Welcome to the second in our all-new regular feature here at Blogomatic3000, where – in association with the folks at Sky Movies HD – we take a look at some of the films premiering on Sky Movies and Sky Box-Office this month.
NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Ari Graynor, Alexis Dziena, Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron | Written by Lorene Scafaria | Directed by Peter Sollett
Nick can’t stop obsessing about Tris, his cute, blond, conniving ex-girlfriend. Norah, also a senior and an acquaintance of Tris’, is dissed by Tris at a club in New York City, so to show she’s cool and has a boyfriend, she goes up a stranger, whispers in his ear, and kisses him. It’s Nick. So begins a night of fits and starts between Nick and Norah as they share a love of music, search for Norah’s drunk friend Caroline, and hunt for an elusive band scheduled to play somewhere in town…
A rom com for the emo era, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is the latest in the long line of “one wild night” style movies that Hollywood churns out every few years or so – After Hours, Adventures in Babysitting, The Night Before – and like those films, the success of this movie rests on it’s two leads, in this case Michael Cera and Kat Denings, a duo whose chemistry really holds the film together, so much so that I wonder if the film would’ve fallen flat without them. Taking cues from the John Hughes school of storytellling, film is a slow burner – a series of mishaps and misadventures that eventually build to a satisfying romantic conclusion – and like Hughes’ films, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist makes good use of music to help tell the tale…
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist debuts on Sky Premiere and Sky Premiere HD on March 26th at 5.30pm
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel | Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber | Directed by Marc Webb
Zooey Deschanel is Summer, a cynically jaded commitment-phobe who captures the heart of greetings card writer Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Flitting back and forward through the 500 days that their relationship flounders, the film delivers alternative spin on the tradtional rom-com.
In what could be the first post-modern chick flick for guys, director Marc Webb uses a non-linear storyline to tell the story of a relationship between a boy and a girl over the period of 500 days. (500) Days of Summer differs from traditional rom coms in that it is less about the story and more about the emotion, the film captures the feeling of being in a relationship – from the highs (portrayed brilliantly in one of the best dance sequences since the Gene Kelly era), to (what at the time feels like) the life-shattering lows. (500) Days of Summer is a rare feat: it manages to take one of the oldest stories in cinema – that of boy meets girl – and brings a new spin to the tale, avoiding cliches and packing the film with stylish flair. The film is one of those rare movies that come along once in a while and really MOVES you…
Don’t take my word for it, judge for yourself: (500) Days of Summer is now showing on Sky Box Office.
