RocknRolla (2008) - Guy Ritchie

I swear to God this better get a sequel. It's a really interesting film and one of my favourite Ritchie films. As we know, many of the actors in it are now Hollywood big shots, and Guy Ritchie himself makes more renowned films for Warner Bros, so whether they have time or not is a different story. I hope so.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Robert Mulligan

We did Harper Lee's novel in high school. Over and over. But it never gets boring. The film is of the same vein and Gregory Peck is just the epitome of classic actor. 

Everything I learnt about life, I learnt from Atticus Finch.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Laura (1944) - Otto Preminger

Gene Tierney is gorgeous, and a typical Hollywood starlet. I don't know if the song by the Scissor Sisters is based on this film, but it seems a bit similar (kind of). I liked this film. And it's nice to see Vincent Price in an earlier role.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Blonde Venus (1932) - Josef Von Sternberg

This film was really good, even if it was banned two years after it's release.
Marlene Dietrich is the definitive bitch of Hollywood stardom, even if she claims everything she did was for the love of her family. Like you'd turn down Cary Grant for your poor husband and kid. They never had a chance.
What the goddamn hell happened to the kid's puppy though, seriously? It was in one scene, then disappeared for good. Ouch. Poor thing probably got murdered whilst they were on the run.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

PS No, seriously... where is the dog?

Warm Bodies (2013) - Jonathan Levine

I liked the twist in the regular zombie movie. It was a bit like Colin (2008) - Marc Price, in the way it followed the zombie's point of view (in this case, R [a subtle reference to Romeo and Juliet I presumed, with a particular scene]).
It wasn't a great movie. Some of the comedy fell a bit short of the mark.
Nicholas Hoult should be more of a Hollywood heart throb after this film, as the romance parts were very well done, and it definitely worked as a rom com.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Top Gun (1986) - Tony Scott

This film is one of those Tom Cruise classics, that there are so many of. Watching any of them makes you realise why Tom Cruise is one of the most powerful actors in Hollywood. He's cool, suarve, and still a brilliant actor. As watching Jack Reacher (2012) - Christopher McQuarrie last year, taught me, Cruise is still one of the finest actors around, and still super cool.
A good film, even if the air fights got a bit tedious and confusing to someone without any kind of aeroplane knowledge to speak of.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman

This is one of those films that everyone says you should watch, it won loads of Oscars (the five main ones) and you'll think it can never live up to the hype. Well, it does.
Last time I saw this film I was about ten years old, and I loved it then. Rewatching has given me a greater understanding of the evil humanity behind Nurse Ratched (which picked up an Oscar for Louise Fletcher), and also helped me to spot certain actors that would go on to bigger and better things, Christopher Lloyd being a prime example.
Also, Danny DeVito is hardly recognisable as Martini, which just goes to show what a powerful actor he truly is. From directing and starring in Matilda (1996) to being the voice of The Lorax (2012) - Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda, DeVito is a man of many talents, and Martini is probably the one character that manages to outshine the rest of the major inhabitants of the institution.
Obviously, I have to mention the legendary Jack Nicholson, but must say I personally believe he is typecast as this zany, mad character a lot of the time. He still pulls it off, but it does get a bit same-y. This film is probably the finest of his career, and I know a lot of people say it's Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) that put him on the Hollywood's biggest list, but this film, for me, is the epitome of a truly great movie.

Oldboy (2003) - Chan-wook Park

This was a present from a friend for my birthday. (You'll never guess what film studies students buy each other.) I wouldn't say I'm not a fan of foreign films, I just don't think they're shown enough at local cinemas, and therefore I haven't seen as many of them as I have seen, like, the big Hollywood ones.
Anyway, this was a really good film. I thought the main antagonist (Ji-tae Yu) gave the best performance, and made the bad guy seem more human, particularly towards the end, which was obviously helped by the use of the director's flashbacks.
Aside from being a little slow and repetitive in places, it was a really good film, that dealt really well with a taboo subject. Without using spoilers, I feel it gave a new sort of vibe or feeling to the subject, giving everyone's norm and morals a good shake. Obviously, without seeing the film, you won't know what I'm talking about. So, go rent a copy, or buy it from that store that's closing down; I'm sure it won't be too expensive.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆