First film in a cinema in Sweden!

Before I saw this in the delightful owl cinema of Halmstad, I read a review that this film failed somewhat in that it didn't seem to know who its audience was, mixing juevenile plot, humour and romance and characters with dark dark dark stuff, violence and disturbing imagery.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Let's face it, who would have gone to see this if Kristen Stewart hadn't been cast in the main role? Kind of a weird paradox that she draws a crowd for being famously unexpressive and sucky.

She's predictably lame throughout, showing all the emotionality of a goldfish, but the cameras gaze (aka Rupert's gaze) clearly adores her. Boring-old badly scripted scenes with her are imbued with this incredible intimacy with intense closeups and sweeping pans of her body, her face. Knowing what you know now; her affair with director Rupert Sanders, a genuinely sad perspective couldn't be avoided throughout my viewing with all this obsessive worshipful lingering.

Almost every other cast member was superb (apart from the dwarves. Sorry fake dwarves, Tyrion you aint.)  the special effects were amazing, particularly in the forest scenes with the fairies and creatures. Charlize Theron is terrifying and intensely convincing as the evil queen.

I didn't agree that the filmakers couldn't seem to decide on an audience but I did find it unbalanced. For example juxtaposing poo jokes with the sombrely played out narratives and character motivations on beauty, power, guilt, death etc.

And for me, the most interesting aspect was the unintended glimpse into the Rupert/Kristen 'scandal.'

It was on tv I'd probably watch it again. But I wouldn't be happy about my value for money after paying the £11+ Swedish cinema price! But then again I didn't pay. And there was popcorn. And it was such a nice cinema with shell lamps and unstained carpets.

~Aim

Superbad was Super Awesome!

I've found I'm a sucker for teen comedies with funk soundtracks and gushing bromance.

Superbad (2007)

We ended up watching this as the word superbad had gradually entered my vocabularly somewhere along the line (super-anything really) and then Chris helpfully remembered that it was a film.

Even watching it at 1am on a worknight, this was the most enjoyable films I've seen in ages. Even the opening credits were awesome. 

Whilst practically all the main cast are excellent, it's Jonah Hill who pretty much makes this film as the obscene, rageful fatty Seth who comes up with the madcap plans to get alcohol and get laid dragging along Michael Cera's straight man and best friend - Evan.

Bear through the slightly dull first 10 minutes set in class and you're in for laugh after laugh as the action ratchets up. I was seriously impressed with the the creativity (and hilarity) of the situations they end up in and how they all end up back together after being split off.  The cops are slightly anoying at times, but it's ok as they're never really apart from Christopher Mintz-Plasse's Fogell (LOL at that actor's name) whose akward socially stunted nerd exterior may seem like a tired and overdone stock character at first, but is actually pure comedy gold. If you can cope with Seth's profanity (it gets endearing after a while!) it's actually prety touching and life-affirming. Yes, really.

My only criticism is that writers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg seem incapable of developing any female characters whatsoever, or even giving just one of the cardboard cutout dull and uninteresting girls ONE DECENT line between them! The most you can look forward to in this respect is 'period girl'. Enough said. Hmph!

But watch it all the same.

~Aim