He’s Just Not That Into You

Thousands of women will flock to this movie with the aim of gaining some additional insight into their relationships.  Unfortunately they will find that this film offers nothing more than what is already widely available in your weekly women’s mag.

Having enjoyed so many movies where the women changes and wins the man ‘Grease, She’s all that’, I guess women-hood are at some level wanting to be told who they need to look like or be in order to meet ‘Prince Charming’ and find happiness.   Thankfully the message of this movie (if there ever was one) is that its just you baby.

Gigi (Goodwin) is adorable at representing the majority of women-kind and how they perceive love.  We watch her and her friend circle through various life situations.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The first fifteen minutes started really strongly.  It moved along fast and had that Hollywood epic feel similar to watching ‘Independence Day’ for the first time back in the nineties.

However, it kind of eventually turned slow and lost its way.  I really like Jennifer Connelly and she was good in this.  Keanu Reeves character was so so.  However there’s only so many ways that the plot in a an alien sci-fi movie can go, 1)  the heroes kill the aliens and save the world, 2) everyone dies, 3) umm not sure there is a third scenario.

There’s an environmental story-line that is somewhat condescending… snooze…

I love ‘the good end of the world’ style flick, but this one disappointed.  No fear, no shock value, nothing we haven’t seen before.

Blood Diamond

This (for me) is why movies exist…to take you to a time or part of the world that you would never otherwise experience.

In this film, it’s a world that’s full of danger caused by civil war that’s erupted out of greed – a world that as a New Zealander I could never, ever image. This film was so moving. The performances of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Dijimon Houson were so real, heartfelt and passionate.

Everything about the directing and acting made me forget that I was in a cinema, I was transported to this African country and into these characters lives.The most shocking realisation for me was that this is real life for many people! I broke down seeing the families killed by their own countrymen, fatherless/ orphaned children being raised up by rebels, to become the Monsters, inflicting the same torture and pain that had destroyed their own lives earlier, now on others.

It gave me a small glimpse of what life as a refugee must feel like and what they might have been through. Anyone who has a heart for these people (like Jennifer Connelly’s character) are heroes.

Wow, wow, wow! is all I can say about this film. Horrific yet powerful. I think this movie is the best drama of 2006.

Steph’s rating: 10/10