A Saturday Night Film Guide

So we all know the best way to have a rocking Saturday night… a movie night! This works especially well if you have spent Friday night drinking a tad more than you should. So if you want a good cry on a Saturday (and who wouldn’t!) here are my recommendations for the perfect movie night. A caution though if you have a heart at least one of these films will make you cry.

First up is Dear John (currently showing on Sky Anytime). Now I thought this film was going to be crap… I won’t lie, but I was left pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t a cry your eyes out success but it had enough story without just being the typical fall in love live happily ever after.

Dear John, as you have probably seen from the adverts, is about a couple who meet, fall in love in two weeks (yes I know!!) and then he goes to war. They write to eachother and try to make the relationship work. I think my favourite and most unexpected thing about the film was the autism element, it gave a bit of depth to the story and made it something a bit different. Dear John is a lot more about the relationships between the main characters and their family as opposed to eachother and I think it is sweet and easy watching and the perfect way to begin your evening.

Next up is Harry Brown. Now it’s getting a little later in the evening it is time to move on to the gangster film. I liked Harry Brown although it made me cry a lot! I found certain parts of the film very disturbing and I think that has made me a little biased as to how good it is. I really like it but I find anything with older people left in an intimidated position a little hard to watch.

Harry Brown is the story of a man who lives on a rough London estate. He sees the gangs around there controlling the area and basically running riot. The last straw is when his best friend is targeted. He decides to take a stand and goes about ridding the area of these people. Plan B is main ‘baddie’ in the film and it has made me dislike him so I guess good acting.

So finally to end the evening in tears… and I defy you not to cry is Hachi: A Dog’s Tale. Again this is showing on Sky at the moment. Oh dear this film made me SOB.

It is hard to say anything about this film without spoiling it but all I will say is if you are a dog lover and you think Marley and Me was sad… well you need to watch this!!

The Oscars

When MSN Movies asked for a little piece on The Oscars I thought fab… that was not quite my thoughts at stupid o’clock this morning. I don’t get out of bed that early for just anyone but hey for Oscar – it was worth it. Visit http://movies.uk.msn.com/ for more.

As expected the ceremony was a night of glamour and well… more glamour. Despite apparently trying to aim at a younger audience this year, The Social Network missed out on the coveted Best Picture which of course went to The King’s Speech – did we really expect otherwise?

The Brits stole the show in general with The King’s Speech picking up four awards – Best Picture, Best Leading Actor for Colin Firth, Best Director for Tom Hooper and Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler.

Mr Darcy, sorry I mean Firth, almost broke out into dance when accepting his award which would have made it a bit more interesting but no he stayed true to his very English dignity and gave humble thanks.

The stunning Natalie Portman scooped Best Actress and gave a heartfelt speech which included the usual few tears while thanking her parents and various other supporters.

Christian Bale and Melissa Leo both won The Fighter awards for their supporting roles with Melissa dropping ‘the F-bomb’ as Christian called it – making it a slightly more entertaining speech than the others.

Exit Through The Gift Shop had my high hopes and I thought LA should have been grateful to have Banksy spreading his work around LA, but still it lost out to Inside Job.

Hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway, the youngest host of the awards show in history, did a pretty good job actually. The rumoured Grease medley luckily did not happen, however, after what looked like a costume swap with her co-host into a Lanvin tux, Anne did break into song, at which point I had to fast forward because it was just too horrific.

Now… onto the most important part of the evening THE DRESSES!

Well done Natalie Portman you did not disappoint! Natalie was arguably the best dressed of the night in a Rodarte violet-colored draped gown in silk chiffon.

Her co-star Mila Kunis, who I think is absolutely beautiful (slight girl crush), wore the lingerie-style Elie Saab dress, which she looked lovely in but I thought was not as ‘Oscars’ as she could have gone. Sparkle dear you need to sparkle!

Jennifer Hudson was another woman who stood out. Mainly because she looked SO THIN. I can’t believe how much she has slimmed down. I thought she looked great before and I love a curvier figure but she did look spectacular at the awards – Versace helped.

Sandra Bullock showed her awful ex what he was missing in her show-stopping Vera Wang gown, definitely one of the winners on the red carpet and possibly my favourite of the night.

Now, I am not a big Anne Hathaway fan, but last night I felt she stole the fashion show. She had seven onstage outfits which began with the white Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci. This was a little too ‘wedding dress’ for me but she definitely knows how to dress for an occasion.

After the tux and the song, which we won’t talk about, she moved onto a Vivienne Westwood gown, which again I was not sure about either – things get better trust me. The gown did not really suit her shape and just felt a bit wrong.

It got better from here though, my second favourite the Oscar de la Renta beaded tassel dress was next. Beautiful! Her hair down was nicer too and it moved on to a much more glamorous occasion.

A deep burgundy Atelier Versace gown was her next statement – the dress of the night. Absolutely stunning and the colour worked incredibly for her.

The next was an Armani gown, which was the right colour and gave just the right amount of shimmer. Finally she ended the ceremony in Tom Ford’s beautiful lace and crystal masterpiece.

Well done Anne you upped the fashion stakes and your dresses if nothing else made it a night to remember!

The first British superstar of the decade?

Let’s face it, we haven’t had a British superstar since… Freddie Mercury? The Beatles, if we are including groups or well… I can’t think of anyone else and certainly not a woman.

The Spice Girls were probably the last really huge UK phenomenon. The US manage it constantly – MJ, Elvis, Beyonce, Britney – they are household names across the world and no matter what has gone on in their private lives it is safe to say they are cemented as legends of popular culture.

So… could it be finally that we are seing the rise of a new superstar. It would certainly appear so. She is a songwriter, has a fantastic voice and just the right amount of attitude to crack the world so I have very high hopes for Jessie J. I suppose you might say it is easy to jump on the critics’ band wagon and some might even say all the hype will be her downfall but there is no other UK British female artist – certainly not that I recall who has as much potential as our Jessie!

Before she has even released an album she seems to be headline news and what’s the betting it will jump straight in at number one. Her performances are great and apparently Justin Timberlake has labelled her as ‘the best singer in the world’. As much as I would have loved to hear the original intendee (Rihanna) sind Do It Like a Dude, I am glad it was the way Miss J introduced herself as if nothing else it has restored my faith in British music!