Movie review: Populaire (2012)

In 1958, becoming a secretary is small-town-girl Rose Pamphyle's greatest dream. She is overjoyed when she is hired by the moody insurance agent Louis Échard. Louis soon learns that Rose is an uncommonly fast typist and decides to train her for the national speedtyping competition, making a bet with his friend Bob that Rose can win. As Louis and Rose spend much time together, sparks begin to fly, but Louis only wants Rose to concentrate on winning the competition.

Three small movie reviews

Sometimes, it's not the big blockbuster movies which touch us most, but the small stories, the little known movies that you run into by accident. Here are three of those that I've recently seen and enjoyed. (Click on the titles and you will go to the trailers on YouTube)



A bird of the air (2011)
In this quirky little movie, sassy librarian Fiona is intrigued by the solitary roadworker Lyman, but she can't get through to him. This changes when a talking parrot flies into Lyman's trailer home and the two team up to find out where the animal came from.

Movie review: Testament of Youth (2015)

In 1914, Vera Brittain, daughter of a factory owner spends the summer with her beloved brother Edward and his friends Victor and Roland. She is preparing to go to Oxford after her father has finally allowed her to study there. Though she always professed to have no interest in marriage, she still falls for Roland. Then WWI breaks out and everything changes. The young men sign up and go to the Front and Vera is left to worry. She decides to give up her studies and work as a nurse.

Testament of Youth is based on the best-selling memoir by Vera Brittain, published in 1933. Her book was called 'the voice of a generation' and 'the best war memoir' and details not only the war as such, but also the impact it had on the women staying behind.

Movie review: Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

The independent Bathseba Everdeen (Carey Mulligan) inherits a farm from her uncle and is determined to run it herself, no easy task for a woman in the 1870s. Three men vie for her hand and her heart, her rich neighbour Farmer Boldwood (Martin Sheen), the handsome and charming Captain Troy (Tom Sturridge) and kind and dependable Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts).

Movie review: Love's Labour's Lost (2000)

Love Labour's Lost is one of Shakespeare's less well known comedies. In 2000, Kenneth Branagh, Shakespearean director and actor extraordinaire, adapted this play into a musical movie. In Love Labour's Lost the young King of Navarre and three of his close friends take an oath to devote themselves to study for three years and not see any women during this time. Their decision is soon made difficult when the Princess of France arrives with three lady's maids to talk to the King about a political matter. Though the ladies have to camp outside the court, the King and his companions do visit the Princess. Inevitably, the King falls in love with the Princess and his friends also are not wholly immune to the charms of the lady's maids!

Movie review(s): On a clear day/The Way

There are two types of movies we love. The ones we already expected to love from the moment we first heard of them: adaptations of our favourite books, sequels to other great movies, our favourite genre etc. And then there are the ones you once saw a trailer of and thought: 'Maybe, let's put it on my 'to-watch' list.' And when you finally do watch them, they totally surprise you with their wonderfulness!

Recently, I watched two movies of this last category which I would like to share with you: On a clear day and The way

Movie review: Nativity 2

Donald Peterson and his wife are expecting their first child. Donald has just gotten a new teaching job at St. Bernadette's, but he doesn't know what he's in for... His new class is spoiled rotten by the slightly loony classroom assistant Mr. Poppy. He's led the children to believe they will compete in the yearly Song for Christmas competition, even though the school has no funds for it. As Christmas nears and Donald tries to bring order back in his class, he will find out just how determined Mr. Poppy and the children are!

Movie review: The Decoy Bride (2011)

I love romcoms, they're a great way to relax and often movies that simply bring a smile to your face. But I'm the first to admit that with many romcoms the story feels like a dime a dozen. So imagine my joy at discovering this gem of a British romcom, which is all the things a romcom should be, but to top it off, feels fresh and unique!

Movie review: Flyboys (2006)

Before the USA entered WWI, a group of American men went to France to voluntarily fight in the French Air Service. With airplanes only invented a decade or so before the War, the machines were unpredictable and the life of a fighter pilot very dangerous. The 2006 movie is based on the true story of the men of the Lafayette Escadrille.

Impressions of The Last Station, Bright Star, The other Boleyn Girl

  

I started these short reviews a few years ago on my LiveJournal. Sometimes you watch things which are older and many reviews have already been written and sometimes you watch things that just don't impress you enough to write a full review about it, but you still want to say something about them. So this is my solution!

Movie review: Cinderella Man

I'm not a fan of boxing. Even during the Olympics, when for three weeks I'm suddenly a sports fanatic, I don't watch the boxing matches. Still, the sport does capture many people's imaginations and so quite a lot of movies have been made around boxing. Cinderella Man is one of those and as it combines boxing with an interesting historical time period, I decided to give this movie a try. And I'm certainly not sorry I did.