Cashback (2006)

After a painful breakup, Ben develops insomnia. To kill time, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket, where his artistic imagination runs wild.

Director:Sean Ellis

Writer:Sean Ellis

Stars:Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Michelle Ryan | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

When art student Ben Willis is dumped by his girlfriend Suzy, he develops chronic insomnia after finding out how quickly she moved on. To pass the long hours of the night, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket. There he meets a colorful cast of characters, all of whom have their own 'art' in dealing with the boredom of an eight-hour-shift. Ben's art is that he imagines himself stopping time. This way, he can appreciate the artistic beauty of the frozen world and the people inside it - especially Sharon, the pretty and quiet checkout girl, who perhaps holds the answer to solving the problem of Ben's insomnia

 

User Reviews

 What an intense and creative film this is and what a treat it was to have the charming Sean Biggerstaff present it at the Stockholm International Film Festival. He is proud of 'Cashback', and rightly so – for you will be pressed to find a prettier fantasy or funnier characters in a film this year.

'Cashback' is director Sean Ellis' debut feature and he recreates the atmosphere of his same-titled short film with deft strokes, breathing life into a fantasy movie masking as a romantic comedy. Do not write it off on the basis of this negatively-connoted label, rather see it as a creative drama that delivers comedy by the bucketload. The fact is that 'Cashback' delves deep into the emotions of its protagonist Ben Willis (Sean Biggerstaff) much like a drama. It opens with his girlfriend dumping him, screaming and throwing things. In the following weeks, Ben suffers from insomnia and thus finds that he has eight extra hours at his disposal. To pass the time, he works the dreary nightshift at Sainsbury's.

The supermarket job is mundane at first but soon offers an outlet for Ben's creative side. As an art student, he learns to find the beauty in still images every second of the day. This includes the unspeakable beauty in a spilled bag of green peas on aisle four. It also includes freezing time and undressing women (Ben finds great source of interest in the female form), arguably the film's most intense sequences. Here there is a kind of seamless intercutting of scenes, scenery, flashbacks, reality and fantasy that all melt together fluently as the director navigates through Ben's life and thoughts. The latter soothingly narrates the course of events, which cements his likability as a central character.

The unspeakable beauty in the dreamy cinematography is rivalled only by the other side of the tapestry – the comedy. I was rather unprepared for this diversion into hilarity, and expected Cashback to be a drama. Naturally, the amount of well-placed comedy floored my low expectations. In the front row for hilarity sits Ben's two colleagues at Sainsbury's, whom he introduces in brilliant ways. These are two dumb and goofy guys in their late teens who pass their time doing pranks and acting like idiots, such as smuggling sex toys in women's shopping bags at Sainsbury's and guffawing at the effect when she sees it and picks it up. The passing of time indeed proves a central theme in 'Cashback'.

But there is a wide array of noteworthy performances from the supporting cast, not just in Barry and Matt. Ben's boss also proves a massive crowd-pleaser and the level of seriousness which he applies to situations (such as the mighty football tournaments between supermarkets) is a goldmine for comedy. As ever, there is a romantic interest (Emilia Fox) – a girl who works at the same supermarket during the same shifts – who is the film's most likable and interesting character, bar none. My theatre audience also demanded Sean Biggerstaff on some info on this lovely actress.

It needs to be said that 'Cashback' is a sexually aggressive film with plenty of nudity and stories of sexual awakening. All women are also suspiciously attractive (it has often been brought up, beamed Biggerstaff in the Q&A session). It's funny, it's sexy and it's sweet – puffed full of insights in Ben's narration. Better yet, it is a surprisingly ambitious film that strikes me more as a mainstream feature than quirky indie fare (if it wasn't for the nudity). For instance, the classical score is so epic and well-fitted that it sounds like it belongs in 'Gladiator' or any other high-profile sweeping epic. For that matter, Sean Ellis has worked in a homage to the latter at one point when the boss gives a rallying speech during the football tournament, telling his employers to think of him 'as Russell Crowe'.

The film has only two faults as far as I can see it: its wildly unfocused story and its slightly cheesy ending. The former did not prove a problem or a distraction, but rather made it feel like 'Cashback' attempted a lot of different story lines and detours and diversions. That said, I can see how it could be considered a problem. The ending discards some of the unpredictable magic by tipping into saccharine but it is nothing fatal. The fact is that Cashback is a remarkable film in both comedy and drama aspects and I urge you to watch it if you are even a slight fan of Biggerstaff.

9 out of 10

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The Pornographer (2001)

Jacques Laurent made pornographic films in the 1970's and '80's, but had put that aside for 20 years. His artistic ideas, born of the '60's counter-culture, had elevated the entire genre. Older and paunchier, he is now directing a porno again. Jacques's artistry clashes with his financially-troubled producer's ideas about shooting hard-core sex. Jacques has been estranged from his son Joseph for years, since the son first learned the nature of the family business. They are now speaking again. Joseph and his friends want to recapture the idealism of 1968 with a protest. Separated from his wife, Jacques strives for personal renewal with plans to build a new house by himself..

Director:  Bertrand Bonello

Writer: Bertrand Bonello (scenario)

Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jérémie Renier, Dominique Blanc | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

Jacques Laurent made pornographic films in the 1970's and '80's, but had put that aside for 20 years. His artistic ideas, born of the '60's counter-culture, had elevated the entire genre. Older and paunchier, he is now directing a porno again. Jacques's artistry clashes with his financially-troubled producer's ideas about shooting hard-core sex. Jacques has been estranged from his son Joseph for years, since the son first learned the nature of the family business. They are now speaking again. Joseph and his friends want to recapture the idealism of 1968 with a protest. Separated from his wife, Jacques strives for personal renewal with plans to build a new house by himself... 

 

User Reviews

In "Le Pornographe" Jean-Pierre Léaud plays Jacques Laurent, an old and famous director of pornographic films in the 1970's and 1980's, who after an absence from filmmaking for many years decides to make his last film projects while trying to reconciliate with his teenage son (Jéremie Renier) who disapproves his father's career. Bertrand Bonello directs a quite controversial material but lost his way while trying to focus the depth of his film on the dramatic side of the story.

Porn is all about the true in front of you and there's no escape from that. At least the sex scenes are performed by the actors, there's no falsity on that. Drama in its highest form only has nuances of reality, it touches reality very closer but it's false, you can see where fiction begins and reality ends. Here's examples of both statements: Action actors (sometimes) depends on the stunt doubles to perform their risky scenes; porn actors don't, they are committed to the sexual acts. Now, the film in question broke the barrier between both medias (dramatic and pornography), made relevant to the story but while it pushed the envelope in a great way in one genre (the porn) it made the other one totally uninteresting, without firmness of purpose and, I really didn't want to say this but, quite boring. This plot on the hands of a Bergman or an Altman (first names that comes to mind in terms of quality in drama) would be fantastic, and they wouldn't use graphic scenes to play their story. P.T. Anderson made something similar and ten times better with his "Boogie Nights". The eroticism was a supporter from the story involving persons behind the porn world.

So, the only interesting thing in the film is the film within the film, the porn film directed by Léaud's character in a very explicit scene (there's two scenes, being the first most shocking for regular viewers of drama films). The way the scenes somehow fit the film was interesting, the reactions of the non-porn actors and all. Towards the end of the film when Jacques is interviewed he says about how he started to make porn movies and here's an interesting question left to us when he talks about pornographic films being an art. In which category you would put a film like "Le Pornographe": in porn or drama? It plays with our heads for a while.

There's no way you can relate with this director living a crisis in his life neither his rebel son preaching a silent revolution to change things on the country with his colleagues; everything they do is so disconnected, a bad presentation of facts, a weak and confusing narrative that doesn't know how to hold the audience's attention (except for the already mentioned film within the film). In short, the drama is fake and boring while the sex is real and interesting. It's a real disappointment that Jean-Pierre Léaud was part of this film with one of his weakest performances (he gets better in the final moments) in an almost meaningless film. Very weak film, watch it only out of curiosity and nothing more. 5/10

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Sex and Lucia (2001) "Lucía y el sexo" (original title)

Various lives converge on an isolated island, all connected by an author whose novel has become inextricably entwined with his own life.

Director:Julio Medem

Writer:Julio Medem

Stars:Paz Vega, Tristán Ulloa, Najwa Nimri | See full cast and crew 

 

Storyline

Lucía is a young waitress in a restaurant in the centre of Madrid. After the loss of her long-time boyfriend, a writer, she seeks refuge on a quiet, secluded Mediterranean island. There, bathed in an atmosphere of fresh air and dazzling sun, Lucía begins to discover the dark corners of her past relationship, as if they were forbidden passages of a novel which the author now, from afar, allows her to read

 

User Reviews

 The earlier film by Julio Médem (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) is a prelude to the kind of cinematography that this Spanish film director/writer presents here. I have read most of the other comments, but they don't do justice to it, mainly because of the lack of understanding the original tongue of this film. The screenplay is excellent, full of metaphors and a rich use of very carefully chosen words. People who consider this film just an excuse for depicting sex scenes as the highlight of the movie are pretty much clueless. It is more than that, it is the complex storytelling that tangles the characters in this movie and the way that is told. Compelling and breath-taking. A must see.

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Unfaithful (2002)

A New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.

Director:Adrian Lyne

Writers:Claude Chabrol (film "La Femme infidèle"), Alvin Sargent (screenplay), 1 more credit »

Stars:Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

Connie Sumner has a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a wonderful son, but she wants more. When she's approached one day by a handsome stranger while trying to hail a taxi, she becomes obsessed with him and eventually starts an affair. But her selfish actions soon catch up with her..

 

User Reviews

 Whoever thought that director Adrian Lyne and star Richard Gere were finished needs to see this haunting and provocative film. Because this is a stunner that will put both back on the map - big time. For all their star power though, it is the female star Diane Lane who must take huge credit for making this such an effective movie.

I've always liked Lane as an actress from when she was a kid in Francis Ford Coppola films, but she rarely got the chance to 'carry' a film. Well, she not only 'carries' UNFAITHFUL, she delivers one of the most haunting and powerful performances I have seen from an actress. Think Julia Roberts in ERIN BROCKOVICH or Ellen Burstyn in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM and you get the picture. Stunning acting.

While the committed performances are what make a great movie greater, it is Adrian Lyne who has constructed such a wonderful and effective rhythm and style to UNFAITHFUL. This is not an art-film, but it is not a blockbuster either. It lays somewhere between the two and delivers on all fronts. I was totally glued to my seat from start to finish.

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Come Undone (2010)

One day at a colleague's going away party, Anna meets Domenico, a virile, slightly older chap who's married with two small kids. Passion's flames are rapidly kindled and result in steamy encounters.

Director:Silvio Soldini

Writers:Silvio Soldini (story), Doriana Leondeff (story), 3 more credits »

Stars:Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino, Teresa Saponangelo | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

One day at a colleague's going away party, Anna meets Domenico, a virile, slightly older chap who's married with two small kids. Passion's flames are rapidly kindled and result in steamy encounters.

User Reviews

 Silvio Soldini is a very good director. At his best, he can give us touching, inspiring comedies like "Pane e Tulipani" or in-depth social studies like "Un'anima divisa in due".

Unfortunately this film seems to be stuck in the middle, and ultimately have no point. Well acted (Giuseppe Battiston is always a guarantee), interestingly filmed, too little edited. Yes, the editor could have left some more out of it.

The analysis of the Italian contemporary society (financial struggle, emptiness, fear of engagement) is quite precise, but gets lost in a never-ending (and repeating) lovers' story, everybody gets tired about. The audience tend to look forward the other characters, the whole support cast (the friends, the betrayed companions, the families), because these two really go back an forth, back and forth, back and forth...

Alba Rohrwacher doesn't seem to have enough to work on, in terms of creating a complete character. She's good, but seeing her driving around for a while doesn't take the story anywhere. Pierfrancesco Favino has a more interesting character, and Teresa Saponangelo has a standardized role (as a betrayed wife and mother of screaming children) that we've seen way to often (what a missed opportunity).

At the end of the 'World Première', here in Berlin, Silvio Soldini didn't really know what to say, except to thank for the polite applauses. That's the point: he has the craft, the skills, the production means and the crew to create something new and revealing. We still love you, but please wait for the inspiration, next time. A film can come out wrong like "Agata e la tempesta" and still be an enjoyable experience, but if there is nothing to say, better to pass on to the next project.

Also, please have the English subtitles redone. They were pretty bad. Don't cut corners and have them done better next time. Thanks!

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Intimacy (2001)

A failed London musician meets once a week with a woman for a series of intense sexual encounters to get away from the realities of life. But when he begins inquiring about her, it puts their relationship at risk.

Director:Patrice Chéreau

Writers:Hanif Kureishi (stories), Anne-Louise Trividic, 1 more credit »

Stars:Mark Rylance, Kerry Fox, Susannah Harker | See full cast and crew 

 

Storyline

Jay, a failed musician, walked out of his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day Jay follows her and finds out about the rest of her life (and that her name is Claire). This eventually disrupts their relationship.

 

User Reviews

 "Intimacy" tells of a divorced man and a married woman who have weekly loveless sex while each knows little of the other. The film explores the "why" of their peculiar relationship and follows the pair of protags to their inevitable conclusion. Whatever you know, think, or read about this film, it does break new ground as it pushes legitimate cinema one small measure toward its destiny by illuminating that dark corner of human behavior currently occupied only by pornography. Be prepared for graphic sex/nudity and some intensely personal scenes in a stark, austere, somewhat depressing but very courageous drama. Not for prudes, "Intimacy" will be most enjoyed by mature drama enthusiasts. (B)

 

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The Big Lebowski (1998)

"The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Directors:

 Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Writers:

 Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Stars:

 Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

When "The Dude" Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, two thugs urinate on his rug to coerce him into paying a debt he knows nothing about. While attempting to gain recompense for the ruined rug from his wealthy counterpart, he accepts a one-time job with high pay-off. He enlists the help of his bowling buddy, Walter, a gun-toting Jewish-convert with anger issues. Deception leads to more trouble, and it soon seems that everyone from porn empire tycoons to nihilists want something from The Dude.

User Reviews

The Coen brothers are up there with my very favorite filmmakers (Scorsese, Kubrick, Carpenter). I am very fond of their work. Throughout their irreverent career, they have explored different subjects and themes. Their best stories evolve from kidnapping schemes in films like "Raising Arizona " and "Fargo", one of my very favorites. I thought that film was fervently free. I was so ever wrong. It's as if the Coen Brothers have celebrated their complete breakthrough success (Academy Award winners), and now are willing to do whatever they please. "The Big Lebowski" is a film so meandering, so wonderfully novel, that I found myself missing the many other sporadic jokes as I was heaving from laughter. The film is basically about mistaken identity, eccentric characters, and a soiled rug. This film extols the bowler, the allies, even the pins. We experience an actual bowling ball POV, as the Dude (Jeff Bridges) hallucinates. This film has nihilists, feminists, millionares, paedophiles, drugged out hippies, underachieving students, incompetent criminals, pornographers and 'Nam veterans. This movie is open to anything , anything... Some people are turned off by absurd looniness, because it's so grandiosely different. Yet who couldn't chuckle, if not explode, when a bowler dressed in a tight purple suit licks a bowling ball's finger hole, and the camera pans down to reveal his name as Jesus! I will disclose no more, but urgently recommend you to traverse to your nearest video abode and rent this true escapists' feature. Abandon all solemn inhibitons, though! One can not keep a straight face whilst watching.

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The Girl Next Door (2004)

A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.

Director:

 Luke Greenfield

Writers:

 David Wagner (story) (as David T. Wagner) ,Brent Goldberg (story), 3 more credits »

Stars:

 Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Downs, Elisha Cuthbert |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

18-year-old Matthew Kidman is a straight 'A' over-achiever who feels that he has never really lived life to the full. That is, until he meets 'the girl next door'. Danielle moves in next door, and Matthew thinks he's found the girl of his dreams. All is going well, until Matthew's sex-mad friend Eli reveals that Danielle is actually a ex-porn star. Matthew doesn't know how to take the news or how to treat Danielle, and things go from bad to worse when Danielle's former producer Kelly appears to take her back.

User Reviews

The Girl Next Door's tagline "Matt didn't see her coming...but all his friends have!" is very deceiving, because the movie is not like that at all. When you see this, you'll expect a raunchy, borderline porn movie, but what you get is a refreshing, adorable, and sweet love story with great performances from Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert.

Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch, The Emperor's Club, Lords of Dogtown) is not a geek by any means. He's your everyday nice guy who's never really 'lived'. He is the top student, the class president, and he's in charge of bringing a teenage super genius to the U.S.A. Everything is going fantastic, because he even gets accepted to Georgetown. Only problem is, he needs the money to get to the school, and this can only be paid by winning a scholarship. A few days before his speech on why he deserves the scholarship, Matt meets Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert, '24', Weezer's 'Perfect Situation video), a breathtakingly beautiful girl who (after a hilarious few scenes where they meet) he instantly falls for, and she falls for him.

For the first part of the movie, you see Danielle, the near unfairly sexy girl, push Matt to limits he hasn't gone to, such as running in the street naked, swimming in a stranger's pool, and skipping school. They're falling in love, and it's easy to see on screen, and it's adorable.

Just when it can't get any better for Matt, things take a turn for the worse. One of his best friends, Eli (the hilarious Chris Marquette), who is a massive porn addict, goes through his collection, and finds a tape...and who is the star? Danielle. Turns out, Danielle had just quit her job as a porn star and decided to turn over a new leaf. After a near tear-jerking scene, Danielle returns to her old career by contacting her old boss, a gritty and suave porn producer named Kelly (Tim Olyphant). It's at this point that Matt decides that he doesn't care about Danielle's past, and he's in love with her. He decides that he'll do anything to get her back, including taking on Kelly, the porn industry, and some very weird people.

After some events, the plot strays away from just Matt and Danielle, and thickens to become a real movie, not just a teen movie. The movie does an excellent job of keeping us interested, because just as the plot becomes serious, Eli and Matt's other friend, Klitz, add some very funny moments and ideas. Yes, the movie does sound like the classic Risky Business, but it does things that separate itself from that movie. The chemistry between Hirsch and Cuthbert is magical, and despite her gigantic sex appeal, the character of Danielle is so lovable for how sweet and caring she is to Matt. There are some great plot twists that keep you interested, not to mention hilarious in jokes and one liners, and not to mention a classic quote: "The juice was worth the squeeze". You'll understand. Tim Olyphant is great in a somewhat opposing role, and veteran actor James Remar makes a few appearances as a porn producing giant. The movie's ending is so great and funny that you can't help but enjoy, not to mention mysterious, keeping you hanging by a thread the whole way through.

Luke Greenfield has directed a movie that is so well liked and cherished, that I have never heard a bad thing against this film (I'm 17, and all my friends, guys and girls, loved it). I own it on DVD, and have watched it at least 10 times. I've finally gotten around to writing a review, because writing this has reminded me of how great this movie is. In a few one word sentences, The Girl Next Door is...fun. hilarious. sweet. lovable. classic. I recommend this movie to anyone from the ages of 13 to 30, because this is the age group it is intended for.

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Movie 43 (2013)

A series of interconnected short films follows a washed-up producer as he pitches insane story lines featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Directors:

 Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, 11 more credits »

Writers:

 Rocky Russo, Jeremy Sosenko, 26 more credits »

Stars:

 Emma Stone, Stephen Merchant, Richard Gere |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

Ineffectual, 'has-been' film-maker (Dennis Quaid) swindles his way into an interview with a film executive (Greg Kinnear) in order to pitch an outrageous and controversial comedy manuscript. After pitching the first of his thirteen offbeat fables, the dejected artist forces the rest of his disjointed allegory on the executive at gunpoint. He tells stories of a woman on a blind date with a man who has testicles growing from his neck, in another a smitten woman offers her neck to her boyfriend to 'poop' on -as a sign of commitment and love. In yet another two parents take home-schooling to a whole new level of indecency, striving to give their isolated teenage son all the 'regular' torment and humiliation of puberty by bullying, peer-pressuring and even seducing him themselves. An off-beat, elephant-in-the-room type film.

User Reviews

After seeing the movie I just can't help but wonder why all those movie stars agreed doing this? Sitting through the entire movie made me feel very proud, afterward i felt really stupid.

The main plot was terrible. I'm not going to explain anything because I don't want people spending their money on this and frankly I couldn't pay attention anymore. The funny jokes you already saw in the preview and since you see them coming a mile away and the movie is an enormous buzz kill you won't even laugh. If you do decide to go to Movie 43, prepare to sit back, yawn, roll your eyes and if you're lucky you have to go to the bathroom twice. I encourage you to get drunk.

A special mention goes to Gerard Butler, who as a leprechaun does the best work of his career in a segment so stupid it makes you want to kick every leprechaun you will never see.

This was by far the worst movie I've seen in a while.

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The Little Prince (2015)

A pilot crashes in the desert and meets a little boy from a distant planet.

Director:

 Mark Osborne

Writers:

 Irena Brignull (screenplay), Bob Persichetti(screenplay), 1 more credit »

Stars:

 Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, James Franco |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

From Mark Osborne comes the first-ever animated feature film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's iconic masterpiece, The Little Prince. At the heart of it all is The Little Girl, who's being prepared by her mother for the very grown-up world in which they live - only to be interrupted by her eccentric, kind-hearted neighbor, The Aviator. The Aviator introduces his new friend to an extraordinary world where anything is possible. A world that he himself was initiated into long ago by The Little Prince. It's here that The Little Girl's magical and emotional journey into her own imagination - and into the universe of The Little Prince - begins. And it's where The Little Girl rediscovers her childhood and learns that ultimately, it's human connections that matter most, and that what's truly essential can only be seen with the heart. 

User Reviews

This review is intended for all those fans of Le petit prince, the original book, and all those who like the character of Le Petit Prince.

The Little Prince (original story book) has a very simple storyline (although it's quite rich and complex in analogies and depth), written in French, first published in 1943, shorty before the untimely death of its author/illustrator, a real pilot.

I am a French teacher who has always included Le petit prince in my classroom whenever possible and for almost any age group (making the necessary modifications of course). I am a big fan of Antoine de St-Exupery and Le petit prince IS my favourite classic of all time. 

I don't have a problem with the storyline of this film. I actually think it was made to entertain and even educate a little. My great concern arises from the fact that this film is NOT Le petit prince.

This film is trying too hard to cater to so-called modern audiences who like disproportionate faces and odd looking animations that barely resemble human faces. This is an insult to the author whose goal was to put his readers in touch with what's human, as opposed to money, business, rush and all those mundane exigences of the modern world.

Instead, the makers of this film exploited a well-loved story and broke it down to pieces, placing the Le petit prince story in a totally unrelated frame story to make it what I call Hollywood-friendly. Even worse, they did not bother to give it a more appropriate title such as Discovering the Little Prince. This film is not the story of Le petit prince. They named it after the original story to attract more viewers and create a poster which makes you believe this is the story of The Little Prince. If I believed in the afterlife, I'd say Antoine de St-Exupert must be shaking in his grave.

I have a three year old daughter who is very intelligent and although part of the modern generation, she already knows about this book. Do yourself and your children a favour and if you understand French, read the original. If not, read the translation of the book. Do not go for this film unless you have already read the main story.

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Frozen Fever (2015)

On Anna's birthday, Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give her the best celebration ever, but Elsa's icy powers may put more than just the party at risk.

Directors:

 Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Writers:

 Chris Buck (story), Jennifer Lee (story), 1 more credit »

Stars:

 Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

It's Anna's birthday and Elsa plans to throw her the perfect surprise party with the help of Kristoff and Olaf. However, after planning the huge party and as Anna is being led on a "party treasure hunt," Elsa finds that she has caught a cold. She starts sneezing and produces a group of small, cute snow people, much like Olaf, with each sneeze. After some near-misses, a very exhausted Elsa finally makes it with Anna to the courtyard where the party has been arranged. It is a big hit, and at last Anna manages to convince Elsa into letting her to lead her to bed and take care of her. Meanwhile, Olaf has taken the tiny snow creatures under his wing and takes them to Elsa's ice castle with the help of Kristoff.

User Reviews

First of all there are a lot of easily pleased people on here. stop calling this a movie or film because it is neither, it is a short animated "Clip", nothing more, thinking it is anything other than that only shows how deluded most people are, My Child was left with " was that it", there wasn't enough time for it to grab any attention and served only as a means to give frozen attention it has otherwise lost.

Frozen Fever lacks any sort of real story telling and falls short when attempting to get you interested, from an un-catchy tune to an ending leaving you thinking, didn't that thing fall of a cliff in the first one, now it's friendly.

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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)

When a diabolical pirate above the sea steals the secret Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and his nemesis Plankton must team up in order to get it back.

Directors:

 Paul Tibbitt, Mike Mitchell

Writers:

 Glenn Berger (screenplay), Jonathan Aibel(screenplay), 3 more credits »

Stars:

 Tom Kenny, Antonio Banderas, Bill Fagerbakke |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

During a fight between the Krusty Krab and Plankton, the secret formula disappears and all of Bikini Bottom goes into a terrible apocalypse. The Bikini Bottomites go crazy and they all believe that Spongebob and Plankton stole the secret formula. The two new teammates create a time machine to get the secret formula before it disappears and also go to some weird places along the way including a time paralex where they meet a time wizard named Bubbles who is a dolphin. The two later get to the time when the formula disappeared and take it back to the present day time. They then realized that it's a fake formula Plankton made when he was taking the real one and the Bikini Bottomites try to destroy Spongebob (Plankton runs away) Spongebob smells Krabby patties and so does everyone else so the Bikini Bottomites follow it (instead of destroying Spongebob) and they arrive at the bank of the surface. Everyone except Spongebob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, and a stowaway Plankton go ...

User Reviews

Movie was fantastic!!!! I loved the comedy jokes. The awesome animation. Just amazing. Thank you Nickelodeon. I can't wait for season 11 in summer 2015 :) Also The Voicing of the characters was fantastic! Awesome HD quality. Action packed comedy perfect for kids.I loved the film, I think a lot of people would also agree with me!! I just want to thank Nickelodeon for their hardwork. And to let you know all the Spongebob fans love your work. And We can't wait for more Spongebob episodes.So that's it, what are you waiting for, watch the brilliant movie now :D I recommend everyone should watch this movie. It's hilarious.

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Strange Magic (2015)

Goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion.

Director:

 Gary Rydstrom

Writers:

 Irene Mecchi (screenplay), Gary Rydstrom(screenplay), 2 more credits »

Stars:

 Evan Rachel Wood, Elijah Kelley, Kristin Chenoweth| See full cast and crew »

Storyline

"Strange Magic," a new animated film, is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion.

User Reviews

This film is really quite good and will probably develop a bit of a cult status among animated films. It's one of those unfortunate films that was declared dead before it was even given a chance to shine in theaters and as a result was poorly marketed and thrust into a unknowing world. Really I think the film would have done better released Valentine's Day weekend since the films main theme is love, a fact I'm certain you would not have guessed from viewing the poorly edited trailers. This film is also a musical, another thing the trailers failed to mention, and does a pretty decent job on the soundtrack. However if you're going into this film without knowing the prior too facts you are probably going to be a bit jarred by how it just leaps into them. The characters (even the sidekicks) are all pretty likable, and no one is particularly annoying save for maybe one character who doesn't get a lot of screen time. There are plenty of good jokes and a little a cheesiness (the good kind). Is everyone going to like it? No, it's definitely not going to sit well with people who hate musicals and a little sappiness, but overall it's a pretty likable movie that isn't anywhere near deserving the amount of hate that it is getting. If you have a chance to see it I recommend giving it a shot.

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Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015)

The all-powerful Monkey King once roamed freely between Heaven and Earth, but after angering the Gods, he was imprisoned within an ice cage deep within the mountains. 500 years later, monsters attack a small village and a child flees to the mountains. Unknowingly, the child releases the Monkey King from his curse. With the help and encouragement from this special child, Monkey King saves the village from the evil monsters.

Initial release: July 10, 2015
Director: Tian Xiao Peng
Running time: 1h 29m
Screenplay: Tian Xiao Peng
                                                   Genre: Animation
                                     Awards: Golden Rooster Award for Best Animation

Storyline

The all-powerful Monkey King once roamed freely between Heaven and Earth, but after angering the Gods, he was imprisoned within an ice cage deep within the mountains. 500 years later, monsters attack a small village and a child flees to the mountains. Unknowingly, the child releases the Monkey King from his curse. With the help and encouragement from this special child, Monkey King saves the village from the evil monsters

User Reviews

1, The character image is more mature.

In the animation image design, the film didn't use children's characters for leading roles, like Monkey King, make the characters more mature.The image of Monkey King and Pig Zhu Bajie are all adult who have a background of adult socialization, which is beneficial to the depth of the hero image, rather than the superficial adventures.

It is very distinctive that Villain the leading monster's face design for Sichuan Opera Face, and the leading monster's body feels elegant in the sky, I would like give him a name of "the beauty of evil".But after he become a big worm, disgusting, and the modeling of the worm, feel copying the image of the other films.

2, Technical level greatly ascend.

The mouth moving is more realistic;The background picture more rich layered. 

Disadvantages:

1, The plot is weak.Writers had neither according to the novel, nor made innovation. The screenplay is only designed some abused poking fun which amused the audience once or twice. Even more worse, the focus is not prominent that the Monkey King turned into a hero of justice, slightly weak, it is not enough to convince me.

2, Poor continuity in action.Action before and after in a few action scene is not smooth, give me a feeling of unknown cause and effect.

3, Insert abrupt improper music.When the Monkey King, Pig Zhu Bajie, and Liu went alliance, background music style suddenly turned from the traditional Chinese opera into rock & roll, it appeared not harmonious.

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Wolf Totem (2015)

During China's Cultural Revolution, a young urban student is sent to live with Mongolian herders, where he adopts a wolf cub.

Director:

 Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

 Jiang Rong (novel), Jean-Jacques Annaud(screenplay), 3 more credits »

Stars:

 Shaofeng Feng, Shawn Dou, Ankhnyam Ragchaa |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

In 1967, a young Beijing student, Chen Zhen, is sent to live among the nomadic herdsmen of Inner Mongolia. Caught between the advance of civilization from the south and the nomads' traditional enemies - the marauding wolves - to the north; humans and animals, residents and invaders alike, struggle to find their true place in the world.

User Reviews

It was unprecedented that the film market in China was so prosperous during Spring Festival. Seven blockbusters of different styles were released on the first day of Chinese New Year that created more than 170 million earnings in this 7-day vocation.

The box office earnings of whole year in China was only about 200 billion, dating back to last decade when the market was just awake, which was difficult to compare with the data today. In that period, nevertheless, Dadi cinemas picked the digital screening strategy, even though it was much higher cost than film screening, to make the second- tier and third-tier cities that with larger population enjoy fair treatment on watching new movies, and therefore promote the development of Chinese film market.

This investment mode of Dadi Media was used to be bantered as "Quixotic Courage", what meant the commercial mode was lightly regarded. However, it was dumbfounded that Dadi insisted on breaking high-price barriers and making ticket prices more reasonable for audiences.

All decisions Dadi made were depended on the inherent attribution of films that they would be led back to the source -- the public. Keeping the original intention that "Make movies ubiquitous, make good movies ubiquitous" in mind, Dadi Cinemas sacrificed immediate interest and contributed to prosperous film markets in the second-tier and third-tier cities, aiming at spreading culture, mind and art of movies, keeping infusing blood with dream into Chinese films.

The desire for "good" movies in Chinese market was increasingly intense after explosive growth these years. It was comforting that movies during this Spring Festival satisfied audiences' needs for fierce actions, extremely cute and all-age theme. In addition, movies achieve our dreams on showing feelings, conveying the belief and transferring power -- in case of watching the movie Wolf Totem. New perceptions on savagery, humanity, survival, freedom, dignity and faith, will all be found after watching this movie.

Indeed, Dadi Cinemas are looking forward a new start from The Wolf Totem, a new start of film art that need to be put thought into it. As a consequence of this expectation, Wolf Totem was released averagely 2 percents more than it occupied the box-office proportion in Dadi Cinemas. During the 7-day vocation of this Spring Festival, more than 460 thousand audiences have watched this movie in Dadi Cinemas in more than 130 cities around China. The germination of Chinese film market has come to this era while audiences discussing ardently about the movies they just watched in Dadi Cinemas near their home, such as Wolf Totem, Dragon Blade, The Man From Macao 2, and so forth.

It is reasonable to believe that when more practitioners make sacrifice for the art of film, such as Wolf Totem and movies in the future that belong to film culture, art, this era, and all audiences who love movies, the development of the film market in our country will be inevitable healthy and permanent.

Even though the strength of Dadi is possibly not strong enough right now, movies that obey the heart and keep unique style are definitely respected. It is a new step of Dadi, from loving the "Wolf" in the Year of the Goat.

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SPL 2: A Time for Consequences (2015)

Undercover cop Kit (Wu Jing) becomes a junkie in order to catch Mr Hung (Louis Koo), the mastermind behind a crime syndicate. When the operation goes sour and Kit blows his cover, his supervisor and uncle Wah (Simon Yam) decides to terminate the operation. When Kit disappears without a trace, Wah defies the order from his commanding officer and tracks Kit to a prison in Thailand. Thai Police officer Chai (Tony Jaa) becomes a prison guard in order to raise money for his daughter who has leukemia. He's assigned to keep an eye on Kit. Even though Chai and Kit are in opposing positions and they don't speak a common language, Kit turns out to be a suitable bone marrow donor who can save Chai's daughter. While Chai is determined to keep Kit alive, the warden Ko (Zhang Jin) wants him dead to ensure the smooth operation of the prison, which is the front for Mr Hung's organ trafficking business. Mr Hung shows up in Thailand so he can use his younger brother's (Jun Kung) heart in a heart transplant to save his own life. The stage is set for a showdown...

Director:

 Pou-Soi Cheang

Writers:

 Lai-yin Leung (screenplay), Ying Wong

Stars:

 Tony Jaa, Jing Wu, Simon Yam |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

Undercover cop Kit (Wu Jing) becomes a junkie in order to catch Mr Hung (Louis Koo), the mastermind behind a crime syndicate. When the operation goes sour and Kit blows his cover, his supervisor and uncle Wah (Simon Yam) decides to terminate the operation. When Kit disappears without a trace, Wah defies the order from his commanding officer and tracks Kit to a prison in Thailand. Thai Police officer Chai (Tony Jaa) becomes a prison guard in order to raise money for his daughter who has leukemia. He's assigned to keep an eye on Kit. Even though Chai and Kit are in opposing positions and they don't speak a common language, Kit turns out to be a suitable bone marrow donor who can save Chai's daughter. While Chai is determined to keep Kit alive, the warden Ko (Zhang Jin) wants him dead to ensure the smooth operation of the prison, which is the front for Mr Hung's organ trafficking business. Mr Hung shows up in Thailand so he can use his younger brother's (Jun Kung) heart in a heart ..

User Reviews

It has taken slightly more than a decade for someone to pull off an 'SPL' sequel, but not for a lack of trying. Hey, it isn't quite so straightforward to make a sequel to a movie which had the balls to kill off each one of its three main characters played by Donnie Yen, Hung and Yam, and this long-awaited sequel is even more gratifying because it is in many ways as good as, if not better, than the original.

Rather than be tied down by the events of the first movie, incoming writers Jill Leung Lai-yin and Wong Ying have gone for a completely new narrative that honours the themes in the original. Yes, for the uninitiated, 'SPL' stands for the names of the three stars in Chinese astrology that signify destruction, conflict and greed, and just as these elements drove the characters in the first movie to their fateful end, so too do they propel the destinies of the main characters here – Kit (Wu Jing), a drug-addicted Hong Kong undercover cop in an organ trafficking syndicate who finds himself in a Thai prison after his cover is blown; Wah (Yam), his uncle and handler also assigned to the same case; and Chai (Tony Jaa), a guard at the prison Kit is locked up in whose daughter Sa is suffering from leukaemia and needs a bone marrow transplant soon. 

As it turns out, the potential donor which the hospital has identified for Chai's daughter happens to be Kit, though both will remain unaware of that stroke of fate until much later. It is a somewhat implausible coincidence no doubt, one that we would readily scoff at in any other movie, but which you'll have to accept as being central to 'SPL 2's' very premise. The other intertwining thread of events has to do with Hung (Louis Koo), the ailing leader of the aforementioned syndicate which he runs with the corrupt prison warden Ko (Max Zhang) at the penitentiary Kit has been sent into. Hung himself is in need of a life-saving heart transplant, although because of his rare Bombay blood type, his only hope lies in his younger brother Bill (Jun Hung), whom he resorts to kidnapping when the latter refuses to donate his very organ.

Whereas the emphasis was very much on Yen's action and action choreography previously, this sequel pays a lot more attention to both character and storytelling. Indeed, each one of the many characters is distinctly defined by their proclivity to preserve their own life and/or that of a loved one, while being forced to confront how far they are willing to go to compromise their own sense of morality, justice or duty. In particular, Jaa gets his meatiest role yet playing a father who is forced to choose between a human cure for his daughter's blood ailment in exchange for his silence on the illegal skin trade happening right under his watch, and the actor gives probably his most nuanced performance to date. Also noteworthy is Koo's villainous turn, whose character justifying his selfish deed by the countless other lives he has saved before.

It is to Cheang's credit that the various narrative threads never get confusing, especially so at the start when he jumps back and forth to explain how Kit landed in prison. Though it may seem like a gimmick, the non-linear manner in which Cheang introduces us to his disparate characters eventually makes for a surprisingly compelling plot for a film of its genre, which often treats the latter as no more than filler in between the crowd-pleasing action sequences. Not that Cheang neglects the latter though – it is for its hard-hitting action that its predecessor was known for, and with action director Li Chung-Chi, this sequel honours that spirit with some truly exhilarating fights of its own.

Because Wu Jing, Zhang Jin and Tony Jaa are martial artists in their own right, there is no need for that sort of distracting camera-work that Hollywood action movies seem to be very fond of in recent years. Yes, Kenny Tse's cinematography is clean, simple and crisp, conveying the balletic moves of the stars who are front and centre in each and every one of the sequences. Li choreographs the poetic mayhem with flair, which consists of impressive set-pieces, such as a shootout at Hong Kong's new cruise terminal following a sting operation and no less than a full-scale prison riot filmed in one single unbroken tracking shot, as well as intimate mano-a-mano fights between the principal characters.

The best is saved for last, as Kit and Chai make their last stand against Ko and his henchmen in the penthouse of the Lotus Medical Centre in Thailand. The scenes towards the end where Kit and Chai tag-team to take down Ko are especially exhilarating, and most certainly match up to the sheer thrill of watching Donnie Yen and Wu Jing go at each other in a narrow alleyway in the first movie. Yes, those wondering if this sequel lives up to the action orgasm of its predecessor need not worry; the combination of Tony Jaa, Wu Jing and Zhang Jin makes for just a lethal concoction of bare-knuckle fights and bone-crunching violence.

But more than just a pastiche of well-staged action sequences stitched together, this sequel is a better film on the whole than the original thanks to an engaging story and some genuinely empathetic characters. Yes, the premise itself guarantees a certain degree of narrative contrivance, but Cheang's film preserves the no- holds-barred spirit of its predecessor while delivering a compelling crime/ morality thriller. It's as good a follow-up as fans will get, and well-worth the decade wait for one of the best action films you'll see this year.

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