Pop Culture Reviews

PCR’s 15 movies we didn’t see part 1

As discussed in an earlier post I said that I would review the movies that I had neglected to watch in 2008 as listed by Empire magazine in their top 50 movies for 2008 (issue 95). Out of the 15 movies listed in my previous post, here are the mini-reviews about the first three movies I didn’t watch in 2008:

The following reviews may contain spoilers – read at your own risk!

Mama Mia!

Distributor: Universal Pictures Released: 2008 Genre: Romance/Musical Credits: Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan, Pierce Brosnan as Sam, Skellan Skarsgard as Bill, Colin Firth as Harry, Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Being a fan of Abba’s music, I thought Mama Mia would be a fun movie to watch. I missed it at the theatre and finally got around to seeing it recently on DVD as part of my marathon ’15 movies we didn’t see’ challenge. So far, so good – Mama Mia! was exactly what I was expecting. Fun and hip.

Although I am not a huge fan of romantic comedies, I felt I should put that bias aside for Mama Mia and just focus on the music as the highlight. Boy was I taken aback! After listening to Meryl Streep bellow out some of those tougher Abba hits, I was thoroughly impressed by her singing – that woman can croon!

As for the rest of the movie, the beauty of the Greek Islands looked fantastic on screen but the overly cheesy romantic side of the script had me gagging a bit. Normally, without the great music, I truly would have left this movie in the ‘watch when there’s nothing else’ pile. As it turns out, it wasn’t that bad. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I should’ve watched it last year, though. I am sure eventually, Abba would have forgiven me.

Verdict: 3/5 stars

Son of Rambow

Distributor: Hammer and Tongs Released: 2008 Genre: Drama/Comedy/Family Credits: Bill Milner as Will Proudfoot, Will Poulter as Lee Carter  Director: Garth Jennings Writer: Garth Jennings

There’s only one word to describe Son of Rambow – and that’s fantastic! It’s good because the Brits seem to be exceptionally skilled at the relationship stuff in movies. In my opinion the British seem to have a very refined way of portraying characters on screen that you can easily relate to.

Which brings me to the cast of Son of Rambow. Again, I couldn’t fault it. I admit that I didn’t want to see this movie because I thought it would be a silly little comedy. I was very wrong about that. Son of Rambow oozes with talent. Both of the young actors, Bill Milner and Will Poulter look set to have great acting careers ahead of them if Son of Rambow is any indication. Will Poulter shines, portraying the type of character you just can’t help but feel sorry for, even when he’s at his worst. The bond of friendship that grows between the two lead characters is endearing.

The home movie-making scenes were some of the most enjoyable, adding just the right amount of comedic seasoning to the otherwise dramatic and engaging plot. The story was touching, the characters were appealing and believable and the acting is top-notch.

Definitely thankful I decided to do this because Son of Rambow should have been on my ‘Movies I’ve Seen in 2008′ list.

Verdict: 5/5 stars

Frost/Nixon

Distributor: Imagine Entertainment Released: 2008 Genre: Biography/Drama/History Credits: Michael Sheen as David Frost, Frank Langella as Richard Nixon Kevin Bacon as Jack Brennan, Sam Rockwell as James Reston Jr, Oliver Platt as Bob Zelnick Director: Ron Howard Screenplay: Peter Morgan

When it comes to politics, I am as green as they get. Politics has never been an area I have been interested and therefore, movies that contain content about politics or politicians tends to get the ‘off the radar’ treatment from me. Unfortunately, that’s probably not a good thing when movies as entertaining and as educational as this one fall into that category.

I can instantly tell when I think a movie is good because I will then become motivated to know more about it – the facts, the people, the places. Thanks to the historical nature of Frost/Nixon, there’s a whole library full of information on the famous interviews by David Frost. Capturing the mood, the atmosphere, the raw emotion on screen must have been a challenge for director Ron Howard but one that he seemingly tackled with ease and finesse.

Before watching Frost/Nixon, I didn’t even know about the Frost/Nixon interviews and I had no idea what the Watergate scandal was. It’s an embarrassing situation, I know – but thanks to the wonder of movies, I am now a little more knowledgeable on a topic I used to abhorre.

Michael Sheen is fast becoming one of my favourite actors (and thankfully, he will be returning for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans too!) and is brilliant as Frost. Frank Langella is also fantastic in his role as Nixon. His voice really did sound exactly like the infamous President.

Frost/Nixon becomes another movie that should have been on my ‘to see’ list of 2008. Out of three movies, it’s the second movie I am glad I forced myself to watch as a result of my PCR challenge.

Verdict: 5/5 stars

Next we review Hunger and I cross off another movie from the ’15 movies we didn’t see’ list.