Tag: Reviews

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Muni Reviews: The 63rd Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards 2011

So this year Jane Lynch was hosting, her most notable role in recent years has been starting as the cheerleading coach on Glee. The opening monologue was very good and as usual had great cameos of stars from hit shows over the past year, it was very well worked and nicely put together. This year the Emmy’s also had the Emmytones a group of 6 harmony barber shop quartet like singers compromising of Kate Flannery (The Office), Taraji P. Henson (Boston Legal), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Joel McHale (Community), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) and Wilmer Valderrama (That 70s Show).  There singing was very good but I’ll be honest the show could have done without it. Right onto the awards, firstly I just want to point out I’m NOT going to go through each individual awards, I honestly don’t have the time and plus I got a feeling you’d give up reading after the first two, so instead I’ll go by the groups. The comedy awards Modern Family took home most of the awards best supporting actor and actress, as well as best writing and directing for comedy series. The lead actor and actress went to Jim parson (The Big Bang Theory) and Melissa McCarthy (Mike and Molly).  At this point I’d just like to point out that when the nominees were being announced all the women in the women category went up one by one, it was quite possibly the most funniest moment in the night, definitely put a smile on my face and was a joy to watch, that alone got a standing ovation from the entire audience which tells you how amazing it was to watch, worth catching it on youtube. Finally just on this part I’d like to say that Steve Carell was also nominated for lead actor but did not win, I’d like to say that I was slightly upset he rally did deserve to win and it’s a shame that he was not recognized in any capacity. The Drama awards The drama awards didn’t really have much drama; there was the shock but deserved win for Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), as well as that the show also won the award for best writing in its category. In the lead actor category, the lead actress award going to Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife).  The directing award went to Martin Scorsese for Boardwalk Empire. Mad Men as usual in a forth year in a row won the best drama award. There were awards for Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Margo Martindale (Justified) for the supporting actor and actress awards respectively. The best of British was on show too, with Kate Winslet winning the lead actress award in a miniseries or movie, for her role in Mildred Pierce.  Her acceptance speech however was a bit too over the top. She milked it a lot and was at times cringing to watch.  There was also a bag of awards for Downton Abbey winning best directing and writing as well as best miniseries. Finally there was a cameo award hosting for Ricky Gervais, which was very well put together and got a warm reception of laughs. Also a quick note when Steve Levitan was accepting the award for best writing in a comedy series, as he was telling the story of how his children caught him and his wife in the act of love making, the camera was on his wife and she gave “the look” which got a huge laugh and made me laugh too, another bit worth seeing if you can. A good year for HBO, NBC and ABC, all getting a handful of awards to share between them. I’d say that this years awards were a success and it had a good sense of humor throughout the show. Some outstanding moments, and as usual, some cringy moments too. It’s a great way to kick of the New Year for TV shows returning back to our TVs. Look out for Muni’s Top 5 US shows to look forward to, which I’ll be posting at the end of this week. Muni

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Retro Film of The Month: Dirty Dancing (1987)

Synopsis: Spending the summer in a holiday camp with her family, Frances ('Baby') falls in love with the camp's dancing teacher. I’ll be honest when I started to watch this film I was waiting for the Bee Gee’s song to come one on, and John Travolta to appear on screen. I realised that the film I was intending on watching was Saturday Night Fever. So I’ve watched this film on and off over the years never fully completing it, so I thought I’d watch it. I’m a huge fan of 80’s music and that is what this film has going for itself. The film is coming to its 25^th year anniversary and the soundtrack to the film is still as awesome as it was back then. The story is pretty standard nothing too complicated with any twist, but the film doesn’t need that. What the film does rely on is the music and dancing, which is perfect as that’s what the film is mainly about. The dance moves must have been new to watch to the audience back then and even when I was watching it I got goose bumps, I wanted to try the hip thrusting moves, thankfully I haven’t tried yet. Patrick Swayze & Jennifer Grey are great casting choices, their chemistry is evident on screen, with Baby’s shy, innocence & warm character, along with Johnny’s smooth, hard man is a good mix.  You could tell that there is a beautiful blossoming relationship between the two on screen and its fantastic to watch. It's difficult to find any flaws, obviously there’s the typical father figure that Baby has to deal with, as well as the brash cocky rick guy who impregnates the poor dancer. Its all a bit clichéd, but its not all that bad, even the rich girl poor guy scenario has been done one too many times but hey I’m not complaining. Overall I’d say that this is a great watch for the girls on a rainy day, hell even the guys. It is a proper chick flick and I can remember living in a student home a couple of years ago and my lovely housemates watching this whilst eating chocolate on a Sunday afternoon. Yes its not perfect but it was an iconic film that has defined the 80’s and Patrick Swayze may he rest in peace. 7.5/10

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Muni Reviews: The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

The Inbetweeners So it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a film, and I’m feeling rusty, so please bear with me! I’ve been a fan of the show when it first aired on E4 three years ago; I was laughing in fits over the ridiculous predicaments the boys got themselves into. So when I heard they were going to make a film I was filled with joy and sadness, as there would be no more TV episodes. The film is exactly what you would expect the boys to get themselves into on a lad’s holiday, it is mainly narrated by Will just as he did on the TV show. So I’m going to begin with the story of the film as I’ve briefly mentioned above, the boys, after Simon getting dumped by Carley, decide to go on a lad’s holiday to Malia. On holiday they meet four girls and we see how each of them deals with the situation that arise when being around the opposite sex.  I don’t want to spoil much of the film but the story is what you would expect, it is however very funny and entertaining. I was laughing so hard at some of the scenes; I honestly think it is the best British Comedy film of the last decade. The acting, by Simon bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison & Joe Thomas  (Will, Jay, Neil & Simon, respectively) is amazing, they are very funny as a group, but they also shine individually. Each character is unique and very funny, and they’ve been cast perfectly for their roles. The film has the usual mix of music from bands to illustrate the situations they’re in and is very reminiscent of the TV show. The Directing however was very standard nothing special, but I don’t think it needed anything out of the ordinary, so it works. It’s simple and average, and that’s all it needs to be. Overall I’d say if you’ve watched the show you will love the film, its funny from the get go and keeps you laughing for 90 minutes.  I am going to miss the show; I’ve got it on DVD and will always watch it on a slow day. Go watch it I can’t see anyone being left disappointed, a must watch! 8/10

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Muni reviews: Hanna (2011)

This movie was some kind of awesome. From frame one, this movie completely enthralled me. It's a top-notch thriller that doesn't sacrifice its human side for the sake of explosions, chases, and fight scenes. At its core, there's a very complex character that's both interesting and sympathetic. The story begins by showing Hanna, a physically sharp teenage girl with a mysterious past, hunting a deer. Her father eventually explains that a government agent named Marissa Weigler is searching for her. He's been training her for her entire life so that she can take on Weigler. If she flicks a switch, Marissa Weigler will know where they are, and an intensely rehearsed plan to kill her and live life without any potential harm will begin. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned, and as Hanna tries to reach her father after she's escaped capture, the hunt begins. First of all, let's discuss the technical aspects of this movie. After seeing three of Joe Wright's movies, it's clear that this man has a keen eye for cinematography, and I thank him for it. There are so many beautiful shots and flashy camera-techniques in this movie. All of them fit the specific moments in which they exist, but they all blend together very well. The best looking scenes are the scenes in the snow-laden forest. Of course, the cinematography would fall apart without proper editing, and they do nail it. The movie is filled with quick cuts, and they make the action scenes much more shocking than they would otherwise be. There's a scene early in the film where Hanna kills a group of guards and shoots all of the cameras in the room, and the way it's edited makes you jump with every gunshot. The acting here is superb. Saoirse Ronan gives an incredibly dynamic performance as always. She's a great young talent that has shown us several times now that she's a force to be reckoned with. Kate Blanchett gives a great performance as well. She gives a performance that is both cold and emotional when necessary. Eric Bana gives a surprisingly good performance as Eric, Hanna's father. It's not a huge stretch for him, but he certainly does a good job. The actors playing some of the lesser side-characters also do a great job. Sophie's mother is played by the lovely Olivia Williams, brought warmth to he character. Jason Flemming makes an excellent supporting villain. The soundtrack to the film, by The Chemical Brothers, made the film in my opinion. The music was exquisite and worked very well with the film. I believe they did a fantastic job in adding a different dimension to the film, which works. It’s made me a fan of their music for sure. What can I say? This movie was phenomenal. I went in with enormous expectations and was completely blown away. This movie has so many elements sewn into it that fondly remind me of my favorite films. It has everything I want in a movie and more. It finds the perfect balance of honest emotion and thrilling action. The result is a knockout. This movie may very well end up on my Best of the Year list. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed seeing a movie in the theater this much since I saw Inception for the first time. My verdict it’s a well directed smartly paced film, which has a fantastic story and great soundtrack. It got mixed reviews by both critics and “normal people” but I guess you have to make your own opinion. I’d say if you want to watch this then do, as I believe you will really enjoy it, more then you probably think. 8/10 Muni

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Muni's retro film of the month: Once Upon a Time in The West (1968)

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) Directed by: Sergio Leone So I’m going to start of the retro film of the month with one of my favourites and a classic, I remember watching this film a few years back, and was looking forward to it. It was the first western film I had seen and I’m glad this was the first one. Leone is a god, a legend, and master craftsman of film, and he shows his talent in this film, which I rate as his best work ever. "Once upon a Time in the West" is Leone's masterpiece and certainly one of the best Westerns of all time. It is beautifully shot, perfectly cast, ambitious, erotic, humorous and wonderfully scored by Leone's regular composer Ennio Morricone, whose haunting melodies are just as important as the widely separated dialog occurring on the action. The film opens with extreme close-ups of Jack Elam, Woody Strode and Lionel Stander waiting at a station for Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda has sent them to kill him. The railroad wants a property for its water well belonging to the newly widowed Claudia Cardinale, a fancy lady from New Orleans who just arrived in Flagstone and learns about the tragedy. We would come to understand, much later, Claudia Cardinale's role as the bearer of water, life, and continuity to the civilization of the New West. Fonda, a despicable hired gun, kills her husband and orders, without a twinge of guilt, the slaughter of the entire family, innocent women and children. Henry Fonda, in a chilling performance, plays the cold-blooded murderer, the most vicious villain in Westerns history to ever ride the big country... the blue ice-eyed child killer, gunning down a 9-year old boy. Bronson as 'The Man' is like Clint Eastwood 'The Man With No Name,' with only one thing in common: they are the most ruthless heroes in Westerns history sharing the same character in their quality 'not' to say much in their need of emotions, in their fast draw, in their disinterest in women, in their air of mystery and in their macabre sense of humor. Their differences are also very clear: 'The Man With No Name' has no past whatsoever, and 'The Man' is motivated by revenge to settle an old personal score. Claudia Cardinale plays Jill, the well-proportioned, husky-voiced beauty, the lady, the businesswoman, the maker of coffee involved with Fonda in an incredible perverse erotic sequence. The blood, the violence, the humor, the several gunfights and the final showdown have been constants in Leone's Westerns since "A Fistful of Dollars." The highlights of his movie are so many: Leone's overwhelming shot when he raises his camera over the Flagstone train station office revealing the sprawling town; when he replaces a shot of a smoking gun with a shot of a smoking train; when he uses close-ups instead of dialog to reveal what a character is thinking; and the striking use of his extreme close-up in the final shootout. Leone builds up tension by slowly circling his two characters, focusing with his camera on their eyes, hands and guns while the level of the music is raised to evoke the action. Leone's film is a brave epic Western, extremely violent, immensely powerful. It's above all fable and fantasy, as the desire for revenge is childish and fruitless. It is the essence of a great filmmaker. My verdict on this film, well if you’re a fan of cinema then you will enjoy this three hour epic, a must see for anyone and everyone with a great shots, cast and storylines. 9/10 Muni