What's The Bottom Line special Warmth Wednesday presents It's Kind of a Funny Story

presents

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

Starring Keir Gilchrist (United States of Tara and Dead Silence), Zach Galifianakis (The Hungover and Due Date) and Emma Roberts (We're The Millers and Wild Child)

Introduction

For Warmth Wednesdays I decided to do a drama that is really underrated, it didn't came to our cinema screens, it went straight to the DVD box for one pound. But, honestly what I have to say about this film, you'll want to watch it. There's nothing like this romantic, comical drama today, alone it's quite unique and have some quirky moments. So, let's start with first impressions. 

First Impressions Before Seeing The Film?

I have to admit that I had low expectations about this film. It just looked unusual strange, and I did read the description because it was on Sky Movies at the time. Basically, a depressed suicidal boy discovers more than himself when he goes to a clinic.....That made me think, this could either be a great drama or a really stereotypical way of how we portray people in society. But, I did look briefly at the cast on the description, you got Emma Roberts who I love in most of her films because I have't seen her do a bad film. Then, off course you have the Hungover star Zach Galifianakis I thought he would be a doctor or one of the patients. You can't really expand on characters when the storyline is quite basic. So, am guessing that Emma Roberts and Keir Gilchrist character's fall for each other as well.

After I Watched The Film?

I have to admit that I was surprised by the execution and the drama that was spot on in this film. It's love in it's most simplest forms and you see the transition as well. You see the depression, you see anxiety, you see excitement, you see curiosity. You see all these huge amounts of emotions played beautifully in a rom-com drama film. I say a rom-com because that's what it is really to me. There was some really nice sad moments, and just bursts of laughters. It's like a roller coaster you feel for these characters, because you can relate to nearly all of them in one moment or another. I have to admit Zach Galifianakis performance really surprised me. I didn't see Hungover star Zach Galifianakis, I saw a completely different side of Zach Galifianakis performance which was refreshing to witness. Emma Roberts because I first saw her in a film called "Wild Child" this was a completely different balance from her. She did have similar traits but it was a completely different character to witness. I actually quite enjoyed the simply portraits in films, I like the basic set, basic outfits. I don't want to see a kid turn into a superhero, I like them films. But, it's refreshing and nice just seeing a modern, realistic, comical and heart warming performance from a simple yet extremely watch-able film. 

Why Should You Watch This Film?

I am really surprised that this is such an underrated film, I don't know many people that have seen this film and if you love the Notebook, P.S I Love You, You Got Mail. I think you would appreciate the simplest form of love and comedy in a nice little film. Plus, the characters transition from being strangers to friends is incredible like people have that click connection and you can see that in this film which is nice. And, I think it's a good thing it's underrated because then you can actually have a conversation recommending a film someone might not have seen. And, plus it's from a book this film like Fault in our Stars, it's similar to that, but this is more comedy than romance I would have to admit. It's a very cute film and I even know blokes that said it's a good film and they were rugby players. So, just saying anyone can really watch this.

Facts About This Film

1. On the rooftop Noelle says that she likes the Pixies. Earlier, when she was mad at him and he was outside her door, an instrumental piano version of the Pixies song 'Where Is My Mind' is playing.
2. Shot over a period of six weeks.
3. In the scene where Craig describes other classmates of his, when it shows him you can see he's reading the book 'Be More Chill' by Ned Vizzini, who also wrote 'It's Kind of a Funny Story'.
4. Paramount and MTV Films acquired the rights to the novel in May 2006. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were hired to adapt the screenplay with a view to direct after. After a while, Paramount changed their mind and put the production into turnaround. Focus Features then stepped in to acquire the property, keeping Boden and Fleck on throughout.
5. GOOF SHOT - When Bobby and Craig are in the gym after playing basketball, Bobby is laying down on the floor. Bobby's shirt is covering and then is not covering the bottom of his stomach with each alternating shot.
6. Some of the psychiatric patients in the hospital are wearing sweatshirts with drawstrings. Mental health facilities would not allow patients to have these. The staff took away Craig's belt and shoelaces, so they likely would not have allowed drawstrings in the hospital.
7. When Craig uses the pay phone for second time to call his best friend for ordering Egyptian music, he didn't insert any coins in it. In the earlier scenes, they clearly shows the coins sound while one of the patient gets off the phone.

My Rankings

I am happy because IMDB users have seen this film, and ranked it quite a high 7.2. I would agree by giving it a 7 because it's highly watch-able, it's one of my favourite drama, romantic, comedies to date. There's just something about it that makes it watch-able and recognizable at the same time. So, am giving it a 7 out of 10. Highly recommended film. 

So, What's The Bottom Line?

I think the bottom line here is that if you are down in the dumps, feeling down, just plain out miserable this film will make you feel better because it's generally a feel good film which is what we may need.

Here is the trailer:

Here is the IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804497/

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What's The Bottom Line with the Toby Carvery's Cedar Tree in Attleborough?

Toby Carvery

Cedar Tree

Lunch Meal on 28th October 2014

Location: Attleborough

I ordered the following, and I will add the pictures of what the meal should of looked like



Roast Pork, Stuffing and Apple Sauce Bap 
Served on a soft, floured bap or a crispy baguette with our roast potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding. £3:99

My first thought was "WOW! £3:99 for a mini little carvery in a bap, that's a bargain! Now, let me destroy the dreams I had for this meal. Let's break it down. Let's start with the roast pork, it was warm not hot hot, it was a bit dry but at the end of the day that's pork, my issue wasn't even with the pork, it was EVERYTHING else. The stuffing was so hard it was like eating bullets from a loaded gun, yes tasted like you wearing eating a metal gun. I don't know how you can over cook stuffing. But, by word! It was ridicously hard, it was so hard the stuffing had a very hard crust, more crust then burnt toast! Then, the potatoes  with an easily solution of gravy to be fixed.....Why would I need gravy? The potatoes were so dried and not even hot it seems like they been sun bathing all day and decided to have an ice cream sundae in between. The apple sauce was really sweet, I dip some of my Yorkshire pudding and potatoes in the sauce but it was incredibly sweet! But, the MAIN issue was my Yorkshire pudding.....HOW! Well, A) It was the sizze of my head so that's a bonus! But, the grease on that Yorkshire pudding was ridiculous! It was a combination of Peter Griffin, Homer Simpson and Fat Albert's grease and sweat which was served to Bruce Bogtrotter from Matilda and THEN was cooked by the Chuckle Brothers. It was RIDICULOUS! I can't even describe how that much greased happened on that Yorkshire pudding. It was like I was taking a bit of pure grease and none of that soft doughy texture from a proper Yorkshire pudding.

Bottom Line?

As you come into Toby's Carvery you see a sign "Home of the Roast"..... I can see why, the carvery is a win and the menu is a bin! My parents had exactly the same and enjoyed it thou, so I might just had the bad batch of the baps. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, for me the price was right. But, the quality wasn't there, the elements were but not the execution and the sign says open, but my tastes says no that's the bottom line.

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What's The Bottom Line special Toxic Tuesday presents Monster House

presents

Monster House (2006)

Starring Mitchel Musso (Hannah Montana and Phineas and Ferb), Sam Lerner (Envy and Nobody Walks) and Spencer Locke (Resident Evil: Extinction and Spanglish)

First Impressions Before Seeing The Film?

In fact, I was just excited about this particular kids film because when we think of Halloween kids film, there all quite oldish. We got Halloweentown, Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters....yawn! Let's up date the Halloween era and let's see an update Halloween, a more modern Halloween. Don't get me wrong, I love all the Halloween films before 2000s but there's a time where you need to update your Halloween library for adults and for kids as well. I think the most recent halloweenish film...from top of my head The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy. There's a recent one coming to the theatres called "The Book of Life" which appears to be the top of the hat too the whole concept of the day of the dead. But, my impressions of Monster House is that it stands out beyond the rest of the Halloween kids films. We have seen Houses come to life in adult films, Simpsons Spoofs, but we haven't seen a eating house in a kids film. So, I was already impressed because visually it's different. They used different motion technology to capture the film which makes it appear and look different to anything we have encountered in that time. Plus, another Halloween kids film that I just remembered which I find more comical then this film is Hotel Transylvania.

After I Watched The Film?

My expectations were met, but the twists and turns in the film I never ever saw coming. The film itself was really creative and imaginative that's what kids want to see when watching a film. We can clearly see that we want to experience different types of emotions in the film. But, the imagination of stopping the house is extremely creative. Plus, the transformation of the house was incredible! The door was the mouth, the windows were eyes, the roof was like a hat, the trees at the side were hands. I mean, it was incredibly creative to make what most of our childhood imagination of drawing a house and just expand on that, and create such a dark, uncomfortable and abandoned feel house. I have to say that this is my top 6 kids halloween film with Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloweentown, Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School and Edward Scissorhands. Plus, visually stunning, the three teenagers got the characteristics and the personality of what society thinks teenagers are spot on, and how they are treated through babysitters or adults. That's what society is, and I think when teenagers say it to police authority, the guy that's always on the arcade games, adults, parents, etc you get that impression of those realistic reactions. The cops I have to admit you have the one officer done it for years and laid back, the other seems like he just came back from Iraq or just spent a weekend watching Bad Boys 1 and 2 with Hot Fuzz thrown in there. I think all these characters as well, are so different you can some what relate to those characters. You suspect the villain at first is the main villain, but as the film unfolds you can see that it's really a heart warming story. It has the action, suspense, mystery feel about the film which turns into a tragedy at the end. But, it's a Family film so from all the years of watching Family films, there's always a happy ending! But, I think the balance of mystery and creepiness is nice to have in the film because it shows us that we can experience what the teenagers feel, then the other characters. Like, you can physically feel how the house is feeling.....yeah sounds crazy right!??! But, it's true!  

Should They Do Another Film Like This?

Well how it ended, there's just a no brainer it wouldn't happen. BUT, I could see the three teenagers like running there own Ghostbusters operation. I can't see why they can't do Monster House 2 and just make it in another part of town? Maybe, instead of just the one house, it's every house? Maybe, at one time they were all 'freaks' living there or witches or something creative to get are teeth sunk in. I can see it becoming quite creative and really intense in parts. We kind of have a last image in our minds of what happens to everyone, but it would be great to see them grown up, and what happened after that night, yes? That's my opinion anyway, I doubt it would happen because it only did okay in the Box Office, so Hollywood wouldn't really risk doing a sequel to this film.

Facts About This Film?

1. As of 2012, this is the only motion capture film to feature an entirely original story and not be based on existing source material.
2. For the German version of the film, Bones, Skull, and Chowder have been renamed "Punk," "Freak," and "Ketchup."
3. Homages to various Stephen King stories abound. The idea of a house that comes alive and eats people can be found in the third installment of King's "Dark Tower" series, "The Wastelands." And while in the house's basement, Chowder shines his flashlight on a mechanical monkey much like the one found in King's short story "The Monkey," collected in "Skeleton Crew."
4. The first animated film to be made using Sony's animation rendering software.
5. The film is set in a city called Mayville, which is based on screenwriter Rob Schrab's hometown of Mayville, Wisconsin.
6. To keep the movie a PG rating, the victims that were eaten (Bones, the cops and the dog) had to come back to life during the end credits.
7. The poster at the circus for Constance's performance calls her "the woman as big as a house."

My Rankings

I deeply love this film, I find it my favourite kids Halloween themed film because it just have that era of realism, with that hint of comedy. I would say it's my favourite modern Halloween film because it's pasted 2005 then that's the question when does something stop being modern? So, that being said.....I can see myself not loving this film forever. But, I find it really watchable so that in mind and the opinions I said about the film I give this quite a high 8 out of 10. I think it would be selective of preference what you wanted to see in a Halloween film. IMDB users gave this a 6.7 which is why I mentioned all about preferences on films really.

So, What's The Bottom Line?

If you want Frankenstien and the Mummy dancing in a disco then Hotel Translyvania is good. Want to see a Granny on a bus to Halloweentown....watch Halloweentown.....OR want to see Jack Skellington VS Ooogey Boogie then Nightmare Before Christmas. But, if you want to see a house eat people......watch Monster House! And, that's the bottom line!

Here is the trailer:

Here is the IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385880/

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What's The Bottom Line presents Grind My Gears Issue #3

Introduction

Welcome to an all exclusive GRIND MY GEARS! This will be a new feature to That's The Bottom Line, and already we have had huge interest in it. We will be looking at what grinds are gears! Our third issue will be looking at 5 things again that really gets our temperature up, AND NOT IN THE GOOD WAY! I have created the logo above, it's not perfect but that's grind my gears, not seeing a perfect logo, So, let's get this grind our gears going.

When Someone Rings You, You Ring Them Back Immediately NO ANSWER!

I think this is one of the top grind my gears, when somebody you ring and you get no answer, put the phone down for a second and it starts ringing. OR, the other way, you missed a call, you call back in a second and no answer. Like the image above, is it like you died in 3 seconds?!?!?! No, it just completely annoying! It's like when you text someone and it's going quite fluent and then suddenly dead. Then, four hours later they say "sorry for that, went to the toilet"....Yeah, for four hours! It just annoys me, when you ring someone, I understand if they ring back in 2/5 minutes but ringing back straight away is just ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, love my ring tone it's The Muppets Theme Song can listen to that again and again but this just annoys me. It's like why didn't you answer first? This is just one of the main grind my gears, when someone rings you try and answer it straight away or ring them back in 5 and say why you didn't pick up.

When You Get Ignored

I think this is a main grind my gears as well, when your talking to someone and they point blank ignore you. It's quite disrespectful, I mean if someone is talking to me I will talk back to them, because it's just purely the most human thing to do!. When considering the fact that even if your in a conversation and your views are being ignored, which has happened to me throughout my life I just take it on the chin. But, if you are in a two way conversation and the other person isn't listening and just point blank ignoring you why bother? I mean, literally why bother with that person if they won't listen to you? Personally, all my friends now I dropped some 'stupid' ones they listen to me, and I listen to them like any other friends. The other 'stupid' friends were point blank ignoring anything I said so what's the point in having that grief of trying to communicate with someone that doesn't really care themselves. 

People Who Give You SPOILERS

I've had this experience too many times, throughout high school, primary school, college and university. People spoiling things for me. For example, Game of Thrones....someone spoiled it completely for me because they read the books. So, at first I was like "I haven't seen it yet please don't tell me anything". So, what did they do? Tell me who dies and who doesn't in the first series.....THANKS! Posing a really aggressive face and walks off. Plus, it's the same for TV series and I even say "Am at this bit". And, they will deliberately say "OOOO the next episode is so good he dies." And am in shock. I mean, I understand if I have seen it but why tell me a spoiler for an episode? I don't understand why people feel they need to spoil great things for us. Since I was at university, I missed so much television I could mainly watch Eastenders and Doctor Who but the other things I watched people spoil it for me. And, am like WHY! 

When In A Game Your Near The End and YOU DIE

I think this annoys all gamers, when you're half way through a level or worse you're fighting the boss and you're nearly gonna win and you die! And, where do you start again? Right at the beginning! It's like "WHY!" I feel like my heart sinks, and I don't play the game for about a week because I died and got annoyed at the game. Like, right now The Evil Within....it's HARD! I mean, this is some hardcore horror game, if you die...your dead! It's not like Resident Evil...Hit them in the head, jobs done. It takes about three gun shots to the head! And, they know how to find you! It's so intense! Plus, Shadows of Mordor....I try to kill as many Urks as possible to kill all the Warchiefs...and they kill me so the first four of five, they dead woo. BUT, I have to kill them all again because they ranked up! AHHHH! It's like making your job worse. I like Titanfall for that reason, when you die you just jump back in. It just really annoys me when you die and you have to start all the way back to the beginning. Which is why, I love auto save, so I don't have to keep saving where I am. 

Disrespectful Comments

I had a really disrespectful comment that went something like this "This is the worst thing I've ever read!". And, I deleted it because purely because it was full of hate, and it didn't have any critical feedback. I mean, if you're reading my stuff, why be harsh about it? I mean, I understand if it's bad because it's laid back style of writing. But, to say it's the worst thing you read. I purposely read what he writes and he defines himself as "Blogs" when in fact it's pages and pages like an article. I don't care who you are or what you do, but if you give me harsh comments without any critical feedback I will generally think you're a poor excuse for human kind to be honest.

So. What's The Bottom Line?

I think the advice I have said above, the advice and my bottom line is remember who you are, and any disrespectful comments hit on the chin. If you die in the game, be thankful you didn't die in real life! That's a real horror film called "Stay Alive!". The spoilers one, make sure your friends understand you don't like spoilers, and make sure that's in there skulls! If you feel you're being ignored....tell that someone, it will make your value in friendship heightened a lot. And, that person that you ring, put phone down, and rings you back immediately. It happens, I do it and am learning to answer my phone right away. But, I think it's something that can't be avoided just understand that person could be on the toilet, cooking food, cleaning the house, phone on silent. Just think there doing something and that sense of paranoid mind will go and you'll be bright as rain and that's the bottom line.

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What's The Bottom Line on Van Helsing?

Van Helsing (2004)

Starring Hugh Jackman (X-Men and Les Miserables), Kate Beckinsale (Underworld and The Aviator) and Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge and Mission: Impossible II)

First Impressions Before Seeing The Film?

Witnessing the trailer when it was originally coming out, I was extremely excited. From the trailer you see, Mr Hyde/Dr. Jekyll, Dracula, Frankenstein and even Werewolves! This film had EVERYTHING a horror fan wanted. It was all about the myths and legends of these creatures but I was generally excited. Plus, you have Hugh Jackman who at this time was incredibly famous playing Wolverine in the X-Men films and still is playing Wolverine. So, Hugh Jackman since Van Helsing was coming out around the time of X-Men 2! Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine for more than 10 years! But, back to vampires. I was curious at the special effects, where ALL these creatures come into play. I was curious about the story line but I did know about Van Helsing from past films like Bram Stoker's Dracula. So, I was just generally excited because it's a film I am quite interested in learning about and seeing what plays out.

After I Watched The Film?

The special effects were incredibly, the story itself isn't too complicated but it keeps you on your toes. Dracula's personality was brilliant and the fact that he carries himself. I notice playing Dracula can go numerous ways and I like this version because it shows the more humanity of the Dracula side and the intelligence side as well. Plus, Hugh Jackman's "team" is incredibly, you got a sexy strong woman, a funny monk, the iconic Frankenstein....I mean what more do you want in a team? Just throw in the invisible man. I love the villain Dracula and his followers I just felt I wanted to see more of Igor, the actual Dracula himself and not more his history. I did love the fighting scenes, the Werewolf was a nice surprise since seeing the trailer it was expecting but you forget about it when watching. I think the costumes, make up and special effects are more than you expect really. I mean Frankenstein is my favourite costume and make up EVER, I prefer this Frankenstein then the one in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I have to say I just generally like the feel of the film because there are the odd flaws but I enjoyed watching this film because it shows Hugh Jackman in a new light, shows a new way to show Frankenstein, Dracula and other creatures. It was quite creative when it first came out hatching together all these different characters, stories, costumes and backgrounds. 

Why Is Van Helsing A Film To See?

Well, the main reason I think you should watch this film is see Hugh Jackman in a different light and all you're beloved creatures and monsters of the night. From Frankenstein, Werewolves, Vampires (that don't sparkle!), Mr. Hyde, Monks, Van Helsing its a general great mythical film to watch if you love you're horror legends. But, I think another reason that you should think about is that you won't see all these creatures under one roof again.....Think about it. Yes, there's Hotel Transylvania but that's not a horror film! That's for kids. The next film I could think of comparing this too with similar creatures.....there isn't. I have not seen a horror film where Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Werewolves, Vampires, Dracula have met all in one film....That's CRAZY! And, yet for a horror fan....WELL, it's not really a horror film which makes it funny. It's more action and adventure, so I would compare this to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and maybe Hellboy but that's the line really. Van Helsing is visually stunning, creative and quite interesting to watch in general. It's not all violence violence, crossbows firing and gun shooting! It's actually quite a drama, romance feel as well so could appeal to more than the blood thrusting action packed people.

Could There Be Another Van Helsing?

You'll know in the facts why this will NEVER happen. But, I am keeping an open mind and being optimistic because I feel if they did a reboot, I would rather see it in a TV Series. I think it will be like Grimm, but would love to add that element of Arrow and Agents of Shield in there. Simply because, Van Helsing can go against all forms of creatures really, from demons, witches, aliens, Frankenstein, sleep walkers, Dracula again, the Devil himself, the Omen, Ghosts, Ghouls, Gremlins.... I mean there's sooo much you could do with Van Helsing's character! You could even have him fight off land as well.....Moby Dick? The Kraken? Merdusa? Zeus? Hercules? I mean the possibilities are endless, could make friends along the way as well! We could see people in the similar line of him like Vampire Hunters, Ghost Hunters, Priest, Wizards, Warlocks. This could potentially be the next Charmed in some sense! And, we know it could work as a TV Series as well. Have that secret hang out, Frankenstein's lair, Van Helsings cave, the Monk's have a secret underground lair in the church....could literally go on and go. 

Facts About This Film?

1. Stephen Sommers deliberately chose to avoid the style of transformations from other werewolf films, where the character would usually grow hair as part of the change. Instead the decision was made to have the character rip his skin off to reveal the werewolf form underneath, going with the idea that the beast "comes from within".
2. The place where Van Helsing and Anna fight Dracula's three wives is the same place where they filmed Frankenstein (1931)Dracula (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941). The place is call the Court of Miracles and this place is also found at the studio tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.
3. During filming, Hugh Jackman accidentally broke an extra's hand
4. According to Elena Anaya, on her first day she was told that somebody would give her a cue to say her lines. That somebody turned out to be none other than Hugh Jackman at 5:30 in the morning.
5. Dr. Frankenstein's lab was equipped with antique medical equipment purchased on eBay.
6. Kate Beckinsale was the last to be cast.
7. Dracula's diminutive henchmen, the Dwerger, are actually dwarfs from Germanic folklore.
8. Kate Beckinsale has stated in interviews that she hated the corset she had to wear for the majority of the film and remarked that, when filming wrapped, she wanted "to burn it all".
9. Was intended to kick off a series of "Van Helsing" adventure movies; however, reviews were bad and the box office returns were far below expectations, so all plans for a sequel were dropped within days of the film opening.
10. Dracula only kills one person in the film

My Rankings

I personally love seeing characters coming together, especially ones I love! That's why I love cross over spin off stuff like Arrow, Flash, Agents of Shield, you don't know what to expect. But, I would give this a very VERY respectable 8 out of 10. It's not the max because I feel they put too much together and some characters lost there character profile along the way I feel. But, I would still say that this is highly recommend for people that are into these kind of mythical legends with a great storyline. 

So, What's The Bottom Line?

If you ever wondered who's that guy that saves you from the bites of the night, well here he is....WOLVERINE! Wait, no Van Helsing! See him in action without his metal claws up against probably the most evil creature in the known universe....Dracula. Who will win? It's more than watchable I feel so give it a go and that's the bottom line.

Here is the trailer:

Here is the IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338526/

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What's The Bottom Line special Super Saturday presents Daredevil

presents

Daredevil (2003)

Starring Ben Affleck (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Good Will Hunting), Jennifer Garner (Alias and Juno), Colin Farrell (Phone Booth and Total Recall) and Michael Clark Duncan (The Green Mile and Sin City)

Introduction

Welcome to another SUPER SATURDAY, this week I decided to pick a film that's at least 10 years old. I didn't know how old Daredevil was! It's 11 years old! It only seems like 5/6 years ago it came out. But, this is an interesting bunch of actors playing these leads. We have Ben Affleck who is now playing the newest Batman, but here he is playing Daredevil. Then, Jennifer Garner's character Elektra Natchios who actually had a film purely on Elektra's character, but it wasn't that great if am honest. Then, Colin Farrell plays a great Marvel character called Bullseye. But, this is the most interesting character....Michael Clark Duncan plays the iconic Wilson Fisk or as most people know him as Kingpin. Now, I purposely picked this film because it goes against some of the Marvel appearances. For example, Kingpin isn't even an African American, so to pick Michael Clark Duncan is interesting because it's going against the character profile. So, let's go into this blog with an open mind, first and after thoughts. But, the facts should be a juicy one to get into here.

First Impressions Before Seeing The Film?

I thought this would rock my socks off! LITERALLY. I mean, what more of an awesome Marvel character could you ask for? I only seen a few of Daredevil appearances in the Spider Man cartoon series, but come on! Matt Murdock is a blind crime fighting machine who helps the people in Hell's Kitchen (NOT THE TV SHOW) and New York City, hense why Spiderman sees Daredevil from time to time. Plus, he is called "The Man Without Fear". Which, is a bit ironic because that's how we see Batman really. But, I was looking forward to seeing The Kingpin in action played by Michael Clark Duncan, I know Marvel likes to change it up. So, I want to see how Michael Clark Duncan portrait of the Kingpin is. But, I want to see the relationship between Elektra and Daredevil as well. I mean, there's always that element of chemistry so I wanted to see it happen slowly. I was looking forward to see the actual fighting scenes and how they would use Daredevil's abilities. I wanted to see some special effects used from this because Daredevil can see people through frequencies of sounds. But, one of the main things I wanted to see was BULLSEYE! This is a really great assassin and I would love to see Daredevil and him fight. Plus, curious about the soundtrack, I rarely speak about the soundtrack but I feel for this film, it needs a great balance because of how dark Daredevil can actually be, and how dark the character is. Because, Daredevil can be seen as a villain from Spiderman's universe, but then can be seen as a hero in this film and in the TV Series Daredevil. 

After I Watched The Film?

I felt that my expectations were made and expanded! Let's start with Michael Clark Duncan....He just plays this huge powerful corruptive Kingpin. I think he is better than the original character, he plays it extremely well and the touch of roses just gives this character that extra element to his personality. Then, Elektra....honestly not my favourite, but one of my favourite scenes and music was when she is getting ready to kill Daredevil. The music is Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. And, this film made me explore bands like Evanescenece and Seether, I think the balance of the dark music really heightened the movie because of the connections of the film. I would say Ben Affleck as Daredevil was what I expected, we saw some mystery, some strict order and we see him in different ways as well. Bullseye was everything and more of the character, Colin Farrell did play this character beautifully. Visually and scenery wise you be in amazement because they really thought of the character's history, the way Hell's Kitchen looks and how Daredevil fights crime. I mean, the actually cane of Daredevil is better than Batman's utility belt I think! This cane can fly out, attach to buildings and he can fly around everywhere, it can be a bigger cane to kick more bad guys butts! 

What Makes Daredevil Stand Out From Other Marvel Films? And, What Could They Do More To This Film?

I would mainly say in my personal opinion because Daredevil has that disadvantage but makes it into a strength. I mean, we see people having a disability with a disadvantage that's how society sees them. But, Daredevil makes it refreshing to see someone having a disability and showing the world it doesn't make a difference. And, I think it was trying to have that gore and darkness of Blade, but still keeping the character's origins in there. I think they should of done something about the actual character Matt Murdock as a person. Let me explain, I think we should of see something in a court room, or something to just show us is these two characters of Daredevil and Matt Murdock different? We only saw this, in the playground fight where Matt Murdock kicks Jennifer Garner's butt....well tries too. If they were going to do a whole reboot, I would aim for this, but to have a bunch more Marvel characters involve. And, the fact that if would be interesting seeing how Matt Murdock is portrayed in a  reboot. I think the costume and the look of Daredevil is spot on. So, while rebooting could be the origins? From child flash backs, to training, to becoming this Daredevil. Similar to Arrow I suppose. I think that would work, a torn Daredevil attire, and the cane not as fancy showing the before days of Daredevil.

Facts About This Film?

1. In November 2006, Ben Affleck stated that he would never reprise the role, having felt "by playing a superhero in Daredevil (2003), I have inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero... Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn't want to do again soon." It was confirmed in 2013 that Ben Affleck would take on the role of Batman in a future project. This just makes me question, why Ben Affleck wants to be Batman then? 
2. Ben Affleck was virtually blind as he had to wear heavy-duty contact lenses which blocked out most of his vision.
3. When Michael Clarke Duncan was cast, he weighed 290 pounds. He was asked to gain 40 pounds for the role in order to fit the physique of Kingpin. In order to do this, he would lift weights for 30 minutes a day, and power-lifted with one or two reps a day, as well as eating whatever he wanted.
4. Ben Affleck met his wife Jennifer Garner on the set of this film.
5. The film was originally envisioned as R-rated with nudity and hard violence.
6. The first time Colin Farrell had been able to use his own Irish accent in an American movie.
7. According to the DVD commentary on the theatrical release version of Daredevil, Dwayne Johnson's (aka "The Rock") cousin is in the bar fight scene. He is the one who says to Quesada, "Hey, boss. Who the hell is that?"
8. Matt and Elektra's playground fight took four days to shoot.
9. Stan Lee disliked the film, because he felt the film was "too tragic".
10. In the comics, the Kingpin is white, but in the movie he is played by an African-American, Michael Clarke Duncan. The studio was convinced to use Duncan after several white wrestlers gave poor screen tests.
11. Getting Daredevil's costume right was one of the hardest aspects of the production and took approximately 7-8 months.

My Rankings

IMDB users overall gave this a 5.5, and I can see why because this is actually quite a different take on Marvel, it's not for kids, it has a rating of 15, Blade has 18. I think if Marvel made Daredevil into an 18, with more violence, more everything I think it would of been a smash hit at the box office. I can see the potential in the film, some of the flaws needed to be seen. So, I give it a watchable 7 out of 10.

So, What's The Bottom Line?

If you like you're crime fighter with a cane fighting the love of his life, a guy with a bulleyes on his forehead and basically Michael Clark Duncan then this is the film for you. It does have some twists and turns that are interesting but it's very watchable not just for Marvel fans either.

Here is the trailer:

Here is the IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287978/

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What's The Bottom Line special Memory Music presents Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga 

Introduction

Let's get all our little monsters together and this new feature Memory Music, we look at the firsts, the lasts, the impressions of music. This can go from singers, to genres, to specific songs. It's all about music here, so let's get of the edge, and let's get this ball rolling by looking at Lady Gaga! We also, look into 10 facts that you might not know by the FAME MONSTER Lady Gaga. 

First impressions of Lady Gaga

In all seriousness, I thought she was amazing. My first impression from her I was watching MTV best music videos and this was one of them. It was Bad Romance followed by Pokerface, and I just loved the outfits, the dance routines, the music, and also Lady Gaga herself. I didn't have a negative thought about her, my Spotify is full of her music, and I even have some of her CD's stashed away for safe keeping just in case Spotify crashes one day!. 

First song was Bad Romance 

Visually stunning on the music video, really a great happy song to get your body shaking really back in the day. It's fresh, it's new, her outfits from then to now have been quite different, absurd, fashionable. But, Lady Gaga her first song was amazing! Everybody knew the song, it was catchy, it was quite interesting to watch the music video because there was so many elements and outfits she wore you could guess what was the song about. But, deep down, it's a really popular song to listen to if you're a Gaga fan. This was my first song I listened to and then it went to Pokerface and then Edge of Glory and I loved them, and that's why am a Monster, I utterly love her music and saw some footage of her concert of doing these songs and they are brilliant. 

Last song I've listened to was Do What U Want

From Bad Romance to Do What U Want it's a huge transition. Do What U Want is much more out there, extremely sexual and it's showing you that you can do what you want to my body, but deep down you can't touch my mind. Which in fact, the song itself the lyrics is honest and true. Because, deep down you can use you're body but you can never truly get into someone's mind 100%. Plus, the music video from Bad Romance to this, just wow, you see the transition of the experimenting and tampering with different elements of music, styles of fashion. Her music became more out there I felt. Bad Romance and Pokerface was quite glitter, then when we go to Do What U Want it's quite a different take on reality. I like Lady Gaga in this because it's questioning reality to me. 

My favourite song is Telephone

The music video alone made me fall in love with this song, and the fact she is singing with Beyonce really makes it quite an interesting music video. The dancing in the music video is brilliant, you can tell that Lady Gaga really works hard to produce amazing works of art. That's how I see Lady Gaga with the music, the outfits, the dance routines it's not just a performance, it's a piece of art work. It's really catchy as well, you can easily follow it and remember it, and there has been loads of covers of this song. One I quite like is the Glee version. But, I feel like when you hear the word "Telephone" at first, you don't know what the song could be about. Then, boom prison, car chasing, it's a full story line in the music video which is what we really want when watching music videos. Trying to understand the story behind the lyrics. The fact that this is one of her earliest works, I love the album "The Fame Monster" it's just funky, fun, up beat and then you have all these different styles of lyrical performances that makes you, want to listen to her more. 

My least favourite song is Alejandro

I think it comes down to preference at the end of the day, and I just don't like this song or music video. I THINK it's because the beginning takes a while to get into the up beat music, the lyrics I like but I just don't like the execution of the song. I actually don't like the start of the music video at all of Alejandro it's just something I don't like. I think the dance routines and the performance itself thou in the music video is brilliant. It's flawless, I love the contemporary feel, but I just feel that the costumes and the feel of the whole performance was dark, and not to my preference as a visual theatre graduate. But, again visually stunning and makes you question a lot of things as sexuality, society and what the performance means. 

My favourite cover of Gaga's song is Marry The Night from Glee 

I am not really a huge Glee fan, I have watched in total about 4 episodes and that's it. But, I did love this cover of Marry the Night by Adam Lambert, I feel Adam Lambert took it to a different place which I like when listening to covers because it changes your persona of that song. Personally, prefer this cover to the actual Lady Gaga cover only because I feel Adam Lambert made that song personal to him and you feel more passion and more performance level when watching him. The scene where Adam Lambert comes in was comical, and I think his attire was spot on for the song as well and the band, it just gives the presence that he is a night kind of person which fits in with the song. 

My least favourite cover of Gaga's song is Edge of Glory by Nick Pitera

My sister introduced me to Nick Pitera, he works at Disney's studio and makes loads of YouTube videos using there equipment. But, basically I HATE this cover, and hate is quite a harsh word and it fills you up with utter dismissle of the song. But, I have to say the Edge of Glory isn't that great when Nick Pitera does it. It's very slow, very dim and you lose interest personally after about 2 minutes, it's not the Edge of Glory, I like the fact that Nick Pitera changed the whole concept of the song. But, personal preference I didn't like the cover. 

Impression now of Lady Gaga? 

I have to say, Lady Gaga is the queen of Pop now, she will stay there, she comes up with new ways to present herself. It can be quite contemporary and absurd which is some of the reasons I love Lady Gaga as a singer because she goes to that weird place that she calls home. I think she will keep going far, I think she will become the new Cher, won't retire because she loves what she is doing, I think she will adapt, I think she likes the idea of surviving in the industry. But, there's no one like Lady Gaga, there just isn't. The closest, I would personally say is Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball, but other then that Lady Gaga is one of the most unique stage/music video performer to date. 

10 Facts About Lady Gaga You Might Not Know! 

1. Lady Gaga wrote Born This Way in 10 minutes flat! 
2. Lady Gaga's real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.
3. Lady Gaga's name was inspired by the Queen song, "Radio Gaga"
4. Her main nicknames are Gagaloo, Loopy, Mother Monster, Rabbit Teeth and Little Mermaid
5. Lady Gaga's favourite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny
6. She was actually a huge fan of My Little Pony toys when growing up, she says "I was obsessed with the idea of a creature that was born with something magical that made them the misfit in the world of the stallion"
7. She dropped out of New York University when she was 19 to purse her music career, she said "I thought I could teach myself about art better than the school could" 
8. Lady Gaga says she believes that Brittany Spears is the true Queen of Pop
9. Lady Gaga wants to join a drag show
10. Lady Gaga wrote songs for Pussycat Dolls, New Kids On The Block, Akon and Fergie.

My Rankings

Personally, she's a huge sensation, I love her music, love her lyrics, her sounds, her outfits. She's generally someone you want to hear about when she's on the news because it's something quite unique when looking at her outfits, her performances. So, I have to give the Mother Monster a high 10 out of 10, a flawless performance, a great singer and an inspirational artist. 

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