timleesongs

An unrelentingly bleak story of Marilyn Monroe's troubled life. Those unfamiliar with the backstory of Hollywood's most iconic woman may be shocked that many of the worst moments are based on fact, although others are more embellished or speculated, which dilutes some of the film's power somewhat.

In particular I disliked the complete tangent it took about the three way love story of Marilyn, Charlie Chaplin Jr and Edward G Robinson Jr that never happened and felt unnecessary.

Ana De Armas is superb in the lead and she manages the unthinkable in channelling Marilyn to eerie effect. Many of the scenes were harrowing to the point of almost being unwatchable, and many may struggle with the pain and vulnerability that lurked beneath the glamorous facade that was 'Marilyn.' In fact it took me several attempts to get through it all. But this biopic is certainly arresting and thought provoking and is well worth checking out.

The Muppets share their depiction of the classic Charles Dickens tale of a miserly old man who hates Christmas and sees it as frivolous and wasteful. Over the course of an evening he is visited by 3 ghosts who show him the real meaning of Christmas and love for his fellow man.

I always watch The Muppets Christmas Carol with a certain tinge of sadness as it was the first Muppets film Brian Henson directed after his visionary father Jim passed away. Brian does a truly inspiring job however, maintaining the humour and heart of his father's work whilst staying surprisingly close to the source material. Christmas films don't get much better than this, with perfect musical set pieces, an immersive world and hilarious characters.

If there's a better film for starting to wrap pressies to I don't wanna know about it! An essential watch every Christmas time.

Weatherman Harris (Martin) yearns to find some kind of meaning in the cultural wasteland of LA. It isn't until he meets a quirky Englishwoman who opens his heart and gives him a spiritual reawakening.

Steve Martin's best attempt at remaking Annie Hall for the 90's fails to hit the same balance of that superior romantic comedy. It flits from wacky, surrealistic humour to expressionist love story and back again to such a degree you're never quite sure what kind of film you're watching.

I'll always have a soft spot for L. A Story, which was the first DVD I ever bought (I remember it being an amazing experience the first time I popped the disc in and saw the menus and the super crisp picture). The relationship between Martin and (real wife at the time) Victoria Tennant is a super sweet one, but the manic Jim Carey style physical comedy of Martin has aged less well.

I still enjoy L. A Story, but it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea.