Film Eight: The Hours

Film Review:

I was over at my friend Emma's yesterday and we watched "The Hours" - she is a drama teacher and she had some great insights into the brilliant performances in this film, it was great watching it with her. First up, I adored this film, I had seen it quite a few times before but I never ever tire of watching the acting tour de force that is this film.

First up, Nicole Kidman, she obviously won the Oscar for this film - she stole it from Julianne who deserved it for Far From Heaven - and she is very good as Virginia Woolf. She is very understated and controlled and even without the fake nose was very convincing. The intense sadness and the feeling of being trapped is so apparant in her performance and Stephen Dillane is brilliant when opposite Kidman, the scene at the train station where he realises that there is nothing he can do to make her feel better and nothing he can do to take away the ever growing madness. The saddest scene I think is when the two are sitting talking at night by the crackling fire about her writing. It is one of the few scenes where you see them as a couple and doing something that is very normal and everyday and I think that really adds a sense of pathos.

The other big performance is Meryl Streep who is simply brilliant in this film. Her unconventional love story with Richard is so believable and real. I love how it slowly shows you that Clarissa isn't some noble woman looking after the dying Richard and being a good friend, but she is a woman who cannot move on from the happiness she felt during her love affair with Richard and is keeping him in her life, keeping him alive to keep her alive. The performance is just stunning. Jeff Daniels also deserves a mention for his seriously creepy performance as Lewis, the only person to know how Clarissa feels but he was strong enough to walk away from Richard because of what Richard's relationship with his mother did to him. He gives Clarissa hope but sadly he is getting it on with a young student - could that ever be something to make you happy? - so Clarissa is the lucky one, she has Sally and Julia and just has to embrace it and Richard finally redeems himself when he sees she cannot let go, so he kills himself. Seriously depressing on the surface, but underneath, oh there is just so much hope in there!

Before I get on to my special lady, few other important things to mention. First, the brilliant way in which the stories were linked - the eggs, the book reading - and how we always spent just enough time with each of the three ladies. Phillip Glass produced a chilling score that is well worth buying or downloading, fits the film perfectly. And with a cast like that, everyone would think there could be no way every actor gets their "moment" but they DO. Every character has their showcase moment, small or epic, but everyone gets it and I liked that the brilliant acting talent were not wasted.

A stunning film!

Top Julianne Moment:

Now this is a tough one!! I kept asking Emma for stand out moments and she kept making noises that were clearly admiration for Julianne's performance. A close second is the harrowing moment when she leaves little Richie and drives away when he is screaming and crying. So cold and desperate and underplayed. But my favourite has to be the final scene where she appears as the old Laura Brown and explains her choices in life and you can see her regret outweighed by the knowledge she made the right decision or she would have been dead. When Claire Danes' Julia hugs her, it just makes me tear up, I'm quite tearful thinking about it just now. How this woman was not given as Oscar for that performance is a crime. Just brilliant!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNF-uXP_CoU&feature=related

Here is the scene here if you want to watch it again.

Julianne Review:

Where do I even start when it comes to Julianne in this film. Her performance as Laura Brown is just an acting masterclass. A woman who has been railroaded by the time into a marriage with a perfect man and a perfect family but feels trapped and cannot escape. The way she looks as if all the life has been sucked out of her is heartbreaking, she looks like a broken woman as she goes about her daily routine. Emma told me that the best thing about the performance in the early scenes was how little she had to say, how every word she did say seemed forced and genuinely difficult, so this shows us that what she does say is not important, not real, not ture, but it is what she doesn't say that is really interesting, honest, true. A woman who is desperate to escape but cannot find the courage to leave her family and the man who loves her so, so much. She should be the most hateful character - we see the devestating effect her decision has on her some Richard - so should she not be a character the audience hate with venom? I defy anyone watching the film not to feel sympathy for Laura Brown, because of Julianne's performance, you long for her to escape, you will for her to escape, even though, like her, you know that it is wrong. Then the scene at the end where she explains she has outlived her entire family and she still does not regret her decision, it's just beyond powerful, the conviction and pathos in her voice is just stunning, the mere thought of it tells anyone just what a talented actress this woman is. I can only hope she knows it herself.

You have no idea how much this film and in particular Julianne's performance made me think. I just cannot get it out of my head. I suppose now I've started this blog that maybe I think about my Julianne films differently now, or actually maybe I don't and I've always thought about them that way. I think I get the importance of happiness and how we always long to find it, but I think what I learned from it is that everyone has their own type of happiness. You feel you have to meet what everyone else deems the standard definition of "happinees" but what is your idea of being happy is not what other people think of as happy. It would take a very strong character to understand that and certainly an even stronger character to go and get it. I always talk about my relationship on here - think it would be over if he ever knew that - but I've been thinking a lot about the idea of happiness and whether I am happy or whether I just feel I have all the components and I SHOULD be happy. A lot of my friends think he's wonderful and I should be embrace it and never let go, but am I happy? I shouldn't have, but I had dinner with my ex this week and he was the first person I'd say I loved, he really is just one of those special people I don't think you meet very often. I would have properly spent the rest of my life with him, but alas, it was not to be. Anyway, dinner was good, even managed two glasses of red wine and all the way through and all the way home afterwards I realise that during those three hours or so, I felt alive, yup, alive is the best word I can use to describe it. I realise I may sound mental and that I think Im now directly quoting from Julianne films but I honestly did. It was easy, it was enjoyable and it was alive, the evening I'm talking about and I loved every minute of it. I kept wondering what the point had been of the evening, why would you go and have dinner with your ex-boyfriend, but maybe that was my moment to realise what MY idea of happiness it, what kind of person or what feelings make me happy. I think I have a good idea of happiness from my point of view, I think I know what it is I'm looking for. Companionship. I think that's the answer, someone you want to spend a lot of time with, someone that makes doing the things you love doing even better and someone who you feel comfortable with. Is that what I have just now? Mmmm, I'll need to think about that one, but I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to it. The thing that holds me back is lonliness, I cannot think of anything worse and that is what is holds me back and that is what frightens me.

I think about Laura Brown and I just wonder how many Laura Browns there are out there - obviously not to the same degree - but think they have everything they want, or everything they should want and it still doesn't make them happy. I just think I'm looking for that person that makes me feel alive, I don't want to be Laura Brown. I realise because I am in a relationship that I must sound like a horrible person and maybe you may think I don't deserve to be happy.

Obviously, in my dreams, Julianne reads this and then decides to get in touch and says "I know the perfect guy for you..." (that's a quote by the way, can anyone guess the film?) and then I live happily ever after and I am content. Just like Laura Brown was when she caught the bus to canada and started her little job in the library. But sadly I'm well aware that Julianne doesn't even know that I exist but hey, dreaming can make you happy too!

If you have not seen "The Hours" ever or in a while then I urge you to settle down on your sofa and get seriously comfy and then watch an utter acting masterclass. You will not be disappointed. Granted you may not go to bed with a smile on your face afterwards, or hang on, wait, maybe you will.....

Enjoy!

Maybe the trailer will convince you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMErdpA804Y

Film Seven: The Shipping News

Film Review:

I can't explain why but I never really fancied this film at all, it was one of the few Julianne's I had never watched before. It was my friend Emma that told me to watch it so off I went and into the dvd player it went. And wow! What a brilliant film. I feel it is a very simple film, it is simply about a man coming to terms with his grief, nothing fancy or over the top but dealing with a very human emotion and each of the characters had their own trauma to deal with. Quyole must come to terms with the fact that Petal never really loved him and his only experience of love was one of pain and loss. Agnis had to come to terms with returning to her home and facing her awful demons and remembering that love and happiness were both possible and Wavey had to let go of her husband and realise that although it felt like only yesterday, there was still the chance for tomorrow. I loved how simple the film was and felt that it was carried by the stunning performances. Spacey was just so understated and such a likable protagonist, even when he was behaving like a bit of a drunken tool. There was real heart in the performance and I rooted for him every step of the way as he went from a sad doormat to an enriched, successful writer and a good father. Blanchett was great too in quite a cliched role, she was just a unlikable character and it certainly seemed like she was having fun. Agnis was able to confront her demons and Dench was so stoic and likable, what appeared to initially be an lighthearted and comedy performance became something of intense pathos and sadness and it really was just a joy every time she appeared on screen. The scenery was stunning and the film was visually a treat, so epic and grand. It looked like a really epic film, but it really was a small film about believable and realistic people. And then there is Julianne...

Top Julianne Moment

There is something so beautiful about the scene where Wavey asks Quoyle if she has blown it and whether he still wants to be her friend. It captures that slight insecurity that exists in us all. After you say something or react to something and then worry about it being the right thing or not and then it's on the tip of your tongue whether you should ask or not. So realisitic.

Julianne Review

I just loved Julianne in this, so unexected. It was such a subtle performance, she wasn't over the top or in your face, she was quite clearly Quoyle's road to redemption and it was the strength of her performance thta made is so believable. The scene where they are flying the kites and Quoyle rests his head on Wavey's leg, the look on Julianne's face is brilliant, you have all her demons and the fact she has not dealt with her husband's death and the pain is still raw, THEN you have her concern for Quoyle, who she obviously cares for deeply and is not concerned she will hurt him. Just a masterclass of face acting, no over the top, stating the obvious, just a look and that is why she is so fantastic.

Wavey was the person that was able to save Quoyle and show him that there was still a lot of life worth living and he could still find happiness. Julianne does that for me sometimes, now I can assure you I'm not on the edge or in as bad a situation as poor Quoyle, but I had a difficult week this week. My partner and I aren't having the best time, he doesn't seem to know how to be in a relationship, for example, he was away to London this week and didn't even mention it to me, so obviously I felt a bit put out, he's also far more concerned about seeing his mates and I just felt like I was on the bottom rung of the ladder and not very important. We have been together 7 months now and I'm still waiting to feel like I'm in a serious relationship, he's still too scared to use the word "boyfriend" for christ sake. He's never been in a relationship before and I honestly don't think he understands how to. I felt pretty down this week about it, work was tiring and I came home looking for some understanding but got none, didn't even hear from him. But alas, then something comes along and makes you ignore all the stupid drama of it all and of course it was Julianne.

http://scottfeinberg.com/soliloquies-that-sealed-the-deal

Just reading that speech from Julianne makes you realise how difficult relationships can be and makes you realise that you have to work at them and put the effort in and it certainly isnt easy. Of course he knows none of this because I'm an idiot and don't actually discuss how Im feeling about the situation but instead I just watch the trailer for "The Kids are All Right" over and over again and hope that it all just works itself out. I suppose I feel a little bit like I don't want to run the risk of being alone and if I'm not with him, then I'm alone. I wonder what Julianne would do?

There is just something about her different performances that I can always find to make me feel better and make me think about things more clearly, it's what makes her special I think. When I write on here, it feels like I'm able to say all the things to Julianne that go through my head before, after or while I'm watching one of her films and maybe that's why I am able to be far more honest than I would be normally, even with my bloody partner.

Just from sitting on a friday night and watching "The Shipping News" I was able to put into words the way I was feeling and that's because of Julianne and the way she made me feel during that film, maybe out there somewhere is my own version of Wavey, because I would really like to meet them and I would really like for them to make that feeling and fear of being alone disappear. I guess that only happens when you do meet that special someone, that Wavey. But hey, until then I still have Julianne, as always, thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x1z8IK-L0U

You should watch "The Shipping News" if you haven't already! Enjoy everyone!

Film Six - "Next"

Film Review:

Well this was a real disappointment. This could have been a really enjoyable little no brain action film. The story is quite interesting and could have been brilliant but is let down by a few things. The CGI is awful, couldn't they just have used a real train rather than the most awful computer game version of a train possible. Next - boom boom - Nicolas Cage is just plain creepy with his weird mullet and his odd seduction of the beautiful Jessica Biel, just wouldnt happen, why couldnt Julianne's character have been the "necessary" love interest, they are much closer in age and The Moore is pretty smoking hot in this film. Cage pawing at Biel just comes across as a seriously pervy old man, poor Hollywood and your obsession with older men and younger woman. The twist end - I won't ruin it for you if you haven't watched this film - is more frustrating than shocking. The build up to the end is mostly a lot of mindless shooting.

The set piece on the mountain side was quite entertaining but this really isn't one of Julianne's best choices. A film to stick on in the background if you are doing a few other things. Lots of potential but poor, poor execution.

Top Julianne Moment:

Em, em, em, there really aren't any scenes where she is called upon to act but she looks pretty hot in the gun range scene.

Julianne Review:

Money. I think that's why she made this film and remember she did follow it up with "Savage Grace" so I feel it all falls into place! She seems to be just re-treading her role in Hannibal, except this time she doesn't have anything to do, it's a very generic, thankless role with very little acting involved, not one of Julianne's best decisions.

However, this film holds a very special place in my heart. My friend who I wrote about a couple of blogs ago, we were always a bit complicated and had a bit of a parting of the ways which meant we didnt speak for a long time and most importantly we stopped going to see Julianne films together - I make that sound like it is a mutual decision! This was the first Julianne film we saw after our estrangement and it even though a 85 minute movie felt like bloody Titanic, it was a special experience. There was a lot of nerves and anxiety about trying to rebuild our friendship, the awkward ick and never knowing what to say and the whole worry about maybe we've moved on too much and we can't go back, yeah never go back, just forget it. But there we were and there was Julianne, this woman is always there for me! The film was an obvious disappointment but it was an important night for me, managed to rebuild a very important friendship and if it hadn't been for Julianne and my very vocal love for her, it would never have happened that way.
I wouldn't have had the courage to do it and I would have lost out.

I could maybe suggest you revisit "Next" but life is indeed short, but hey, you might end up liking it.

Thanks for reading my blog and it's brilliant when you leave comments.

Keep Julianne-ing

Film 5 - The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Film Review:

Okay, big moment, this is the first film I ever saw Julianne in. I was fourteen and really liked dinosaurs as all fourteen year old boys do but, it was a certain Ms Moore that really excited me that day back in the summer of 1997.

The Lost World (TLW) is an interesting one. How do you follow the biggest film of all time? It's tough but this film does well I feel and is a bit underrated. Okay, it was never going to be as brilliant as the original, but I liked how it tried to be different. The plot was intertesting and centering it around Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm was a good move, he was able to be both funny and dark. The dinosaurs were all entertaining and the film had quite a dark tone to it, the rain, the dark scenes and the quite brutal dinosaur deaths. It was an easy film to criticise and it was never going to please everyone. But as two solid hours of entertainment, it doesnt go far wrong. Even the most hardhearted critic would have to admit that the sight of the T-Rex rampaging through San Diego was the stuff teenage boys dream about!

There are some wonderful moments, the raptors in the grass - how many times has that scene now been copied? - the T-Rex in the tent, the horrible compy scene and the trailer attack. I could have happily lived without Ian Malcolm's moaning daughter and her awful gymnastics subplot though, why does this film really need a teenage girl in it?

Overall I loved this film at fourteen and I'd be a down right liar if I didn't admit to still loving this film at 27, oh and by the way, summer of '97, I saw this 6 times at the cinema...

Top Julianne Moment:

Sarah Harding and the cracking glass.

Life like T-Rexs, savage raptors in the long grass and CGI that still holds up today but the best moment in the film? The glass. Just a plate of cracking glass over a cliff and Julianne on top. The look on her face as she resists the natural urge to panic and moves slowly over the glass was an acting masterclass in a film you didn't expect to see one. Go back and watch the scene, it's just superb!

Julianne Review:

As per usual I just bloody love her. Okay it's not an Oscar winning performance, it's being chased around by CGI dinosaurs, but Julianne still manages to find the reality in it and create something special as Sarah Harding. She doesn't play the usual damsal in distress that you sometimes find in these action films, she is quite capable of looking after herself and is believable as a brave and educated woman. The way in which she interacts with the other characters in excellent, her sparky relationship with Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm is a joy to watch, when they bicker and argue, it helps root the film in reality. It cannot be easy to act opposite CGI dinosaurs, but there are some excellent moments where her brilliant talent is apparant. The above mentioned "glass scene", the scene with the T-Rex in the tent where if she moves, she'll be spotted and chase scene with the raptors.

I really cannot explain what made me fall in love with Julianne at the young age of 14 when watching this film for the first time. It made me want to watch more of her films and every single one I watched, made me love her a little bit more. It's funny, I've never thought about the fact that it's been 13 years. Life is interesting because at 14, you have no idea about what is to come, the trial and tribulations - very dramatic sounding - and the things that will change. You meet so many different people and luckily some making a lasting connection and stay in your life but so many disappear from your life and you lose touch with them. Even what you do with your life changes and you really have no idea where it can take you, at 14 I wanted to be the next Steven Spielberg and now at 27 I'm an English teacher and I couldn't imagine doing anything else, I love my job. Your personal life changes as well, partners and romances come and go and you think you've found someone who you love so much you can't imagine ever being without and a matter of years down the line, you never even hear from them. There really aren't many constants in life but I think writing this blog, I may have just realised that Julianne is far more than just some actress that I like, she may be one of the most important constants in my life. She's always there for me. I mean obviously I dream that one day I'll get to meet her - never going to happen but I can dream - and I know exactly what I would say to her. "Thank you." When I've been in need of a laugh or a distractions I've had "Evolution" or "The Laws of Attraction". When I've fancied some action or excitement, I've had TLW or Hannibal or Assassins. When I've felt sad or stressed out I've had "Far from Heaven" or "The Hours" or when I've needed to find some faith in life or love again, there's things like "Trust the Man" or "The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio". She isn't just some actress, she looks after me through all her different films and through all my different ups and downs in life. One of my first night's away from home at University, missing my family and friends, I had "The Laws of Attraction", she saved me that night and I love her for it. Thats why I want to say thank you to her. I would give anything to tell her because I know that until the day I die, I'll always have Julianne in my life.

Thank You x

I'm really glad that at 14 I liked dinosaurs, I think the other cinematic option was Speed 2: Cruise Control. Ouch...

Revisit "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=878A6J2vbLA

Film 4: Trust The Man

Film Review:

I went to see "Trust The Man" as part of a very special day - Julianne Day - when this was released on the same day as "Children of Men". Saw this first then CoM, sadly Julianne doesnt last long in that, but it was a good balance between the two. This is the second film Julianne starred in which was directed by her husband Bart.

As per usual, really enjoyed this one! Was at the cinema tonight and saw the totally awful "Going The Distance" - it was properly crude and unfunny and shouldn't Drew Barrymor start acting her age?! I was planning to go the route of The Lost World but I thought I needed a romcom where I actually cared about the characters. I really liked the fact that the characters were older and not silly teenagers who have no idea of what love and relationships are all about, I believed these characters and I liked the fact it wasn't a "getting together" story but a "staying together" story which is much harder. The three leads minus Julianne were all brilliant, don't often like Maggie G but was quite impressed by how funny she was in this as with Billy Crudup, there was something really sweet about him, although I could have lived without the therapist storyline. Duchovny was just great - was he playing himself?! - I thought he was just so believable and was genuinely really funny, trying to survive the supermarket, spoonball gone wrong and his sex tap music!

It's quite a simple film but I feel it's down to the performances that it rises above other films of this genre. The way is shifts between comedy and drama is refreshing and doesn't jar and each of the characters gets their own little journey to go on and the ending to each is very satisfying. I think this is perfect saturday night movie fodder, stick it on and enjoy a few laughs and maybe shed a little tear.

Julianne Moment

This is a tie for my favourite Julianne moment. For pure comedy it has to be the cake choking scene played out to "Let's Get It On", she is such an under rated comedy actress and I will never tire of watching this scene. Next is the scene with Billy Crudup outside the theatre where the penny drops that her husband is cheating on her, she gets angry and upset and it comes from nowhere but is so believable. All the character's pent up frustration and anxiety comes exploding out and it really just is an acting masterclass, especially when she realises she's taking it out on her brother and smiles, kisses him on the cheek and says goodbye. Just love it!

Julianne Review

Wow, just love her in this film, you get everything you need from a Julianne film, the comedy and the drama. Her character is initially quite difficult to like because she if quite cold but then as the film develops you realise it is a reaction to her husband's attitude. The scene where she jokes about marriage being overrated may appear to be a funny throwaway comment but you can sense at that point she kind of means it. The funny moments like the cake scene and getting smacked in the face are a real treat as she doesn't do broad comedy very often. Her dialogue with Duchovny works really well, they have such great chemisty and I could have watched them bicker and argue for a full 90 minutes. The dramatic moments are also a delight, the fact that Julianne is able to find these moments in a romantic comedy and make them so raw and painful is a testement to her acting ability, he scene where she sits and sobs in front of the mirror is heartbreaking and the scene where she asks Duchonvy to leave till he knows what he wants is so underplayed and it's perfect. Oh and we get to see Julianne doing a lot of swearing, I like it when she swears, makes me laugh and kind of want to swear myself!

I think this film is about how much work any sort of relationship is and it did make me think about things as I lay in bed afterwards. Relationships are so often glamorised and made to appear easy but I just don't think that's the case, any relationship is difficult, if it's not then I don't know if it's really a relationship. It's got me thinking of all the relationships in my life, past and present and if they were difficult or if they were easy and I think Im already starting to confuse myself, which is never a good sign when you expect other people to read what you've written. Take my partner, I waited quite a while for him to come along and things appear to be going really well, but there are lots of different levels of fear that exist and that is what makes it difficult, the fact that you don't want to be overbearing, you worry about doing the wrong thing and scaring them away, is that a measure of how much someone means to you, the fact you worry about losing them? There are times where you just don't know if you're saying or doing the right thing, so many things you sometimes want to say or discuss but you don't know whether you should bring it up in case it turns int something you don't want to talk about, again, a measure of how much you care for somebody? Maybe I'm just a miser of sorts but I really can't get swept up in the romanticism of relationships, I think you have to work at them from the very start and if you expect two people to open up to each other then you have to be realisitc and ensure you work at it from the beginning. Maybe that makes me a total dullard and a nightmare of a boyfriend but I'd hope that makes me a realist and that means that my relatioinship can exist in the real world rather than just a romantic ideal that exists only between the two of you. Relationships have to take into account bad days at work, annoying family issues, the fact there are just never enough hours in the bloody day, when you are skint and it's three days till payday and all you have in the house is a tin of beans and a Tesco Value sausage roll and when you just aren't in the mood to see anyone and want to sit on your sofa with a duvet and watch Julianne Moore clips on youtube, if they don't surely there can be no long term future? But you also get those brilliant moments where you realise you have something else in common that you've never spoken about, when they say something nice to you that really makes you smile inside, when they do well in a room with all your friends and you get a buzz from the fact you a power couple functioning in a room of real people and when they take time out of their day doing their super important job to get you Kylie tickets. That last one may not happen to many, but who knows!

It applied to friendships as well. You get some friendships that are just easy and you just love every minute of because they make you smile and laugh and they are always there when you need them. It takes a true friend to sit through "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" with you, it takes a true friend to drop what their doing and run into town to have afternoon drinks with you because you're meeting your boyfriend's best mate who clearly is going to hate you. It takes a true friend to call you straight on situations that you know the hardest, toughest answer is usually the right answer. These are real friendships and they exist not just in some romantic ideal but in the real world, where people can see them, believe them and this film does that too, they are real, you know people like that, you are people like that. Then you get other friendships that are difficult, that you have to work at or they don't survive. There is a very old friend of mine who I think about that way, it hasn't been easy over the years, at 18 years olf, 21 years old, 25 years old, tomorrow, but it's real, I would do anything for him and I'd like to think he would do the same for me and I wouldn't trade all the ups and downs for anything because it's been our little journey and I wouldnt want that to change in the slightest. Then you have mates where you think it's a constant trial and you want to shake them and say "Come the fuck on dude" - I think people who say any relationship/friendship doesn't require work and effort is a liar but when is enough enough? When do you give up and call it a day? I felt like that a little over the last few weeks, a friend who I hadn't heard from in too long but then you realise that life sometimes get's in the way and I think that sometimes makes you forget what is important - I know I'm guilty of that! So in answer to my question, when is enough enough? If you're willing to work at a friendship/relationship, then the answer has to be never.

One friend of mine text me just there relating to an issue of lost keys - never a good thing - and I told her I was blogging and it was like therapy and she asked me a really good question. "Therapy for what?"

I don't really know the answer to that (yet?) but I'm just glad I have Julianne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SGXGki_rSU

Until next time!

A Single Man

Film Review

I utterly love this film. I saw it on Valentine's Day this year and have watched it several times since, it is officially in my top 3 films of all time. So if you didn't like this one, this little review will disappoint because I cannot think of a single thing I did not like about it. So what did I like? Well first up, it's the best film featuring gay characters I have ever seen. I am so tired of "gay films" where people's sexuality is the issue, this film isnt like that. George and Jim just happen to be gay, their story, their emotions, their trials, their relationship could happen to anyone, gay or straight and that's what makes it so good, it's a film about a gay man not a gay film about a man. The story was just so simple and I enjoyed the fact that it didn't focus on anything other than acting and brilliant writing. There are so many wonderful exchanges, I love the line that Kenny has about the sleeping bag - "Are you going camping sir?"

I loved the relationship between George and Jim, every flashback made me sadder that Jim was dead. The scene where they are sitting reading books and listening to music was beyond romantic - that is honestly my perfect evening, hot guy, good music, page turner of a book and a nice roaring fire - and the first meeting was lovely, why don't I ever meet sailors in bars?

I won't say too much about George and Charley just yet, but wow, what a relationship. Ten minutes on screen and I believed every word, every look, every beat.

Poor George. I loved the fact that Kenny saved him, but it seems that George was fated to die. He spends all day preparing to kill himself and then right at the last minute he makes that new connection with someone, there might actually be life after Jim! I was watching it with my friend Lisa tonight - very Charley - and she kept saying is he going to get it on with Kenny, but I didnt really think thats what he was looking for. Kenny offered it to him on a plate but he didnt want sex, he wanted the connection, the new connection with someone, he wanted that little bit of hope in his life and Kenny gave him that. He saw a future, somewhere for him to go, that's why he calls himself stupid, because he is a young boy and it's a foolish future but it's a future that saves him.

Shout outs must also go to the beautiful music - check out the track "Becoming George" - and the performances. Colin Firth utterly robbed of an Oscar, the scene where he hangs up the phone breaks my heart every time, then to be able to pull of the shower and sleeping bag comedy, a tour de force performance that was snubbed, at least us brits know when someone deserves a Bafta. Nicholas Hoult was a revelation, he looked so beautiful but exuded this strange warmth and optimism. The way in which he saves George and he is so insecure yet so confident at the same time. I hope he keeps making brave film choices as I'm desperate to see him in more stuff like this.

And then there's Julianne...

JULIANNE'S PERFORMANCE

It was stunning. I honestly felt that I knew Charley like a real person. I loved how flawed she was, when she can't help ruining a perfect moment with George by making a cruel comment about Jim. Her deep routed jealousy that her love for George was never enough for him, you felt that every second she spent with him was truely special. I think we all feel like that sometimes, when you have such strong feelings for someone that you know, deep down that will always be unrequited but there is always that little, tiny "maybe". You love every single second you spend with them and I felt that Charley was like that. Behind all her make-up and expensive clothes, she was a really sad character, he husband had left her, her son doesn't care and all she has left is George, a man she loves and can never have, imagine how desperately lonely she must be if that is the only person she has to cling onto, a man who breaks her heart everytime she sees him. When the film ended, I thought of Charley. She'll never get the letter, she'll never know for sure how much she meant to George, she can try and convince herself in her grief but she can never truely know. She has nobody now, she really is alone. I like to think she goes back to London and starts again but I get the feeling she's drink herself into oblivion.

Wow, I'm writing about her like she is a real person. Ah the power of Julianne. I cannot stop thinking about when she is dancing and having a good laugh, how special a moment that would have been for her. Julianne's performance was remarkable, how many different emotions are bottled up in that character. The cruel jibe at Jim and that awkward, awkward kiss are the only times she loses control. She has her very brief moment of happiness but she herself knows that sadness lies ahead. She thinks George will find someone else, but when he dies, it becomes much worse.

I really cannot stop thinking about the film. Just how quiet and simple the film really is. it's all about happiness and finding those connections in life. Not all the connections are romantic or sexual, as I said I don't think George wanted to be sexual with Kenny, he just needed someone. Those connections are important and I guess you don't really think about them at the time. I think you have mates, aquaintances and then you have people you connect with and I think they are the important people. Now I think about it, there are people you have unhealthy connections with as well, you know it's a bad idea because you'll have your heart broken over and over but it might actually be harder to disconnect and not have your special moments together - or more likely youll be the only one that find it special haha - like George and Charley dancing to Green Onions. I feel I should end on a positive, not as Charley who is sad and lonely but Charley dancing away to Green Onions and laughing about insulting a lesbian. I'm so glad I have these positive connections in my life. I'm not the sort of person who has a massive group of mates who all know each other like I did when I was at high school. I have a lot of good friends and a lot of people I've "connected" with, I often wonder if I should tell them about how cool I think it is but then I think, nah, it's just for me and it makes me smile and hey, they might be thinking the exact same thing on the friend/connection front.

Thanks Julianne. And by the way, imagine how amazing dinner with Julianne would be!!

if you havent watched A Single Man then GO NOW and watch it. I already know this post will not have done it justice. A stunning film.

Film 2: Evolution

Well here we go! Film number two and it's another "comedy" role for Julianne. I'm on my summer holidays so my brain is going a bit mushy so forgive me for starting with two light hearted Julianne roles. I chose this because I was unsure and my friend Emma - she teaches people how to act and has fairly similar hair to Julianne, maybe that's why I like her - suggested Evolution. I remember this film because I saw it when I started working in the Odeon cinema when I was just a youngster. Loved the X-Files so was happy to see a bit of Duchovny but hey, lets not kid ourselves, I'm here for Julianne. This is going to be a live blog and then I'll round things up at the end. Come on Julianne, hurry up and appear!

What happened to Orlando Jones? He's pretty funny in this! Mulder is good banter too.

Just IMDB'd and apparantly it was Julianne's idea for her character to be clumsy, they so should have made more of it. Still waiting for the great lady to appear...

I forgot 24 legend CHARLES LOGAN was the owner of the country club!

"And the CDC..."

Julianne is here and she falls flat on her face! She looks so lovely. When Mulder gets his backside out, I love the little look on Julianne's face, brilliant!

Love Julianne's delivery of "a humerous ice queen in need of a good humping"

Loving clumsy Julianne, 50 minutes in for the brilliant door slam!

"Play that funky music white boy!"

There really isn't enough Julianne in this film for my liking, god help me when I get to Eagle Eye or - shudder - Pippa Lee.

I love it when Julianne swears - "This is bullshit!"

"I would have rocked your world!" Go Julianne!



FILM REVIEW

So Evolution is over. You know what, for a lazy Tuesday afternoon when I'm wearing orange bemuda shorts, it was perfect. I was able to remove my brain and really enjoy it. Apparantly it was originally a dramatic script and was turned into a comedy and it worked. I loved the banter between the three male leads. Duchovny was great riffing on his popular Fox Mulder character and Orlando Jones was a good wacky sidekick. Yeah it's stupid but so many funny little moments, Harry with the alien up his jacksee, the shoplifting idiot and Charles Logan being dragged into a river. I also really enjoyed the two fat guy idiots, okay I know it's easy comedy and I shouldnt be laughing and finding them funny as they are cliched "fat idiots" but I did! They even stick in a little advert for Head and Shoulders to riff on their blatant product placement.

JULIANNE REVIEW

So to Julianne, she really made me smile this afternoon. There is just something so charming and effortless about her in this film. I loved her clumsy stuff, walking into the door is just brilliant, loved it! Liked her concerned voice when Harry was on the hospital bed, it worked and was funny because she was so aware they were all taking the utter mick out of something that was supposed to be serious.

It will be so much easier to write about Julianne in her dramatic roles but there is just something so endearing about her when she does these little comedy roles just like in Laws of Attraction. She comes across as so likeable and believable but underneath there is always a little bit more. With Audrey it was the fact she had given up on love and that made her sad and with Allison it was the fact she had become so serious and had no love or adventure in her life. As she goes on, she lightens up due to Ira's obvious attraction to her and starts to get caught up in the excitement of it all. I think that is really hard to capture in a film where you would not expect much top quality acting, but that's what Julianne is all about. I think the idea of losing that fun and excitement in life - like Allison - is all too real. These days it's so easy to get caught up in work and mortgages and paying bills that you feel old far too soon. I sometimes forget it wasnt that long ago that I was with mates from university doing really stupid things, now, I have to behave because I need to plan ahead and make sure I have enough petrol money for the week before payday. I went to my sister's engagement party the other week and got really, really drunk and had a bloody great time. My friend Steven and I got drunk on Rose wine and watched that new Tom Cruise film the other night, we were so drunk it was good! I should do that more often, never too old!

Wow, I've been writing about petrol money and party time drinking when I should have been writing about a film where the alien threat is defeated by Head n Shoulders shampoo, how the hell did I get so off track... oh yeah, Julianne, because she is brilliant, even when fighting giant aliens...

Thanks for making me smile on a lazy Tuesday afternoon Julianne!

You should revisit Evolution.

Julianne is All Right

Hello

I'm working up to film number two. It's so difficult trying to pick - I said "Safe" in my last post but I think it depends what sort of mood I'm in - I have all my Julianne films on the top shelf omy TV holder thing. I was thinking about different types of film, I mean I know there are some stinkers in there - even though Julianne WILL be wonderful in them - but the difference between films like "The Hours" which would require an emotional investment from the viewer and films like say "Evolution" which you can half watch and still guiltily enjoy. I wonder what it is like for someone acting in those films, would something like a lighthearted romantic comedy be easier to make than something like the harrowing "Blindness"? Or is acting just acting? That's what I'm pondering today.

Also, loving the praise that Julianne is getting for "The Kids Are All Right", surely, surely this is her Oscar year. Would love to see her and Benning both win - one of them supporting. It's embarasssing the people who do have Oscars when Julianne doesn't. I wish I could see Kids... sooner but sadly because I live in the UK I need to wait until October, why do they do that!?!

I do like when Julianne arrives at the cinema - I always call it "Julianne Day". Then I need to recruit one of my friends to be my Julianne buddy. Last time it was "Shelter" and I went with my friend Linsey, the trains broke down that day so we had to get a crowded bus into town that took the longest route ever and I was just thinking, its for Julianne, it's worth it. We had a lovely lunch before the film though and then Linsey actually really enjoyed Shelter, mainly I think because I get a little bit jumpy at films like that so look a little foolish!

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" was a struggle to recruit a "Julianne Buddy" for but my friend Steven came along to witness the film's four minutes of Julianne. The rest of the film wasn't the best was it? So thankfully he brought two plastic wine glasses and two bottles of Rose wine, that was a fun experience! We often talk of Pippa Lee. It was a friday night and there was a guy there on his own and I invented this story in my head that he was a massive Julianne fan too and was there to see her.

Wonder if I was right, are you reading this blog Pippa Lee Guy??

The Laws of Attraction

Film Review

So, The Laws of Attraction is a little romantic comedy from 2004. It doesn't redefine the genre or change anyone's life but it is certainly entertaining. Brosnan and Moore play off each other well and engage in some fun banter. It's certainly good to see two actors in their 40s rather than teenagers declaring their undying love for each other. You can tell that both the leads are having a lot of fun with the silly comedy and verbal sparring and there are some interesting moments where they get to do a tiny bit of proper acting. The plot is very predictable but that's actually part of the film's charm, We know these two characters are going to end up together at the end, but it's fun to watch them finally get there. A film that isn't going to win any awards but a fun little 90 minute film that will give you a laugh.

Julianne Review

I just love Julianne in this film, she is so famous for her dramatic roles that it's great to see her having fun and mucking around. She reminds me of Diane Keaton with her flakey behaviour. She works so well with Pierce Brosnan, I really want to see them do soemthing else together. I really enjoyed drunk Julianne. She handles the physical comedy well and she is in top form when talking to herself, either stuck in a toilet cubicle panicking or complaining about it being "Tuesday". I think you really appreciate her performance when you think about her more dramatic roles and how likeable she appears in this film.

Favourite Julianne Moment

As much as I love when she is complaining about the fact it's Tuesday, I have to choose a tiny little moment when she is in the caravan. Her character Audrey complains about being the gangly daughter of a beautiful mother. Even with a comedy character, Julianne is able to make Audrey real, she had a childhood and she has insecurities just like we all do and that makes her relationship with Brosnan's Daniel all the more believable.


What were your thought on The Laws of Attraction??

Next Up: SAFE

It begins...

After watching each film, I will be sharing my thoughts. I will review each film - even though there are some stinkers - and then review Julianne's performance in each of them.

The first film I will be watching will be the "Laws of Attraction". Julianne going all Diane Keaton and raising a smile!

Project Julianne Moore is a GO!