Jesse Eisenberg

TBT – To Rome With Love (2012)

disappointing, ensemble cast, Jesse Eisenberg, love, meh, TBT, Woody Allen

I said this last week to but I always struggle to find something relatable to review for TBT when my Tuesday post is about a book. Without any real ideas of my own I madly searched Netflix for any film with “love” in the title. The one that jumped out at me the most was the Woody Allen film from 5 years ago. I wanted to see it when it came out but I don’t think I have any friends who still have hope that Allen can produce a film worth paying to see. I understand where they’re coming from. The last few years really haven’t shown the great director at his best. I’ve also struggled to keep my faith alive over the years. It’s only thanks to his random successes (Vicky Christina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris) that keeps me coming back. For every film I love there’s at least 2 duds. Still, I like to think that one of my strongest attributes is unflinching and, potentially, misguided loyalty so I’ll always keep getting drawn back in.

I’ve waited to see To Rome With Love for years so I started off being really excited as the film started. I was experiencing the same feelings that I always feel with Woody Allen films: that is the familiar nostalgic warm feelings that mainly come from remembering his golden age. You know, the films that just seemed to get everything right. This film is a collection of four separate stories that all take place in Italy’s capital city. There is the story of an American tourist (Alison Pill) and her Italian fiance (Flavio Parenti) and the trouble that arises when their families meet. Then we have a newly married couple (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi) who get themselves into all kinds of farcical scrapes. There’s the famous architect (Alec Baldwin) who is revisting the Rome of his past and meeting a young couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Greta Gerwig) and their friend (Ellen Page) who threatens to come between them. Finally, there is the story of a regular office worker (Roberto Benigni) who becomes an overnight celebrity for no reason and who struggles to deal with the consequences.

Of these four narratives it is the latter that is the least successful. The premise, based around people who become famous for being famous, is an interesting one but Allen doesn’t seem to know where to take it. The plot just meanders around in a forgettable and unexciting way. You can’t help but feel that this could have been missed to give more time and attention to the other narratives. All of which have some great aspects to but, also, give you the idea that they weren’t developed enough. The best, by far, is the story of Alec Baldwin’s architect, John, and his chance meeting with a young architect student, Jack (Eisenberg). Jack lives in Rome with his girlfriend, Sally (Gerwig), but finds himself drawn to her friend, Monica (Page). Monica is a pretentious wannabe who knows just enough to fake a depth that she doesn’t have but it is enough to cause Jack to start imaging their life together. As his connection with Monica strengthens John becomes the voice in his ear that warns him of the dangers. The problem  with this story is that I so wish it could have been longer because it feels like there was lots of potential there. Is Jack real or is he simply a distant memory that John is conjuring up as he re-familiarises himself with Rome?

The final two stories both have their charms but I really found myself caring less and less as they went on. The story of the newly married couple is something that kind of outstays its welcome and only survives thanks to Penelope Cruz’s turn as a prostitute who accidentally gets caught up in a family drama. It is this narrative that I found most annoying because it falls too far away from reality and well into the realm of sitcom farce. The couple are continually kept apart by a series of ridiculous events that just gets more absurd as time goes on. It’s the kind of thing that wouldn’t happen in real life because people would have the sense to admit the truth to everyone. The actors who play the husband and wife are both very charming but I could have done with less of this.

The final vignette is a bit of a mixed bag. It features Allen himself who is visiting Rome to meet the parents of his daughter’s fiance. Having recently retired and never feeling accepted during his role as an Opera director, he is overcome when he hears his future son-in-law’s father sing in the shower. He quickly gets carried away and, before anyone can stop him, soon has the poor man in front of a crowd. Unfortunately, he is only comfortable enough to perform whilst in the shower so Allen’s character must make some creative staging decisions. There is a lot of good material within this narrative but, again, it feels as though it could have been pushed a bit more. As it is, it is difficult to accept this reality and it feels a bit too farcical.

I wanted to love this film, as I do with every Woody Allen release of recent years, but it feels as though he came up with 4 half ideas and shoved them together. There isn’t a fully developed idea in the bunch and pushes the magical realist genre further into the realms of farce. Even the dialogue, something we’ve come to expect will be perfect in any Woody Allen film, feels off in places, There is something awkward about the conversations and things don’t flow as they should. Of course, alongside those moments there are some fabulously Allen scenes where the acting, script and imagery just work. It’s just a shame they couldn’t happen more frequently.

Tuesday’s Reviews – Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice

Amy Adams, Batman, Ben Affleck, comic book, DC, films, fucking awful, fucking stupid, Jesse Eisenberg, meh, review, superhero, Superman, waste of time, Zack Snyder

I really don’t want to write this review. I’ve sat with it open ever since I got home from work and I’ve not managed to come up with anything. If I’m honest, I never actually wanted to watch this fucking film. I mean Man of Steel was just dreadful and proved that Zac Snyder really should have called it quits on comic book movies after Watchmen was only hated by a handful of people. Those of you who were around at the time of my review of the first of Snyder’s Superman films will remember that, aside from it being badly written and really fucking long, it wasn’t exactly complimentary. I just didn’t get Snyder’s vision for the most popular alien in the DCEU. Still, those photos of Ben Affleck looking super buff got me interested and I finally decided it was time to watch it. I was a big fan of the Batffleck before watching this film so it would be just like Snyder to fuck that up for me too. I decided it was right to watch the Ultimate Edition and, after a gruelling day at work, I sat down for a gruelling 3 hours of muted tones, smack you in the face symbolism, and terrible parts for women. Classic Snyds.

So Batman vs Superman was one of the most anticipated films of 2016 because it would show the first movie meeting of DC’s two biggest male superheroes. It promised the fight of comic book geeks’ fantasies and would pit the square jaw of Henry Cavill against the rockhard abs of Ben Affleck. Plus, it would introduce the world to Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s The Flash, and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. After all, Batman vs Superman was just the warm up to next years Justice League movie. Kind of like Captain America and Thor were just whetting the audiences’ appetites before The Avengers came out… but with added good guy fighting. As long as the two titans both got into some sort of homoerotic penis comparison using their fists. Forget a good narrative or sensible structure, that’s what the fanboys really want.
Aside from giving us something in the way of the fight the title offers, there isn’t that much to celebrate in Batman vs Superman. The little there is in the way of story is all over the fucking place and is stitched together so weirdly is difficult to keep up. After all, pesky things like plot and character development only get in the way of large men fucking shit up. This is the kind of film where the ‘wakes up panting and realising it was a dream” thing isn’t a massive Hollywood cliché but a handy-dandy way to get out of a tricky narrative bind. Really it feels like Snyder filmed the fight scenes and then realised he needed someway to glue them together and hastily put some shit together.
One of my favourite reviews for this film described it as “a grown man whacking two dolls together”, which it essentially is. This is Zac Snyder acting out the games he played with his action figures as a child but with a fucking huge budget, special effects, and some crazily beefed men to help him. It’s action porn for those creepy little fanboys who left this film feeling that Gal Gadot’s outfit just wasn’t revealing enough. There is so much wanton destruction here that it leaves little room for actual film stuff. There is no attempt to create a coherent story or develop characters. Everyone is either dark and brooding, evil and brooding, or happy yet brooding. There are so many needless plot twists here that Snyder quickly loses control of the strands and just ties bits together whenever he regains his grasp. The editing does little to help with the confusion and the endless time jumps, flashbacks/forwards, and dream sequences are handled incredibly badly.
Batman vs Superman doesn’t even have the good sense to have a good sense of humour about itself. It’s entirely humourless and any attempts at comedy fall flat and stick out like a sore thumb. It just feels wrong and completely out-of-place: like making jokes at a funeral. This is perhaps the most serious blockbuster about such a stupid topic that has ever existed. You wouldn’t have thought it possible after the dour Man of Steel but Snyder has upped the darkness. By this, of course, I mean he’s got rid of the lighting and literally made everything darker. There is plenty of shadows to show you that evil shit is going down and more than enough close-ups and shaky cam to try to amp up the excitement. Then there’s the endless fucking lens flares. What is this? A fucking JJ Abrams Star Trek movie? One of the notes I wrote whilst watching this just reads “how can something be both dark and light at the same time?” because there is so much light in such a lightless environment. It’s all just ridiculous. This is a film that is all about the visual that it just feels silly. It’s like people who are too into fashion: they’re so much about style over substance that you just can’t take them seriously anymore.
There are a couple of things to love here: Ben Affleck is as good as I’d hoped as Bruce Wayne and I can’t wait to see his solo effort. I don’t think we really needed ANOTHER origin story but this was essentially Batman’s film. Not the greatest thing in a Superman flick but I’ll never complain about more Batffleck. Joining Ben on my list of good things about Dawn of Justice is Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. She’s a great addition to the cast even though she really didn’t get any chance to tell her story. Then again, in this environment, maybe that actually helped her. Finally, there’s Jeremy Irons as Alfred. This Alfred isn’t the stuffy, wise butler we’re used to but is a hands on kind of guy. He’ll chop your wood, fix you gadgets, and listen in on your secret conversations. I think this could be a great partnership.
And that’s it. The only good things I can think of about this film. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and, let’s face it, every other woman barely get a look in and exist only to get themselves into a position they need saving from. Lex Luthor is just every other Jesse Eisenberg character we’ve ever seen but with access to a spaceship. The brief glimpses of the other member of the Justice League are just absurd and completely unnecessary from anything but a marketing point of view.  The script is awful: I’m still cringing over Holly Hunter’s peach tea speech. Too much terrible and unsubtle symbolism. Too many failed attempts at religious metaphors. And just too many twists to keep dragging things out. I’m so angry that I ever wasted my time on this shit. It should have been amazing. It could have been fun. I mean imagine what could have happened if these characters were in the MCU. It would have been unbelievable. Yes, it would have ended with something crashing to Earth at the end but it would have been wonderful. Dawn of Justice had so much potential but it just fucked us all. Zac Snyder basically pissed all over our dreams and then probably cut to us waking up panting and sweating.

MONDAY RUNDOWN – THAT’S WHAT SHE READ

book haul, currently reading, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Gilmore Girls, Jesse Eisenberg, Netflix, recently watched
So it’s time to apologise. Yesterday I failed to get my weekly rundown out and I honestly have no idea how. I remembered at about 1am when I was lying in bed and I really didn’t fancy getting back up to do it. For the first time since I implemented my new system I have failed to get a post up in time. It’s not even as if it was a busy day yesterday. Saturday I was in York all day for my sister’s hen do but Sunday I was lazing around all day. I’m such a fucking failure. Still, I can get it out now and hope the one day delay has just made people more desperate to find out what I’m reading this week. I mean it’s highly doubtful but I can always pretend. After all, if I go too far down the road  of how many people may actually read this then I’ll probably stop ever getting posts out on time.

Just Finished
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin
Yes, I know, I’m just as relieved as you are. This book is finally finished. It’s been about a month long task but I’ve reached the end of the first three Dunk and Egg stories. It was hard going but only because it’s been a while since I’ve read any George RR. I still loved it and can’t wait for the rest to be released. Especially with the knowledge we already know about Dunk and Egg’s futures. It’s nice to see where they started from. It’s the greatest bromance to hit Westeros since Sam and Jon. Or Tyrion and Bronn. Or Tyrion and Pod. Or Ned and Robert. Or Davos and Stannis. Okay there have been shit ton of bromances in Westeros but that doesn’t mean Dunk and Egg aren’t noteworthy. If only for the sheer number of times Dunk threatens to smack the future King. The only negative I can take from this book is that I definitely need to reacquaint myself with A Song of Ice and Fire before The Winds of Winter comes out. Otherwise, I’ll be super fucked. 

Currently Reading
  • The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso
This book’s cover is beautiful and really fucking bright that it’s been calling to me ever since I bought it. Even whilst A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was dragging on I had decided this was what I was reading next. So far it’s really good. It’s about two neighbours living in South Africa and the conflicts that arise between the two of them. One if white and the other black and the racial tensions that simmer below the surface are just the start of their worries. Omotoso is a great writer and has a great style. It’s an easy read but not in a simplistic way. Looking forward to finishing this one.
  • Bream Gives Me  Hiccups & other stories by Jesse Eisenberg

The other night I was super tired and couldn’t be bothered with trying to get through another full section of The Woman Next Door. I decided to try a few short segments of Jesse Eisenberg’s short story collection because, to be honest, I was interested to see how good he is. I know he’s being hailed for his plays at the moment but it doesn’t necessarily translate into fiction writing. I’m still not sure because the first “story” is a collection of restaurant reviews written from the POV of a nine year old. As such the writing is childish and incredibly simplistic. Still, I like it. It reminds me a bit of Rick Moody’s Hotels of North America: A novel because we learn more about the boy’s life than the restaurants he visits. I’m with Eisenberg for now but we’ll have to see how he handles the different stories. 


Recently Purchased
  • Sexus, Plexus and Nexus by Henry Miller

Those who have been keeping up with my Instagram of late may have seen the gorgeous copies I obtained of Henry Miller’s ‘The Rosy Crucifixion’ trilogy of novels. The novels are semi-autobiographical and presen a fictionalised account of a six year period in Miller’s life. They are also so fucking saucy that they were banned in the United States. As everyone should be encouraged to read banned books and also read books with such gorgeous covers I just couldn’t resist this trio.

  • A Spy in the House of Love by Anaïs Nin
A book that was recommended as I made my purchase of the above three books. It tells the story of Sabrina who has spent her life pursuing her deepest desires. Sleeping with five different men and trying desperately to keep her marriage in tact, Sabrina finally realises that she is made up of several different identities all craving different things. As she tries to live out these different lives and their separate desires, all Sabrina craves is a unity she can’t find. This novel is about desire and self-awareness and I can’t wait to read it. 

Recently Watched
  • Game of Thrones
I’m just about to finish season 2. Something which I’ve been putting off because ‘Blackwater’ is still one of my favourite episodes. I love it so much that I want to put it off as long as possible. You know what I’m talking about. 
  • Gilmore Girls
Seriously, the moment Netflix UK got this series on there I was so fucking pleased. I’ve pretty much spent my whole week off just going through old episodes. Mainly seasons 5-7 because the Luke and Lorelai times are the best. Plus, Rory and Logan will always trump Rory and Dean and Rory and Jess. No matter how many times my friends try to convince me otherwise. 

TBT – Now You See Me (2013)

Jesse Eisenberg, magic, Mark Ruffalo, meh, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, TBT, woody harrelson

We all have those people that irritate us for no real reason. You know what I mean, when literally everything they do just makes you irrationally angry. There’s a girl at work who is highly annoying me at the moment and I really don’t understand why. We have a lot in common so should get on. However, every time she opens her mouth I just feel my entire body scrunching up in annoyance. I mean, I guess it’s partly down the fact that I’m an awful person who hates pretty much all other people but I also put the blame partly on her. I mention this because Dave Franco is another of these people. I think it’s because he was in that awful final season of Scrubs but I just prepare for the worst whenever he’s in a film I’m watching. It’s stupid, I know, to hate someone because they played a really annoying character on a TV show I didn’t even really like many years ago. However, I’m just that petty and ridiculous. Which is why I was surprised to find, upon rewatching the first Now You See Me film, that I actually enjoyed Franco’s work. He was funny and got into the spirit of it. Maybe I’m growing as a person? Or maybe I was just realising how stupid this film really is?

Now You See Me always sounded like a great concept. Thieves who use their careers as magicians to carry out their crimes on a very public and very global scale.  Now that’s a concept that someone like me could get behind. Like Ocean’s Eleven meets Gob Bluth: who could ask for more? Still, Now You See Me just doesn’t quite live up to it’s massive potential. Now You See Me is the worst kind of magic trick where the performer is so concerned with surprising the audience that the actual process becomes less important than the reveal. Director, Louis Leterrier, is less worried about creating a clever film that tricks the audience into believing what he wants. He just points the camera in the opposite direction or changes history when he needs to.

Still, that’s not to say that getting there isn’t fun. The reason people are such fans of magic is because they want to believe that what they are seeing is real. That isn’t to say you won’t enjoy the film but you must be willing to let go of all reason and logic. This film works best if you are okay to play the fool that it needs you to be. If you’re willing to ignore the clumsy fumbles along the way in order to get to the finale. After all, on a basic level the film is entertaining. It has gathered a great cast together and they all do admirably with what is given to them. It can’t have been easy but they manage to keep it together. There is even some interesting chemistry between the group of magicians and the detective chasing them.

However, Leterrier attempts to pull off too much and throws things together in such a small running time. The result is a confusing and badly edited narrative that doesn’t make as much sense as it should. In order to get everything in that it wanted to certain pesky details have been ignored. You know, silly things like character development, common sense, and a strong narrative. Instead, this film is all about surprising you. It gets to the point that, by the final reveal, so many absurd things have taken place that anything could have been possible. This isn’t a finely crafted tale like Ocean’s Eleven it is something that has been cobbled together with enough distractions to keep you preoccupied.

There are things to like, of course. It might just be me but angry magician Jesse Eisenberg is hot. That pretty much made the film for me. Then there are certain sequences that are visually interesting and it’s fun watching the four magicians do their craft, even if it is in a very Hollywood fake manner. There are some great showdowns between Eisenberg and Mark Ruffalo’s detective and Morgan Freeman’s magic debunker is a joy because, well, Morgan Freeman. Plus, Woody Harrelson seems born to play a big-headed mentalist who likes to swindle people using his skills.

However, that doesn’t make up for the fact that, ultimately, this film doesn’t stick. Remember in The Prestige when Michael Caine told us about the three stages of magic? Well, Now You See Me is a trick missing the all important final stage. In the first stage, the pledge, Leterrier takes the simple yet astounding premise of criminal magicians and makes you believe that’s what you’re seeing. In the second, the turn, that plot gets lost in the middle of an unnecessary revenge plot where so many secrets are revealed that the previous hour or so is almost made redundant. What Now You See Me lacks is the all important final act, the prestige. Leterrier forgets to bring the damn thing back.

Of course, this being magic, you want to believe and, if you’re like me, you’ll let the ridiculous nature of the film wash over you. Instead, you’ll be happy to get swept away with the drama and energy on display. You will purposefully ignore what you need to and you’ll take someone else’s word on something that makes absolutely not sense. Somehow, Leterrier manages to convince you that this technically terrible film is actually better than it is. I’m think what I’m saying is, Now You See Me may just be the greatest magic trick of all time.

Tuesday’s Reviews – Now You See Me 2 (2016)

Daniel Radcliffe, films, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, review

I saw Now You See Me with a couple of friends and vividly remember one of them despairing about how much we enjoyed it. She said it was nonsense and the plot didn’t make sense. She wasn’t wrong, of course, but, as we tried to explain to her, that didn’t make it any less exciting. Yes, finishing the film made you realise everything pretty much happened for no reason but it was still fun. I can’t even say that I am a massive fan of magic as I’m far too cynical to appreciate it. I’m always looking for the hidden aspects and the slight of hand because that’s what adults do. However, films concerning magic are always incredibly exciting. The Prestige is utterly insane when you think about it too much but that doesn’t stop it being fucking amazing. So, whilst I won’t be shouting it from the hill tops, I was a fan of the first film. Still, I can’t say I was exactly thrilled by the idea of a sequel. Especially as it starred Daniel Radcliffe, the least talented actor of the Harry Potter films. At least Mark Ruffalo would be there and I’m sure there’s a lot of things I could get through with the help of Mark Ruffalo.

Remember the fun but otherwise forgettable 2013 magic film Now You See Me? Do you remember how it ended? Well you better because the sequel nobody wanted or expected is here. Despite Now You See Me ending on a very final and satisfactory note, the powers that be obviously thought they could squeeze it for more so we’re picking up where we left of in Now You See Me 2. For those who haven’t spent the last 3 years thinking about this film I’ll sum up. The magicians, known as The Four Horsemen, are in hiding and undercover FBI agent/magician Dylan (Mark Ruffalo) is pretending to hunt for them. Meanwhile, angry patsy Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman) is languishing in prison intent of making the Horsemen pay for setting him up for a pretty flimsy reason. He’s posting internet videos calling for vengeance and, when the Horsemen are called out of retirement, it looks as though he’ll get his chance.

The four magicians, minus the ginger Isla Fisher but with the addition of the more edgy Lizzy Caplan, are called on to reveal the greed of a businessman who possesses software that can steal data from its users. When the plot goes wrong and Dylan is outed as a double agent the group find themselves kidnapped by the supposed dead partner of the businessman, Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe). He forces the magicians to steal the software for him or he’ll kill them or something. It doesn’t really matter because, as we know by now, the plot really isn’t as simple as all that. Everyone is playing games and nobody really knows what’s going on.

It basically becomes the same kind of showdown we saw in the original between the corrupt and dangerous Mabry and our Robin Hood-esque magic group. However, this time there’s more talking and more exposition to get us to the very obvious ending. Plus, just when you think this film couldn’t get more ridiculous than its predecessor, in a weird subplot Dylan works on his continued Daddy issues when he goes to Thaddeus for help in tracking down his magic interns. To any normal person this seems like a fucking stupid idea but Dylan sees no problem with helping his arch-enemy escape from prison.

This film does succeed in providing you with everything you expect, though. There’s magic, brooding Mark Ruffalo, zany Woody Harrelson and annoyed Jesse Eisenberg. Although, in Now You See Me 2 there was far too much of the latter two and not enough magic in any sense of the word. Still, I guess these movies aren’t really about magic but are more of an Ocean’s Eleven meets The Prestige kind of caper. Magi-crime thriller? I dunno. Still, it is fun enough but, you can’t help feeling, second time around it just doesn’t have the same effect. Mostly because it was a completely unnecessary sequel. The story line is stretched super thin because there was just no place to go at the end of the first one. Whatever you may think of the quality, it was pretty self-contained.

No matter how many quirky new characters, secret identical twins or Chinese magic shops you throw into the mix, this sequel still feels like it fails to lie up to the, not so great, heights of its predecessor. Everything feels desperate and there are so many failed attempts to ramp up the thrills. Take Michael Caine’s dramatic reveal, which, thanks to his very obvious appearance in all the marketing, is nowhere near as thrilling as the filmmakers would have liked. The mood is much more bleak and Mark Ruffalo spends most of his time moping around. The rest of the cast seem content to treat the film as the insane story that it is but Ruffalo refuses to take a break. It often feels at odds with the rest of the proceedings.

The first film had no real expectations of itself and was a fun, flashy affair that didn’t care how absurd it was. And I liked that about it. This film is a tepid and unimaginative affair that calls on every stupid trick in the book to try and convince its audience that it’s relevant. Unfortunately, it’s not. I mean there are a couple of stand-out moments but nothing major. The only thing that really got me excited was the moment the group try and hide the stolen chip by slyly chucking a playing card back-and-forth in front of angry security guards. Even that feels half-arsed in the grand scheme of things though. You won’t necessarily hate this film but there is no denying it’s lost the magic of the original.

SUNDAY RUNDOWN – THAT’S WHAT SHE READ

books, currently reading, films, George RR Martin, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, X-Men
Today is father’s day so I hope that you’re all treating your dad like a King. Me? I forced him to drive me to work at 6:45 am and left his present on the side for him to find when he got back. Who says daughterly love isn’t alive and well. Still, I guess I owe a lot to my father. He’s had a greater influence on my interests than I really appreciate. He’s a fan of J.R.R Tolkein and bought my my first copy of The Fellowship of the Ring when I was younger. He was the one who bought me a copy of The Philosopher’s Stone when it was released. His love of Arthur Conan Doyle pushed me into reading his novels as soon as I could. It was sitting with my dad and watching The Next Generation that really got me into Star Trek. No doubt there’s more that his tastes have influenced but it can’t be ignored that my father is responsible for some of the greatest loves that have followed me through my life. Without Toklein I wouldn’t have read George RR Martin. Without that first copy of Harry Potter I would have missed out on one of the most important series of books in my life. Without TNG I wouldn’t have grown up knowing what a badass Patrick Stewart is. So, despite my lack of celebration this morning, I am celebrating my father today. Who knows what kind of boring life I’d have had without his influence. 
Currently Reading
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin
I’m getting through this but still pretty slowly. I’d forgotten how dense George RR’s writing can be. I’m absolutely loving it but it just feels like such an immense task to get through each section. As someone who doesn’t want to finish reading for the night until I’ve reached a suitable place it sometimes doesn’t feel worth starting when I’m in bed. I hope I get into this soon. I’ve spent a lot of my day off reading and I’m slowly falling in love with Dunk and Egg’s bromance. I just need to pray for inspiration.

Recently Purchased
  • The Man with the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming’s James Bond Letters by Fergus Fleming
Saw this one in a bookshop and knew I had to have it. I love the James Bond films and have tried, unsuccessfully, to get into the books a few times. However, I love reading people’s letters because I’m so fucking nosy. Seriously, though, I always regretted not writing my postgraduate dissertation about the letters of Romantic poets because it’s always so fascinating to read their personal letters. I tracked down a copy of Jean-Paul Satre’s letters to Simone de Beauvoir because of the film The Truth About Cats and Dogs and have loved it. It’s so great getting a look into their personal loves and the difference in their voices and styles is fantastic. I have to say that the best thing about the Sex and the City movie is the moment Carrie is reading the love letters of great men. I have a similar book and adore it. So, I think it’s pretty safe to say I’ll love this book.
  • The House of Ulloa (Pocket Penguins) by Emilia Pardo Bazán
Another edition to my slowly increasing Pocket Penguins collection and it’s a lovely yellow colour. Yellow is fast becoming my favourite colour so I was, probably, sways towards this one more on the cover than the stroy. However, it is also a Gothic novel and we all know how I feel about them. The story of a young priest entering a morally questionable world sounds ideal. It’s like The Monk but, hopefully, with less “beauteous orbs” 
  • The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane
I saw this book and thought the cover was so good I bought it without knowing anything about the story. However, it sounds pretty great even though it wouldn’t make a difference now. Ruth is widowed and lives alone until an unexpected arrival turns up at her door. Frida appears great at first but Ruth starts to hear a tiger prowling around her house at night. Who is this stranger and what does she want with Ruth? See? Doesn’t that sound fucking awesome? Woman/tiger mystery. Looking forward to this. 

Recently Watched
  • X-Men: Apocalypse
I finally got round to seeing this after bloody ages. After spending months feeling absolutely shit about it, I was pleasantly surprised. Still, it wasn’t exactly good. Check out my review from last week. 
  • X-Men: The Last Stand
In order to really get my TBT review correct this week I went above and beyond and rewatched this fucking film. Wanna hear my thoughts? Check out my Thursday post. 
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past (Rogue cut)
After watching Apocalypse this week I went on a bit of an X-Men marathon and finally watched the extended edition of Days of Future Past. Considering how much I loved this film and loved the sound of the Rogue scenes I was excited. Turns out, the extra 20 minutes or so didn’t really add a great deal. I can’t say Rogue made much of a difference and, aside from the super hot Beast/Mystique scene, there wasn’t much I wished had been in the final cinematic release. Still, it’s a fucking great film regardless. 
  • Now You See Me 2
I quite liked the first film despite how ridiculous it was. So I was sort of looking forward to the sequel. Did I like it? Find out on Tuesday.

  • Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
I love The Lonely Island and they have a permanent place on my Day to Day Spotify playlist. So I was loving the idea of this film. I’m hoping to do a full review in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled. 

TBT – Zombieland (2009)

Emma Stone, films, fucking funny, Jesse Eisenberg, TBT, zombies

On Sunday the new series of Top Gear started and, without getting into my feelings on the new format, I was glad to see Jesse Eisenberg as the star guest. Despite how awful his interviews inevitably are, I love Eisenberg and thought he was super funny when faced with Chris Evans and Gordon Ramsay. Eisenberg has made a career out of playing the awkward, geeky loner and it is something that filters out into his personal appearances. Something that has made him seem stand-offish and rude. Still, I count Eisenberg as one of my favourite actors and am convinced that, when I eventually see it, he’ll be my favourite thing about Batman vs Superman. Although, I’m still not ready to see just how bad that film is yet so I decided to revisit classic Eisenberg.

Zombieland picks up the thread laid down by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright with Shaun of the Dead: taking a comic approach to Zombie apocalypses. Hollywood had become so saturated with Zombie films that people needed to take a different approach. Zombieland is less of a Zombie-horror film than it is a romantic-comedy that happens to contain the walking dead. It doesn’t proclaim to be scary or chilling but it does have an unashamedly jolly good time. Something I think allows it to trump the earlier British work. I know I know. It’s unpatriotic or something but Shaun of the Dead gets so bogged down in parody that it never lets itself go quite as much as this film.

This is all about the four actors having fun with guns, zombies and theme parks. In fact, Zombieland has more in common with another Eisenberg film, Adventureland, than it does with Night of the Living Dead. Eisenberg plays an unnamed man who, by strictly adhering to his own set of rules, survives alone in a world riddled with zombies. After a chance encounter with a fellow unnamed survivor (Woody Harrelson), the pair join up and make their way across the country to find some sort of life.

The two men are set up by two sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) and lose their car, guns and supplies. Thankfully, there are plenty of abandoned cars around and the boys are quickly pursuing the sisters. After a few ups and downs, the group join together and make their way to Pacific Playland, an amusement park in Los Angeles. The four begin to bond with each other and find that being alone in an undead world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Zombieland doesn’t really make much of the whole zombie thing which, for someone who has grown so tired of the z-word, I’m thankful for. This isn’t about watching scared people running from weird looking dead people. This is about four people having fun whilst also fighting for their lives. There are way more jokes here than there are frights but it is something that it gets so right. The script is strong and the jokes are on point. It’s a wacky film that gets away with some absurd ideas but they all work. Much has been made of Billy fucking Murray’s cameo and it is certainly one of the films greatest moments featuring some great work by Murray and Woody Harrelson.

In fact, Harrelson’s role is the stand-out of the entire thing. His crazed zombie killer is deadly, skilled and, when he wants to be, emotional. His one-man assault against a mass of zombies during the films final act is just mesmerising. Compared to Harrelson’s brash character, the rest of the cast do, sort of, fade into the backgroud. Not that the cast don’t do a good job but they have more traditional roles than Harrelson. Eisenberg and Stone are once again cast in their traditional roles of geeky loner and the independent, strong woman respectively. They do it well but we’ve been here time and time again. Their frosty relationship will quickly thaw and the pair will be locking lips well before the credits roll.

Zombieland doesn’t succeed by being completely original or new. It works because everything it does is done with enough humour. It doesn’t take itself as seriously as Shaun of the Dead did and is even more willing than its predecessor to drop some pop culture knowledge whenever it can. Zombieland is fun and that’s what counts. It breaths life into a long dead genre and, thanks to a cast that gels really well, manages to feel fresh.

SUNDAY RUNDOWN – THAT’S WHAT SHE READ

book haul, books, currently reading, Jesse Eisenberg, Joss Whedon, Shakespeare
This week has been pretty heavy work wise. I made a significant decision about my future there and am freaking out a little bit. I’m sure it’ll all work well but massive changes are always unnerving. We’ve also been hit with a huge case of flu and everyone has been off ill. Subsequently, everyone else has been super busy to make up for it. I’ve been feeling myself getting ill as the week went on so I’ve had no energy to read on an evening. I’m definitely going to get ill over my two days off though so it’ll give me a good excuse to spend all day in bed reading. In other news, after shopping last week, my sister and I have decided on a bridesmaid’s dress. Neither of the ones we bought last week but a pretty nice option. I’m just happy the awkward fashion parades are over. Walking up and down and having pictures taken of myself is just hell. God knows how I’m going to cope at this bloody wedding. I must remember to take a book.

Currently Reading
  • Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro
So close to finishing this but getting through it so slowly. Still loving it though. The writing is great and the relationships are so well written. 
Recently Purchased
  • Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favourite Songs by Erik Didriksen
Still afflcited by the current Shakespeare madness so I had to buy another book relating to the great Bard. Of course, how anyone could not want a book in which popular songs are given a Shakespearean twist is beyond me. This really is my kind of book. It’s silly, really unnecessary and I’ll definitely regret buying it in a few months time. Until then, I’m sure it will give me utter joy. 
  • Bream Gives Me Hiccups: And Other Stories by Jesse Eisenberg
Not sure why I bought this but it probably has something to do with Instagram. I have a bit of a soft spot for Jesse Eisenberg despite his reputation for being a bit of a dick. This is probably why I reacted to the news that he was turning his hand to novel writing in a much more supportive manner than I did when fucking James Franco tried to become a literary star. For some reason, I feel like his humour will be more on the same level as my own and I’m currently all about short story collections. I really hope this is as good as I want it to be.
  • Twisted River by Siobhan MacDonald (Kindle edition)
This is an example of another Instagram photo that manipulating me into buying another book. First heard about this on Peguin’s Instagram account and decided, as the ebook was super cheap, to buy it. It sounds like every other shitty thriller that I buy and then instantly hate. However, it’s a pattern I obviously keep falling into for some subconscious reason. Clearly, I’m just more comfortable being disappointed in a book than by loving something. 

Recently Watched
  • Much Ado About Nothing
Loved the excuse of watching this for my TBT post this week. It really is my favourite Shakespeare adaptation of all time. It’s so lovely and the performances are great. Alexis Denisof is so funny and Amy Acker plays Beatrice beautifully. All I wanted to do after rewatching was to rewatch it again.