Birthday, Taxman, Movies, Movies & Movies

Whilst walking into work this morning I put on my new Beatles album “Revolver”, the first track on this is called “Taxman”… How apt!

It was Roz’s birthday on Thursday, so I had the day off.

She seemed pleased with the pressies she received and we had quite a nice stroll around town in the morning (during which she persuaded me to buy a new suit). Elliot also enjoyed helping to blow the candles out on her cake.

Films watched
Corpse Bride
I brought this for Roz (amongst other things) for her birthday – but it was also a film that I was interested in watching seeing as how I’m a fan of most things by Tim Burton.

The animation was simply fantastic, the models exquisite and the storyline very likeable. Unfortunately as this is partially aimed at kids, they must have decided to follow the Disney route and add a few musical numbers (similar to Nightmare Before Christmas). Now whilst the musical numbers in Nightmare Before Christmas were not good, but bearable, these ranged from average to simply abysmal.

As a consequence what could have been a truly a great movie was turned into a merely good movie

7/10

Howl’s Moving Castle
Whilst not quite as good as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, this was still a splendid animated film. The charm that I’ve come to expect from Miyazaki’s films was just as present here.

The story seemed to stay a little around 2/3rds of the way into the film, but had both a spectacular (and amusing) beginning and enchanting ending.

Oh and Billy Crystal is simply perfectly cast in this film as a aggravated fire demon.

8/10

V for Vendetta
Now this was one film that I was really looking forward to. It is a film based on a graphic novel which I do own but have never read and somehow seem to have lost. I purchased it at the time because it was written by the same writer as Watchmen and was also meant to be very good, however, other than knowing the basic premise, I went into the film rather blind.

I’ve just got back from the cinema after watching it… My reaction? Fantastic.

This is exactly the type of film which demonstrates that films based on comics can be about ideas as much as action. In many ways this probably one of the bravest Hollywood movies to be made in years. It is after all a film which asks you to sympathise with a terrorist. The totalitarian government that he fights against may be corrupt, but this does not hide that the methods which are used are murder, bombings and terrorism.

This even addresses mental conditioning through torture in a truly surprising way, this is truly a film which you will leave with a few thoughts still lingering in your head.

I’ll just have to cross my fingers that Watchmen may eventually be made into a film… But V for Vendetta will be a tough act to follow!

8.5/10

So, overall a good few films a good few days...