Tron: Legacy, 127 Hours and Black Swan

Tron: Legacy

Right so this entry is INSANELY late, but hey... it's here now! :) My friend Richard and I seem to be back into a pattern of going to the cinema one evening every week and so here's my thoughts on the last 3 films we saw, starting with Tron: Legacy!

The original Tron came out in 1982 and although I hadn't seen it in years I recently re-watched it after seeing the new film. Unfortunately though, Tron: Legacy makes the original look incredibly dated - Boo! :( We saw the 3D showing of Legacy, although strangely only parts of the movie were actually in 3D. Before it started there was a message to tell us this and that it was "by design", but we should still keep our glasses on for the entire film... okay we paid extra to see it in 3D... did we just get ripped off? Actually... no!

I'm probably not going to describe this very well, but to me the the 3D was incredibly subtle, so much so that you didn't really notice when it wasn't there (I know how bad that sounds!), but then the scenes where it was there... I thought it worked really well. Of course if you hate 3D films then you'll hate this just as much, but to me it was a different twist. There were some scenes in particular though that were like OMG THAT'S 3D and they were really good... one scene with Clu giving a speech to his minions springs to mind!

I think the story on Legacy made sense (as much as going into a computer world can make sense!) and it built on the original story really well and I found myself hooked on the film from start to finish! I should also add that the music is by Daft Punk. They literally did the entire soundtrack and it fitted the scenes perfectly!

So yeh... awesome (if a bit bizarre) film and I can't wait for it to come out on home release!

127 Hours

We don't just watch futuristic 3D movies and we also went to see 127 Hours. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a true story with a guy who goes out to a rocky mountain area and gets his arm trapped and no one knows he's there and he has to try and get out. Whilst I did enjoy the film (and I don't want to be too critical because it's a true story!), unfortunately I don't think I'd ever really watch it again. It was interesting to watch, but largely I don't think you'll miss anything if you just watch it on DVD.

Actually my saying that about the DVD turned into a bit of a debate on my Facebook wall. To clarify: I don't remember the last time I saw a film at the cinema when I thought "I wish I hadn't watched that" and I've never walked out of a film either, HOWEVER after thinking about it, I realised that the films I enjoyed the MOST and that I came out of the screen buzzing with thoughts of the movie were all ones that were massive visual and audio delights, not ones that won't really be any different if you watch them at home on DVD.

Back on topic though, 127 Hours was a good film and although nothing really "happens" (he spends pretty much the entire film stuck in the same place), they managed to keep the story going and it was good to watch. I totally recommend it, but be warned there are some very graphic parts in there!

Black Swan

WOW!

Oh... you want more of a review than that? Haha! :) So we saw this last week and I'm really glad we saw it. Our cinema screen was actually completely packed, but thankfully we arrived to get a decent seat in time, but loads of people were unable to sit with their friends and had to split up round the cinema! I didn't really know what to expect, a film about a ballerina doesn't really sound like something I'd enjoy, but everyone was raving about it... so there's got to be something good about it right? Yes! I'd like to say it's the best film I've seen this year and whilst that would be true... considering it's only January it's incredibly unfair to the film. How about if I say it's the best film I've seen in the last 12-months? :) And yes I know that includes "Iron Man 2", a film I really love... :$

Right so, basic plot... there's a ballet dancer (played by Natalie Portman) who pretty much lives her life trying to be a perfect ballerina and whilst she is technically perfect... she has to perform a dual role of both the White Swan (which she can do flawlessly) and the much darker Black Swan. The problem is she's too focused on making it perfect and as such cannot lose herself in the roll of the Black Swan. As the film progresses she begins to question everything and paranoia sets in.

I can't really say anymore without giving any spoilers, but yes I was hooked and I would gladly watch it again in the cinema. The film is nearly 2 hours long and at no time was I bored and it also didn't require any knowledge about ballet (good thing too since anything I know about ballet comes from "Save the Last Dance 2"!). Oh, did anyone else realise that Beth was played by Winona Ryder?! When we first saw her I thought "OMG she looks like..." and then imagine my surprise when I see on the cast list that it WAS her haha.

So yeh.. fantastic film, loved it!