Never Let Me Go.

No idea how this film turned up on the blog list as we can't remember the poster for it- we didn't recognise it and we weren't drunk when we made the list but somehow it ended up on the list so let's get to it.

Having read the cast list at least three times I spent the entire film managing to forget that the character of Thomas was Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man) and therefore spent ages looking at him thinking that he was really quite recognisable. All that I had managed to take in was that Keira Knightley was in this film (which was not intentional) and that she was actually good in it. I say that like it is surprising but seeing as how this film was made recently it shouldn't be surprising at all.

Based on the book of the same name and same plot, the cast line up includes those mentioned above and also Carey Mulligan (Drive, The Great Gatsby, An Education) and Sally Hawkins (Layer Cake, An Education,  Paddington). The film was generally received with positive reviews and it made a profit so it cannot be called a flop. This film is never going to be a blockbuster and it possibly is not likely to be someone's favourite film but it is a different film to many others (and possible all other films in my collection) and will always have that working for it. Working on the theory that medicine can make the kind of breakthrough which extends human lifespan to past 100 years, this film is about three clones who like so many others discover that they are 'doners' and will either die or have to keep giving up their organs as they become adults. It is a little weird but underneath it all it is a love triangle and the time and challenges faced between three childhood school friends. The saying that love conquers all... does it?

Before Midnight

Unknowingly to me this film is actually the third in the trilogy! I can only assume that this was one of the movie poster quiz films that ended up on the extended list for the blog. Ethan Hawke (The Magnificent Seven, Dead Poet's Society) has starred as Jesse in this Romance film for years now and his character is actually very refreshing to see.

In this film he has a son with one woman and is married to another beautiful woman and has two girls with her. Things all seem well, they go back to that famous island on Greece for a holiday and then I guess that honesty just overcomes everything else and can often be the cause of many problems, or at least, can be the reason that they come to life. One minute they are all set to have sex and within a grand total of two minutes they are having an argument over their children. It seems weird but I guess that when you start to take on more responsibility and your children get older things in your life change and what this film manages to do really well is show how things can change but how you can keep things going and work through your problems. 

She walks out of the hotel room several times and he is quite calm. just gently reminding her that she may need certain things when she leaves: 'you forget your shoes' and then she comes back several times before allowing him to come and find her and talk about it all. What is captured fantastically well is how each person responds and feels in that situation. Everything that they said was true but Ethan Hawke had the line that summed it all up- you're not perfect and you can be irritating but I accept you and love you for who you are. It can be hard for us to allow someone else to love us for who we are and it is much easier to push them away but no matter how many problems we create and reasons we give them to leave us they aren't going to because we love each other and we're not happy without each other. Sorry if that sounds a bit pathetic but that's the truth of it and this film shows that very clearly. Yes it's just a film but it was someone's idea brought to life by the actors in the film. 

Elysium

Another Matt Damon film. At times I have been harsh on him, claiming that in some films he is just rubbish but then everyone has their moments and even the best have a performance that isn't quite at the same level as the others. Having said that, most of his films are actually good and this was no exception.

Wondering if he can still take on different roles in similar style films? Worry no more- the answer is yes.

Seeing him with a shaven head and not just beating the life out of everyone is actually kind of cool and nice. The character Kruger isn't a particular favourite of mine, too much association with Freddy Kruger and not something that should be associated with. The character of Freddy Kruger is strong enough without having other associations to it- a bit of a let down there but otherwise all okay.

The action is lovely, the script is lovely. One of the most fluent action films that Matt Damon has done. Point and purpose but also not everything going the way that he wanted them. Jodie Foster was almost perfect. Her performance was that of a similar level to her performance in 'Inside Man'. I honestly did not recognise her but that is nice, it adds something to the film. The short hair worked for her and she had more hair than Matt Damon so all is good. She was strong and powerful in a performance that was somewhat similar to one Helen Mirren as a strong confident war woman. Really nice to see.

Show Girls

I have to admit that I have not seen this film all the way through and I will not ever be watching this film all the way through as I can't handle watching domestic abuse and rape, so spoiler alert for anyone who didn't know the plot but that is what happens at the end and I think that it really ruins the film. I read ahead whilst searching for an answer to another question and I am glad that I did because I can write honestly about the things that I have see and do not have to write horrible comments about that which I did not want to see.

The dancing is a bit hit and miss. The comments that they make throughout the film about her using the assets more than natural dancing skill is entirely true. I'm all for dancing naked if you are actually dancing and not just kinda having sex on stage. I was sort of expecting this to be a little like flashdance after it had started and in no way was it but it would have done better trying to emulate certain parts of Flashdance instead of being different.

If you google this and check out the Wikipedia page you will discover that it was a massive 'flop', meaning that it made a lot less that it started with and it also received a NC-17 rating in certain states of America for its sexual violence, erotic sexual acts and general nudity. Some people would consider some of those reasons to be an excuse to watch the film but others would not, each to their own.

I've spoken about the dancing so now i'll move on to the costume. Costumes were great but there wasn't much there. I'm all for working with what you have got but even if it is a strip dance you can work with more than just that. I guess that I wanted to see something that would really make it a show, that would make it different from the strip tease going on at the club down the road.

I sort of liked what I saw (not in a sexual way) and at the same time it was too much. There is such a thing as too much nudity. What this film captures is the working way of showbiz, how far you have to go to get to the top, how far people will go to stop you and the prices that everyone pays to keep the shows going, even if it means covering up horrendous crimes. In many ways this film is similar to a poem by Anna Akhmatova who claims that Stalin just climbed on everyone else to get to the top and that is what this film is saying- push them down the stairs if you have to in order to get your golden shot. How far would you go to make your dreams reality?

The Danish Girl

Watching Eddie Redmayne evolve and develop into a superb actor is something that any film lover would want to spend their time doing. Just like with music, if your friend has a band or if you find a small band that has potential, going to all their shows, downloading all their tracks, being a part of the musical development is often the best part of it and the pride you get from watching them turn into global stars with hit records and sell out arena shows cannot be put into words. It's the same with watching a new talent evolve. One day they are in a film as a small supporting role and you think that they have the potential to go on and raise their game to the heights of Guinness or Olivier and next you see them taking on terrible roles in terrible films and destroying their careers but not with Eddie Redmayne. Recognition started with 'Marius' in 'Les Miserables' and he was one of the outstanding performers given how rubbish the leads were. The question was if he could do anything with it so when 'The Theory of Everything' came out I think that I am right in saying that there were many people who beamed and jumped for joy because his performance was stunning in that film and we knew that this young man was going to make a lot of decent films.

A few years have passed now in between 'The Theory of Everything' and 'The Danish Girl' and upon seeing the posters and not knowing anything about it we knew that Eddie Redmayne had the right bone structure to actually pass as an acceptable woman. Some people are put off by a film about a man having the first sex change to become a woman but it is a part of our life, there are people out there who just feel wrong about who they are, it can't be helped and it is painful for them to have to go through life not being true to themselves. Feeling that you are not the right gender is similar to be a homosexual, denying it does not make anything easier for anyone. 

He is one of the most convincing woman that is really a man seen in cinema. There is more to being a woman than just putting on a dress. Redmayne is equally as attractive as a woman as he is when he is a man and the portrayal was so accurate that it was actually believable all the time. He was nominated for Best Actor but lost out (for some unknown reason) to Leo DiCaprio for his terrible performance in 'The Revenant'. This film was much better than that terrible film was. Beautiful scenery and an award for best supporting actress Alicia Vikander says enough to convince everyone that they should watch it. Doesn't matter if you don't like the topic, it is a part of your education and should help to either broaden your horizons or show everyone around you that you are ridiculously single minded and that says a lot about you.

Watch it, comment on it. This blog feels pointless because no one debates anything on it. In four years I have had one comment on this blog but over 10,00 views. Talk to me about these films, about the review, if there is something that you think we could do better... just talk to us, let us know that you are out there.

Alice Through The Looking Glass

I haven't read the book (I know- shock horror and a terrible crime) and from discussions that I have had with members of my family who have read the book I think not reading it makes it all easier to watch. We know from watching Tim Burton's 'Alice In Wonderland' that parts of 'Through The Looking Glass' were put in to the plot of Alice In Wonderland as that film was a compilation of Wonderland, Looking Glass and The Jabberwocky.

So where to go from a very good first film? A film like this did not have the same kind of hype building up to it as many other Tim Burton films and that is possibly because most of us thought that there was nowhere to go with this film but X-Men and Marvel in general have proved that it matters not if there is nowhere to go- they'll make a film anyway.

This film is not so much about Alice, rather that it is more a back story in to the Hatter. All the good characters feature predominantly and Alice very much is the main character who has most of the action but her mission is to go back in time and save the Hatter's family because unlike so many of us, when normal life gets boring she can escape to another world and do many awesome things that we can only dream of- it's alright for some.

Mia Wasikowska has really made the part her own. It's probably fair to say that she is still waiting for her career to take off and that's a slight shame because her performances in these films are great. Now the challenge is for her to make a break in a film with a memorable name. Let's see if she can do it! Richard Armitage and Sasha Baron Cohen come in to the new cast to join up with the old names of Bonham-Carter, Lucas, Depp, Fry and Rickman (RIP). I like it when Baron Cohen is serious, comedy isn't really his role, even if he thinks that it is.

As someone who has not read the book I found the film interesting, different but still with the imagination and beauty that was captured in the first film. I liked it a lot but I now have to go and the books properly so that I can compare the accuracy. I would love to hear from someone who has read the books and seen the films! Comment below or on the facebook page (link below).

A Shot in the dark

The next in 'The Pink Panther' trilogy. Another one that wasn't on the list but I don't have enough on the list for every day so adding in a few as we go can't be a bad thing.

Peter Sellers returns to carry on playing his famous role as Jaques Clusso. There will never be Pink Panther films like this. You can't recreate the timing and comedy that Peter Sellers creates because everything is natural and effortless. You can almost predict what is going to happen but it is still funny, not telegraphed but once you start thinking like him you can see that it is possible for this stupid thing to happen.

No violin playing, no destruction of the violin and that was a little bit of a shame but watching him be constantly attacked by his friend 'Cato' in order to practice Karate was hilarious. This time around the film ditched its normal famous credits of 'The Pink Panther' accompanied by the theme, in fact, although all the music was done by Henri Mancini the actual Pink Panther did not feature at all in this film which was a little bit of a let down.

It will never be a problem of once you have seen one you have seen them all, this is not Die hard or Mission Impossible. There is something to gain to by watching all of these films and next year we intend the watch the other three films over the course of the year. Part of being British is understanding some of the greats: Alec Guinness, Lawrence Olivier, Peter Sellers so without further adue, if you have not watched any of these films then stop whatever you are doing and watch these films.

The Tree of Life

This film gives the impression of being a complete pile of crap. About five minutes of film and the rest of boring still shots of the universe and a few other things whilst opera is playing in the background.

With Fiona Shaw and Brad Pitt in it you are thinking that it can't go wrong but just Wikipedia it, the plot is really boring. I couldn't have thought of this plot if I had taken all the drugs in the world. I find it hard to write a review on this film because the squealing from Fiona Shaw made it sound like the world was going to end combined with 28 days later, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and a few other horror movies which involve everyone being killed. To just watch a powerpoint presentation and listen to opera was a bit of a letdown after hearing that squeal. I am sure that the rest of the film is fantastic but like when watching 2001 a space odyssey, there are better things to be doing in our lives than watching paint dry.

It says a lot if the film has be turned off out of boredom because no film should ever have to be turned off before it has really started, let alone a film staring Brad Pitt and Fiona Shaw.

Midnight in Paris

Owen Wilson (Shanghai Noon, Zoolander) making a first appearance on the blog in a leading role (and maybe his first ever appearance to this blog). Not a huge fan of him generally, I find him to be irritating and not a particularly good actor but as always this film was picked by it's constant appearance on a movie poster quiz rather than me reading the review and deciding to select it.

Rachel McAdams comes back in for another feature on the blog and yes I realise that she was on this quite recently but I couldn't care less about that, if they are good like then having her constantly appear in films can only make the films better. As always there was no mistaking her and the combination of her and Martin Sheen (Kingdom of Heaven, Frost/Nixon) only cast a massive shadow over Owen Wilson. He was about as good as he will ever get but that is not saying a lot. It would be unfair to say that Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes, About Time, Mean Girls, The Notebook) was utterly outstanding but she was good, as was Martin Sheen.

Tom Hiddleston was the surprise. I did not recognise him at all. Only after bringing up IMDB to search for someone else in this film did I see his name and then make the connection. Yes it was a minor supporting role but it was good nonetheless.

The plot for this film is actually what makes it a good film. The idea of Paris in the day being in the now and Paris at Midnight being in a different time continuum, allowing our main character to meet the likes of Hemingway, Picasso and Scott Fitzgerald is a fantastic idea, it's just a shame that casting Owen Wilson was a massive mistake. Regardless of the casting the film is actually worth watching. The scenery is lovely and stunning to admire.

A Good Day to Die Hard.

From sheer boredom of watching ANOTHER Die Hard film this may in fact be a good day to die hard. With the idea being that once again this guy is on vacation and has gone to look for  his son they could have tried a little harder to make the son look like him- there is no way that these two are related, I mean- seriously? People cue up to be in a film with Bruce Willis and from that list they can't even pick a guy that looks like he could have been Bruce Willis' son?

I guess that they had to get the Russians and double agents in at some point, we were waiting for it and it finally delivered but I for one will personally be very happy if they never make another Die Hard movie again because 5 was three more than the world needed. The stunts are becoming ridiculously unreal and the idea of him being on holiday has already been done before- find something new if you are going to insist upon inflicting the world with the same films over and over again.

Now comes my normal rant about how much I hate pathetic, cowardly, idiots who top the list alongside mass murderers, general murderers, psychopaths, paedophiles, rapists and abusive people- with the cowardly people in question being the people who hit others when they have got their victims tied up or can see them lying on the floor- it's not called for, its pathetic, it's cowardly and people who do that do not deserve a single millisecond in a film, on tv or on the news- they deserve no fame, credit or mention ever. If they make another film with a scene like that in it everyone should boycott it- stop promoting cowardly behaviour. Like it or not, in today's world anything that is done in film is promoting that idea to a child or adult out there in the world so watching loads of guys constantly tie up and then beat up others is teaching and promoting cowardice and violence. I'm all for fighting for one's country and for the right cause but i'm not for promoting bullies and idiots.

If you've seen more than one then you have seen them all. The only thing that makes this different is that it is in Russia and as far as I can remember there are no van chases.

The Aviator

A young billionaire invests a ton of money in to a film that takes about three or four years to actually be released. The film is a hit but Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) suffers from OCD and his symptoms are getting worse. A man obsessed with aeroplanes- the title 'The Aviator' is fitting for a film that seems to mostly be about planes with film on the side.

The first thing to note is that the accent is really irritating. His accent is irritating but this may just be a personal preference however if you are from the UK you are likely to find the accent annoying. Cate Blanchett won the award for best supporting actress and oh my goodness some of her scenes, especially her angry scenes were well worth it. Screaming at DiCaprio and then running out of things to say so picking on his eating habits concerning ice cream was actually hilarious. A defeated woman should be gracious in defeat and never give in without a fight; that is what she does throughout this film because let's face it, she is living with a man who spends his time escorting other gorgeous women to events every night.

Kate Beckinsale has the measure of him all the way. She's not a woman who falls in love with him, she is a woman who is very clear that he makes her look good and that neither of them are in love with the other so she wont let him own her and this bothers him to the point of becoming seriously OCD and bugging her house.

It's a weird film but at the same time a simple film. The only thing that makes it weird is that I've never known OCD to be like this. The performance is incredible but more a performance similar to 'A Beautiful Mind' than a performance of someone who is suffering from obsessive compulsions.

Up In The Air

Watching this film will teach you how the awkward conversation when you loose your job goes.

Lifestyle and the philosophy behind life is really simple, no family, no love and a backpack containing your life from all your flights. George Clooney is the man chosen by big companies to be in charge of firing people and sorting out all the packages that go with being fired. It's all working well for him, he flies with the same company across America in an attempt to reach passenger milestones and as a result is known by most of the flight attendants. He is not the only one who is a frequent flyer, Alex (Vera Farmiga) is also a regular with this airline and they start a casual relationship. 

Now we introduce a particular favourite on this block- Anna Kendrick, playing the part of a young graduate recently hired by the company who is supporting a new programme where the firing of staff members from a company is done via a webcam. This can generally show a lack of compassion and does not actually teach you how to deal with people when they are unhappy (as you can imagine they would be once they have been told that they are being fired) and also means that Clooney would stop having to fly around the country and therefore not reach his milestones. Kendrick is sceptical and at times a little harsh of Clooney's decision to not have a family or children so he starts to think that maybe he can start something with Alex but he is later proved wrong. 

Up In The Air claims to be a comedy, it's not and it's not even a romantic film, it's just a film about everything mentioned above. For me this film felt like it didn't quite have a category so they decided to try and label it as a romcom but it's not and that should be okay. The world of film is constantly developing and expanding, it's okay for us to be making and watching films that don't quite fit in to the typical categories that we have- time for something new. A vulgar word but this film is just a really 'nice' film. It's good enough from the cast, not special but good enough. 

Shutter Island

Weird. Not weird like Memento, weird because in the middle I was really confused and wasn't sure about anything. Films that can make you do that are real psychological thrillers- they mess with your head in the best way with hopefully no lasting damage.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars and once again firmly reminds everyone that you should judge based on each performance and that actually he is a better actor than he was in Beaches and Titanic. Yes, he has recently made some rubbish films (Wolf of Wall Street, The Revenant) but overall he has made a lot of awesome and really cool films. Paired with Mark Ruffalo (who is featuring a lot on the blog at the moment and I apologise for that but I had no idea that he was in any of these films so it's just coincidence that he is featuring as much as he is) and opposite Ben Kingsley (who typically is the evil guy) they investigate an asylum on an Island after a woman disappears from it.

Neo Noir style film and once again a completely different type of neo-noir film to anything else seen on the blog over the years. Not like Sin City but also not like Batman Begins and I love that about it. What this blog is doing is opening up the world of film and the world of every genre bringing every individuals interpretation and creativity to the blog and to the world. Taking Psychological to a new level, not psychotic where everyone is completely crazy, just the ability to confuse you constantly until the end where everything makes sense. You have to watch this film all the way to the end in order to actually understand this film.

Ability and talent in abundance shines throughout this film from start to finish. No one person is to take the credit for this film, every bar set by one actor was met and extended by another. Whatever Leo can do Mark can do but whatever they can do Ben can also do. By the end of the film I was left trying to work out if anything was real but after thinking about it and trying to logically connect everything that had happened in the film I realised that yes, half of it was real and that by the end everything is explained. This is a film that you could watch over and over again just to make sure that you have understood everything and, if we are being honest, just to admire the talent on display.

Bridget Jones' Baby

We have waited years for this film. Even though we weren't entirely sure that it was going to come all Bridget Jones' fans were longing for another film because they are hilarious and we all love a but of Colin Firth playing opposite someone of a similar age.

So many times the film plot for this trilogy has gone round in circles with her being cheated on by Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) and then falling in love with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and then going back to Cleaver and then back to Darcy. This film did not feature Hugh Grant (probably because he wasn't permitted to fight with Hugh Grant again) and so we did not have to suffer the normal predictability of two men fighting over Bridget but we did have to sit there and wait for the expected outcome at the end of the film.

What can we say about it? ?It was fantastic, it was funny, it was enjoyable with a great soundtrack that really suited the film. The comedy is natural and not in a Peter Sellers way, in a this line or event is hilarious but also entirely probable and for some of us more likely to happen than to others. It's a great way to spend an evening, none of them have lost their touch and the addition of Emma Thompson is fantastic. Everything that you see in the advert is just as funny as when you see it on the big screen, not to mention the things that weren't in the advert. From start to finish you are laughing (even the guy next to me who was surrounded by women was laughing throughout the entire film) and enjoying your evening. You don't need a companion to enjoy this film- just go and see it and you will enjoy it- it's kind of a guilty pleasure for men (like Taylor Swift) and that's okay.

Bridget Jones' Baby is the perfect way to wind down and the perfect ending to the films. There is always a twist but I don't think that the twist signifies another movie in this case, with the baby and the happy ever after type ending the series doesn't need another film. It's good to see the team back for one last go and good to see the production team realising that the cast have all got older and have written a script to suit their age instead of making people with Grey hair who are clearly well in to their fifties try and play someone who is supposed to be in their twenties. Every thought that went in to this film is fantastic.

Battleship

Starring Rihanna... much better than I expected it to be. People sigh or groan when they here the name of this film mentioned but having watched it is unclear as to why they do this. The film is easy enough; one man (Taylor Kitch) has to turn his life around and his brother makes him join the navy but he keeps messing up and he is dating the Admiral's daughter. His brother (Alexander Skarsgard) dies during an Alien invasion and his brother has to take command of the ship. Naturally with a little help from their friends they stop the alien invasion and the world makes sense again.

This film is very much a film for the Navy as it shows the importance of veterans and injured soldiers. This film also shows the importance of having all types of ships and weapons available to you- just because something is outdated it doesn't mean that it isn't useful in an alien invasion. Just because someone no longer has any legs that doesn't mean that they can't play their part as well and help to save the day. Let us not forget the most important message of all: just because you save the day it doesn't mean that you are going to be permitted to marry the Admiral's daughter. Got that? Okay, lets move on to the actual review.

Soundtrack= superb. Lots of ACDC and Blues Rock and Roll which was perfect for Military training and the loading of heavy weaponry on board. It's not everyone's taste in music but it was a perfect selection for this film. Thunderstruck summed up what was happening on screen.
Liam Neeson was so good that I can only heap on the praise. I've said it all before and it was good to see him not just killing everyone in this film but you can never question his authority, not to mention his choice of words and lines. A man with that attitude in a powerful position like that would actually be useful for everyone to have so that they can ignore some of the more stupid decisions made by people who have never fought a war.
Alexander Skarsgard was stunning. Serious, with a little touch of humour about him but mostly the role model and what you would expect from the Navy. His performance was better than Taylor Kitch's, he would have stolen the film had it not been for Liam Neeson.
Rihanna actually put in a good performance in this film. The character at times seemed unimportant and was very much a supporting role and that worked well for her, the focus wasn't actually on her very much and that worked well. One thing I will say is that there is no way someone that skinny would be in the Navy- I don't mean that all the woman are fat but they have to build up some muscle and Rihanna honestly doesn't look like she has much of that- she wouldn't be allowed on a ship looking as thin as she does. Apart from that everything was okay.

State of Play

Ben Affleck, Russel Crowe, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams so we're thinking that it can't be that bad. Yes, it has Ben Affleck starring in it but with the others being as good as they are the chances of this film being good and Affleck's normal poor performance being overshadowed.

Reporters in a death that causes a scandal. An action film with a completely different angle. Crowe is a reporter, McAdams a blogger who is relatively new to the firm, the head of the magazine and of course, Affleck takes the role of a company executive who was having a secret relationship with the deceased and is a friend of the main reporter (Crowe). The idea is, play detective before the detectives fail to work out the case because in the interest of the story there has to be a story before the detectives figure it all out and claim all the credit.

Affleck has one fantastic point in the film but he once again sticks to his slightly pained and mostly emotionless face for the entire film. This guy just can't show anything other than a small amount of pain and it is really irritating. At times you don't want the calm and composed guy as it isn't natural, we can't always be calm and composed. What he lacks everyone else in the cast has so it's okay. Scenes for Affleck are limited and that makes the film much better.

What this film captures is the moral conflicts and dilemmas that we all thought reporters didn't have or know what they even were. It's refreshing to see a reporter with a conscience, a reporter who understands about friendship and in Crowe's character we have that. On the other hand we see the typical reporter that we all think of in McAdams, someone who is thinking about what should go on the front page- the first thought is 'well if we don't do it then someone else will so we should just do it'. Yes, there are people like that but there are people who can do the job of reporting but not think only about their pay grade and the story. This film captures everything about being a reporter. It's a great film in it's own way but I don't really know what category it falls in to.

Sucker Punch

Critically acclaimed as a flop in every country, box office and cinema yet this is a Zak Snyder film so it stands a chance of being a decent film, if not a little weird.

Original from him and I am of the opinion that any film that starts with a psychedelic version of Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This' is a film worthy of my time. The music was stunning, very Smashing Pumpkins mixed with Eels and Placebo and perfectly summed up the entire film. You have to read the wikipedia page before watching to be able to get your head around what is going on as there are many fantasies and moments when you aren't sure what is going on. The way that it is done is almost Poirot esq, pay attention from the start and always be thinking about what you have just seen because in the end if you have paid attention to the start you will understand everything when it is explained.

If you have seen 'Watchmen' or '300' then you will have no issue with adjusting to this director and you wont be surprised by anything that you see. Think of the 'Smashing Pumpkins' and those types of bands and you will be thinking in the same way that this film requires. Vanessa Hudgens has made a name for herself away from being the attractive young girl who can sing and is paired opposite young men who are considered to be attractive, meaning that she has moved far away from 'High School Musical' and even though her career hasn't quite kicked off in the way that she would have wanted she has nothing to be ashamed of by being in this film. Emily Browning sang on most of the recordings of the songs played throughout the film, she has a stunning voice and she is fantastic in it as well.

Know your music, make the connections and try to prepare yourself for it. The rest of the world may have considered it to be a flop but they are wrong, it's a great film in its own way, similar to beetlejuice but with better music and some great scenes and messages.