Good Noise

Unleash your inner child

There is something to be said about the calming, smile-inducing power of animated films. My husband and I sat glued to Ice Age 2:The Meltdown thanks to ITV2 this weekend. We enjoyed every second, laughed at every possible opportunity like five year olds and felt like we’d taken a batch of happy pills afterwards. It got me thinking of the many animated films I’ve enjoyed in recent years, much more so than ones I enjoyed as a child and I’m sure most of the humour would fly straight over a ten year old child’s head, so…go my children and enjoy the wonderful world of animation (well, mainly the world of Disney Pixar!)

A Bugs Life
Finding Nemo
Monsters Inc
The Incredibles
Toy Story
Ice Age
Flushed Away – has to get the award for the most adult orientated humour - “It's just that curry you had last night, Spike. I'm the same, I've got a bum like the Japanese flag.” (Whitey)
Chicken Run
Shrek

There are plenty more…I vote we replace the intelligent book library in the office with a library of animated DVDs!

Posted by Liz

Ollywood's Wicked Weekend Watches

Seven Pounds Starring Will Smith and Rosario Dawson

Other people have given this film mixed reviews, but I thought it was really good! Smith is a rocket scientist who has caused the deaths of seven people, including his wife in a car accident. We join him as he is beginning to make amends for what he has done and in his logic he has decided to significantly change the lives of seven other people, mostly complete strangers, to counter the deaths he has caused. A seemingly predictable film, but it actually has a very good plot twist and a really sad but uplifting ending.

Doubt Starring Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Once again Streep is completely believable in her role as an uptight nun in the late '60's. She is the Principal of a private Christian school with Hoffman as the Pastor. The storyline unfolds as the school receives it's first black student and Streep is unsure as to whether they should purposely favouritise him or neglect him, whereas Hoffman decides they should just treat him normally. However the plot thickens when Hoffman's relationship with the student becomes seemingly inappropriate and Streep takes it upon herself to investigate the situation with sad consequences. This film leaves you with something the think about and is well worth a look.

Gran Torino Starring Clint Eastwood

Eastwood is an old man who's wife has just passed away. His ungrateful yuppy children want to put him in a carehome to sell of the family assets. At the same time a Korean family move in next door, who immediately clash with institutionally racist Eastwood. However following a dramatic incident Eastwood realises that he has a lot more in common with his new neighbours than he does with his own family. As the story develops the new family are targeted by a Korean street gang who are trying to recruit the youngest son. Eastwood decides to take him under his wing to protect him from the gang with dramatic consequences. This film was very well done and is a suburban take on a Clint Eastwood Western. Just beware, you probably won't hear as many casually racist terms in any other film that isn't starring Nick Griffin.

Posted by Ollie

Ollywood's Wicked Weekday Watches!

OK kids, here’s the next thrilling installment of my movie blog. Enjoy!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

This film is a little bit ironic, in that it has the word Curious in the title, yet it's probably the least interesting film I've seen all year. You'll notice it's only winning the awards for fluffy things like 'visual effects' and 'best make up'. To be fair though anyone that can make Brad Pitt look 20 again these days deserves every award they get! If they were to reverse the plot and show Benjamin being born young and growing old, then it would be less interesting than watching Gardener's World with my nan's knitting circle drinking Ovaltine Light, but at an ass numbing 3 hours long I think I'd rather do the knitting.

Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Brannagh and Eddie Izzard.

An excellent portrayal of the 15th and final attempt on Adolf Hitler's life by Nazi soldiers. We join Cruise as a disenfranchised Colonel fighting in El Alamein right before he becomes hideously disfugured by an Allied airstrike. Excellently portrayed by the creme de la creme of British actors (all playing Germans). An important story that should have been told a long time ago. Easily one of the best films this year with gripping action and drama from start to finish. Not for birds though.

The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke

Totally not what I was expecting, the poster makes it look like Rourke is a sportsman at the top of his game, but in reality it was quite the opposite. This tale is about a man coming to terms with his own declining quality of life and the prospect of having to give up all that he has known as he gets old. Not a feel good film, but a bit of a thinker with a very poignant ending. Excellent acting that really draws you in and makes you genuinely care about what is seemingly a rough loser in the beginnng. A very pleasant surprise and definately worth the watch!

Posted by Ollie

Ollywood's Wicked Weekend Watches

Ok kids, here's the first of what will hopefully be a weekly installment of film reviews for you all to save your precious time...

Slumdog Millionaire, starring Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor and Freida Pinto. 

This is a very clever story of the lives of three young Indian children told through the medium of Who Want's to be a Millionaire? Basically Jamal (Patel) is on his 10 Million Rupee (£500,000) question and he gets dragged away by Indian police accused of cheating as how could a mere 'Slumdog' be so clever? He is forced to tell them how he knew each answer and as luck would have it, he had something extremely significant happen to him during his childhood that holds the answer to each question. A littlebit bittersweet and not the 'feelgood' movie it's billed as, but still very well done. Keep on watching the credits at the end to watch Patel stumble his way through some really random and cringey bangra dancing.

My Bloody Valentine 3D, starring Jensen Ackles, Jaime King and Kerr Smith.

As far as horror movies go this wasn't half bad. Made much more scary by the 3D element, so that you aren't just watching someone get stabbed, but the knife actually comes out of the screen and into your face. Good plot twist at the end too. I almost needed new underwear when I left. However, it was a bit scared before the film started after having to walk through two metal detectors and sit in between So Solid Crew and Blazin' Squad at the O2 Vue.

The Reader, Starring Kate Winslet and some random.

If you like films that make you question everything you stand for and wonder if you want to carry on, then this is the one for you. A very dark tale of love in Germany in the 1950's. Very sad, but very well told. This was one of the only films where everyone has just sat in stunned silence as the credits rolled. For some reason the film poster bills it as 'uplifting' so I'm guessing the reviewer must have been on some very strong mood stablisers...... Definately worth a watch though. Winslet at her Titanic best.

Posted by Ollie