Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Chris O'Dowd, Jill Clayburgh
Distributed By: Universal Pictures
Release Date: May 2011
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This movie really made me laugh and it's great to see a really good comedy about women.
Written by and starring the wonderful Kristen Wiig, her character Annie discovers that her best friends impending marriage means their friendship is about to change forever and as Lillian's circle of friends get acquainted the fun really begins!
All the female leads are likable and funny in their own way; Maya Rudolph gives a sensible quality to Lillian who's ready to become a wife.
I love the pairing of Becca and Rita played by Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey, the former being a misty-eyed newly-wed and the latter being completely exhausted by married life and motherhood and their scenes together are hilarious!
Rose Byrne is brilliant as Helen who becomes Annie's nemesis as they try to compete for Lillian's affection and both she and Kristen Wiig are great throughout and have some very funny scenes, especially when they have to hang out together!
But it's Melissa McCarthy's character Megan who steals it as Lillian's soon to be sister-in-law with some stand out scenes that will be remembered!
I also really like Chris O'Dowd as the sweet and good natured cop Nathan.
Filled with copious amounts of humour and scenes that may strike a chord with many of us; Bridesmaids is a great piece of comedy that stands up loud and proud.
~~Nikki~~
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Sean Connery, Pedro Armendáriz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee, Daniela Bianchi
Distributed By: United Artists
Release Date: October 1963
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Sean Connery's second outing as James Bond is very enjoyable especially as he gets to grips with Bond's suave nature.
I love the flirtation he has with Miss Moneypenny even when he's in the company of another female!
This time he's the one who seems to fall as he meets beautiful Tatiana Romanova seductively played by Daniela Bianchi.
The villain of this film is even more mysterious than the former Dr. No; known only as 'Number 1' and with a gorgeous cat in his lap he is out for blood and will not except failure. His henchmen/women are ruthless; in particular Rosa Klebb played by Lotte Lenya, who brings an almost uncomfortable flirtatious quality to her character as she briefs Romanova on her mission and her reappearance later on is also brilliantly devious.
Much of the movie takes place on the Orient Express and Bond's encounter with Red Grant played by Robert Shaw is an effective action sequence that will become a trademark of the series. I'm also a big fan of the many cleverly concealed 'gadgets' that continue to make James Bond a spy you don't take for granted!
~~Nikki~~
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikklesen, Alexandra Rapaport, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp
Distributed By: Nordisk Film/Magnolia Pictures
Release Date: January 2013
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A powerful and compelling movie, The Hunt takes us into the life of school teacher Lucas portrayed by Mads Mikklesen.
Lucas is a very likable character who is a good friend and neighbour in his small community and Mikklesen wonderfully portrays the type of person you would want looking after your children as he has genuine care and affection for them; but through a misunderstanding one of his young students accuses him of sexual abuse and things spiral out of control.
The incredibly delicate subject matter is handled with great care and I was torn between feeling utter sympathy for Lucas but also understanding the communities abhorrence at the notion of child abuse and this remarkable film lets us as audience members see just how quickly a life can be torn apart by words and a complete lack of evidence.
With wonderful performances by all involved, whilst the subject matter may be uncomfortable this is a piece of cinema that will linger in the mind long after the credits role.
~~Nikki~~
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, John Kitzmiller
Distributed By: United Artists
Release Date: October 1962
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Whether you are aware of the films or not, the name James Bond is known throughout the world and Dr. No is where the movie franchise based upon Ian Fleming's work begins.
It's clear to see why the character of James Bond has become part of our culture and in this first instalment Sean Connery becomes the spy with a licence to kill and brings effortless charm and sophistication to Bond as he travels to Jamaica on behalf of MI6 to investigate the disappearance of a fellow agent.
Right away you get a sense of who Bond is, a clever man who intrigues his enemies and attracts beautiful women wherever he goes.
The clothes, the cars and locations are all beautiful and the now iconic scene as Ursula Andress walks onto the shore is a moment that has become part of movie history.
The story doesn't take itself too seriously and Connery and Andress have good chemistry. Joseph Wiseman makes Dr. No very mysterious and gives us a taste of what's to come regarding the many Bond villains that will follow.
A likeable movie that kicks off one of cinemas greatest and most long running franchises; James Bond makes the life of a spy a charming and charismatic affair, which is one that most of us can't help falling for.
~~Nikki~~
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Lawrence Fishburn, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Ayelet Zurer, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: June 2013
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No matter how familiar I am with Superman's story, each incarnation continues to impress and flesh out who he is and what he means to us.
What I particularly like about this version is that we get to linger on Krypton; of course we know that the planets hours are definitely numbered but here we get to see what they are like as a race. Zack Snyder and his writers do a great job of making their civilisation intelligent and with a definite sense of their own importance as most fail to realise their way of life is at an end.
Russell Crowe plays Jor-El and I really like his performance and was pleased he was in a great deal of the movie, he and wife Lara played by Ayelet Zurer embody all that is good about Krypton which shows us why their son will be a hero.
There are some brilliant ideas throughout the Krypton scenes, in particular the moving computer/intercom that helps Jor-El and also the 'nursery' which is very interesting!
My favourite baddie General Zod is wonderfully played by Michael Shannon and we get to see why he and some select others escape Krypton's fate.
Henry Cavill dons the red cape this time around and proves that he can take on this role with the perfect amount of vigour and charm, but I like that the first we see of him is as a roughed up sailor. There are lots of flashbacks which give glimpses as to why he's hiding in plain sight and all the familiar stories are there.
Diane Lane and Kevin Costner both give lovely understated performances as Clark's parents Martha and Jonathon and again shows us why Clark is a force for good.
I really like Lois in this version, who is not content with getting a story by easy means and I love the way she meets Superman for the first time which definitely explains her infatuation!
Lawrence Fishburn brings a fatherly quality to the Daily Planet Editor in Chief Perry White and I also really like Christopher Meloni's performance as Colonel Hardy.
Zod's accomplice Faora is very intriguing; played by Antje Traue, she doesn't say a great deal but absolutely kicks ass and is very menacing, she and Michael Shannon's Zod are a great double act against Superman and both actors seem to relish their roles!
I'm not sure if I've ever seen more action in a Superman movie to date and at certain points it's a wonder that the Earth can survive the onslaught of the various battles throughout!
My absolute favourite scene is as the world engine starts terraforming the earth, which has truly amazing effects and sound and gives us the touching CGI moment as Christopher Reeves face is merged with that of Henry Cavill.
Two and a half hours literally flies by as every scene is played out to a wonderfully rousing score by Hans Zimmer which gives its own unique feel for a much loved group of characters for a new generation.
This movie was worth the wait and I'm very excited about a sequel!
~~Nikki~~
Directed By: Greg Mottola
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, Joe Lo Trugliou, Sigourney Weaver
Distributed By: Universal Pictures
Release Date: February 2011
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Paul is an alien who definitely doesn't mince his words and the result is very funny!
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are great as Graeme and Clive, two British self-confessed sci-fi geeks who embark on a road trip through the U.S. to visit San Diego's Comic-Con.
Along the way they run into Paul, wonderfully voiced by Seth Rogen.
I love the look of Paul, his eyes carry such emotion and I simply can't stop staring at him every time he's on screen.
Kristen Wiig joins the trio as Ruth who's been raised to be a very strict Christian girl and she's very funny as Paul helps her realize what she's been missing out on. She and Simon Pegg have great chemistry and I love that Nick Frost's Clive seems almost childishly jealous at their sudden relationship.
Jason Bateman's Agent Zoil is on their trail and will stop at nothing to catch them and Blythe Danner gives a sensitive performance as Tara a woman whose life has been ridiculed through her encounter with Paul many years ago.
Sigourney Weaver delights as her bitchy character known simply as Big Guy confronts Paul and for those of us that have enjoyed many of her sci-fi roles in the past this is a sweet cameo!
Funny and full of pop culture references that sci-fi fans will love; this movie shows us that we aren't alone in the universe and that 'they' aren't too different from us after all!
~~Nikki~~
Directed By : John Madden
Starring: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, David Westhead, Gerard Butler, Richard Pasco
Distributed By: Buena Vista International/Miramax
Release Date: July 1997
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This wonderful movie tells of Queen Victoria's reclusiveness after the death of her beloved consort Prince Albert.
Judi Dench is superb and brings such depth to Victoria who is stern and somewhat distant but there is fragility in her heart and a longing to regain the type of companionship that she has lost and this is displayed in beautiful fleeting moments throughout the movie.
Billy Connolly is absolutely remarkable as John Brown.
I love that he treats Victoria as an absolute equal! He's brash and makes mistakes but the connection and friendship that blossoms between them is quite lovely, even when they are at odds with each other.
Gerard Butler gives a very good performance as John's younger brother and the two actors share great chemistry. Geoffrey Palmer is excellent as Henry Ponsonby and I also really like Antony Sher as Prime Minister Desraeli.
Credit also goes to David Westhead who makes Victoria's son Bertie seem quite arrogant but also brings across the need for some sort of display of love and compassion from his bereaved Mother.
The scenery throughout is beautiful and each actor contributes greatly in making this a heartfelt story about loss and service to your country.
Although the story itself is sombre there are some lovely moments of humour mixed in and this film really gives a glimpse of what this period of history must have been like and how love and grief affect us all regardless of status and that friendship and time really can help to mend a broken heart!
~~Nikki~~
Director: John Madden
Starring: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Dev Patel
Distributed By: 20th Century Fox/Fox Searchlight
Release Date: February 2012
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Easily one of my
favourite movies of 2012, a superb cast cosy up to the idea that retiring in
Britain isn't all it’s cracked up to be and decide to head for sunnier climes
in India.
I love the small
scenes as we first meet the ensemble cast and see their reasons for making this
life-changing decision.
Each character is
very different and Judi Dench's character Evelyn lets the audience
experience what she is seeing; a noisy, vibrant, beautiful and somewhat crazy
city that will test them all in various ways, the film also looks
gorgeous and the dialogue sparkles as the characters start to
get to know each other.
Judi Dench is wonderful and plays Evelyn with
charming subtlety whilst Celia Imrie's Madge is straight to the point and has some
very funny lines, as does Ronald Pickup's Norman.
Maggie Smith's
Muriel is quite hilarious as she displays a complete fish out of water persona
and I love her scenes with Seema Azmi's Anokhi, the maid she befriends.
Penelope Wilton is
very good at making Jean annoyingly stuffy, but I love the contrast in her
relationship with long suffering husband Douglas, who is such a nice and
optimistic guy, brilliantly performed by Bill Nighy in one of my favourite film roles
for him to date.
Tom Wilkinson also
gives a lovely performance as Graham which is quite touching.
Dev Patel is truly
brilliant as Sonny as he 'sells' the hotel for all its worth and you can't help
but be swept up by his enthusiasm and charm. I also really like Tena Desae as Sonny's girlfriend Sunaina and his Mother played by Lillete Dubey.
Not only is this a
sweet, funny and moving film with an amazing cast, it's the wonderful script that completely drew me
in and it really is a pleasure to spend 2 hours watching these characters and
experience a small piece of India just for yourself.
Beautiful,
inspiring and heartfelt, watch this to lift your spirits and
sooth your soul.
~~Nikki~~
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