The Adjustment Bureau

Rating: ★★★ 1/2

I'm going to have to be honest, first of all. I saw the movie poster when I was waiting for a friend to turn up to a rendez-vous with Jay Chou & The Green Hornet and the image of Matt Damon tugging along a very confused-looking Emily Blunt intrigued me. It's confession time: I'm a hopeless romantic. This looked romantic. Hence, I was officially on board TAB's bandwagon. Then I saw the trailer, and was even more excited - it promised "a cross between Inception and Bourne", neither of which I'd seen, but knew enough about to know that they'd both been highly successful and very well received.

Plus, it was Matt Damon. And Emily Blunt. And I was seeing it with my fave movie-goers, V & S, so what more can I say? I entered the cinema wholly biased and très excited.

The central plotline is probably what could've made the movie a winner: I can already see the endless debates and 'what if's' - the idea that every being on the planet is part of some bigger, celestial Plan that we have no say in, can raise an infinite number of questions. However, I felt the focus was more on the love-at-first-sight romance between David Norris (played by Matt Damon) and Elise (Emily Blunt,) and I think that's where the potential for this movie to be much Bigger fell apart. There were also a few tidbits here and there that didn't quite fit into the intelligent plotline: like the bowler hats (you'll have to see it to understand!,) the fact that these severe bureau-men (which I didn't quite get - are they implying women are too emotional to be part of an all-seeing group of human controllers?) develop attachments to their subjects, and The Ending.

Oh, the ending. Despite all my misgivings above, I actually found the entire film thoroughly enjoyable and very thrilling. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt did a stellar job igniting the chemistry of their on-screen characters and convincing the audience (or me at least) of the depth of their love, and I think this is what really saved the film in the end. I won't ruin the ending for those of you who've yet to see it, but I can say one thing: it was clearly very obvious that whoever scripted this movie was trying desperately to balance an Inception-like audience effect with the sort of satisfaction that romantic movies try to achieve. So I felt it didn't really tie in to the whole set-up of the film.

But hey, I came out of the cinema feeling like I'd had a pretty damn good time and even recommended it to a few friends at Uni yesterday, so it can't have been all that bad :) I think it does everything the trailer promises, except a solid finish. Other than that, really - it's Matt Damon, which the girls will love, and Emily Blunt, which the girls will love even more. A very satisfying girl's night at the movies is guaranteed!

Until next time,

Ngoc :)

The King's Speech gets an A+

Image Source: Google Images

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Ok, for the record, I actually started this review before all the Oscars hoo-ha. I guess my opinion doesn't really matter now, but, as they say, the show must go on ;)

To be honest, I went into this movie not expecting much. A friend and I were deciding on movies to watch the next day at 11pm, and we sort of fell into The King's Speech after she decided her fear of gory scenes outweighed her love for James Franco. I agreed to see it on the sole basis that Colin Firth was in it, and didn't really expect to spend the movie doing much other than making frequent checks of my watch.

Well, the world just loves to prove me wrong! It was surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly, considering Colin Firth was the lead actor) witty and very touching, and Colin Firth did an outstanding job in his portrayal. Whether or not it was intended, I actually came out with a renewed respect for the patience and dedication speech pathologists have to their profession. Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush) had some great lines, including when he accuses the King's physicians of being idiots for suggesting that smoking is healthy, to which King George VI replies, "They've all been knighted." Without a second's hesitation, Logue quips, "Well that makes it official then."

The film really highlighted the complications of the King's speech impairment, that it was beyond just the physical boundaries, and that it took an outstanding character to be able to see to the very heart of the problem. Being an excellent health professional goes beyond just having a few words printed in an official manner after your name and Geoffrey Rush displays this profoundly well in his portrayal of Lionel Logue.

Perhaps the strength of the film comes through the very heartfelt scripting of the relationship between the King and Logue. It could also have been due to the casting of Jennifer Ehle, who played alongside Colin Firth as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC Adaption of Pride and Prejudice as Myrtle Logue, in addition to Mr. Collins of Rosings Park to bring a little charm back into the movie.

No, I think it was just the emotion. Undeniable, very touching, and worth every dollar of my ticket. A definite recommend for those tired of sitting through aimless chick flicks and intense action/dramas.

I have a book review for Pretty Little Liars coming up, hopefully I'll get that posted before it wins some sort of prestigious award and I look like a trendset-sheep again!

Until next time,

Ngoc :)