Review: Sex and the City 2 (2010)

"Sex and the City" is one of HBO's most popular shows, and it ran on the network from 1998-2004. I caught it every week, without fail. It is one of my all-time favourite shows, and I was delighted when they decided to make a movie about it back in 2008. Sex and the City was released the day I graduated from high school, and despite my best efforts to see it, they never materialized. I had to wait until it was released on DVD several months later, and I'm ever so glad I did. I watched it with my best friend, who until that point had been somewhat put off by the show's subject matter. By the end of the film, however, she'd completely changed her opinion about the show. In fact, I think she liked/likes the movie more than me. When we found out that they were making a sequel, we were ecstatic. Unfortunately, by the time Sex and the City 2 was released, we were living in different countries. This won't stop us from enjoying the film, though. And I can guarantee that we'll be having a long talk about it in the near future. 

It's been two years since we last visited Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte, and the big city, and not a whole lot has changed.

"Me and you, just us two."

Carrie is finding it difficult adjusting to the routine that goes along with married life. She's worried that her and Big are becoming a boring couple, as Big no longer feels the need to go out all the time, and perfers to stay in, watch the tv, and eat takeways. Carrie, on the other hand, is desperate to remain a hip couple, which leads to Big suggesting that they spend two days a week apart. After hearing this, Carrie is more than happy to travel to Abu Dhabi with the girls.

Samanatha hasn't changed a bit, and is still trying to keep her youth and avoid menopause. After attending a film premiere with former lover Smith Jared, Samantha is invited to spend a week in Abu Dhabi, which she accepts on the condition that the girls can go with her.

Miranda has been experiencing a few problems with her new boss, and decides to quit her job, leaving her free to travel to Abu Dhabi with the rest of the girls.

Charlotte is having a hard time with her youngest daughter, Rose, who is going through her terrible twos. She's also experiencing problems with her children's nanny, Erin, who never wears a bra. This didn't cause Charlotte concern until Samantha chimed in, as a joke, that Harry may cheat with the nanny. Charlotte has since become obsessed with the idea of Harry cheating, and is initially hesitant to go with the girls to Abu Dhabi.

"You have to take the tradition, and decorate it your way."

One thing I loved about Sex and the City 2 was that, for the first time, we learned just how and when Carrie arrived in New York City and met the other girls. I had always assumed that Carrie was born in New York, and though we are not given her actual place of birth, we do learn that New York was first introduced to Carrie Bradshaw in 1986. Carrie then met Charlotte in 1987, Miranda in 1989, and Samantha some time after that. Interesting stuff.

I also loved seeing the clip of It Happened One Night, though its use later is the film was terribly tacky. I wish that that had been left out.

Most of Sex and the City 2 takes place after the girls arrive in Abu Dhabi, which I think is a shame, as "Sex and The City" IS New York. Not Abu Dhabi. This disappointed me a bit... Quite a bit, actually, and this is not my only annoyance with the film. My biggest complaint comes from the fact that a large amount of its plot is unrealistic, and, sometimes, just downright ridiculous. Again, most of this can be found in the Abu Dhabi portions of the film. There's one scene in particular involving a bookclub that is quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in a movie. However, despite all of this, I still really liked Sex and the City 2.

The cast. I won't mention names here as everybody did a great job in their roles, as they should. After all, they have been playing their respective characters for more than a decade.

I think that one of the main reasons I love the Sex and the City films so much is that I already know and love these characters, and have done for years. They feel like my friends, not just characters on a screen, which brings me to another reason why these films mean so much to me: They are about friendship. These girls know that, no matter what happens, they will always have each other. I'm lucky to have this type of friendship with my best friend. We're an ocean apart, yet, in a funny way, we're still together, and, like Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, we always will be.

"We made a deal ages ago. Men, babies, doesn't matter. We're soulmates."

Love the girls. Love the city. Love the sex. Love the movie. 8/10

Trivia: During one of the scenes in Sex and the City 2, Big picks up Carrie to take her to dinner. In this scene, Carrie is wearing the same dress she wore when she apologized to Big's former wife Natasha in season 3 of the show.

Review: Holiday Affair (1949)

I read somewhere once that nobody in Hollywood wanted to work with Robert Mitchum after his arrest for cannabis possession in 1948, for which he spent a total of 50 days behind bars. RKO Pictures, the studio to which Mitchum was signed at the time, was very embarressed by his arrest, and wanted him to develop a cleaner image upon his release from jail. This resulted in the making of 1949's Holiday Affair. Though the film did not do well throughout its initial release, it later found an admiring audience through the airing of re-runs on TCM. Holiday Affair is now considered to be a minor classic, and holds a annual role in many people's traditional holiday viewings.

During the holiday season, a young mother meets a sales clerk at a department store, and, through a series of accidental run-ins, they begin to fall for one another.

"So, if you wish real hard for something, maybe you might get it"

The young mother mentioned above is Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh), a comparison shopper for a rival department store. Connie is a widow, who can't seem to get past the memory of her late husband. She spends most of her time at work, or at home with her friend, Carl (Wendell Corey), and her son, Timmy (Gordon Gebert). Carl has been in love with Connie for quite a while, and has asked her to marry him on several occasions. She, however, has turned him down everytime. Connie's son Timmy is a bright, well behaved six year old, and he and his mother have a wonderful relationship. Timmy has got to be the cutest kid I've ever since onscreen, and I would just love to give him a great big hug (And I'm not a hugger).

The sales clerk is a man named Steve Mason (Mitchum). He a bit of a drifter, who dreams of building boats in California someday, but doesn't have the finances to do that at present. Mason is a very wise character, and can read people incredibly well. He is drawn to Connie from the moment he meets her, and absolutely adores her son upon meeting him.

This was the first time I have seen Holiday Affair. I had been after it for quite some time, and eventually found it earlier this year on Ebay. I bought it immediately, and waited until now to watch it. Robert Mitchum is my third favourite "classic" actor, behind Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, and I love Christmas movies (Even the tacky ones...), so this sounded like a great combo for me, and I did really enjoy the feature.

"And I want a girl that'll drop everything and run to me, no matter what the score is."

Classic movies are so wonderful because the characters don't tend to be overwritten. It seems to me that movies nowadays feel the need to draw a clear, bold line between characters that are "good" and characters that are "bad". For example, if Holiday Affair had been made today, the character of Carl would have been a scheming, cheating, little arsehole, who would do everything in his power to keep Connie away from Steve. However, in the 1949 film, Carl does anything but that. You see, in classics (Romantic comedies, that is), the "bad guys" were never really all that bad; they were just good guys that weren't "the one". I think that romantic comedies of today need to watch more films from the 1930's and 1940's. Perhaps then they'd get it right.

I have this thing about watching old movies. I tend look at all the children and adults, and even the animals, and wonder where they are now; if they're still alive and what they'd be doing if they were. I found myself doing this throughout Holiday Affair. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one...

Robert Mitchum was as cool as ever in his role as Mason. Boy, was that man built! Janet Leigh was very sweet as Connie, and Wendell Corey was good as Carl, but the runaway performance of the film was given by little Gordon Gebert, who played Timmy to perfection. Loved that kid; I want one of my own. A Timmy, that is. But, knowing me, I'd treat him more like a pet than a child. Ahh, well...

Holiday Affair is good little film to help get you into the holiday spirit. 7/10

Trivia: Like many of the classics, Holiday Affair was revived for a radio adaptation a year after its cinematic release in 1950, with Robert Mitchum reprising his role as Steve Mason.

Review: Scrooge (1951)

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is one of the most well known stories ever written. Originally published in 1843, there have been dozens of adaptations of the classic novel since its release, and this adaptation is considered to be one the best. Released in 1951, Scrooge was a box office disappointment in the US, and only received mixed reviews, despite the fact that it was praised in the UK. Over the following decades, however, the film became a huge success on television, and is considered by many to be the best version of Dickens' story.

Need I write a summary? Oh, ok: A grumpy old man named Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises Christmas, is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future.

"Bob, I haven't taken leave of my senses. I've come to them."

Scrooge, which was released in the US under the title A Christmas Carol, expands on Dickens' original novella. Giving the character of Ebenezer Scrooge more background, the movie shows us exactly how and why Scrooge became who he did. The film also tells us how Ebenezer met Jacob Marley, and depicts several stages in their friendship, right through to Marley's death, which occured seven years to the day before Scrooge is set.

The ghost effects in Scrooge are very effective. You can see right through each of the ghosts, and I imagine this was difficult to do in 1951. So, I am quite impressed.

The version of Scrooge I viewed was in colour, though I feel that I may enjoyed it slightly more in black and white. Film tinting, which is the colouring process this film went through in later years, is when a movie filmed in black and white is later dyed with color. Kind of an inbetween of the two extremes (Colour & black and white). I must admit, I'm not a fan of this process, and believe that films that use it should have simply stuck to one or the other. However, my dislike of the picture quality is hardly the screenplay's fault, which, coincidentally, I rather enjoyed.

"God bless us, every one!"

I love the novella A Christmas Carol, and enjoy many of its adaptations, my favourite one being The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). However, having said that, my favourite performance of Ebenezer Scrooge is actually from this movie, Scrooge, as played by Alastair Sim. Sim was born to play Ebenezer, and he skillfully makes a brilliant transition from a grumpy grouch to a cheery fella within the space of 86 minutes. A very good performance indeed. The rest of the cast also do a very good job at bringing Dickens' characters to life.

Scrooge is the classic tale of a man who comes to understand the meaning of Christmas. This film should be made mandatory Christmas viewing. 8/10

Trivia: Though these days the word 'scrooge' is somewhat of an insult, meaning a mean or nasty person, back in Charles Dickens' time, the word was a slang term meaning 'to squeeze'. It was Dickens' novella, A Christmas Carol, which made the word what it is today.

**BONUS** According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of 'humbug' is "Something designed to deceive or mislead".

Look out for another adaptation of A Christmas Carol to be reviewed later in the season.

Review: The Running Man (1987)

Richard Bachman is one of the world's great story tellers. He's a true master of his craft, and there seems to be no end to his extraordinary imagination. I know what you're thinking. "Who the heck is Richard Bachman?" Perhaps I should tell you his real name. You see, Richard Bachman is a pseudonym used by an acclaimed horror writer, called Stephen King. This movie's plot's beginning to make a little more sense to you now, isn't it?

The Year is 2017, and the world has become one miserable place to call home. After the collapse of the global economy, America has become a heavily censored, totalitarian police state. Nice, right? Anywho, the protagonist of our story is Ben Richards, a former military pilot sent to prison for something he didn't do. After escaping from a labour camp, Richards attempts to leave the United States. Upon being caught at the airport, he is selected to be a contestant on "The Running Man", the most popular show in the history of television. "The Running Man" is a game show that gives prisoners the chance to walk free... If they can escape from The Stalkers, a group of armed, highly trained hunters with only one objective: to kill the contastants.

"Don't touch that dial!"

As a child, this movie freaked me out. I was 10 years old the first time I saw The Running Man, and I remember it vividly (Thanks Dad!). Yes, the first time I saw it, I wasn't a fan... However, that was a long time ago. I now really like this movie. Funny how time changes things, uh?

"The Running Man" is an incredibly disturbing idea for a game show. The idea that we, as humans, could one day look forward to watching people brutally killed on live television is awful, and I certainly can't imagine it occuring in my lifetime. Having said that, it does make a terrific idea for a film. The movie The Running Man is very entertaining, though, at times, a little horrific. I mean, pretty much any time a chainsaw appears in film, you know it's not going to be pleasant, but The Running Man's basic plot is actually quite enjoyable.

I find films that are set in the future to be rather interesting. It's always cool to see someone else's view of what the future could be, but the future that is dipicted in The Running Man is just dreadful. It's a very dark, extraordinarily cruel place to be. I would sooner die than live there.

"I live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your god-damn spine!"

One thing I love about movies set in the future that were made in the past is that they are so completely outdated. Take computers, for example. I'm sure that back in the day (1987), the computers featured in The Running Man looked all high tech and glorious, but now they just look like big boxes with buttons on them. I suppose they still look fairly sophisticated, but they've got nothing on the computers of today.

One bone I do have to pick with this movie is/are the videos that the game show uses to show the crimes the contestants have commited. How did they obtain them? Are they telling me that in the future, everything, and I do mean everything, is recorded? I highly doubt that. Especially considering that Richards' so-called crime took place in a helicopter, high in the sky. Ahh, well... Just thought I'd point it out. It doesn't exactly ruin my viewing.

"Who loves you and who do you love?"

Arnold, Arnold, Arnold... Ahh, do I love him. But you already know that. Needless to say, I enjoyed seeing him in this film. Someone else I enjoyed seeing in The Running Man was game show legend Richard Dawson, who plays Damon Killian (aka an extreme variation of himself). I love watching re-runs of "Family Fortunes" with Dawson as the host, and his casting in this movie was very clever. Well done to whoever came up with that.

Now that I think of it, Arnie has actually done a lot of these futuristic-type films. There're The Terminator movies (1984, 1991, 2003), Total Recall (1990), The 6th Day (2000)... Man likes the future, I guess.

The Running Man is a rather violent, rather enjoyable movie, that features some of Arnie's best lines. What more could you want?  8/10

Trivia: There are a decent amount of dance sequences featured in The Running Man, all of which were choreographed by former "American Idol" judge, Paula Abdul.

Review: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

A Sequel surpassing the excellence of its predecessor is a rarity in cinema. It really doesn't happen that often. However, in my opinion, Terminator 2: Judgment Day managed to achieve this. T2, as it's nicknamed, was the most eagerly anticipated film of 1991, earning north of $500 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of the year. The film currently ranks 42nd on IMDb's Top 250.

It's been eleven years since Sarah Connor incountered the terminator, and she has since been locked away in a high security mental institution; all evidence of her meeting with the terminator seemingly erased. But, before long, a new model of terminator, the T-1000, is sent from the future; it's mission: to terminate John Connor, Sarah's son and leader of the resistance. To give him a chance at survival, the resistance send their own terminator to protect John, the same model that tried to terminate his mother all those years ago.

"Hasta la vista, baby."

In T2, Arnie's terminator is still every bit the lean, mean, fighting machine he was in The Terminator (1984), but, throughout the film, it's as if he softens. As a viewer, we know that terminators do not have human feelings, but if there was ever a terminator that came close, it was this one. In his scenes with John, the terminator seems more of a gentle giant than a lethal killer. His protection of the child could easily be mistaken as that of a father. By the end of the film, John and the Cyborg develop a touching bond that it undoubtable, which gave me a thought: If a terminator is capable of learning just about everything else, perhaps, with time, it could also learn to feel.

Sarah Connor is a completely different person in T2 as opposed to who she was in The Terminator. In the first film, she was a gentle, perhaps weak, woman. In T2, she is anything but. Sarah is now a hard, strong, skilled woman - A living terminator, if you will - and she will stop at nothing to protect her son, the future leader of the resistance. Sarah fully realizes just how important John is to the survival of the human race, and her only goal in life is to keep him alive; she couldn't care less about her own survival.

The T-1000 is an extremely advanced killing machine. Instead of being half man, half machine (like the terminator model 101), the T-1000 is made entirely of liquid metal, with the appearance of being human. What's so clever about the T-1000 is it has the ability to shapeshift. The model can also self-heal its wounds in mere seconds, rendering it almost indestructible. The entire concept of the T-1000 is very clever, but to disguise it as a cop was genius. In that uniform, the it can get away with almost anything without a second glance. The T-1000 is a truly fascinating character.

"It's in your nature to destroy yourselves"

I absolutely love this movie. I can watch it again, and again, and again. And I do, for that matter. It's far more exciting than the first and every bit as brilliant, and it is without doubt my favourite of the Terminator film series. It actually angers me that they continued on with the series after T2, as neither of the two latest films have lived up to the genius of the first two, and I honestly hope that they don't make any more.

The special effects featured in Judgment Day are awesome. Absolutely amazing, especially as far as the T-1000 is concerned. Even today, almost 20 years after the film's release, watching the T-1000 melt into a puddle of liquid metal, before reforming itself, is stunning. It's no wonder that T2's visual effects team won oscars for their work. They were very much deserved.
James Cameron is one of my favourite directors, and I would gladly watch just about anything he makes. What I would give to look into his mind... The things he comes up with are fascinating. He's incredibly creative, and I look forward to seeing what else his can come up with in the future.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

I love Arnold Schwarzenegger. I don't know why, but I do. I would watch him in anything, whether he's any good in it or not. This movie happens to be one of those times where he is, actually, good - VERY good. His performance is rather gentle, and he has great chemistry with Edward Furlong, who plays John Connor. Furlong was also very good in his first acting role as Connor. It's a shame that his career hasn't lived up to its phenomenial debut, though, at 33, he still has time. Linda Hamilton gave, what I believe to be, the best performance of her career in T2. She plays Sarah with a kind of psychotic intensity, and it really works for the character. Robert Patrick also gives an intense performance as the T-1000; however, though his terminator is scary, it isn't as scary as Arnie's terminator in The Terminator. Despite this, he was very good in the role.

My 'judgment' on T2? If you haven't already, see it. Now. 10/10

Trivia: During one of the final scenes of T2, the T-1000 molds itself to look like Sarah Connor, hence the appearance of two, identical Sarahs on screen. Instead of using clever special effect methods to insert Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah, into a shot, James Cameron brought in Hamilton's identical twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Gearren, to play the T-1000 version of Sarah. According to Hamilton, one day on set, Arnold Schwarzenegger mistook Gearren for herself, resulting in an embarrassing yet amusing situation.

Review: L.A. Confidential (1997)

L.A. Confidential is one of those movies that I've always sort of avoided. You see, it was almost unanimously praised by critics upon its release in 1997, and films that have a perfect, or almost perfect, approval rating turn me off. Not because I don't believe a film deserves such a rating; that would be silly. It's just because I usually find films that the critics love somewhat boring. This isn't always so. Sometimes, I do agree with them... But I usually don't. Anywho, why did I finally sit down to L.A. Confidential? Two words: Kevin Spacey. I've had a bit of a Spacey week this week, and I thought I'd cap it off with this. I'm very pleased that I did.

Three L.A. cops, all with very different methods of policing, work together to try and solve a muli-murder case.

L.A. Confidential is a story of corruption. The "top" cops are intent on trying to reassure the people of L.A. that the police are on their side; however, a majority of them are bent to the back teeth. Everybody has an angle, and almost anybody can be bought.

"Oh, great. You get the girl, I get the coroner."

The three officers at the centre of L.A. Confidential are fascinating characters. Jack Vincennes, played by Spacey, is an incredibly suave, fame whore. Vincennes has a job as an technical advisor for a TV show. Slightly bent, he also works with tabloid magazine editor Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito). Together, they set people up for a pay off: Vincennes gets money, and Hudgens gets pages. Bud White, Played by Russell Crowe, is a tough-guy cop, whose main target is women beaters. He has no problem with doing some damage to those (men) who have commited crimes, and often does so. He's the Police Captain's go-to guy for those who need to be taught a lesson. Ed Exley, played by Guy Pearce, has a dog-eat-dog mentality. He wants to get to the top, and he is willing to step on anybody to get there. As the only non-bent cop of the three, Exley is very straightlaced and all about justice. He became a police officer to help give justice to those that have been wronged, such as his father, who was shot dead by an unknown man several years earlier.

L.A. Confidential has a very film noir feel to it, which is great, as I am curiously fond of this genre of film. I really loved the style of the movie. Set in 1953, L.A. Confidential really has that 1950's feel to it. The clothes are beautiful and the music sets the scene perfectly. The characters even talk like I'd expect them to in the 50's. You can tell that incredible detail went into making this film look so good, and it really paid off. It is very stylish.

This movie is far more interesting than I thought it was going to be. It moves swiftly from one point to another and does not pause for thought, leaving the viewer completely interested in what's happening onscreen, from start to finish. This means that the film feels a lot shorter than its 138 minutes (WOOT!).

"Rollo Tamasi"

L.A. Confidential has an ensemble cast full of terrific actors. Spacey, Crowe, and Pearce all shine in their respective roles, and work very well together. Kim Basinger is also good in her role as Lynn Bracken, the high-class escort; however, I wouldn't have labeled her performance as Oscar worthy (Basinger won the Best Supporting Actress oscar in 1998 for her portrayal of Lynn). The rest of the cast, which includes Danny DeVito and James Cromwell, also to a fabulous job bringing their characters to life; there wasn't a bad performance in this film.

I really, really liked L.A. Confidential. Films like this make me rethink my view on critical "darlings". 9/10

Trivia: Kevin Spacey, who played Jack Vincennes in L.A. Confidential, was told to base his character loosely around Rat Pack legend, Dean Martin.

Review: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

The late John Hughes was a brilliant filmmaker, who specialized in films based in and around the city of Chicago. His movies usually revolved around the lives and trials of teenagers. On the occasion, however, Hughes did travel outside his comfort zone, and wrote scripts that revolved purely around adults. Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Starring Steve Martin and John Candy, was one such film. Often when two nig-name comics collaborate in this form of media, the results are disastrous, the two stars feeling it necessary to out-do one another. Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the exception to the rule. Released in 1987, the film was praised by critics and went on to become 21st highest grossing movie of the year.

Two men, who don't particularly like each other, rely on each other's help in order to get home in time for Thanksgiving.

"Six bucks and my right nut says we're not landing in Chicago."

Neal, played by Steve Martin, is the straight guy of this story. He's a big business type of guy, who clearly makes a lot of money, and spends little time with him family. He leads with his head, and doesn't have a lot time for games or nonsense.

Del, played by John Candy, is the complete opposite of Neal. Del is the lovable dope who leads with his heart. We love Del the minute we meet him, and we know that, with him, all is not quite as cheery as it seems.

"I haven't been home in years."

From the moment Neal and Del meet, they have a personality clash, not that Del notices this. Neal is immediately irriated by Del and would like nothing more than to be rid of him for good. Del, on the other hand, really likes Neal, and instantly considers him, and just about everybody else he meets, a friend. This initially makes us not necessarily dislike Neal, but we certainly don't like him as much as Del. Early on in the film, Del gives a great speech about liking himself, and that he won't change for a cynic like Neal. This is where Neal has a change of heart, and realizes that Del isn't really all that bad. Later in the film, when Neal discovers the truth about Del, we see Neal finally understand Del and appreciate Del for who he is. It's one of those warm and fuzzy, feel-good moments that always brings tears to my eyes. I'm such a dope... 

Steve Martin is one of the greatest comics around these days. He's very funny as Neal, however, his humour is subtle and understated. John Candy's humour, on the other hand, is obvious yet unintented, which makes for a great contrast between characters. It wouldn't have worked to have had both of these actors playing over the top eccentrics, so this film strikes a nice balance on the comedic front. Candy is completely lovable as Del, as he was in every single one of his roles. John Candy couldn't walk on the the screen without bringing a smile to everyone's face. He always played that character we loved; the one we rooted for. He is, and forever will be, sorely missed.

"I like... I like me."

John Hughes is a name that'll likely appear here a couple more times over the Christmas season, as he also wrote the screenplays to Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). This man was a fascinating writer. The way he managed, as an adult, to tap into the teen mind is, as of yet, unmatched. However, this movie, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, proved that Hughes could also write convincingly for adults. Hughes was a one-of-a-kind filmmaker, and I imagine he'll be one of the ones that we always remember.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the best Thanksgiving movie that I know of, and the only one that I watch year and after year. 10/10

Trivia: In Planes, Trains & Automobiles, there's scene in which Neal, played by Steve Martin, angrily tells a car rental agent, played by Edie McClurg, that the car he has rented is not in its space. During this one minute scene, Martin says the word "fucking" 18 times. "Fuck" is then used a further time by McCurg. This scene was added to the final print of the film to give the movie a higher rating.

HAPPY (early) THANKSGIVING!