No Strings Attached

Chick Flick you say.... well yeah it is but I enjoyed it. I knew how it would end before I even walked into the cinema but for some reason I just can not help but watch the mind numbing feel good love stories.

It had me thinking about why we classify these type of movies as "Chick Flicks"?  My husband hates "Girly" movies and won't come with me unless I drag him, but I noticed the guy next to me with his wife was laughing along to all the jokes and seemed to be enjoying himself (really because his laugh was so loud I found it distracting).

The movie is about a guy & a girl who's paths continually cross and they decide to become friends with benefits, and they start sleeping together for fun, the deal is when one of them feels more they end it.... seems simple enough but as we all know it doesn't work and long story short they .... spoiler alert.... end up together - as if that was a surprise!

Even though the plot was predictable and it was a typical chick flick I found myself enjoying the movie and wondering how it would all work out.  I was laughing along with all the jokes and felt compassion for the Kutcher character Adam when his heart got broken.  It could just be due to the week I've had but I enjoyed just sitting and watching.

I'll give it a 3.5

M

Poppy's

I'm a very lucky girl!  I'm lucky for many reasons but today's post is about my luck to have been blessed enough to get to have spent so much time with my grandfathers (Poppy's).  

I'm one of those lucky few who was born into this world with all of my grandparents and not only that, I was also born when they were still relatively young. Which means I've had the pleasure of getting to know them as a child and then have a beer with them as an adult.

This week I attended the funeral of my Poppy Murrell.  This is the second grandparent I've lost in two years, last year I lost Poppy Barnett. Between the two of them they supported me in ways that are unexplainable and are possibly the most influential men in my life.  My dad hasn't really been around and they were there to fill the gaps, they helped me with my first car, fixed me when I was hurt and provided love and support whenever I needed it.

I will miss them both so much and am really feeling the loss this week with Poppy Murrell's passing.  He used to email me frequently, he would laugh with me, give me advice and tell me crazy Jokes. 

The purpose of this post is to recognise them and what they have done for me, I hope that the beer is cold and the hangovers are small in Heaven and you guys are having fun. I will miss you but you are always in my heart.

xoxox

The below pictures are some of my favourite pictures.

Poppy Murrell and me as a young one, this is possibly one of my faviouites and was on Poppy's dressing table as long as I could remember.

Poppy Murrell and Poppy Barnett at my 21st Birthday Party.

My Husband, Poppy Murrell, Me and Nanny Murrell at my wedding late last year. He was very sick but he made it and was so happy to be there.

Hall Pass

My husband wanted to see this one and I thought it was going to be one of those "stupid funny movies" and guess what it was!!  It's by the guys that did "There's Something about Mary" and employs that style of comedy... 


As a rule I don't really like Owen Wilson, I can stand him but his crooked face always distracts me in movies and makes me question how a man that looks like that can get such a pretty wife (because he always seems to land the pretty chicks in these movies).  This film is really no exception he is married to a pretty lady and has a wandering eye, his best friend is the same or, maybe even worse.  Their wives decide that they have had enough and give them a "hall pass" which is a week off from marriage to familiarise themselves with what it is like to live a single life again.  The whole idea is that this should make them realise how good they have it and then live happily ever after.


Honestly the film had its funny moments but it was more of a date night movie for us and one I didn't really enjoy.  Sure I had a few laughs but they were few and far between and we all knew that surely in the end they were already, how does that saying go "punching above their weight" and had slim chances of getting a prettier lady.


It reminded me a little of the hangover but I liked that movie a little more. I'll give it 2.5.


Thanks
M x

Black Swan

I went to see this movie with my mother in law and when it finished we both just sat there... As we walked out the first question she asked me was "Did you like it". I couldn't answer right away, I had no idea.  I was still processing, what did it all mean, what was real and what wasn't?  I really wasn't sure what I thought and to be completely honest I'm still not 100 percent sure what I think - I'm still processing and think it might be one of those ones that I need to see again to fully comprehend. The thing I can say is that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and didn't take my eyes off the screen for the whole hour and 48 minutes.

All in all it was really intense, its a psychological thriller based around the story of a ballet company doing a performance of swan lake.  The director feels that Nina (Portman) has the beauty, talent and grace to play the white swan but isn't dark or experienced enough to play the black swan.  As Nina tries to draw on her dark side to prove him wrong and create a perfect balance of black and white she becomes not only reckless but what I can only describe as schizophrenic. The role begins to consume her she rehearses all day and into the night to come home to a really creepy, overbearing mother.

Overall the dancing was amazing, Natalie Portman was amazing and I enjoyed it, well I think I did. I'll give it 4 out of 5. 

Thanks 

M x

The Social Network

The Social Network

Like it or not Facebook plays such a huge role in today's social interaction there was no way I could miss this movie and I'm happy to report that I actually loved it. 

A huge reason why this movie is so popular is because its more than just a movie, it's based on the real story of how Zuckerberg did everything he had to do in order to make it to the top. He can easily be labeled as an arrogant jerk but I disagree with this view, in my opinion he was an extremely smart guy that took an idea further than anyone had ever dreamed. He may have stabbed his best mate in the back and originally stole the seedling of the idea from "fellow students" but he did the work, he had the vision and he had the intelligence to get it as far as he did.  Regardless on where you stand about his character he is a guy who has created a site that millions of users spend hours of their day on, which is quiet ironic considering in the film he (the character of Zuckerberg) seems to lack any social skills.


Eisenberg plays the role of Zuckerberg brilliantly, not that I know him or anything but he plays the role of a highly intelligent person with limited social skills the way I would expect them to be.

After seeing the movie the only question left burning in my mind was how true is it all.  I'd love to sit down and ask the actual people who are depicted in the movie how they feel they were represented. I've read an interview with Zuckerberg about the film and he is quoted in saying:


"It’s interesting what stuff they focused on getting right. Like every single fleece and shirt I had in that movie is actually a shirt or fleece that I own. You know, so there’s all this stuff that they got wrong, and a bunch of random details that they got right."


All in all I thought it was a very entertaining movie and I'll give it a 4.


M

Meet the Fockers

Little Fockers Poster

This one really didn't start off well for me and the reason is simple, I hate it when a movie uses all the jokes in the preview. Unfortunately the first funny scenes were straight from the preview, they weren't even really edited for the preview. So there were no laughs had from me because those jokes had already had their laughs... Actually now that I think about it I don't remember many laughs from the entire room.


As for the remainder of the film it was a usual Fockers movie where the father in law thinks his son in law is up to something tracks him down gets the wrong impression and tries to get his daughter to marry the "Mr Perfect" Owen Wilson character. 


It was ok but don't waste your $$ wait for the DVD


I'll give it a 3 because I've seen worse.


M x

The Tourist

The scenery is the most amazing thing about this movie.  I've never been to Europe and looking at the scenery during the movie kept me captivated the whole time. 


I have read other reviews on this movie and it hasn't been loved by many, in my opinion I enjoyed it.  My husband said that he picked the ending a mile off but I must have been too short sighted or distracted because I didn't see it and thought it was a nice little surprise.


I'm more than certain that it isn't the best thing I've seen. I really don't get the fascination with Jolie, I could be a jealous female but I just don't see it, big lips, skinny and brown hair she is beautiful I'll give her that but I wouldn't say she is worth all the commotion of sexiest person on earth!  Depp was good but the relationship between him and Jolie didn't work for me, it was all  a bit weird.


Overall, it was an ok movie and although I wouldn't watch it again it was fine to sit through. I'll give it a 3.


Thanks
M x

Date Night

I'd only recommend this movie as one of those movies that you watch on a Friday night when there isn't anything else on and you don't really feel like thinking much... 


I don't think I really like Steve Carell... I'm not sure what it is but I think I don't like the way he speaks or something.  


This movie was nothing special, it had few funny moments and I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open which is unusual for me especially watching a movie. It's a blend of Action and Comedy.  I had a few laughs out loud, but didn't really have high expectations.  The best bit was the shirt-less Mark Wahlberg....


It was OK so I'll give it 3


Thanks
M x

Inception

Inception Blu-Ray Cover

I missed this one at the movies but was happy to see that it came with not only a Blu-Ray disk but a DVD AND a Digital copy (which is good for the ipod but also exciting now that we have an Apple TV contraption from Santa). 


The thing that I loved about this movie was that it had me thinking about my own dreams and how real they can be, the thing I didn't like was the amount of times I thought "Huh?". One gaping hole in particular for me was when the car started falling in the first dream, but gravity was maintained in the third dream or the Snow dream, how is that possible? 


I found the ending very intriguing and the concept that a guy who was so obsessed by reality didn't even wait to check that it was in fact reality before running to his children because he hadn't seen them in so long. Was it reality or just another dream, I guess we'll never know but do we really care if we are happy with what it provides?


From M I'll give it a 4 for making me think hard.

Love & Other Drugs

Love & Other Drugs Poster

Within the first 10 to 15 minutes of the movie starting I was sitting there thinking, Here we go again, another Romantic comedy for me to go home and wish my man was more perfect than he is because he doesn't have a group of writers writing his lines for him BUT I was surprised to discover that this movie was a little more than that.


Sure the movie was the typical plot of a Boy who is a player, meets a girl, they have crazy sex, fall for each other, start an exclusive relationship, have highs and lows and then break up to discover they can not be without each other... Whoops did I spoil the ending? But seriously you know the one, we've all seen at least one before. Well surprisingly, this one actually had another layer, the girl was also a player and after crazy sex too but because she has an illness, that she didn't want to force upon any companion. This took the movie to explore the levels of complexity that a relationship reaches when an illness is involved and the level of commitment that is required. 


I found the career of Jake Gyllenhaal's character interesting as the drug sales rep doing all he can to push his brand onto doctors. There were some passionate love scenes and a heap of nudity which at some stages had me thinking that this relationship was only about the sex but there was a point that it changed. The brother was on the edge of being a bit disturbing for me and a few scenes could have been left out but I think showed the change in Gyllenhaal's character.


From m it can have a 3