http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1131729/

First of all I have no idea why the film is called Pirate Radio in America, The Boat the rocked is a much better title. I find it hard to judge this film because the American version cut out more than 10 minutes of footage and rearranged the scenes in the film so it looks like the plot is much more convoluted than it was meant to be. This really pisses me off, I am a big fan of Richard Curtis and there is no reason to mess with his work. He is one ot the U.K's finest writers and it is a real shame that his film was messed with. So this will just be a temporary review, I will get the DVD and watch the film the way it was meant to be later. I will say that the main problem with this film is the lack of backstory for anyone. There are tons of characters, most of which are great but some seem like they were just thrown in for filler. There is a sub plot involving one of the characters Carl trying to figure out who has dad is on the ship, but that seemingly important plot gets forgotten and when it is resolved I didn't really care because I had almost forgotten it existed. Another character Mark is described by the characters in the film as the sexiest man alive, yet he never really does anything. While that may be the joke, there was a scene cut from the U.S version involving a midnight orgy, and a stag night. The best part about this film has to be the cast, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Darby, Chris O'dowd, Rhys Ifans, and Kenneth Branagh are all fantastic. Even Emma Thompson makes a quick cameo.They make characters with no real backstory or reason to care about them interesting with their unique charm and personalities.

They are not enough though to make the film much better, it starts out great but the middle drags a bit and brings up sub plots that are either too ridiculous to take seriouslly or not funny enough. There is just too much going on and not enough reason to care about any of it. Maybe the U.K DVD will fix this problem, but right now the film almost seems like a series of sketches on a boat with a vague connection having to do with the British government trying to get rid of them because they think rock music is filthy. This film was pretty disappointing overall, all the serious parts are not done well enough to take seriously because of a lack of connection to the characters, and a lot of the comedy isn't funny enough to make up for it. I hope scenes cut from the U.S version of the film add a lot and made the story more cohesive. Because right now this film feels like wasted potential. On the bright side though, the music is great. If you liek 60's music you will love the soundtrack. That brings up another problem, the historical aspect feels like background at best. There is music from the 60's, but the only way to really tell it is from the 60's are scenes of random people in 60's fashions dancing to the music and a brief mention of what happened to the ship before the credits. Then during the credits they show album covers, some of which are not even related to rock and roll like Kanye West. If the film was trying to show the influence of pirate radio beyond rock that would have worked, but it goes out of it's way to talk about Rock and roll. If you wan't to show the influence of a specific group of people on music, don't spend time avoiding the historical aspect of the story that could have added so much to the film. This is a shame because Richard Curtis is usually good with history, heck his greatest series Blackadder was based around it. The real pirate radio this film is based on has a rich and interesting history, this film doesn't seem to care much about that. It just uses the Pirate Radio as an excuse to show comedy. I don't want to sound too negative, heck this film has some very funny moments. I guess I am just very disappointed, I expected so much more from Curtis.

Overall I give it a 7 out of 10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1022603/

This film is a tale of love that anyone can understand. However as the film says , it is not a love story. It is a story of happiness, depression, and eventual hope for the future. I have had several experiences with a girl I liked who didn't want to get into anything serious, so this film worked for me on that personal level. It does not follow a linear path, the film bounces around between times showing memories of the main character tom's life. This is a very charming film, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Zooey Deschanel are both fantastic leads. She may not be a great actress, but her personality works very well. It is hard for a romance film to stand out these days, they are either too predictable or too quirky. For the most part this is neither, though it does have the occasional scene that tries way too hard to be quirky, such as a really bad dance scene in a park that had the potential to work but just ends up looking out of place and forced. Another scene where the main characters of the film say what they think true love is on a film screen in black and white, which again could have worked but it ends up seemingly like filler. Same with another scene where Tom's feelings manifest themselves on a film screen, it works at first but then it is gets way too long and monotonous. Music also plays a part, but not in a really forced trying too hard to sound hip way, it actually feels like part of the characters. Also this isn't really a complaint, but for a good part of the film I thought they were in New York City rather than Los Angeles. I don't want to spoil anything, but at the end there is a girl who i thought was very poorly cast considering who she is meant to be.

Belle & Sebastian are mentioned, which made me quite happy:) i also loved the scene where Summer and Tom play a game where they have to yell penis in a public place as loud as they can. I actually used to play that with a friend of mine so it was nice seeing I wasn't the only one who thought of it. Another scene I liked was Tom going to a party Summer is having and the screen splits into two, one half showing reality and the other showing his expectations of what will happen. That was quite an emotional scene. I try to ignore hype when it comes to films, I find it can ruin the experience for some people. This film however was not ruined in the slightest. The forced quirky parts may have annoyed me and there are a few visual gimmicks that don't work, but in the end it is a highly entertaining and slightly cliche romance film. Aside from how non linear it is and the two leads, not tons stands out. Not a bad film at all, but not one of my favorites of the year either.

Overall I give it a 8 out of 10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810784/

First of all I refuse to link the trailer to this film, it does not do the film justice at all. I am a big jane Campion fan, her film The Piano is one of my favorite films of the 90s. She has almost surpassed that film with Bright Star though. I might be slightly biased since I have been a fan of John Keats since I was younger. Films about poets or artists in general never usually portray their art right, or they show the art right but then the rest of the film is so dull looking. This is an exception though, I don't think I have seen a film this beautiful in years. Aesthetics wise this is the best of the year by far, every frame is fantastic. All the costumes, the backgrounds, the nature, hell all of it blends together in a magnificant burst of colours that is truly visual poetry. Thankfully the visuals are just one of the good parts about this film. The performances are great as well, Abbie Cornish in particular is Oscar worthy I think. Ben Whishaw is fantastic too as John Keets, and everybody else is just as good. The little sister Toots especially has got to tbe the sweetest kid I have seen in a film in ages. She manages to be cute and loveable, but not in a way so it detracts from the overall film.

This is a very slow film, for some it might be too slow. Keats and Fanny spend a lot of screen time gazing at each other, but not in a cheesy Twilight way. You can really feel the emotion resonating in every look. Romance is hard to do well in film because it is easy to mess it up and the film ends up looking cheesy. This however has a perfect balence of romance and plot. You gradually find out more and more about Fanny, John, and Charles Brown throughout the film. Not so much background infomation which is fairly scarce, but their personalities become richer and more vibrant as the film progresses. Fanny starts out like a shallow fashion obsessed girl, just as John, and Charles start out as fairly pretentious poets. Well Charles more so. As John, and Charles move in next door to Fanny's family their relationship deepens, and John's poetry partner Charles even seems jealous at times. The pace is slow on purpose, you begin to understand how difficult it is for John, and Charles to write while they go deeper and deeper into debt and John starts getting sick. All their anguish, and fears seem to be hidden for a long time but in the end they all come out. The pace will probably turn some off, but if you want to see a great romance film I highly recommend it. Read some John Keats poetry too, his stuff is fantastic.

Overall I give it a 9 out of 10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tTIQ8pkGf0

This is a very interesting film. It is about a soldier whose job is to report the deaths of other soldiers to their familes. It is a very slow paced drama, the director doesn't do many close ups or change angles very often. He likes to let the scene unfold, which for some can seem very tedious and drawn out. I think it worked really well though and it showed off the great acting by Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, and Samantha Morton. The camera lingers on the drama and doesn't cut away very often. The only downside to this film is how it doesn't seem ot know what to do with it's own plot for a while. It establishes the characters well enough and shows us how these 2 soldiers have to seperate thenselves from their emotions to do their job. Harrelson, and Foster have great chemistry in this film, but the real stand out performance is also the smallest one. Steve Buscemi plays a father who loses his son the war. He only has 2 scenes, but his performance is fantastic.

The film seems to establish a relationship between Ben Foster, and Samantha Morton, but it restrains from showing much. That is the point though, these are 2 people who have had to deal with many emotional issues in their lives and they find friendship and a connection because of the death of her husband. The film gets sidetracked though by Harrelson taking them to a cabin with 2 girls, and going to a friend's wedding. These scenes are not bad and they work well, but it almost feels like the film is wandering from the storyline it established before but in the end it all relates back to the humanity of the plot. The seemingly random side plots are there to establish these characters and their flaws. They add greatly to the personalities of these people. They could have been done better in terms of scene transition, but they do their job. It's great to watch Harrelson, and Foster, but I was left wishing they had more scenes with Samantha Morton. That way the end of the film would feel more emotional. I can see the choice the director made to show the 2 main characters presenting news of death to other families rather than focus on Morton's grief. That was when it comes back to her you can see the difference between Ben Foster's character being emotionally distant toward the others he gives news to and how she helps him show more feeling toward people. If you don't mind a slow character based drama I recommend this film. It is great to see Woody Harrelson back on the big screen more. This is one of his best roles.

Overall I give it a 9 out of 10.

The film of the week this time is FORGOTTEN SILVER.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116344/

This is my favorite Peter Jackson film. It was first screened as as actual documentary in New Zealand and people actually believed it. The film is very well done and even though it is silly there is a great charm to it that Peter Jackson's newer films dont have. This is probably the best mocumentary every made next to This is spinal tap.

I walk into this place called Westwood for lunch at least once a week, and today when I was there I saw tends. Looked like thousands of them. I thought it was a refugee camp at first, but then I saw the New Moon ad. Reminds me of the hysteria when the first Harry Potter film came out, and when Star Wars episode 1 came out. I watched the tents for a while, observing the fans. Most were teenage girls from what I saw, though I saw a few guys with their girlfriends. Most guys I saw had a look of despair on their face that hid behind their surface glee. Some looked like their souls had been raped by a pitchfork, but they were putting on a good face for their girlfriends. Good for them, I dont like the series much but I respect a man for doing that.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1174732/

This is an interesting film to review. I am sure it will divide a few for it's subject matter. I know many people who think the idea of watching a film about the romance between a 16 year old girl and a man who is over 30 is disgusting. I did not find it disgusting in the slightest, in fact I found it rather touching. First of all I want to praise Carey Mulligan, she was fantastic. One of the best performances of an actress her age next to Evan rachel wood in Whatever works, and Abbie Cornish in Bright Star. I thought the age of consent in England was 16. I can understand why people would find this film gross, but they are really missing the point. The main character Jenny is very grown up for her age, she is clearly smart and mature enough to have a relationship. She may be smart, but she is easily seduced by David, who is played by the wonderful Peter Sarsgaard. He shows her a world of art, culture, music, and love. She falls for him pretty much instantly, and their romance is very convincing and well done.Her parents seem almost weirdly fine with her romance, well he persuades them of course but it doesn't take long for them to fall under his spell too. He tricks them with visions of Oxford, which Jenny's parents want her to go to, and lots of money.

This film brings up an important question, can you really love when you are young? The film brings up more questions, but this is the main one. Sure there is an age of consent, but when are we really ready for love, and sex? Jenny is mature and grown up enough to know what she wants, and her journey with David makes the film's ending that much more tragic. This film could have easily been done in a cheesy way, but everything about it works well. The only bad thing is the ending, which is very anticlimactic. This is a film about growing up overall, and when we are ready to be responcible for ourselves We all make bad choices, but when do we know when we are really ready for love? There is no age where you instantly become mature, heck I have met a few 16 year olds who are more mature than some 18 year olds. Whether Jenny made the right choice in the end is not the point of the film. Through her experiences she has learned what it is like to grow up, albeit in a very sudden way. Her experiences will stay with her though and in the end maybe it was good that she went through them insread of focusing on school. Are we really defined by how well we do in school? Is it knowledge or wisdom that is most important? Schools cant teach wisdom, and though Jenny goes through more than most girls her age she gains wisdom and life experience. That is what this film is about, discovering life, and gaining wisdom. Some of the smartest people I know are also the dumbest in some ways. There are many different kinds of education, most are not learned in a class. This film may stand out because of how unconvential the love story is at first, but once you get used to it the film doesn't stand out as much. In the end it is a very pleasant and ultimatley tragic love story. I still highly recommend it though, there are few things better than a nice love story.

Overall I give it a 8.5 out of 10.

There have been so many great albums from bands like Porcupine tree, Magma, Transatlantic, Riverside, and Maudlin of the well. Only 2002, and 2005 rival 2009.

The film of the week this time is INTERSTATE 60: EPISODES FROM THE ROAD.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165832/

This is a gem of a film by the writer of Back to the future. The plot is simple, but very clever in it's execution. The film has a great cast too, Gary Oldman, Kurt Russell, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Chris Cooper all make appearences. It has tons of charm like the classic films of the 80s like Back to the future. I highly recommend it, not many people probably know about it. This film should have been a blockbuster hit, everything about it works well. It is a very odd and slightly surreal comedy, but I personally liked it. I think it went straight to DVD though for some reason, shame.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277737/

This is one of the most disturbing films I have seen in ages. I have a strong stomach, but this film almost made me feel sick. Not in a bad way though. I don't know how accurate this film is, but it is still chilling to watch. Some have accused this film of being Anti- Muslim, and Anti Iran, but I think those claims are BS. This film is a warning about the danger of Fundamentalism and mob mentality in its most brutal form. People decide to focus on the worst characters in the film rather than the overall message. I will not get too political in this review since i do not know enough about the subject. Getting down to basics though, as a message this film is powerful but the good news is that it works very well as a film. The message is important, but the film needs to stand on its own. All the performances in the film are very good, even James Caviezel is good though his part is small. Many aspects of this film can be compared to shakespeare classics like Othello, and the famous greek tragedies. We know what will happen in this film at the start. Something terrible has to happen, but it is not the tragedy that makes it work.

The way the character develop is what is important. Its like in the film Grave of the fireflies, we know at the start how it will end but its how the film gets there that counts. The husband Ali is one of the most despicable I have seen. His coldness toward the situation and his violence toward his wife make us hope something awful happens to him even though we know he will live. Throughout the film I was wondering how the stoning scene would happen. I became almost facinated with the idea of it and how primitive and brutal it is. When it happens though it was drawn out and more brutal than I could have imagined. The actress playing Soraya was amazingly convincing. The pain she was going through as everyone she thought she knew betrayed her was hearbreaking and the brutality of the stoning itself made me feel slightly ill. I highly recommend this film, but if you don't have a strong stomach the stoning might be a bit much. I am not spoling anything here because you know by the title how it will end. I am not reviewing the message of the film though, there are some scenes that are slightly melodramatic which are not as convincing. they almost make the film seem more theatrical and hollywoodized. The ending especially has plot devices straight out of a typical blockbuster film. That does not detract from the overall film much though.

Overall I give it a 9 out of 10.