Top 5 Reasons to Go See Joy

Joy stars Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper and is essentially about a struggling woman with a dysfunctional family who invents a self-wringing mop. It doesn't sound incredibly exciting and even with the re-teaming of Lawrence, Cooper, De Niro and director David O. Russell after Silver Linings and American Hustle, I was not desperate to catch this. Films aboutmops just don't really excite me. Unless the mop is dressed up to look like a lady and someone is going to have a dance with it. anyway, not every movie can have lightsabers or mops with lipstick on, so I thought I'd give it a try...

Here's 5 reasons why you should too:

5. It will probably pick up a lot of nominations during awards season.

When I look at the biggest films of all time; your Avatars, Jurassic Worlds, Furious 7's and your Star Wars, and I see how much money is spent on them and then how much they make, it actually surprises me that films like this still get made at all.

Joy has serious quality in its cast and cost around $60 million to make. Without all the awards buzz surrounding its team of stars and director, I suspect it just wouldn't be seen by anyone. A few J-Law and Silver Linings fans might check it out. But I reckon it would struggle to make $60 million back.

It's already picked up two Golden Globe nominations for Best Comedy/Musical and Best Actress, so expect it to get a bucket load more during awards season. If you need to tick off all the major contenders before the Oscars, then make sure you let Joy into your life.

4. It's got a de-aged De Niro

This might not be what everyone is desperate to see, but those of us who remember the old De Niro of The Godfather Part 2, Mean Streets, Raging Bull et al will lap up the chance to see a digitally de-aged De Niro in some of Joy's flashback sequences.

It's also got quite a cool, tricky chronology in places with some little time hops thrown in to zip back and forth between Joy's past and present. A standout scene has De Niro giving a wedding speech that everybody will be sure to remember for a long time to come.

3. It's a film about strong women

I feel properly spoiled for strong women at the moment; what with Katniss, Furiosa and Rey to name but a few. Joy is a woman stuck in the middle of four generations of women in the same house. Her mother might be a useless TV soap-obsessed sad sack, but her grandmother is an inspiration and Joy herself is the light at the centre of the film. She overcomes a great deal of hardship, is kind and compassionate, creative and caring.

The highlight for me comes late in the film when Joy gets to pass on some good fortune to another woman. It's a very touching moment between two women who at one point or another in their lives, just needed to be given a shot by someone.

2. David O. Russell has made a movie about a mop that is kinetic and entertaining

While I'm not a huge fan of Russell, he does make entertaining movies. His camera zips along, the editing is all over the place and the soundtrack rocks with the likes of The Rolling Stones. He always gets great performances and even though the film is about the invention of a mop, the American Dream and family strife, it barrels along at an excellent pace. It could be floppy and cliched, but Russell's screenplay and direction keep things punchy.


1. Jennifer Lawrence is still the girl on fire

She's just awesome. This feels like a really personal film for J-Law right now, what with her recent public pay gap problems. She might be a bit goofy in real life, but her characters are deadly serious, as is her real-world determination to be at the top of her game. Which she is. If you're a fan of J-Law, you'll enjoy seeing her go from struggling single mother with a house full of dependents (including her ex-husband and her divorced mother and father) to ruthless, brilliant business woman. It's a transformation J-Law handles with ease and expertise. Guaranteed a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

Watch the trailer:



Seen it? Let me know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter @ilovethatfilm

Think someone needs convincing to watch it? Send them over here!

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Trailer Brings War to Capitol

Katniss is back for the fourth and final time in the brand new trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. It's time for the people of Panem to rise up and overthrow that mean old bastard President Snow. But at what cost will victory come?
 
Those who have read the books will know all too well just how dark this final chapter goes. Author Suzanne Collins was not kidding when she decided to write her stories based on the sickening shit she saw on the news in wars around the world (and reality TV shows).

Mockingjay Part 2 should be the most adult of all Katniss' adventures and that's really saying something after the firebombings, genocide and kids killing each other ruthlessly for the entertainment of the rich of the previous installments.

We also finally get to see Brienne (Gwendoline Christie: future Star Wars star) from Game of Thrones in this trailer and she manages to look pretty terrifying just with one sideways glance.

I wasn't a massive fan of the final book in the trilogy but I think they've done a great job of adapting it so far, so I'm hoping the final film is going to end this franchise on a high note.

More trailers at I Love That Film

More on The Hunger Games

In cinemas across the UK from 19^th November 2015

This franchise has grossed more than $2.2 billion at the global box office, so it's pretty safe to say that this final chapter will be a huge smash at the box office in November.

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Marketing and Review

Before I get stuck into the marketing, please check out my review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 at Starburst Magazine now.

The marketing campaign for the penultimate entry in the Hunger Games franchise has seen a wonderful mix of traditional and more modern methods of spreading the word about the film. While waiting for Mockingjay Part 1 to be released, Hunger Games fans have been torn between propaganda messages from the Capitol and interrupting broadcasts beamed directly from District 13. 

Lionsgate opted for an immersive series of poster and viral videos that will inspire audiences to start picking sides and ensuring followers will feel like joining the revolution (and by that I just mean go and see the film). First came a series of disturbing and chilling posters from the Capitol, displaying and 'celebrating' the hard work, perseverance and crucially the sacrifice of ordinary people from the districts.

Next came a formal address from President Snow in which a brainwashed, docile Peeta stared blankly by his side. The Capitol’s television is going into propaganda overdrive in order to win back the servitude of the districts. Panem forever baby!

 

Then came Snow’s second address to the people of Panem. As Snow delivered his message to the divided nation, the screen distorted and the Capitol’s pristine vision was interrupted as Jeffrey Wright’s Beetee hacked his way onto the Capitol TV feed. His stark warning to the Capitol of Panem and fans of the Hunger Games franchise? The Mockingjay lives. 

Sooner or later the marketing had to get sensible and traditional again. So then we got the trailers actaully delivering some snippets from the movie. Of course we got the obligatory teaser:

And then finally the real deal:

Now the movie is almost here and I was lucky enough to attend a screening for Starburst Magazine so here is my review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

If you subscribe to or pick up a copy of the latest issue of Starburst Magazine, you can read my full preview of the film. 

More from I Love That Film:

What is The Hunger Games trilogy really all about?

Why I Love The Hunger Games

Trailers at I Love That Film

Reviews at I Love That Film

Buy my book on The Blair Witch Project

The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 1 Posters and Trailers

The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 2 TV, Radio, Internet 

The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 3 Merchandise
The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 4 Premieres
The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 5 Press Junkets and Preview Screenings
The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 6 Film Festivals

London Film Festival Day 6: White God Interview and Serena Screening with Jennifer Lawrence

On Monday, I got out of work, realised I’d lost my memory stick and that I would have to rewrite all my questions for White God director Kornel Mundruczo and writer Kata Weber again. The interview was at the Mayfair Hotel which was disgustingly posh and I got half an hour to sit down face to face with the talent. This was huge for me as 1. I’d never done a face to face interview and 2. I absolutely love this film.

I tried my best not to gush at them both and had way too many questions to get through in the allotted time but it went well. I figured I should take 30 questions just in case they give really short answers! The interview will be up at Starburst Magazine when White God gets its UK release. I urge you to go see it! Here is my review for Starburst Magazine.

Then I hung around for a screening of Serena. If all the tickets don’t get sold out for the public screenings in the evenings, then they dish them out to press if they want them. While I was sitting around waiting for the screening to start, there was a lot of security around and a whole big area of the cinema had been cordoned off for a ‘private party’. Somebody on Twitter had already told me that there was a rumour that star of Serena Jennifer Lawrence would be in attendance and lo and behold as the lights went down for the film, Lawrence and director Susanne Bier showed up to briefly introduce the film. 

Lawrence had to jet off back to LA but Bier and Toby Jones hung around afterwards for a QnA session after the film. 

Here is the trailer for Serena and my review:

More from the London Film Festival 2014

More reviews from I Love That Film

PLEASE buy my book on The Blair Witch Project

Starburst Magazine: Hunger Games Mockingjay Preview and Reviews

In the latest issue of Starburst Magazine, I have written a preview of Mockingjay Part 1 detailing everything we know about the upcoming blockbuster. I also have a review of The Equalizer and Kidnapped in there if you fancy picking up a copy from here or WHSmiths or HMV or many other places. Or you can subscribe here and never miss an issue!

More published articles from I Love That Film

More reviews from I Love That Film

Serena Review from London Film Festival

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper sure must love working together. After Silver Linings and American Hustle, they are back for another helping of each other in Susanne Bier's depressing Depression-era drama Serena.

It's 1929 in the Smoky Mountains and Cooper plays George Pemberton, a man with a thriving timbre empire who falls in love with the beautiful Serena played by Jennifer Lawrence. The pair are married almost as soon as they meet and while George has to try and stop the local sheriff from turning the forestry rich land into a national park, his wife is easily settling in to the remote lifestyle. George isn't below stooping to bribery (and worse) in order to ensure he can keep cutting down the trees but his past is about to come back to haunt him with a bastard offspring and Serena's own inability to have children complicating matters.

Susanne Bier made the stunning film In a Better World which was Oscar nominated, subtle and unforgettable. Since then she has slipped into Hollywood slop with Love is All You Need and Serena continues her sudden slide into disappointment. When it starts, it looks as though JLaw might be returning to her Winter's Bone roots. The landscapes are lovingly filmed and the production design takes you back to the era convincingly.

But the problems with Serena are mostly with the script, characters and editing. It feels butchered, like someone has taken an axe to it and hacked it to pieces. Cooper and Lawrence meet, have sex a few times in a swift montage and are married. We are told Serena's back story briefly by one character and then she fills in a few more details herself later. It's all tell and no show and neither Cooper or Lawrence manage to create completely convincing characters. Despite Serena's tragic past, it is incredibly difficulty to muster even a shred of sympathy for either character.

The Pembertons are bastards, pure and simple. Selfish, conniving and greedy; you want them to fail. The supporting characters have the potential to be more interesting but are never given any time to develop. What is more, Serena reeks of misogyny. Lawrence may start off as an equal partner to her husband but she is soon deemed worthless by him if she cannot bear children. Perhaps that says more about George than it does about the (anti)heroine but Serena comes across as a spiteful Lady Macbeth style creature with few redeeming features.

Serena looks great but its choppy narrative has purely unlikeable characters that never fully convince despite solid performances from Lawrence and Cooper. Rhys Ifans and Toby Jones offer decent support but maybe its time Cooper and Lawrence had a break from each other.

On the plus side, Jennifer Lawrence turned up at the screening so it was cool to see her in the flesh, because you know... she's KATNISS!!! She even (jokingly?) asked us not to tweet about the film if we didn't like it. Sorry Jennifer, but at least we'll always have The Hunger Games!

More Reviews from I Love That Film

More from the London Film Festival 2014

Buy my book on The Blair Witch Project

Hunger Games Teaser: President Snow's Panem Address

Poor Peeta. Check out Josh Hutcherson in this teaser video for the third Hunger Games movie Mockingjay Part 1. He is brainwashed like so many of the citizens of Panem and is now President Snow's mascot.

Poor old Peeta is about to become a propaganda tool in the fight against the rebellion that will rise with Katniss Everdeen at the centre. This also means that we'll actually get more of a chance to see Katniss getting cosy with Gale as Peeta is going to be far too busy standing still and staring into space at Snow's side.

The third book is probably the weakest of the book series and the decision to split it into two films is perhaps unwise but with marketing like this, we'll just have to wait and see. No matter what, it will be good to see Katniss out of the arena and into a real war, and this will also be the final chance to witness Philip Seymour Hoffman's majesty on screen.

Does anyone else get a creepy Michael Jackson/Jimmy Saville-like vibe from the President in this video?

Panem forever baby...

American Hustle Review

American Hustle is more than anything else, a showcase for its actors; a sure fire Oscar contender in all the acting categories. It may seem to many a bit of a stretch to call performances 'brave' but American Hustle is full of such performances. Christian Bale balloons and covers baldness with an ambitious comb over, Amy Adams spends the entire film showing off some serious side boob, Jennifer Lawrence plays a hideously manipulative bitch and Bradley Cooper turns what should be the good guy into an utter prick.

American Hustle is the story of con man Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) who, along with his smart and attractive partner Sydney (Adams) is caught grafting and then forced by Federal Agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper) to aid the FBI in catching high profile targets using their skills. In return for leniency, Rosenfeld and Sydney will lure their prey in and ensure DiMaso gets his men. When the stakes are suddenly raised and senators, congressmen and the Mob become involved, all the characters quickly find themselves out of their depth, made worse by Rosenfeld's scheming and completely untrustworthy ex-wife Rosalyn (Lawrence).

Its a film lush with production design detail,showing off not just its cast's considerable acting talents but also their commitment to looking a little bit silly and mostly unlikeable. The hair, the costume and the decor is wonderfully awful and fortunately only adds to the performances. The murky grey areas of morality are explored throughout with the con artists robbing the poor, the FBI behaving in equally questionable ways and it all takes place in an America only recently recovering from Vietnam and Watergate. No one is nice, few get out clean and even those that do manage to keep their heads up, leave a lot a lot to be desired.

The story is 'mostly true' but Eric Warren Singer and director David O. Russell's screenplay is a little too neat to be credible. The characters are great fun to watch when they get into the scamming but watching Bale and Adams falling in love is less essential. Bale seems to be channeling De Niro (who briefly turns up for a cameo) and Adams is the smartest but least interesting character beyond wondering how her breasts stay in her dresses. In fact, these two get the less exciting roles being more dependable than electric. It's when Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence rev up that the film really takes off. Both smart and stupid and incredibly manipulative, they are the fuel that makes American Hustle catch fire.

Overall it's a clever con, funny at times and crammed with wonderful performances. It might not have the zip and the pizazz of a Goodfellas or a Boogie Nights, but what it does have is Batman, Lois Lane, Rocket Racoon, Mystique and Hawkeye all in one film and all playing characters that are far more interesting than their comic book counterparts.

Stick around! Please enjoy some more reviews from I Love That Film:

Dallas Buyers Club

12 Years A Slave

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

All is Lost

The Railway Man

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Captain Phillips

Saving Mr. Banks

Golden Globes winners and losers

The Golden Globes threw up a bunch of surprises last night and having bet £10 on various outcomes, it seems I have ended up losing about £1.40. The main reason for that is that I put £3 on the favourite for Best Actor in a Drama, Chiwetel Ejifor. I was sure Ejiofor was a guaranteed win after seeing 12 Years A Slave 
on Friday night. Having now seen Dallas Buyers Club, I can see why the competition was so severe.

I also lost a pound by betting on The Wolf of Wall Street to win Best Picture Comedy/Musical over the favourite American Hustle. Again, I haven't seen TWOWS but I suspected that American Hustle would not be winning much except maybe in the acting categories. Oops!

Luckily I did believe in Amy Adams to win the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical and I had put £2 on her. She was the favourite so I didn't win much but still, it's better than a kick in the pants and made up for losing money on Ejiofor and The Wolf of Wall Street.

I also won a bit on Leo DiCaprio for winning Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for TWOWS and also for Jared Leto for winning Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. Again, I think both of these were the favourites and I only put a very small amount on each so no big champagne popping wins for me!

I also lost money by betting on Lupita Nyong'o over Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress. These were the biggest surprises of the night for me; Ejiofor and Nyong'o losing out to Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence. As much as I love Lawrence, I'm gobsmacked she beat Nyong'o. Thank goodness 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture or I may have had a small screaming fit.

Anyway enough about me and my silly movie awards gambling addiction, here is the list of winners (almost all of them anyway) taken from The Telegraph:

Best motion picture (drama)

12 Years A Slave
Best TV series (drama)
Breaking Bad 

Best Actor in a motion picture (drama)
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress in a motion picture (drama)
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine 
   
Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

Best motion picture (musical or comedy)
American Hustle

Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle

Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy  
Leonardo Dicaprio, Wolf of Wall Street

Best Animated Feature film 
Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film  
The Great Beauty (Italy)

Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad 

Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

What did you think of the winners this year?