purely because I'm so interested in The Beatles (y'know if you couldn't tell already) so this may be a little biased. I really liked this film, I liked the period of time it covered because I feel like all the other Beatles biopics I've watched (I've not watched all of them, mind you) cover life after The Beatles got famous, or how The Beatles got started before they went to Hamburg, but this one heavily covered their life in Hamburg. It also covered Pete Best's period in the band, which I liked because you never really see it however (and I wonder if there's a slight bias because Pete Best worked on the film) I feel like it made Pete Best's departure overly dramatic and they made Pete Best to be a drummer with godlike talent, I don't know if that's just me but I just feel it was a little OTT. That being said, I think this was made to cater to an American audience which may explain why it was a little dramatic. I also liked how this film focused on Stuart Sutcliffe's time in the band because I feel he's often overlooked as well because he left and then died before the band became famous, but being the Beatlemaniac I am I want to know about everything to do with The Beatles even prior to the fame. The only thing that bugged me about the film is that I didn't actually think the people playing The Beatles beared much physical likeness to the real thing, this is only a minor deal and I think they nailed the accent, but I'm just being picky. Basically, this is a pretty good biopic and one I think any Beatles fan would enjoy. I also think it's interesting just because it was filmed before John died, so it doesn't portray him as some sort of saint like a lot of biopics do.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS (2015)
★★★★
This film is focused on the rich Birling family and how their night is disrupted when an Inspector comes to visit and starts to question them in regards to a young girl's suicide, and this leads them to question their responsibility in other people's lives.

I love the play An Inspector Calls, I did it for English GCSE and I've watched a couple of film adaptations, and my younger brother is actually studying it for his GCSEs now (but he couldn't be bothered to watch the film with me and my parents so we recorded it for him) so it was pretty cool to revisit it once more. I loved the cast for this, just because they were literally how I imagined the characters to be when I read the play (and that's something that's bugged me in the other adaptations I watched) and I thought David Thewlis played Inspector Goole really well. This film was a lot more dramatic than the other adaptations I've watched and even in the play I didn't think it was that dramatic, and there was a lot that was added on because in the play you are really meant to use your imagination, however I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. By itself, this was a great film. I think if you hadn't read the play, you would definitely enjoy this film. I think the themes in the film are really great like it's essentially about responsibility, duty, and helping each other out - coincidentally (or rather not so coincidentally) the play was written around the time the welfare state was created in the UK. I think the film was a pretty close adaptation of the play, however I would say if you're studying this play for your exam don't base your essays on this adaptation, there are a lot of lines and scenes that have been added in and dramatized that aren't in the actual play. If you can find it, I would watch the 1982 version because this one was pretty much word for word the play - I actually watched this before the exam rather than re-reading the play (whoops, sorry I'm hardly a role model) and I came out with an A. However, this film as a standalone piece is really good, it's basically pro left-wing so if you're already a leftie, you won't learn anything new but if you are right wing, this film may change your mind.

THAT SUGAR FILM (2014)
★★★★
This documentary follows Damon Gameau's quest to find out the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, by consuming foods and drinks that are generally thought of as healthy such as juice or certain cereals.

This documentary is basically Supersize Me but with sugar. My half-sister sat us down to watch this because she's doing Nutrition in University and she's quite interested in food, but she also said this documentary has changed her and she hasn't had refined sugar in 2 months. I felt like the information in this documentary wasn't really anything new, it was basically saying that it's the quality of the food you eat rather than calories that affect your health and your weight and it also shows how much sugar is actually in the food we eat, that was a bit shocking - the average person has about 40 teaspoons of refined sugar a day, that's shocking right? I have to be honest, I don't really eat a hell of a lot of refined sugar anymore since going vegan so I feel like this was a bit lost on me but it has made me want to steer away from refined sugar, but not from my orange juice, I've got a special place for my OJ no matter how much sugar is in it. Basically, this was interesting and a well made, funny documentary but I didn't feel like there were many shocking revelations in this documentary.

What films have you watched recently?

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What I've been watching #8

I feel like it's not been too long at all since the last time I did one of these but y'know I'm not really doing much at home and watching films distracts me from the fact that I'm going to be leaving the comfort of my family home in just a few weeks . . . okay yeah let's just get on with it.

48 HOURS (1982)
★★★
48 Hours is about a cop, played by Nick Nolte, that teams up with a criminal, played by Eddie Murphy, in order to track down a killer in 48 hours before the criminal has to be returned back to prison. 

This film was entertaining and had a few funny moments in it (as any film with Eddie Murphy inevitably would), but I don't think it was anything special so I'm not sure if I would watch it again.

THE BAD EDUCATION MOVIE (2015)
★★★★ 1/2
The Bad Education Movie takes place on a school trip to Cornwall that teacher Alfie Wickers, played by Jack Whitehall, takes his class on. One of the first problems that arises is that student Joe's Mother invites herself so she can make sure they're not getting up to any trouble as she has some sort of vendetta against Alfie. Whilst they're in Cornwall, they meet some of Alfie's old school mates and he gets involved with a Cornish Independence group which results in trouble for Alfie.

I thought this film was really funny - if you like the series, you'll definitely like this and I think it was such a good way to end the series. I also think Jack Whitehall is  hilarious anyway, but this film had so many laugh-out-loud moments and I think it would be one I watch again once it's out on DVD.

IN HIS LIFE: THE JOHN LENNON STORY (2000)
★★★★
This film is about John Lennon's life starting from his teen years following all the events up until The Beatles went on the Ed Sullivan show, such as John meeting Paul at the Woolton Parish Fete in 1957, John's relationship with his Mother, The Beatles going to Hamburg and coming into contact with Ringo Starr, John's new relationship with Cynthia, and the birth of John's first child.

I loved this, I think John's life was so interesting and I've watched so many biopics about him and I've read John by Cynthia Lennon so I knew I would like this. It's pretty historically accurate and I think the acting was pretty decent. If you liked Nowhere Boy, you would probably like this because it documents the same events (and more!). A must-watch for any Beatles fan or anyone interested in John's life. I loved how they included Cynthia in it because that was something that was missing from Nowhere Boy and I think their relationship was really interesting because they were so young and in love and all that jazz.

RUSH (2013)
★★★★
Rush is a biopic based on the intense formula 1 rivalry between English James Hunt and Austrian Niki Lauda who take different approaches to racing - Hunt living every day like it's his last and being somewhat of a thrill seeker, whereas Lauda is a perfectionist and trains all the time. This tests the women in both of their lives, and the rivalry becomes stronger and stronger until it inevitably causes an accident.

I didn't actually know much about the real life story of Lauda and Hunt, but my parents were quite interested in it and she bought the DVD for my brother's birthday a while ago and we got round to watching it for my brother's movie choice. I have to admit I didn't think I was going to like it that much, don't get me wrong I enjoy watching racing sometimes but I'm a bit indifferent to the whole thing so I wasn't sure how much enjoyment I would get out of this, but it was entertaining and fast moving, and it has actually got me interested in the real life story so I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch even if you're not interested in formula 1.

FIGHT CLUB (1999)
★★★★
Fight Club follows the story of an unnamed narrator who's an insomniac and is basically not in a great mental state, so he goes to support groups to help relieve this. He then meets a girl called Marla and his life becomes a little bit better. Then, he starts associating with a man called Tyler and gets dragged into an underground fight club and soap making scheme. However, trouble begins to arise when when Marla attracts Tyler's attention.

I watched this film after being recommended it so many times by my friend Lizzie (she also lent the DVD to me so thanks for that Lizzie), and I also just thought it was strange that I hadn't watched it given that I'm a bit of a film buff and this is so famous - I also just wanted some context for the 'first rule of fight club' quote. The film had some interesting themes like individualism and consumerism and it was just generally entertaining and fast moving. You can't go too wrong with Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter (Edward Norton was pretty good too but I haven't really seen much with him in to compare it to). Basically, this was a good film and you should watch it - also Pixies' Where is My Mind? opens up the ending credits and I'm a big Pixies fan so that was obviously going to be a winner for me.

What films have you watched recently?

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What I've been watching #7

I feel like I've majorly been losing my blogging momentum, so this post is rather overdue, but this time we have a mix of animated films, comedy and a 90s classic . . .

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE (2015)
★★★★★
Shaun the Sheep is tired of the same mundane routine he has to go through everyday and he wants to take a day off, so Shaun and the other sheep form a plan to send the farmer to sleep so he can do this, but things go wrong and the farmer ends up in the big city with memory loss, so Shaun goes into the big city to save him but the other sheep follow him, and they have to try to get the farmer back whilst steering clear of the animal container.

I loved this film. I feel it's important to mention that Shaun the Sheep is a big deal in my house, my Mum and my brother love it and so we've ended up watching a lot of it and a lot of its spin-off Timmy Time (we have the whole Timmy Time box set and most of the Shaun the Sheep series on DVD, it's pretty deep) but we didn't get round to watching the film in the cinema, but then my brother got it for his birthday (his 15th birthday, I feel I should add) and we decided to watch it at long last. If  you don't like Shaun the Sheep, you probably won't like this film, but I don't think I've come across a person who doesn't enjoy Shaun the Sheep. It's a lot of fun but there's the odd innuendo in there, and there was even a reference to Doge!! I'm being serious, there was comic sans and Doge references in one part of the film which made my lil heart beam with joy (I'm not sure if that's a thing, but if it is that's what it did). Even my Dad liked it and he's not so big on animated films, there were several laugh out loud moments and it's just a lot of fun - to summarise: it was very good.

PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997)
★★★★
Princess Mononoke is the story of a prince of a disappearing tribe called Ashitaka who's cursed by a boar, so he has to go travelling to the West to try and find a cure, in this world there is an ongoing conflict between the animal kingdom and the human race. He meets someone called San along the way who is a young woman (who grew up with wolves so she denies her own humanity) trying to protect the forest and the animals, and he also meets someone called Lady Eboshi who's trying to destroy the forest and the animals, and Ashitaka aims to resolve this conflict.

I've wanted to watch this film for quite a while given that I'm a massive Studio Ghibli film and this is one of their most popular films. It was definitely enjoyable and I thought San was a good character. Unfortunately, I watched the English dub of this because I recorded a bunch of the Studio Ghibli films during Ghibli season on e4 ages ago but they show the English dub 99% of the time. Don't get me wrong, this was a good dub (nowhere near as bad as the dub for Arrietty or Spirited Away, don't get me started on them) but I do just feel like English dubs ruin Japanese films. Probably not one of my favourite Ghibli films but it was enjoyable and I think it's one that would down well with a lot of people, and it's probably not as much as insane as Spirited Away (I love Spirited Away for its insanity but I know a lot of people just don't get it)

WHITE TEETH (2002)
★★★★
White Teeth is about different families growing up in England spanning from the 70s to the 90s, it focuses on different sectors of society in terms of race and religion. For example, you have Clara who's Jamaican and her Mother is a Jehovah's Witness, Archie and Samad were both in the army during World War II so they're old friends but Archie is British whereas Samad is a Bengalian Muslim, and these families all interlink and the story follows their children.

I quite liked the first few parts of this four parter, this was actually a series but Letterboxd counts it as a film on there hence why I'm including it, plus I did really enjoy it so I wanted to talk about it anyway. The first two parts were really good, I liked how they focused on Clara, Archie and Samad. I feel like when it became more focused on the children, it got a little bit mad and rushed. I liked the characterisation of the children, I liked Irie (purely because she reminded me of myself at times) and Millat was a good character although perhaps not a particularly nice one (I felt bad because he was really attractive but definitely not the type of guy I'd want to be with), and there's also a young James McAvoy in the children's episodes (very nice indeed). Also, in the first episode there's a young Russell Brand which is one of the reasons I wanted to watch this. This to me was a bit like Small Island meets Anita and Me, although I feel like Small Island covered each individual character story better whereas this one did rush it towards the end. I still really liked it though and I have recommended it to a bunch of my friends.

KICK-ASS (2010)
★★★★
Kick-Ass is the story of a stereotypical high school comic book nerd who wonders what would happen if a regular guy tried to become a superhero. He buys a costume and names himself Kick-Ass, but then he comes into contact with crime fighting duo Big Daddy and Hit Girl, and he gets involved with their dramas.

I really liked this film, it sort of made fun of the whole cliche superhero film (don't get me wrong, I love those but this made fun of the super unrealistic aspects of it and the cringey catchphrases). A favourite quote of mine from the film was 'with no power comes no responsibility'. I quite liked Aaron Johnson in this, partly because I used to have a major crush on him (okay, I still do, especially when I watch Nowhere Boy - Aaron Johnson playing John Lennon is a massive yes in my books). Something I simultaneously hated and loved was Nicholas Cage playing Big Daddy, as someone who's been on the internet for a long time I remember the Nicholas Cage meme and the second I saw him come on screen I literally started screaming (leaving my family in a bit of confusion) and the fact that he referred to himself as Big Daddy the whole time just made it worse. The acting in this film wasn't moving or epic or anything, and I'm not sure if that's because the actors were mediocre or if the people making the film made sure they acted that way to capture some of the mediocre, stereotypical acting you get in superhero films - either way, I quite liked it and I felt in mocked superhero films without being offensive necessarily. Something I need to point out - there is a fair bit of swearing and a hell of a lot of blood and violence and all that jazz, something I really wasn't expecting. That sort of thing doesn't bother me but I know it would bother a lot of people, it's sort of on the Sweeney Todd level of blood and violence so y'know beware. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I can imagine it being one I return to again.

SPICE WORLD (1997)
★★★
Spice World is a mockumentary about the Spice Girls who are enjoying fame but becoming dissatisfied with the burdens of it. Meanwhile, newspaper owner Kevin McMaxford is trying to ruin their career to get a good story. The film follows the Spice Girls and the filming of their documentary.

First of, I know I'm nearly 20 years too late for this film - in all fairness, the Spice Girls were a bit before my time given that they formed in the year I was born and whilst I love them, I never thought to watch this film until I found the full film on YouTube (I'm so darn thrifty). This was basically an updated version of The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night which I love so I really enjoyed that, I do think A Hard Day's Night is better like I think the Spice Girls were a little bit unnatural on camera at times but it was a lot of fun and it has a great soundtrack, so it's a bit of fun but unless you like the Spice Girls I don't think you'd like this.

What films have you watched recently?

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What I've been watching #6

It feels like it's been a while since I've done one of these posts, I've not really been watching a lot of films recently (except for the weekly family movie choices) because I've majorly been focusing on TV shows - recently finished Attack on Titan (which was amazing I can't even begin to explain) and I'm on series 3 of Orange is the New Black (finally) so films have taken somewhat of a back seat, but here I have a few of the films I've been watching recently!

THE GOOD FATHER (1985)
★★★
The Good Father is a film about a man called Bill Hooper who has just come out of a divorce and lost the custody of his son, he then meets someone called Roger in a similar situation so Bill decides to take up Roger's cause as his own and agrees to pay all the legal fees. However, Bill tries to reconnect with his ex-wife and begins to regret what he and Roger have done.

When I read the synopsis of this film on the back of the DVD I didn't think I would like it as it just seemed like an anti-feminist film, and I wasn't sure whether it was going to be anti-feminist in a funny way (y'know like those meninist parody accounts on Twitter) but the whole film was basically making a mockery of misandry, which is what a lot of anti-feminists interpret feminism to be, so it didn't bug me too much. The film was interesting although I think it definitely showed its age. This was actually Stephen Fry's first film appearance which I thought was pretty cool because I love Stephen Fry and I don't think I'd ever seen him so young, I don't think this film was a must-see film or anything but it wasn't too long and it had interesting moments in it.

CHICAGO (2002)
★★★★
Chicago is about women who have killed people but the focus is on Roxie Hart who dreams of being famous, and she cheats on her husband in order to try and get into the whole famous lifestyle, but she's deceived and long story short she kills someone. In prison, she meets Velma Kelly, who she previously looked up to, and Velma shows an immediate dislike to Roxie. Velma used to make all the headlines before Roxie comes along and steals the spotlight, then they find each other fighting for the attention of the press as well as the attention of their shared lawyer.

I actually watched this film over a couple of days because I started watching it with my friends when I was holidaying in Lytham but we didn't finish it so I decided to finish it at home. I wanted to watch this for ages because I knew the songs in it and I love musicals so so much, and this didn't disappoint. I quite liked how the film was a bit girl-power (in an albeit twisted way) and the story was entertaining with a lot of good songs - definitely worth a watch if you like musicals, imagine Spice Girls meets . . murder (probably not the best way to suggest a film but hey)

THE CAT RETURNS (2002)
★★★
The Cat Returns is about a high school student called Haru and she one day saves a cat from being run over. The cat turns out to be a prince called Lune, and as a thank you Lune's Father asks Haru to marry Lune. Haru is then taken to the cat kingdom and she starts to develop cat-like features, she's also then prevented from leaving. So, the Baron and Toto, who are statues who have been given life, help her to regain her freedom.

I watched this because I love a good Ghibli film and I recorded a bunch of them when Ghibli season was on e4 (although I was revising for exams so I'm only just being able to watch them now) and I had seen a snippet of this when it was on before. It was a bit of fun, I did like it and I would watch it again but I didn't think it was a particularly outstanding movie, it was just a bit of film fluff if you will. Storyline wise it was quite weak in comparison to other Ghibli films like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, but it was enjoyable and I did get a few laughs out of this. Plus it was quite short, so if you want a laugh then this is pretty decent but it felt a bit kiddy for me. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, kids need films too, it's unfair for me to criticise this for being appropriate for an audience I don't fit into anymore. So essentially, this is a funny children's film, not a must-see film, but definitely not a bad film.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS (1954)
★★★★
An Inspector Calls starts off with the Birling family sitting down to a meal and they celebrate the engagement of the daughter, Sheila, to Gerald Croft. Then, they are interrupted by an Inspector who informs them that a girl called Eva Smith is suspected to have committed suicide, and they may have more to do with it than they initially think.

I studied An Inspector Calls for my English GCSE a couple of years ago (got an A in it too) and I did watch a different version of the film at the time, but I revisited it because my brother, who is currently studying for his GCSEs, chose it for his movie choice and I hadn't seen this version of the film so I was interested to see how they did it. I think the story is really great and having studied it for English made it more interesting just because I could still remember the analytical points and I think in general it's a very good play. I have to say I didn't think this version of the film was great in the respects that it wasn't the best interpretation of the play, they changed the Inspector's name from Goole to Poole which, while it's only a small change, eradicates one of the deeper points on it about how the Inspector may or may not exist (y'know like Goole as in ghoul like ghosty stuff). Plus, the way they addressed the flashbacks I thought wasn't the best approach because in the play you don't really know Eva Smith or how she really acted, what we know is what the Inspector and the other characters tell us, and I felt like the way they did the flashbacks didn't include that somewhat biased telling of the story which is necessary for the way the story is told. However, comparisons to the play aside, as a stand alone film, it was pretty good. Quite fast moving and still leaves you in confusion at the end. The only thing that really upset me that they missed out was the Inspector's final speech near the end of the play which essentially focused on our responsibility to each other and communal values and all that jazz, which is the heart of the play so by missing that out you're misunderstanding what An Inspector Calls is about. Again, with a book-to-film situation you have to judge the film as a single piece of work, but I just feel like missing that out was a poor decision. Overall, pretty good, but the BBC adaptation is much closer to the book and if you're studying I'd definitely recommend that one (and you can find the full version on YouTube here)

A VERY BRITISH COUP (1988)
★★★★
A Very British Coup is the story of a trade unionist and steelworker from Sheffield called Harry Perkins who becomes leader of the Labour Party and then Prime Minister at the end of the 1980s. However, the right-wing establishment and American allies plot Perkins' downfall from the day he gets into power. The film shows how politics gets dirty, and where Perkins can stick to his socialist roots and what can come of that.

My Mum chose this for her movie choice (although it's more of a mini-series, it comes up on Letterboxd as a film so I'm assuming it's a TV movie situation - anyone who was around at the time, perhaps you can fill me in?) because in the Oates household, we've been talking about Jeremy Corbyn a lot, y'know the socialist who's running for Labour leader. In fact, we've all joined the Labour party (well I'm still in the process of doing it because I procrastinate) in order to vote for him, but Mum told us that Harry Perkins was essentially Jeremy Corbyn. Although the film leaves you thinking that a socialist leader wouldn't work for Prime Minister (and I remain hopeful that Corbyn would be an amazing Prime Minister), I thought it was a really entertaining watch. It's quite anti-establishment because it shows how the people from the inside will do what they can to stop a left-wing government succeeding, definitely worth a watch!

What films have you watched recently?

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What I've been watching #5

Since I've been off school from exams I've been filling up my time with . . well nothing, to be honest. I don't know what to do with myself (although I'm finally getting into Orange is the New Black) but I've found time to watch a few new films, and we have a mix of modern and classic films so there's something here for everybody so give it a gander and tell me your thoughts!

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2010)

★★★

Get Him to the Greek is the story of an executive at a record company called Aaron Hill, played by Jonah Hill, who gets given an assignment to escort rock legend Andlous Snow, played by Russell Brand, to L.A's Greek Theatre for the first stop on his comeback tour. However, Andlous is constantly off his face on drugs and is being a generally irritating rock star making the whole procedure rather bothersome, as well as trying to win back his ex. The film generally follows Andlous making Aaron's life a lot more difficult.

Me and my friends watched this in the middle of a break from history revision because we all quite like Russell Brand and were in the mood for a comedy. It's definitely enjoyable, Russell Brand and Jonah Hill was never going to be a bad combination so it was inevitably going to be enjoyable. It was a light comedy, a bit of film fluff if you will, so it was enjoyable but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again and it's not one of those must-see films, but there were a few laugh out loud moments - my favourite being 'this is not an appropriate time to say namaste', which I had seen on Tumblr and Twitter a few times but I didn't know it was from this so it was nice to have the connection made!

RENT (2005)

★★★★

Rent is a musical set in the 90s about a group of friends in New York who are experiencing issues to do with their love life, careers and AIDs. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, and Roger, an HIV-positive musician, are struggling to make ends meet and pay the rent. Meanwhile, their friend Tom has fallen for Angel who's slowly dying of aids. So the film is essentially a musical focusing around the effects of HIV, struggling to make ends meets, and general love life issues.

I really liked this film! I wasn't expecting to because when I first got it and looked up reviews of it I saw a lot of bad ones, but I really liked it. I'm not sure if that's because I love musicals and 100% of the time I wish my life were a musical or at the very least an episode of glee, but it was very enjoyable. The songs were enjoyable, the cast was great - I have to congratulate them on the amazing POC representation, I know that won't mean much to some people but as a POC it's always great to see a lot of representation in a film. Also, Indina Menzel was in it and I love love love her. The songs were great and I reckon I'm going to have them stuck in my head for a week, and the storyline was really touching. If you don't like musicals, you won't like this, but if you do, I reckon you'll really like this - definitely think I'll be returning to this at some point in the future!

TAXI DRIVER (1976)

★★★★

Travis Bickle is a veteran living in New York City who suffers from insomnia so he takes up night shifts as a taxi driver. He drifts from society and becomes somewhat of a loner. When Travis meets a campaign worker called Betsy, he becomes obsessed with this idea of saving the world and cleaning up the city. The story follows his trials in trying to clean up New York City in as violent a way as possible.

I quite liked this film, the plot was quite interesting and it was pretty fast moving but there was also enough time for development in the storyline. I'm going to say right now, if you don't like blood - do not watch this. There is a lot of mindless violence in this, but if you can get past that the storyline is really interesting and I think it's probably one of those must-see films. It reminded me a lot of the book (and the BBC adaptation made for schools, so virtually impossible to get your hands on) Stone Cold by Robert Swindells, which came after so I'm not sure if there was any sort of inspiration there but Stone Cold is a lot like Taxi Driver. Essentially, a pretty good film and probably one that any film enthusiast should've seen - plus Betsy's theme is a really beautiful piece of music, so it's probably worth watching it just for that.

MOULIN ROUGE (2001)

★★★★

Moulin Rouge is story about a poet called Christian, played by Ewan McGregor, who comes to Paris to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. He soon meets a group of Bohemians who convince him that he should write a musical show for them to be performed at the Moulin Rouge, which is a pretty popular night club. On the night Christian first goes to the Moulin Rouge, he meets a courtesan called Satine and falls for her, and she eventually falls for him too (after a bit of convincing). However, problems occur when the club owner invests in a wealthy Duke to help pay for the club, but the Duke will only pay if Satine is his. The story follows this love triangle and its twists and turns.

First things first, I don't know how I went so long without watching this film given its popularity and the fact that I'm a big film enthusiast - pretty darn cray cray. This film was pretty darn good. I knew I would find it aesthetically pleasing because Baz Lurhmann creates some aesthetically pleasing films, but I also quite liked the love story and the soundtrack was pretty bomb. Despite the fact it was set in the 1800s, it featured many pop songs but with orchestral twists (I love rearrangements of pop songs and when a pop song has interesting instrumentation, so this was pretty cool) featuring Queen, Nirvana, and Elton John just to name a few. Basically, I liked this film a lot and I think it would be one that would go down well with a lot of people (if you've not already seen it, I do feel like I'm one of the last people in the world to have watched this film)

THE SHINING (1980)
★★★★
The Shining is about a character called Jack who takes a job at the Overlook hotel as a caretaker, he stays with his wife and his son Danny who seems to have psychic premonitions, so he keeps on seeing things that are going to happen and they're quite traumatic for him. Danny's visions become scarier whilst they're at the hotel and Jack becomes psychotic to the point where he becomes homicidal.

I quite liked this film, it was very much about the tense build-up and the soundtrack helped this especially. I thought Jack Nicholson captured the psychotic part of Jack Torrance pretty well and even though I don't find films scary, he did genuinely freak me out and I thought this film was a great horror. I was expecting it to be a blood bath kind of film but there isn't actually a whole lot of death in it, it's a lot more about Jack's descent into madness and the worsening of Danny's visions. I did find that there wasn't a lot of consistency in the film in the sense that the scenes felt very disconnected and there were visions that Danny had that weren't explained or made clear necessarily, it's definitely the sort of film you'd have to analyse afterwards to make sure you get it (which we did, and we spent a long time looking on Google to see what other people, but it's a whole debate so you'd have to watch it and think about it for yourself). I'm glad I've finally watched this because it's one that I've always felt that a film enthusiast should watch, but I hadn't watched it, but now I have I can maintain my title of film enthusiast - definitely worth a watch.

What films have you been watching recently?

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What I've been watching #4

This post has been a long time coming, I just haven't watched many films recently. We haven't really been able to do family movie choices recently because everyone else is doing things, and I haven't really had time to watch films myself because of revision or homework, or I'll be rewatching films instead (I rewatched all of the Spy Kids films recently, that was pretty cool) - anyway, here is my overdue What I've been watching post.

THE BUTLER (2013)

★★★★★

The Butler is the story of a black man called Cecil who is hired as a butler in the White House. Over three decades, Cecil gets to see the inner workings of the Oval office. However, his commitment to the people working in the Oval office alienates his wife and causes conflict with his son who is anti-establishment.

I loved this film, as you can tell by the 5 star rating (although I tend to be generous with film ratings). My friend recommended this to me (the one who recommended that I watch Mississippi Masala which I spoke about in this post - yeah I know she has hella good taste). There was just so much good in this (besides John Cusack okay, I didn't even know he was in it, I know that's usually been my motivation for watching films in these posts but it wasn't this time!!) I liked how it spanned over a long time, going right up to Barack Obama becoming President! The events that were shown were all ones I learned about last year in History as we were doing the Civil Rights Movement so I already had that knowledge and interest in the subject, but seeing a visual representation really hits home how bad it was. Plus, a lot of scenes had actual photos or footage from the events which made it all so much more real. I thought it was a really fast moving film, which is good because I usually find more serious films have a lot of build up so they can be quite slow, but this was an exception. It made me very emotional especially considering everything that's happened in regarding black rights in the past few years (I know I talk about this a lot, but sometimes I wonder if other people talk about it enough). Definitely worth a watch.

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (2009)

★★★

This is a film based on the true story of Steven Russell who was a con artist, general imposter, and a multiple prison escapee whose played by Jim Carrey. Whilst he's known since he was young that he was gay, he married a woman and had some kids but then decided to leave that life behind and start living a stereotypical gay lifestyle (the film makes fun of the stereotype at this point, don't worry) but he learns that this lifestyle is expensive so he becomes a con artist. This inevitably lands him in prison where he meet a guy called Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor, who is also gay and they fall in love with each other. Steven gets out of prison before Phillip but when Phillip does get out they live a fairly happy life, until Steven starts doing the whole claiming money that isn't his thing which lands him back in prison. Then he escapes prison several times to be with Phillip who doesn't really want him anymore, the story follows this whole scenario.

This film was absolutely insane. I got it for my birthday in November (the haul is here) and I only just got round to picking it for my movie choice. I'm not entirely sure whether this would be one you'd want to watch with your parents as there are some pretty explicit sex scenes which I was completely unaware about which made for some uncomfortable watching, and I don't think this is Jim Carrey's strongest film. However, it had some really funny moments and it was so crazy that you just wanted to carry on watching to the end. It wasn't an amazing film and I can't see myself watching it any time soon or going out of my way to recommend it to friends, but if you enjoy a little bit of madness and Jim Carrey, you probably won't be disappointed.

THELMA & LOUISE (1991)

★★★★

Thelma & Louise is the story of Thelma, who's a meek housewife, and Louise, who is a sassy, independent waitress. They decide to go on a trip together, but it suddenly becomes a getaway mission when Louise shoots and kills a man who tries to rape Thelma at a bar. They decide to go to Mexico. On the way, they meet a young thief and a sympathetic detective who tries to convince the two women to surrender. The film follows their story as they escape from the law.

I really liked this film, it was a family movie choice (my Dad's to be specific) and it's one I've wanted to watch for ages because I just feel it's one of those films that referenced to a lot in TV shows (and in Wayne's World 2 which is one of my favourite film franchises of all time) so it's one that you've got to watch. I enjoyed the fact that the film focused on an adult friendship because it's not something you see a lot in films, friendship seems to only be shown in kids films then when it gets to adulthood you're made to think you have to be in a relationship (friendship is the best kind of ship). I also loved the strong feminist message, there's an awesome scene where Thelma and Louise give a cat caller his just desserts which is hella awesome. Definitely recommend.

MRS. DOUBTFIRE (1993)

★★★★

Mrs. Doubtfire is the story of a family where the parents get divorced, and the Mum wants to stop the Dad, Daniel, seeing the children so she wants to get a nanny and essentially prevent him from looking after them as much as possible. So, Daniel pretends to be a nanny called Mrs. Doubtfire so he can look after his kids. The story basically follows the antics of the Daniel pretending to be a woman (think Tootsie meets Mary Poppins or a nanny-themed film of your choosing).

I loved this film. It was a bit of family fun with Robin Williams (still not over his death, just saying) and Mara Wilson was adorable in it too. The only thing that annoyed me slightly was the Mum's insistence that Daniel couldn't look after his own kids, like I can empathise with her that the divorce must've been hard on her but it seems just spiteful to prevent him from seeing his kids when he's not really done anything bad to them, and she wanted to spend $300 on a nanny when she has the father volunteering to look after them, just very annoying!! Besides from that though, I really enjoyed this film! (You can see me rant about it in this vlog)

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (2008)

★★★★

The Other Boleyn Girl is based on the Tudor era when Henry VIII was lacking an heir, and the rise of the Boleyn faction who try to get Anne Boleyn to seduce Henry. However, Henry falls for her sister Mary instead and she becomes pregnant with his child, and then she's bedridden. During her time in bed, Anne tries to get with Henry, and the film follows Anne Boleyn's time with the King.

I watched this with my friends while we were revising for History and it was actually pretty cool because we knew all the characters and could link it back to what we had to know in school, I felt that some of it was probably a bit Hollywood and exaggerated (something my History teacher would comment on) but it was definitely an intriguing film, and I really enjoyed watching it, plus it was linked to what we're doing in school so y'know it's kinda educational.

What films have you been watching recently?

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What I've been watching #3

So I haven't been binge watching films so much now that I'm back at school and have actually had mock exams, but I have watched a few films since the last one of these posts I did so lemme update y'all. You can also follow me on Letterboxd to see what films I rewatch as well :-)

LIGHT OF DAY (1987)

★★★★ 1/2

Light of Day is the story of two siblings - Joe, played by Michael J. Fox, and Patti, played by Joan Jett. They're both in a rock band, and it's set in Ohio. Patti is an unmarried Mother and she's got a pretty stormy relationship with her Mum who's deeply religious and generally doesn't agree with anything she does. Patti lives separately from her parents and generally struggles to make ends meet but she's still sticking to the path of the rock lifestyle. Joe pulls away from this lifestyle to look after Patti's son, Benji, and it takes a family crisis to try and mend this dysfunctional family.

I loved this film. I knew I would at least get some enjoyment out of it because it's Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett, Michael J. Fox is one of my all time favourite actors, Joan Jett is generally badass and I love the Runaways, plus it's an 80s film and I generally get along pretty well with them. Unlike my other reviews of 80s films, I don't actually think this was all that cheesy. I really enjoyed the sibling relationship aspect because it's not something you massively see in films, and the actual storyline was quite original. I thought both Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett were convincing in their characters, and I just thought it was really really good.

BRIDE WARS (2009)

★★★★

Bride wars is the story of two best girls, Liv and Emma, who've been best friends since they were little and have been dreaming of the perfect wedding since then - they've both dreamt of the same wedding location which causes a problem when they have a clash in wedding dates, and as a result their friendship breaks down.

I have quite a few friends who really like this film and to be honest, even though I do quite like Anne Hathaway, this just didn't really appeal to me. It seemed like a very generic film, and don't get me wrong I love cheesy films but if there's not some sort of eye candy (usually of the Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, variety) my interest wavers, but I decided to give this a go because the full film was on YouTube, and I did actually quite like it. It was pretty funny and a bit cheesy in that it all works out in the end, but that's just my cynical side coming out and expecting everything to end terribly like in real life (or is it just me that happens to?) The story is actually quite different from anything I've watched before and it's a film I can imagine watching again and again for a bit of light entertainment.

BLADE RUNNER (1982)

★★★★ 1/2

It's 2019, humans have genetically engineered Replicants, which are like humans (but they're really artificial intelligence) designed for labour and entertainment purposes. They're illegal on earth, and they have to be hunted down and killed by blade runners. Our protagonist, Deckard, is a retired blade runner but he's forced to re-enter the force when four Replicants escape from an off-world colony to Earth.

I've wanted to watch this film for quite a while for several reasons: we study artificial intelligence in Philosophy and our teacher recommended it (plus artificial intelligence is such an interesting topic like it's genuinely fun to write an essay on artificial Turing), my brother and my Dad both liked it, and what can I say, I like 80s films and sci-fi. This was my brother's movie choice and we actually watched the Director's Cut which is quite different to the original from what I gather. I really enjoyed this, it didn't really have a dull moment in it, it was based around a very interesting topic, and the ending was good (in the words of River Song: spoilers!)

THE OMEN III (1981)

★★★★

In the third installment of The Omen, Damien is now an adult and he's appointed as United States Ambassador to Britain. However, the priests are out to kill him as he's kinda y'know the spawn of Satan. The film follows the attempts on his life, and a lot of spooky happenings occur as a result of Damien's powers.

This was chosen for my Mum's movie choice as she chose the first two as previous movie choices, I don't know whether it's just the better production value but I think this is better than the first two (or at least the second one, it definitely rivals the first). This one I found genuinely spooky whereas the other two just weren't scary (not that I get scared by films, but there were parts in this which made me jump). I thought this was a great end to the story, and even though I think watching the first two would be helpful if you wanted to watch this, I think it works as a standalone film and if you like more 'classic' horror then this will be right up your street.

INTO THE WOODS (2014)

★★★★

This is a film which combines Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Red Riding Hood. The story focuses on a baker and his wife, and they get a curse put on them resulting on them being childless. However, the witch who put the curse on them was once beautiful and will reverse the curse if they help her become beautiful again by finding some different ingredients - it just so happens that the ingredients they need are different items from each fairytale.

I quite enjoyed watching this, the songs were pretty decent and I enjoyed the characterisation. Plus, it was nice to see a darker twist on some of the fairytales to try and bring it closer to the original Brothers Grimm tales without it traumatising children. Also, James Corden is just great on so many levels.

What films would you recommend?

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What I've been watching #2

I didn't mean to come out with another one of these posts as soon as it is, but I've watched quite a few films as I've been off school and they've been a bit of a treat for me at the end of the day when I'm revising, but in future I doubt there'll be two of these posts in the space of 5 days! As you'll be able to tell, I've been having a bit of an 80s/John Cusack moment although I've loved 80s films for quite a long time so it's not that out of the ordinary,  but I've just been watching a lot of them recently so here's one for the oldies who are reading.

Also, if you want to keep up to date with what films I'm watching (including rewatches because I'm not including them in these posts) then feel free to follow me on Letterboxd!

SAY ANYTHING (1989)

★★★★

Say Anything is a film about a kid called Lloyd who, to the surprise of everyone around him, starts dating this girl called Diane who is basically perfect in regards to looks and grades, and she actually likes him back. Problems start to occur when Diane's possessive father doesn't approve and pressures her to break up with him.

I quite liked this film, although I think that's because I've managed to develop an intense crush on John Cusack. It's a bit cheesy but enjoyable nonetheless, and worth a watch if you enjoy light hearted rom-coms, plus the iconic John Cusack standing outside holding up a stereo scene is in this film so if you just want to get that reference then it's worth a watch. (I personally think watching John Cusack's face for an hour and a half is more than enough reason to watch a film, but y'know each to their own)

TEEN WOLF (1985)

★★★★

Teen Wolf is a film about a teenager called Scott who learns that being a werewolf runs in his family, and it affects him and his Father. Initially he's a little bit alarmed by this, (I mean, you would be wouldn't you?) he ends up taking advantage of this to become popular. He becomes the school basketball star and gains the interest of Pamela, a popular girl who he has a crush on. However, after a while he starts to feel he's becoming a novelty and not being liked for who he really is.

This film may not be epic but I quite enjoyed it. Maybe it's because it's a cheesy 80s film and I quite like them, maybe it's because Michael J. Fox is in it and I think he's brilliant (seriously, after watching Back to the Future for the first time I had a bit of an obsession with him). It was enjoyable and a bit of fun, but not really one that'll change your life unless you're going through a lycanthropic experience.

LOLITA (1997)

★★★★

Lolita is an adaptation of a book by Vladimir Nabokov about a man called Humbert Humbert who, whilst in the US to teach, looks for a room in a house to rent. He goes to Charlotte Haze's house and decides to rent it only after seeing her 14 year old daughter, Dolores, who he has an immediate attraction to as a result of past trauma in his life where his teenage sweetheart died. To stay around Dolores, he married Charlotte. As you'd expect, problems arise for Humbert as he's more attracted to Dolores than Charlotte.

I know you're probably ridiculously creeped out by that synopsis, but I do find stories like this pretty interesting. I loved the book which I actually read a few years ago, and I liked the 1962 film but I've wanted to watch this adaptation for ages because for a lot of people this is the definitive version. It's definitely a lot more risque than the 1962 version, let's say Stanley Kubrick left a lot to the imagination whereas in this one it's all very clear cut and you know exactly what's going on. I'm not sure whether I preferred that or not, obviously it makes you feel a lot more uncomfortable, but I think that's good as to avoid romanticisation of this abusive relationship (seriously, the amount of people who romanticise Lolita shocks me). I think it was very fast moving and was fairly true to the book, although both the 1962 and this version miss out the details of Humbert's first wife and his experiences in Paris. I think the part of Dolores was better cast in this because she does actually look the right age for the part whereas in the 1962 version she didn't look young enough to play the part which means you don't really see how sick the relationship is (well as much, if you're unable to see that a relationship between a young girl and her stepfather is wrong then y'know you're probably a bit beyond help). However, I think I did prefer Peter Sellers as Humbert Humbert rather than Jeremy Irons. I'm not sure what it is, but Jeremy Irons still did a fairly good job. I'd recommend this if you're quite interested in psychology and abusive relationships, but if you're not then you'll probably just be a bit (or a lot) creeped out by this.

BETTER OFF DEAD (1985)

★★★★ 1/2

Better Off Dead is the story of a teenage boy called Lane Meyer who has a strange family (oh my God the food his Mum makes was utterly ridiculous) and he's kind of obsessed with his girlfriend, Beth. When Beth breaks up with Lane and starts dating the popular kid in school (the ski jock.. yeah that's a thing) , he overreacts just a tad and tries to kill himself multiple times. However, Lane then becomes friends with the French exchange student Monique, and to try and earn some kind of redemption, Lane challenges Beth's new beau on the ski slopes.

I know that synopsis makes this film sound utterly terrible, but I actually found it hilarious. It's a very family friendly film, and I found myself laughing an immense amount. I may be a little biased as John Cusack is in it and he looks gorgeous, but this film had the Cusack comedic charm and was generally just a very funny family film. It's very cheesy, but still very funny, and it's one I'd definitely watch again.

DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG (2008)

★★★★★

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is the story of an aspiring super-villain who has a video blog, and has been attempting to make it into the Evil League of Evil. However, his plans are always foiled by the egotistical Captain Hammer. When Dr. Horrible develops a crush on a girl called Penny, who falls for Captain Hammer, Dr. Horrible's life is thrown a little bit off the rails.

My friend really loves this film, although I'm not even sure if it counts as a film because it's under an hour, but it's on Letterboxd so I'm counting it as a film. I can't even express how good it was. It was really funny - I mean it had Neil Patrick Harris in it, how wrong can you go? The songs were really good, and it didn't have a single moment of dullness. Without spoiling anything, the ending will leave you hanging on for more (luckily, there's a sequel coming out soon)

What films would you recommend?

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