Gnomeo And Juliet

Gnomeo And Juliet
Year: 2011
Director: Kelly Ashbury
Cast: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham

In My Own Words
It's about time someone finally made an animation about garden gnomes. It's been awhile since Noddy was around and everybody loves the gnome from "Amelie". I'm not saying I've been holding my breath waiting for a gnome movie or it's even something which I've thought about at all. When you think about it though, how cool are gnomes? Especially the concept of them coming to life when the sun is down? Having a gnome in the garden is always fun, it's having a little man watch over everything when you aren't there to. It's something you can think about and make up their own stories. They are a fun concept. Keeping this in mind, it's interesting that the first gnome movie in years is based on Shakespeare.

So, I decided the Google gnomes and see what I came up with. Garden gnomes started popping up in peoples gardens in the 1930's as ornaments. Their appearence has a resemblence to the seven dwarves featured in "Snow White And The Seven Dwarves". Disney does it again by showing the effect it has on everyday society! The most shocking discovery was not where they came from or anything in the words. I came across a photo of two gnomes which were doing the naughty deed! And that was on the first display page when I typed in gnomes, I didn't go looking for trouble. It almost makes me a bit worried to look any further as gnomes may not be as clean fun as what I thought they were! What gnomes do when the sun goes down may not be as clean natured and may not be something we all need to know that much.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
Like the first gnome we see in "Gnomeo And Juliet" says when he appears on the screen, "The story you are about to see has been done before. A lot..." Yes, yes it has. The story of "Romeo And Juliet" has been done in many different ways many times. One would think that gnomes playing out this version would be adorable, comical and as original as it could be. It is.... a bit, but not a great deal. "Gnomeo And Juliet" is cute and fun, but otherwise quite flat. It plays out in much the same way as people would expect a film based on Shakespeare's tragic love story would. The houses of Montague( the Blues) and Capulet (the Reds) are adjacent houses in suburban England where the owners don't get along, and neither do the gnomes who live in the garden. By chance, the Blue Gnomeo and Red Juliet meet in the land in between their houses and it is love at first sight despite their differences. Gnomeo and Juliet defy their elders by seeing each other, but things are complicated a great deal when one of the Red's is killed in a duel involving Gnomeo and their lawn mowers.

"Gnomeo And Juliet" tries hard to be a blockbuster. It has a stellar cast who have donated their vocal talents for this film and one Elton John who has donated his music and is also executive producer. It tries hard to be original, but that is all it is doing. The film just lacks and doesn't create any lasting impression. It is extremely forgettable and is one of those films in which you leave the cinema after it is finished, and then a few hours later can barely remember that you have seen it. The visuals are great, but they are not spectacular. The screenplay is nothing special, although there are some funny one-liners throughout the film. It's not even entirely clear as to whether "Gnomeo and Juliet" is supposed to be a children's animation or not. It has the simplicity of a children's film, but has many jokes and themes that would not be understood by children.

However, there is a certain amount of creativity to the film. The creation of the gnome garden worlds are certainly clever. Such as their obsessions with lawnmowers on the world wide web, the outside world and their garden friends. The characters are colourful and fun. Gnomeo and Juliet themselves are probably the two most boring characters throughout the film, as they are challenged by Featherstone the flamingo, Nanette the frog, the Red Good Gnomes and Fawn (voiced by Ozzy Osbourne). One of the fun parts of the film is keeping your eye our for Shakespeare references, which pop up along the way and will be easier to find for those who are familiar with Shakespeare's life and his drama.

The problem with "Gnomeo And Juliet" is that it is not quite sure what it is. It is clearly trying to be a gnome version of "Romeo And Juliet", but it lacks the emotion. It is not quite sure who it's target audience is and it is just trying too hard to be successful. There are some good points about the film, but the aspects of a film which make it successful overall are just not there. It is an extremely light and moderately fun watch. A film you would love to remember, but it doesn't help you to do so.
5/10

Inception

Inception
Year: 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanbe, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine

In My Own Words
I would have been insanely disappointed if “Inception” had not lived up to my expectations. It’s not often I admit that about a film, or that I even let myself think like that. All I had to do was look at the components that made up this film in order to get excited. The combination of an intriguing storyline, one of the best directors going around at the moment and a stellar cast which includes many an award nominee, what wasn’t there to be excited about?! And....I was not disappointed. “Inception” is pure brilliance. So brilliant that I am afraid my review won’t do it justice. I left the cinema completely speechless and all I could so was hold up 9 fingers to my other half to indicate my rating out of 10.

Unlike many other movies, “Inception” is able to excel on all levels. Many wonderful films will be wonderful for either the acting or the cinematography, but not often does a film come along which excels in both. “Inception” does. Christopher Nolan has placed everything together perfectly and his knack for selecting his cast members is definitely commendable. Personally, I believe Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard are two of the finest actors alive at the moment. DiCaprio seems to be getting better and better. In high school, I struggled to take DiCaprio seriously for his heart throb status from films such as “Romeo + Juliet” and “Titanic”. Don’t get me wrong, he was good in both and the movies weren’t bad, but it is hard for actors to be taken seriously when their posters are up in everything 14 year olds locker at school. However, “The Aviator”, “The Departed” and “Blood Diamond” each showed how far this man has come and how he is definitely one of the best actors of our time. And Marion Cotillard, she has the ambience on the screen that the stars of the Golden Hollywood age. Her Oscar winning role in “La Vie En Rose” made the world sit up and take notice of this French star and she has shown her quality continuingly since then in glowing roles in “Public Enemies” and “Nine”.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea.” In this quote, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Cobb is speaking about the implantation of ideas in the human mind, although it could well be “Inception” director, Christopher Nolan describing his journey with his new masterpiece. Nolan approached Warner Bros with the idea for “Inception” first back in 2002 without a script, but even without this, both he and Warner Bros knew what they had in their hands. From this idea grew the larger than life and mind-blowing “Inception” which has only just been released now in July 2010. It has well been worth the wait. Nolan could well be one of the best directors of our time. He pushes everything to the limit in this film and every little detail is sewn up tightly and with the greatest care. This film could well be the best of the year.

Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are in the business of extracting information from the minds of others by exploring their subconscious in their dreams. It seems as though they have nearly come to the end of the road, when Cobb, who is still recovering from the death of his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard) is approached by Saito (Ken Watanbe) with an offer he can’t refuse. Along with Arthur and the help of architectural genius, Ariadne (Ellen Page) they begin to try and plant an idea in the mind of Robert Fischer Jr. (Cillian Murphy), but little do they know the dark depths they are really exploring of not only Fischer’s mind, but of someone else’s mind that is far more dangerous.

Absolutely everything about “Inception” is amazing. The story is completely original and wonderfully written by Nolan. It is absolutely intriguing and extremely clever, with no stone been left unturned and no questions are left unanswered. Nolan completely captures the dream world and will make you remember things from your dreams that you normally do forget once you have woken up. The whole concept of extracting information from dreams and implanting ideas in people’s dreams is complete genius. The cinematography and special effects are definitely something to write home about and people will leave the cinema talking about their favourite sequences. “Inception” is one of those movies you will have to see at the cinema to get the most out of. The musical score is also perfectly suited to the movie and is able to capture the darkness of the situation at hand.

The acting is superb in “Inception”. The acting and the storyline are what differentiates ‘Inception” from all the other action and sci-fi blockbusters out there. The acting fleshes out the raw human emotion involved in the situations in the films and draws the viewer in even more. The star of the film is DiCaprio and he is back to his high calibre of acting. He draws on his past roles of both the tough talking detective and the sensitive husband and father and combines them both in this role with fantastic results. He is a mystery, but at the same time connects with the audience on many levels. Marion Cotillard is also superb. It is like she plays multiple roles in this film..the loving wife and mother, the unstable wife and mother, the seductress, the evil spirit and the list goes on. She is completely believable and an amazing character who has so much presence and control over the audience every time she appears on the screen. High praise definitely goes to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Cillian Murphy. Each of these actors plays a role completely unlike any other role they have every done and pulls it off perfectly, which is rises another praise for Nolan. He cast these actors and pushes them to their limits in roles which they are not known for . Nolan is a director which actors relate to very well, hence why so many actors he has previously worked with keep re-appearing in his films. Many of his co-stars would have had to have been jealous of Gordon-Levitt however, he is part of some of the most awesome scenes in the movie which would have been a real treat to have taken part in.

“Inception” is not to be missed. This is definitely Nolan’s best film to date and he is worthy of every piece of praise that he receives for it. He could have well been responsible for the best film of the year and one can only hope that the academy remembers him come Oscar season next year. There are many awards he and his cast should win for this masterpiece and there is no reason they shouldn’t be remembered next year, as “Inception” is a film that will not be forgotten.
9.5/10