Easter Movies

For the first time in three days, I'm not going to the cinema. There was The Raid 2 on Thursday ( I love Gareth Evans, if you like brilliantly choreographed, violent martial arts films, you owe it to yourself to watch both this film and its predecessor). On Friday I saw the first three Indiana Jones films at The Prince Charles Cinema, reminding me yet again why they are some of the greatest films ever made. Last night I was back at the Prince Charles for Empire Records, which was so good I wanted to immediately watch it again. And tomorrow I'm back there yet again for The Dark Knight trilogy.

So, in order to stop myself feeling at a loose end today I decided to share some Easter movies with you, Beautiful Reader.

For kids and adults alike, try Hop. It could just have been a cute little film about the Easter Bunny, but the voices of Russell Brand and Hank Azaria give it an edge that make it really funny. Also worth a mention is Rise of the Guardians. It's actually about Jack Frost, but Easter plays a crucial part in the story and Hugh Jackman's Easter Bunny is fantastic. And, of course, you can get all Arthurian with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. "He chose... poorly."

For 1950's epics, I'd have to go for The Robe. For me, it is the perfect example of a Hollywood movie from the Golden Era that is trying to be big and important. It is knowingly grand and has moments when people just look meaningfully past the camera for a minute or two in order to express emotion or signify they've just learnt something important. It can make the film a little slow, and even a little silly, but if you go with it and get in the mood, then it's wonderful. Also, I love Richard Burton and Victor Mature.

I suppose if you want a bit of Passover action you could watch The Ten Commandments. Yes, it's technically well made; yes, it's got Yul Brynner in it; but even six years after his death, the mere mention of Charlton Heston's name is enough to send me into a violent rage and I just can't watch anything with him in. Deep breaths, Momento Maureen, deep breaths.

If religion is your thing, then you can't go far wrong with Jesus of Montreal, in which a group of actors staging a controversial Passion Play find the story being echoed in their own lives. It's beautifully made, and gives everyone a chance to say Lothaire Bluteau, which is a brilliant name. Say it with me... Lothaire Bluteau. Nice. I should also mention Godspell. It's painfully dated, but worth watching to see Victor Garber as a hippy-clown Jesus, before he got type cast as stern father figures... or maybe just look at the pictures online, I found it a bit much.

Finally, inevitably, let us move to horror films. This afternoon I shall be cracking open my box set and watching Critters 2. Not only is it a worthy sequel to an awesomely ridiculous horror-comedy, but it's also set at Easter! There's a church service and a guy in a bunny costume and everything! If you like really silly, gross things, if you liked Gremlins, then you owe it to yourself to give these films a watch.

And of course, on a day that celebrates a man coming back from the dead, what better than a zombie movie or two, or even the ten recommended in this brilliant article. Let's be grateful that Jesus resurrected without wanting to eat any brains, or this could be a very different holiday indeed.

Judy Dench and the Cannibals

"Oh Maureen!" I hear you say. "At the beginning of the year you promised to post on your blog every three or four days, and now you have left us bereft for two whole weeks!"

Beautiful Reader, I can only apologise.

"But what was it that inspired you to come back to us on this day, of all days?"

Well, it wasn't news of a zombie apocalypse, nor the sighting of an alien space craft heading our way. In fact, it was watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, in which Judy Dench, fabulous as ever, blogs about her experiences moving to India and getting her first ever job. It's a very minor part of the movie, but it was like the Universe was giving me a tap on the shoulder and saying, "Momento Maureen, get your butt it gear."

I continued today's DVD watching experience with Urban Explorer (apparently released as The Depraved for no good reason in the US). This is a German film about a group of young folk being lead through the old tunnels beneath Berlin, who accidentally stumble across a crazed former Border Guard who hasn't quite accepted that the country is now unified... and is a cannibal. It's not the most original idea in the world, but it works. It's surprisingly beautifully shot and the sound track is an interesting blend of the strange sounds you might hear under a busy city, well used to increase the tension. It also manages to have characters you aren't wishing dead after the first ten minutes, unlike many slasher films. It also certainly gained it's 18 certificate and the warning of strong violence and gore. I first saw this a couple of years ago at Frightfest and had totally forgotten quite how graphic it is.

Anyway, while watching Urban Explorer it struck me that this was quite a weird double bill that I had stumbled in to. But I thought, hey, I'm sure if I think about it, these films will have something in common that justifies their being watched back-to-back... and they totally do!

Both films are about people going to a new city, learning things they didn't know about their destination, and having an experience they didn't expect. It's a "Holiday With A Twist" Double Bill!

Other films that could fit into this category are, Cabin in the Woods, The Pack, and the "Road" movies, starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Now that's a film marathon I'd happily be part of.

Cops and Robbers aka Lego Girl on a Motorcycle

In between housework and job hunting, there's always time for Lego...

Big thanks to Ellen for getting me this set for my birthday. I love it!

Lambing Live and Zombie Sheep

So, this week I have been immersing myself in Lambing Live, the BBC show which spends a week on a sheep farm taking us through the processes of sheep breeding, and showing us little lambs being born fresh and gooey into the world, live on your television set.

It's so good. I've spent the last four days trying to work out how I could post a blog about Lambing Live that wasn't just me going on about how super cute lambs are and how I want my own little small-holding with a couple of sheep, some chickens and a pig or two. I mean, after all, this blog is meant to be an expression of my love off all things undead and spooky, not a super-cute-fest.

Then I remembered two films and a book that I felt served as a remedy to the farm based cute fest, and up my horror cred a bit.

1) For those desirous of some gross-out horror-comedy, try reading Apocalypse Cow. An out-break from a government lab causes animals across Britain to become slobbering, shagging, killing machines. I'm fairly certain I wrote a review of it at some point, so use this as an opportunity to meander down memory lane and check out some of my past posts. Anyway, it's not the greatest book ever written, but there are certainly some memorable moments that have stuck in my brain, and it's pretty entertaining.

2) Sticking in the horror-comedy genre (my favourite, and incredibly hard to get right) but moving on to films, I highly recommend Black Sheep. In New Zealand, where sheep outnumber people roughly 8-1, an outbreak of zombism in the ovine population would be a real disaster. It's gross, creepy and hilarious and definitely worth watching if that combination in any way appeals.

3) Finally, moving on to slightly more serious fare, Isolation was originally described to me as being like Alien on an Irish farm, which frankly sounded terrible. Thankfully it turned out to be brilliant. It's dark, intense and thrilling and perfect for watching on stormy nights.

So, there you go, a balance for the cuteness that I'm going to leave you with...

Only Lovers Left Alive: A Review

So, I sat down to write this review and had a moment where I finally understood why I don't present a film review programme, because this film made me want to paint a picture or do a dance rather than sit and explain what's good about it. Then I thought, no, you really ought to present a film review programme, because then you could just do the dance to show how this film made you feel, rather than trying to capture it in words. The dance would involve a lot of spinning and smiling, then I'd jump around a bit, then maybe hold myself and sway, before heading with some dramatic swooshing about the place before collapsing to the floor.

But probably, because this is a blog and not a TV show, I ought to write something a bit clearer than that.

So, I loved Only Lovers Left Alive. It managed to blend a romantic and  darkly funny story, with horror elements, in to something that felt real and relatable. The way they talk to each other really rings true, despite the fact that they are characters who have lived for hundreds of years. It reminded me how wonderfully diverse Vampire stories can be, and I hope that it reaches a new generation of people who might only have seen Vampires in things like the Twilight saga, and be a gateway film to stuff like Near Dark and The Addiction, which are both really different to this and each other, but both brilliant films.

It also made me want to watch more Jim Jarmusch films. I've only seen two before this, and one of them (Broken Flowers) I wasn't a huge fan of. On the other hand, I loved Ghost Dog, and Only Lovers Left Alive really reminded me of that film, in the almost dreamlike way the story unfolds and the way I became completely absorbed in what was happening.

On a shallow level, Tom Hiddleston is gorgeous and spends quite a bit of the film topless. On a slightly deeper level, Hiddleston and Swinton are just amazing together, equally beautiful and equally great actors. I came out of the cinema wishing that they would appear in a million films together, because I was certain that each one would be just as good as this one.

It's the kind of film that once it's finished, you just want to watch it again immediately.

What I Did on My Holidays

I am back from Plymouth, recovered from some serious over-indulgence at the weekend, and raring to go (ish). I thought to myself, what could be better than telling everyone the top five things I did while I was away. I used to love writing the "What I did on my holiday" essays when we got back to school after summer, although I must confess that I once made up that I'd spent the summer learning synchronised swimming because a) I hadn't been up to anything that exciting, and b) I really didn't feel like it was anyone else's business what I'd been doing. Thankfully, I like you all much more than I liked school, so you will get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

1) I had a birthday! Yep, the ever youthful Momento Maureen has reached the grand old age of 33. I celebrated by going to see Frozen, and then sitting in a pub drinking soft drinks. Lots of fun and no hangover on the coach to Plymouth the next day.

2) Yep, I went to Plymouth. I saw sailors, seagulls and sunshine. Oh, and my brother and sister-in-law, of course.

3) I went to Totnes to pick out my birthday present, and after much consideration, picked a Lego set. I now of two lovely Lego sets, which I'm sure will be making an appearance on this blog sooner rather than later. Also expect reports on the Zombie dice game, and my lifetime membership at the Prince Charles Cinema! All very exciting. Anyway, I love Totnes, the middle-classness is balanced out by the proper hippy types and there's always a really lovely atmosphere.

4) I saw The Lego Movie again! That's three times. It really is so good. If you've not seen it, I recommend saving the extra couple of quid and seeing it in 2D. There's so much happening in the background and it's much easier to make everything out without those silly glasses on. Either way, it's awesome.

5) I went outside without my big winter coat on! Okay, not necessarily the most exciting event in most people's lives, but it was so nice to be warm outside around my birthday that it made me feel quite giddy. I could feel the Vitamin D!

Hope you've also enjoyed some sunshine, Beautiful Reader, I shall be with you again soon.

My Night at the Oscars

Okay, so maybe that title is a little misleading. I wasn't actually at the 86th Academy Awards, but I did stay up to watch it. I love a good awards ceremony, and the Oscars is the cream of the crop. I mean, you have to accept that genre films are never going to do as well as they should, and that it's all a little cheesy, but it's the glitz, glam and over the top silliness that I love the best.

I did actually write notes as it went along, but after 3am my handwriting gets really sloppy and my spelling goes out of the window. So here are some of my thoughts...

Ellen Degeneres made a brilliant host. She was funny without making anyone feel uncomfortable. In fact, the whole show felt really laid back, almost like it was just a bunch of chums getting together to have a fun night out. My favourite bit was when Ellen ordered everybody pizza, and for the next twenty minutes whenever they cut to the audience you could see some of Hollywood's biggest stars munching away.

I'm probably at my most patriotic during awards ceremonies and so it was really brilliant to see all the Brits who worked on Gravity winning all those awards. I also thought that all the British men looked particularly dapper and did their country proud.

I was ridiculously excited when 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture. It's a wonderful film. I mean it is really heavy, but it's only reporting the truth of what happened, and there are a couple of really beautiful moments. I just worried that it might be too heavy for the Academy to vote for. I loved Steve McQueen jumping up and down at the end of his over-excited speech.

Actually, there were many good speeches. I get bored when people just go into a list of "thank yous", but as soon as people start talking about following their dreams, I'm sold. Jared Leto managed to include everything from his mum to the Ukraine. Genius.

Now, I've had less than five hours sleep, and my brains a bit mushy (I keep randomly capitalising things), so I'll wrap this up with my best dressed man and woman. For the men, I pick Jared Leto, I mean, yes, that white jacket and red bow-tie were a little eccentric, but he looked so good with his hair down. Also, I've had a crush on him since My So-called Life began twenty years ago (shit, that's ages). Seeing as that show also gave us Claire Danes, if you didn't watch it at the time, you should check it out now, especially if you are or have been a teenage girl. It was amazing...

But I'm getting off the point.

Best dress woman goes to Lupita Nyong'o, who also had a lovely acceptance speech ("No matter where you're from, you dreams are valid"). It was inspired by champagne bubbles and was a lovely blue that really suited her. The front was so low cut that it was either held up by tit-tape or magic. She looked amazing. Having said that, she's so beautiful that she'd probably have looked just as good if she was dressed the same as I was, fleece pyjamas and fluffy socks.