Red Riding Hood

This is the final film that I can't wait to see at the cinema. Red Riding Hood is an American dark fantasy film directed by Catherine Hardwicke who is known for popular, unconvetional films such as Twilight and Thirteen. It is very loosely based on the folk tale Little Red Riding Hood collected by both Charles Perrault under the name "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" (Little Red Riding Hood) and several decades later by the Brothers Grimm as "Rotkäppchen" (Little Redcap). The film also draws inspiration from Bruno Bettelheim's book The Uses of Enchantment, in which he analyzes fairy tales in terms of Freudian psychology. The film stars Amanda Seyfried who is known for roles in the lovable films Mama Mia! and Mean Girls and Gary Oldman who has starred in The Fifth Element and The Dark Knight.

The plot of the film is: the people of Daggerhorn have long maintained a truce with the werewolf that stalks their woods. Every month they sacrifice an animal in the hope that the wolf will depart with its thirst for blood quenched. One of Daggerhorn's inhabitants is Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), a young girl who is in love with the brooding woodcutter Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), even though she has been promised to the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Her plans to run away with Peter are shattered when the wolf kills her older sister. Suddenly everything has changed. Famed werewolf hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) is sent for, but immediately warns the townsfolk that the wolf could be lurking within any one of them. As tensions rise, Valerie finds herself at the centre of Solomon's hunt, and discovers that the wolf may be closer than she ever suspected.

I am a big fan of Seyfried's and I love the fact that she has done a gothic film instead of keeping to her cheesy, girly films. The film looks very appealing as the sexual chemistry between Seyfried and Fernandez seems captivating, also I want to see how they have included the traditional fairytale into this modern film.

Sucker Punch

The second film that I really want to see at the cinema is Sucker Punch and it is a 2011 action-fantasy thriller film about the fantasies of a young woman who is committed to a mental institution. It was written and directed by Zack Snyder who is known for his stunning cinematography in Watchmen and 300, the cast includes Emily Browning who is known for unusual films like Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortuante Events and The Univited, Vanessa Hudgens who was in the teen sensation High School Musical and Jena Malone who starred in Indie Films such as Donnie Darko and Into the Wild.

From the unusual cast I don't really know what to expect from this film but from the adverts and the storyline it looks like it will be an artistic film with quite a harrowing storyline, much like one of my most favourite films Sin City. This is a very dark film about the three stories all interwoven. There is murder, prostitution, torture and even cannibalism. However, the magnificent mise en scene makes the film a masterpiece to watch as most of the film is in black and white but there are few accents of colour; a young girl's blue eyes or a woman's red lips. Sucker Punch has more colour to it but it is still a very dark looking film defining how terrible the girl's life really is.

The plot of the film is: locked away against her will, Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls - the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) - to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm). Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey - if they succeed - will set them free.

This film looks like a treat to watch from the young, fiesty cast to the superb fantasy to the stunning visual elements.

Scream 4

So I've reported on the films that I have seen at Glasgow Cineworld so in the next few blogs I'm going to talk about films I want to see. The first film that I've been dying to see (quite ironic, you'll see why) is Scream 4 and it is an upcoming slasher film which is the fourth installment in the Scream series. It was directed by Wes Craven and it stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere. Campbell, Arquette and Cox are the only returning cast members from the previous films. Originally, the series was intended to be a trilogy, but after ten years, Bob Weinstein thought it was time for another film. It is intended to be the first of a new trilogy, with Wes Craven signed on for the duration. It is due to be released on April 15, 2011.

The original Scream film tells the story of the fictional town Woodsboro, California being terrorized by a masked killer who enjoys tormenting his victims with phone calls and movie references. The killer's main target is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a teenage girl whose mother, Maureen, fell victim to a brutal murder one year earlier. The film takes the form of a "whodunit" mystery, with many of her friends and townspeople being fellow targets and suspects. After the original film Scream 2 and Scream 3 were released following the same base storyline of Sidney Prescot being stalked by a killer known as 'Ghostface'.

Scream 4 commences several years after the events of Scream 3, where Sidney Prescott returns to her home town of Woodsboro on the 15th anniversary of the first Woodsboro Murders for a tour of her new self-help book, where she encounters former allies Sheriff "Dewey" Riley (David Arquette) and entertainment journalist Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), as well as her younger cousin Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), her best friend Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), aunt Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell), and several of Jill's high school friends. However, with her return to Woodsboro also comes the return of past slasher-killer Ghostface, who is starting to stalk and kill Jill's friends and several other people in the Woodsboro area. The killer is now taking reference from horror-movie remakes by basing their murders on those similar to ones committed in the movie Stab, only with more twists on the 21st-century horror movie: in order to survive, Sidney, Dewey, Gale, Jill, and her friends must band together and follow the conventions of 21st-century horror movies to determine who the killer is and stop them before the murders spiral out of their control.

I am a big fan of the Scream films as they are old school horror as they don't need: brutal torture, rape, horrificly disfigured villains or anything else disturbing to make it interesting. Instead the genious of the film comes from: the many tense moments, some slight gore (to keep up with the times), the tounge-and-cheek humour about following traditional horror movie rules to not get killed and the fact that the murderer is just someone in a mask.

I love how the movie has still included the three main characters along with introducing new, younger characters to attract a new generation. I grew up watching old school slasher films and really enjoyed the Scream trilogy so this makes me really excited to embark on a new direction to horror.

Limitless

I saw this film last night and 'oh my god' it was brilliant! Limitless is a 2011 American techno-thriller film directed by Neil Burger who is known for directing such clever films as The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones and it stars Bradley Cooper who is a new actor and is known for his sheer attractiveness as 'Phil' in The Hangover and Robert De Niro who is the legendary actor known for classic films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. It is based on the 2001 novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn with the screenplay by Leslie Dixon. The plot of the film is when a writer discovers a top-secret drug which then bestows him with super human abilities.

This film just blows your mind! From the opening credits we known it will be a mind warp as the graphics continuosly go down New York's streets to almost feel like you're flying. I don't want to give much away because you HAVE to see it but there are so many tense moments that make you crawl up in your seats. This film captures everyones desire to be the best they can be in just one little pill. The audience goes through Cooper's journey from a lazy, unsuccessful writer to a womanizing, intelligent, millionaire. However, not everyone enjoys his new success and this leads the film to being so tense. Cooper has appeared in minor roles previous to this film but this film has shot him into Hollywood A list.

Limitless is unbelievably clever, has a great storyline and it captures everyones desire. This film had the audience gripping their seats tensly, laugh at the clever humor and be engrossed in this man's journey to success.

I give Limitless 5/5

Hall Pass

This was the most recent film I have seen in the cinema and I saw it last Wednesday. Hall Pass is a 2011 comedy film produced and directed by the Farrelly brothers who are well known for directing such comedy films as: There's Something about Mary, Shallow Hal and Dumb and Dumber and co-written by them along with Pete Jones. It stars Owen Wilson who is very well known for his attrective and silly roles in: Zoolander, Starksy and Hutch and Meet the Fockers. Stephen Merchant who is one part of the English comedy duo - him and Ricky Gervais. Christina Applegate who has been in the legendary Anchorman. From the directors and the cast this is sure to be a hilarious film.

Hall Pass is about a married man who is granted the opportunity to have an affair by his wife. Joined in the fun by his best pal, things get a little out of control when both wives start engaging in extramarital activities as well. This film was your typical American comedy film but it does have a few funny moments: there is some full frontal, unexpected, male and female nudity, some very crude but hilarious sexual references, the men get high on a golf course and a girl even sharts herself! It is a fun rollercoaster of a film to go on and I found it very clever that the wives end up joining in and get more action too! The cast have great chemistry with each other and the film flows very well. However, one thing I'd like the film to have improved on is the involvement of the two men's friends as they were only in the film for a few scenes and they then decided that the men weren't going to find any women and left. I think they film could have benefitted with more of the men being involved and seeing them getting into lots more crazy situations.

All in all, Hall Pass is an entertaining film for a Saturday night with mates.

I give Hall Pass 2.5/5

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Ok, so this is my guilty pleasure of a film. I know I am a tad bit too old to have Bieber fever but I just can't help it! I saw this film a couple a weeks ago with my two friends and to be honest I had no idea what to expect from this film and I was pleasantly suprised.

The film is an original from MTV and it follows the pop star Justin Bieber with footage of performances from his 2010 My World Tour, all counting down to his performance in Madison Square Garden. In some scenes, it explores the lives of the cast and crew of the My World Tour. It also includes scenes of Bieber's childhood which were taken from home videos.

This film suprised me as I found that it was very appealing to all audiences, not just 'tweenage girls', as it had the sentimental family moments for the women, the performances from a range of well-known acts for the teenagers and the hope generated for all those ambitious children. Justin also seems like a 'normal' teenager as he goes back to his home town and just hangs around with his friends, he also visits a spot where he used to busk and suprises a young girl who is doing the same thing. He is seen as a fun-loving teenager who just mucks around with his staff and family. The acts in the movie make it great to watch too because it seems like you are watching a selection of concerts, there are guest appearances from: Sean Kingston, Usher, Boyz II Men, Miley Cyrus and Jayden Smith. Each of these acts perform a live song with Justin. The best song of the movie has to be 'Never Say Never' with Jayden Smith. Jayden makes appearances throughout the movie, the audience love him because he is so adorable with his afro and it's crazy how he is the mini-me of Will Smith. Another thing good about the movie is that you see Justin Bieber has a real talent with all the amateur videos he posted on YouTube, which then led him to being discovered.

All in all, I find this a nice, cheesy film to cuddle up and watch with your friends, of which you can sing along to the songs too! It's amazing to see his success and how quickly it has all come about. This is a lovely, inspirational film for children to watch everywhere and believe that their dreams can come true.


I give Justin Bieber: Never Say Never  3/5

The Fighter

The most recent film I went to see was The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg - who is known for his action roles in Shooter and Four Brothers, Christian Bale - who is known for his action roles in Batman Begins and Terminator: Salvation and Amy Adams - who is known for her ditzy role in Enchanted. It is a 2010 biographical sports / drama film directed by David O. Russell. The film centers on the life of professional boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his older half-brother and ex-boxer, Dicky Eklund (Bale) who struggles with his addiction to drugs.  It has been nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Bale) and Best Supporting Actress.

This has been one of the best films I have seen in a while and this is down to the superb cast and the great storyline. Bale really impressed me as he takes on the role as the real life 'Dicky' perfectly. I have seen him in other films where he plays the usual, macho lead in the film but in this film he became the real life 'Dicky'. On screen, he is very uneasy from the drugs and he is entertaining from his sheer ignorance as to what his life now is. You can see that he truly loves his little brother and wants him to do his best but he ends up just dragging him down. Wahlberg has a great role too, he's not just a nice bit of eye candy but he plays the role of the shy, push-over little borther perfectly. It's not until he meets his love interest Adams that he begins to fight for his career. Adams was the actress the impressed me the most from this film and this was because I had seen her play an easier role of the spoilt younger sister in The Wedding Date. However, in The Fighter she is more gritty and has a lot more strength to her. The final few scenes where the final match occurs it really sets your heart beating! I even cheered in the cinema to the result I have always enjoyed boxing as a sport and I like how a story was put with this sport. It is a very exciting film that has quite a lot of humourous parts in it too. I cannot recommend it enough!

I give The Fighter 5/5

Due Date

The second film I went to see was Due Date and it is a 2010 American comedy road film directed by Todd Phillips, and it starred Robert Downey, Jr.- who is known for his action roles in Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes and Zach Galifianakis - who is very well known for his hilarious role as 'Alan' in The Hangover. The plot of the movie is: High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time. This seems like a quite funny and easy-watching film.

I had, once again, very high expectations on this film because of the fantastically funny films Todd Phillips has directed previously such as: Road Trip, Old School, Starsky & Hutch and of course The Hangover. These films are all teen sensations but have also appealed to the adolescent in all of us. Zach Galifianakis is also a great asset to the film as his role as a ditzy, naive and odd man entertains any audience. You also know there will be some action if Robert Downey Jr. is part of it.

I have to say I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was a funny film but I felt like it was trying too hard to be The Hangover as Galifianakis is just playing the same character. There were many random events that happened but it just seems that it had all been done before. However, some scenes did get you laughing e.g. when Ethan starts to masterbate in the car or when they drinks Ethan's father's ashes. Downer Jr. plays a great role of a predicatable, businessman just wanting everything to run smoothly and basically explodes when it doesn't go to plan. There are also a few guest appearances from Juliette Lewis - who plays a mother and drug dealer and Jamie Foxx who is suspiciously into Peter wife. All in all it's not a great or hilarious film but you do get a few laughs out of it, so it would be nice to watch occasionally on DVD.

I give Due Date 2/5

Cyrus

During my first few weeks living in Glasgow I went to see Cyrus one afternoon with my flat-mate. It is a 2010 comedy-drama film that was written and directed by the brothers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. It stars John C. Reilly - who is known for his funny role in Step Brothers and the naive husband in Chicago, Jonah Hill - who starred as a sex-starved, foul-mouthed teenager in Superbad, and Catherine Keener - who starred as the nice lady who worked in the Ebay shop in the 40-year-old virgin.

At first, I was very unsure of this film as I'd never heard of the Duplass brothers, as they have only seem to do small, low-budget films. However, from the cast, I was sure it would be a hilarious film. Boy was I wrong. It is a very slow film with nothing much that really happens. The plot of the movie is: John is seven years divorced from his wife and is having trouble adjusting to his new life. After meeting Molly at a party, he thinks that maybe he has found the perfect person again. There's just one problem: Cyrus, Molly's grown son. John must find a way to make his romance with Molly work despite intentional and unintentional interference by Cyrus. From the adverts it looks like it will be a Step Brothers part 2 by the way the two men are acting, you expect them to have numerous encounters doing shocking things to one another, but no. They say a few sly words and an unconvincing fight but that's it! The camera work is also very shaky and it looks like it's been done from a home-made camera, which is fair enough if you want to give that effect like The Blair Witch Project, but not in a film like this. The acting also seems stiff as you can't really feel the love between Molly and Cyrus or the heat between Molly and John. All in all it was a let down of a movie because that movie had certain expectations from what the actors have previously been in and it wasn't remotely funny.

I give Cyrus 1/5

Cineworld

I am very interested in the media and films are my passion. I really enjoy the different genres of film: I love to cuddle up and watch a classic, girly, romcom like Pretty Woman; but then I like the twisted and gruesome work of Quentin Tarintino for example, the stunning Pulp Fiction; I also enjoy a good cry to something like The Notebook and I enjoy some foreign cinema as the imaginitve storylines along with the captivating graphics take you into another world, like in the film Pan's Labyrinth. 

This blog will discuss the Glasgow cinema scene and how popular it has become. I have recently moved to Glasgow and one of the first things I did was visit the local cinema. Cineworld is a cinema on Renfrew Street, Glasgow, which is located in the north east of the city centre, it is next to the Buchanan Bus Station and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. It is also very close to Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Galleries. It is 203 feet high and is currently the tallest cinema in the world. By 2003 it was the busiest cinema in the United Kingdom by admissions as it attracted over 1.8 million customers. Cineworld Glasgow has 18 screens over 9 levels, and can accommodate more than 4,300 people.

The cinema was built on the site of Green's Playhouse, and opened as the UGC Cinema in September 2001. In 2005, it became part of the Cineworld chain when the owners of UGC of France sold all of its UK cinemas which were then re-branded. Green's Playhouse the original cinema on the site also held a record, for being Europe's largest cinema in terms of number of seats which are 4,368. It was also entered into the Guiness Book of Records by being over 200ft high, and it is now known that Cineworld Glasgow is the world's tallest cinema. In 2000 however, during the cinema's construction, the building design came under heavy criticism from the architecture community. The building was designated the "Carbuncle of the Year" for its poor design choices and contrast with the surrounding area.

This is a little introduction as to what the cinema I go to is like and why it is so popular.