The Reel Life of Real Life

This is a brilliant film. Based on a true story, the film depicts the life of Frank Abagnale, a con artist who successfully posed as an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney...all before his 19 th birthday, as well as cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in around 26 countries!  I think it’s the fact that this is based on a true story makes the plot all the more outrageous. It just sounds too farfetched to be true! Directed by Steven Spielberg, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Frank Abagnale, and Tom Hanks as the ferociously determined FBI Agent, Carl Hanratty. Both actors are excellent in their roles. Other well-known names such as Christopher Walken, Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams and Martin Sheen also feature. There are some very funny moments. Some brilliant gags. A subtle one in particular that stood out for me was during his time as an airline polite, Frank was called “The James Bond of The Sky”...prompting him to purchase a specific Bond su

I like this film. I think it's good. I felt that as a horror, it’s not so scary, but as a mystery it’s quite gripping. It follows the story of a woman named Marion Crane who steals a large some of money from her employer and stays at a remote motel where she meets the owner, Norman Bates. They exchange pleasant conversation and Norman explains his love of stuffing birds. (Hitchcock liked birds, I reckon). That night however, Marion is brutally murdered – cue the infamous shower scene – and the remainder of the film is her respective friends and relatives getting to the bottom of her murder. It is considered to be Alfred Hitchcock’s best masterpiece. In terms of film techniques, the shower scene is impressive. It’s interesting how amidst all the stabbing, you never actually see any blood because it’s done through a montage of shots. Equally, we only get a quick shot of the stabber’s shadow as they hold up the knife. There is actually no violence as such in this scen

Here’s a horror film that should have really scared me, because I have Ornithophobia (which is a fear of birds). That’s why I was so eager to see this film because I was certain it would be a sure bet...I was mistaken. I can’t say it’s a bad film...it’s just not a very scary one. I think it’s the lack of music to accompany the scenes. There’s no tension built (I felt); nothing pulling you in, as such. I wonder if Alfred Hitchcock thought the sound of the flapping feathers would suffice on their own. Logic dictates for someone with Ornithophobia, that should work, but ostensibly it did not quite. The story focuses on rich socialite Melanie Daniels, and lawyer Mitch Branner. After meeting in a pet shop, the two end up playing a series of practical jokes on each other; a tit for tat, kind of situation. She pays a visit to Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends the weekends with his mother and younger sister. Soon after her arrival the birds of the area begin acting strangely, attackin

I have to admit that the story of ‘Romeo + Juliet’ is not one I’m a big fan of. It’s just...the whole concept behind this Shakespearean creation is something I’ve never been able to get on board with. I can’t say it’s not a good story because there are some compelling moments and some nice memorable quotes, I’ve just never understood how it’s ordained ‘the greatest love story the world has ever known’...it’s not. They both die. What’s great about that? I think the lesson to be learned from it is simply barbaric. They only knew each other for, if my calculations are correct, at the most three to four days.  And in all fairness neither character is someone to be looked up to. Romeo is not exactly the most honourable knight in shining armour; he’s a bit of an ass, really, to abandon Rosaline at the drop of a hat as soon as he found ‘someone better’. Who’s to say the same thing wouldn’t have happened to Juliet if they’d both lived to tell the tale? We never meet Rosaline, but I’ve

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get!” Forrest Gump is...one of a kind. I don’t think there is any other way to describe both character and film. There is something really special about it. I love it. I think it’s my favourite film after Slumdog Millionaire. The film opens with a feather floating through the air, which ultimately takes us to where our hero, Forrest Gump, is waiting at a bus stop. Here he engages conversation with the passersby as they come and go, ultimately dictating his life story up to the point he arrived at this bus stop. The feather is significant for many reasons and is a way of bookending the film as it appears just before the credits too. I like that. Tom Hanks is more than fantastic playing the easily lovable Forrest Gump as he stumbles through life one significant historic event at a time. It’s easy to love Forrest. He’s a simple man but always with good intentions. And despite his low IQ, he certa

This is my favourite film in the world. Written by Simon Beaufoy and directed by Danny Boyle, it tells the story of Jamal Malik (played amazingly by Dev Patel) who is just one question away from winning a whopping 20 million rupees...but how could a boy from the slums know all the answers? The police assume he’s a cheat and take him in for questioning. However, as he explains himself, each encounter reveals another answer to the show’s questions, and as the story of his life unravels before our eyes, we also learn of the girl he loved and lost. The film won eight of the ten Oscars it was nominated for at the Academy Awards. (Just to those who haven't seen the film, there are some spoilers...) I’m going to paint you a picture. It was the 26 th August 2009 and my friends and I decided that we’d like to watch a movie. Dad had recently purchased the very highly acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire, and so we decided we’d try it out. Would you believe, I remember I hated it the