A-Z #91: The Holiday

You can pick up hundreds of DVDs for a round-pound each - it doesn't matter. It's never about quantity, it's about quality. A-Z is my way of going through my collection, from A-Z, and understanding why I own the films ... or you can tell me why I should sell 'em

#91 - The Holiday

Why did I buy it?

I didn't. I take absolutely no responsibility in this purchase. This is 100% Sarah's choice. But, in fairness, I do like how coincidentally, this post is put up as I start my own summer holiday - and as a teacher, this is one of the major plus points about the profession.

Why do I still own it?

Sarah noticed that, though we have the two Bridget Jones films, and she has Pride and Prejudice, etc, there are very few really standard shit rom-coms. This is surely a shit rom-com. One Christmas in Ireland, it happened to be on TV, which is when I watched it and, god, it is pretty damn bad. I think what I despise about it the most is how simplified the vision is of England and America - these two brilliant countries simplified down to teeny-villages-and-warm-fires and cups of tea, in America, its just Hollywood and films. I hate how Jack Black, in reality, could never bag someone like Kate Winslet. Especially if he is a film geek. I hate how Jude law is trying so hard to be some 'regular' guy in England and comes across, I think, as creepy as hell. I reckon I will write a long post about this at some point because I remember scribbling down many notes at how X is ridiculous and Y is ludicrous. It really is a load of shit.

A-Z #12: Any Given Sunday

You can pick up hundreds of DVD's for a buck each - it doesn't matter. Its never about quantity, its about quality. A-Z is my way of going through my collection, from A-Z, and justifying why I own the films...

#12 - Any Given Sunday

Why did I buy it?

Again, back in the DVD hey-day, Any Given Sunday  was a sweet edition. In the classic Warner Bros packaging, the second disc slid in behind chapter selection. It was a nightmare in the shop - so many staff forgetting about that all important second disc. I think I saw the DVD so often that I eventually cracked and bought it.

Why do I still own it?

Because of many factors - first off, it is a great example of fantastic editing and use of sound. The initial football match makes you feel like you are in the middle of the match itself. Secondly, I have a certain amount of respect for Oliver Stone and, though I wouldn't neccessarily want his entire collection the mix of Oliver Stone and Al Pacino is too epic to sell-off. Finally, the cast - Jamie Foxx in his break-out role, Cameron Diaz playing a role which shows her 'chops' as an actor whilst Al Pacino in that powerful, team-leader role gives him the opportunity to give multiple solo-dialogues to 'pump' up the team. LL Cool J, James Woods, etc, etc.

Since writing this and getting the screen-grab, I am really keen to watch the film again...

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The Simon and Jo Film Show: 15/08/2010 (The Last Airbender/Knight and Day)

This week on The Simon and Jo Film Show we have a special guest... It's Rhys Bendix Lewis! He's seen M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender and so has Simon which leads to a jolly interesting discussion on what many are calling an horrendous film. Knight & Day has been getting pretty poor reviews as well but that didn't stop Simon & Jo checking out the all star pairing of Cruise & Diaz. Tune in to find out if Jo's peculiar Tom-Love takes a battering or if he is blinded by that smile. There are also reflections on a couple of people films, which is not as odd as it sounds.

There's the usual banter on the London Box Office, the UKs latest releases and a bit of movie news, including Brigitte Bardot coming out fighting as the Americans try to make her biopic with Jaime King.

Massive shoutout to Cinema Obsessed, a podcast and blog from two women obsessed about cinema.

The music this week comes from the soundtracks to The Last Airbender and Knight & Day.

Finally in trailer talk there's Independence Day x 100 in Skyline, Gasper Noe is a controversial artist with Enter the Void and it's Katie Holmes v Anna Paquin in The Romantics.