Filmknitter

New Moon

After a year of waiting it's here - New Moon was released at midnight on Thursday and we went along to the Odeon in Oxford to see it last night. The queue to get in was incredible; stretching all the way back to Borders, even though we'd booked tickets. Thankfully the screen at Magdalen Street is huge enough that we didn't feel too squashed once we got inside. I was worried that watching it with a load of Twi-hards would get annoying but apart from a few bursts of spontaneous applause (one of which occurred when Jacob whips his shirt off for the first time - my gosh that boy has worked hard for this film!), people settled down and were thankfully quiet for most of it (apart from the girl in front of me who had obviously dragged along her giant-headed boyfriend and had to keep explaining the action to him - grr). In fact it was nice to experience the atmosphere of excitement after so much anticipation for this latest installment in the Twilight saga.

I've been looking forward to this one, though in fact New Moon is my least favourite of the books so I didn't have too high hopes. Frankly the main problem is that there's so little of Edward in it! However, whereas in the book you feel like Bella's terrible heartbreak lasts for ages, the necessity of condensing the story for the screen means that there isn't too much wallowing in this one, and instead there's plenty of werewolf action, which I enjoyed immensely. My flatmate griped that they still haven't got werewolves on film right, but I felt that Chris Weitz got pretty close with these beasts. Instead of being freaky monsters they are giant wolves, looking equal parts cuddly and dangerous, exactly how I imagined them in the book. The CG was great and I can't wait to see more of the werewolves in Eclipse.

My main reservation about Chris Weitz was based on the fact that he completely cocked up 'The Golden Compass' in 2007 (see my review here: http://filmknitter.typepad.com/filmknitter/2007/12/the-golden-comp.html); however this was mainly due to his abysmal script and thankfully Melissa Rosenberg stayed on from Twilight for script-writing duties on New Moon. What Weitz is very good at is visual splendour and he certainly achieves that with both the wolfy bits, and the finale in Italy; my favourite section of the book. Sadly the Italy section is a little rushed and he has had to simplify it down for the screen but still our introduction to the dangerous Volturi is more than satisfactory, with Dakota Fanning making an excellent Jane and Michael Sheen being surprisingly perfect as Aro - he's exactly as creepy and courteous as he is in the books. During the first five minutes of the film I was a bit concerned that it had gone too commercial - Bella looks too groomed, Edward far too pale and alien-like, and the horrifically obvious product placement of the Volvo in the first shot at the high school meant it felt too much like a shiny advert. However, despite not quite hitting the perfect level of grungy teenageness that Catherine Hardwicke is so adept at, Weitz does just about manage to rein in his more Hollywood tendencies and retain much of the subtleties and quietness of Hardwicke's film.

As with the first film, the soundtrack is excellent, including contributions from Muse, Thom Yorke, Editors, and Death Cab for Cutie (love that name). I missed the presence of Paramore, especially as they were obviously so involved in the first film; I would have put 'Brick by Boring Brick', their latest single, in there somewhere, but that's just me. It's also a shame that, after a change of composer, Carter Burwell's beautiful 'Bella's Lullaby' is notably missing from the soundtrack. However, Alexandre Desplat's score for New Moon is also rather lovely so I can't complain. What I can complain about, however, is Jasper's hair, which is once again atrocious, progressing from a white man's 'fro in Twilight to the barely improved 'Old English Sheepdog' look in New Moon. Jackson Rathbone is apparently completely over-powered by the terribleness of his barnet and once again fades into the background as Jasper. Thank goodness then for Ashley Greene who once again gets Alice spot on and manages to make up for her mate's failings. Like Bella I was delighted to see her at the end of the film and greatly enjoyed their race into Volterra in an ostentatious yellow Porsche.

I'm planning to re-read the book and go see New Moon again once the initial rush is over, so that I can nit-pick at all the things they changed, but for now I'm happy to say that the second installment in the saga is more than satisfactory and I can start worrying about what David Slade is going to do to Eclipse - released July 2010 apparently!

An Education

An Education is based on Lynn Barber's memoir of the same title, recalling how her 16 year old self was nearly ruined by an ill-advised relationship with an older man. In Nick Hornby's adaptation Carey Mulligan plays our heroine, Jenny, who is seduced by Peter Sarsgaard as David, twice her age, who picks her up in his sports car when he spots her standing at a wet bus stop with her cello after school. Despite being on track to apply for Oxford and being top of her 'French Conversation' class, naive but sparky Jenny has her head turned by David's party lifestyle and the money he splashes around, taking her to Paris for her 17th birthday, and introducing her to his similarly high-living friends: Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike, who starred in Mulligan's debut, Pride and Prejudice, in 2005). As her parents become similarly dazzled by David's charm they stop objecting to Jenny's loss of interest in school, and her university plans look set to fall by the wayside...

This was the other film I was determined to see this week, and I'm very pleased I managed to fit it in because it's hugely enjoyable. As other reviews have observed, Mulligan is the star of this show, raising the quality of the film above that of your average coming of age film. She is completely believable as Jenny, wholly inhabiting the role of gawky schoolgirl at the beginning despite being well into her 20s in real life. Her character transforms throughout the film so that by the end of the 2nd act she looks quite the young socialite, dismissing parents and school with sharp observances and upsetting all the plans she had set in place. However, she is transformed again by the end of the film, after learning a harsh lesson, she realises that she was wrong in her views and returns to her previous plans to attend Oxford. I really liked the fact that the character went through this double change and has to admit to her mistakes, it made it all seem much more realistic and genuinely heart-warming rather than the usual saccharine nonsense present in such coming of age stories.

The rest of the cast are great too - Sarsgaard begins by being genial and charming but slowly reveals the rather dodgy side to his intentions towards Jenny. Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour put in solid performances as Jenny's eternally middle-class parents, presenting Jack and Marjory as sympathetic characters rather than being the stereotypical pushy parents - they are not the bad guys in this film though they seem to be at the beginning. Olivia Williams and Emma Thompson are great as Jenny's French teacher and headmistress, with Thompson in particular providing some excellent comic-relief during the tensions of the third act. I was also delighted to spot Ellie Kendrick playing Jenny's best friend after her stand-out performance in the recent TV adaptation of 'Anne Frank's Diary'.

I shall be looking for a copy of the original book as the Amazon reviews make it sound equally as entertaining as the film and look forward to seeing Carey Mulligan again in her next role as Kathy in an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.

Bright Star

Bright Star is a gem of a film from Jane Campion, best known for 'The Piano' in 1993. It is a love story based in history; John Keats the brilliant Romantic poet falls in love with his neighbour, Fanny Brawne, a bright and creative girl; but after becoming engaged Keats' health worsens and he moves to Italy where he dies of tuberculosis. The film tells the story of their relationship and ends with Keats' death.

Despite having very high expectations, after having loved 'The Piano' for years and hearing excellent reviews of Campion's newest film, this one does not disappoint. I adored every second of it and can't wait to see it again. Ben Whishaw as Keats and Abbie Cornish, a revelation as Fanny, tell a love story that is delicate and touching, and breaks your heart when the inevitable occurs. Being familiar with Campion's style I was worried that the film would be rather intense and depressing but there is a lightness of touch that makes the film entertaining and heart-warming even though we are all too aware of how it will end. The pace is gentle without being too slow and despite a lack of action there are so many beautiful little scenes of household occurrences and encounters between Keats and Brawne that it's not possible to be bored. 

It also looks delicious; every shot is a treat to look at. Fanny Brawne is presented as being a creative young woman who makes her own clothes and wears a dozen delightful confections in the film. All of the costumes are inspiring and beautiful and I spent the film itching to have a go at some of the designs myself. But in addition to the costumes the sets look beautiful too, even in their simplicity. I wanted to walk through the sets of this film and smell the flowers, touch the fabric, and eat the food. It's a serious feast for the eyes. The butterfly scene is possibly my favourite - after Keats leaves on a trip Fanny and her sister capture butterflies and let them loose in their bedroom. Watch out also for 'Topper' the cat, who steals every scene he is in!

Keats' poetry is instrumental in the film but is also a restriction - his friend Mr Brown tries to keep Fanny from their rooms for fear she'll distract him, and Keats is ultimately unable to marry Fanny because it will mean he has to get a proper job and earn the money to keep a wife. However, the letters and poems that he writes to her and for her are a large part of what draws her to him. Being a fan of Romantic poetry I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them read aloud and played around with in the film, and can recommend sitting still for the credits as Ben Whishaw reads 'Ode to a Nightingale' over the closing music. See this film if you see nothing else this week!

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Terry Gilliam's latest, has been hotly anticipated. Not because of Terry Gilliam; nor because of the interesting nature of the story, involving as it does the fight between good and evil, the devil, immortality etc; but because it is the film that Heath Ledger was making when he died. Those that go to see this film hoping to see a spectacular swansong will be disappointed. Ledger is his usual charismatic self but he is not by any means the main event in the film, being rather more by way of a catalyst. The ensemble cast also includes Christopher Plummer as the mysterious Dr Parnassus, Lily Cole as his gorgeous but frustrated daughter Valentina, Andrew "Cute As a Button" Garfield as fellow actor Anton, Verne Troyer as the ever-wise Percy, and Tom Waits in the best portrayal of Old Nick I've seen this year.

The story is hard to sum up. In basic terms we accompany a travelling show 'The Imaginarium' itself; drawn by four horses through the streets of London looking like a gypsy encampment, it transforms into a make-shift theatre where Dr Parnassus, Valentina, Anton, and Percy perform curious and surreal shows for drunks, in the hope of tempting them into the mysterious mirror at the back of the stage. Once inside the mirror they are in Dr Parnassus's mind but the world they find themselves in is also heavily influenced by their own imagination. Hiding somewhere in the landscape is Satan, who will give them a choice and hope that they are tempted into his grasp. Dr Parnassus (a god-like figure we presume) made a deal with the devil many years before, which resulted in the birth of his daughter, who will become the payment in the deal upon her 16th birthday. Parnassus strikes another deal with Old Nick - whichever of them can win 5 souls first keeps Valentina. Things are complicated by the mysterious arrival of Tony (Ledger); found hanging from a noose under a bridge, he is rescued by the troupe and in gratitude he revamps the show and persuades them to seek out a wealthier class of audience. Along the way, of course, Valentina falls for him; but is he really all he seems?

Parnassus really is a return to form for Terry Gilliam and, for whatever reason, I think it's great that so many people are going to see this film. It's certainly not what you'd call mainstream. In typical Gilliam fashion it is weird, wacky and wonderful, with a screwy sense of humour and a nonsensical plot. In general I've not heard great reviews and was a little apprehensive about going to see it, but I actually genuinely enjoyed it. Both sections of the film - those in London, and those in the imaginarium, are totally absorbing. You really feel like part of the idiosyncratic little travelling troupe and the cosy filming style and excellent set and costume design makes their life seem oddly attractive. The scenes in the parallel world of the imaginarium (where Tony is played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell) are surreal, hilarious, and obviously a chance for Gilliam to play around with the cartoony style that he first developed in Monty Python. The sequence with the singing policemen in skirts and tights is particularly Pythonesque and there are further delights to behold.

I suspect that had I been in a less indulgent mood the off-beat and scrappy nature of this film might have frustrated me a little but as it was I was more than happy to suspend my disbelief and just be sucked into the weird world of Dr Parnassus. Considering the tragedy of Ledger's death during production I think it's pretty impressive how Gilliam has managed to work around the loss of one of his main cast members and produce a film that is entertaining, intriguing, and absolutely different to everything else showing in the multiplexes this year.

Franklyn

Franklyn is the one that got away this summer after completely failing to achieve a wide release and not being shown at any of the cinemas near me (there are four - you'd think it would be available at one of them!). However, LoveFilm very kindly sent me it promptly after the DVD release and I watched it in one sitting last night. It follows four parallel stories, which are woven together toward the end of the film. Three of these stories take part in contemporary London: Emelia Bryant (Eva Green) is a damaged but passionate young artist who has devoted herself to high-risk performance art; Milo (Sam Riley) has recently been dumped at the alter and is struggling to move on until he spots an old flame from his school days; and Peter Esser (Bernard Hill) is a bespectacled old man, sad and lonely, trying to find his lost son. Intertwined with their stories is that of Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillipe) - a masked vigilante living in a parallel world called 'Meanwhile City' where the authorities control the populace by making it compulsory to have a faith. As the only atheist Preest is constantly on the run from the law and is hell-bent on tracking down his nemesis 'the Individual'.

'Franklyn' is the feature debut from writer/director Gerald McMorrow based on an earlier short film, and for the first film from an unknown auteur it is remarkably well-cast and sumptuously shot, with the scenes in Meanwhile City particularly standing out. It's the fantasy element of this film that hooked me - the gothic style of Meanwhile City and our noirish comic-book hero Jonathan Preest are brilliantly realised, being reminiscent of the graphic novels of my youth. However, the scenes in London are equally compelling. Emilia is the link between the two, living half in the real-world and half in the off-centre world of her art. She looks amazing in every scene and there are a couple of sequences which are supernaturally beautiful. It's also difficult not to sympathise with the characters in this film who are all suffering in some way, and are searching for something they have lost. As we discover the causes behind their suffering it's impossible not to be drawn in to see how the story ends.

There's something quite literary about the film as the plot is very well drawn together, and the locale of Meanwhile City could make for a cracking fantasy novel. I particularly enjoyed the glimpses we get of the many faiths, including one which follows an evangelist reading washing-machine instructions, the 'Seventh Day Manicurists' and a collection of suited men with long glossy beards. Every scene is beautifully shot and it's obvious how closely McMorrow worked with his Director of Photography. The way the threads of the plot are drawn together in the final act is both cunning and satisfying as everything falls into place. My only complaint is that a couple of elements could have stood fleshing out a little more. At 1hr30 this is a pleasantly proportioned film but another ten minutes wouldn't have done it any harm and would have meant that characters like the hospital cleaner and Sally could have been given some further screentime and explanation. Nonetheless I enjoyed this a lot and could see it gaining more of a cult following on DVD despite it's apparent belly-flop at the cinema.

Up

Up is the latest offering from Pixar and, after much discussion, a group of us decided to go for the late (8.50pm) showing as I assumed it would be incredibly busy. However, as it turned out there were only about 10 of us in the screen, which surprised me. I've been very excited about this film since Pixar first announced what their next feature would be, and assumed that every other sensible person in the world would feel the same. Apparently not - ho hum. So, if this review doesn't blaze with enthusiasm blame it on the lateness of the hour, not the quality of the film!

In fact I was very impressed with 'Up', even after the crazily positive reviews I've been hearing over the last week. Ordinarily 100% positive reviews pretty much guarantees I'll be disappointed by a film, but here I would say it pretty much lived up to the hype. As you're probably aware, unless you've had your head in a bucket, the film starts with an old man - Carl Frederickson (voiced by Edward Asner) - who loses his wife and is imminently to lose the cute little house that they lived in together for the whole of their married life. Threatened with eviction and spending the rest of his life in a retirement home Carl, a former balloon seller, tied hundreds of helium balloons to his house and literally takes off for a new adventure. As his house ascends serenely into the sky above the big city he settles back into his favourite armchair, only to be disturbed by a knock at the door. He opens it to discover a young Wilderness Explorer (think boy scout) called Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), who had lurking under the porch when the house took off. Initially Carl wonders if he can lower Russell out of the window and so escape the responsibility of having a rotund young scout along for the ride but after realising how high they've climbed he resigns himself to Russell's company. After steering the house through a storm Carl and Russell find themselves in South America ("It's like America, but south") near Paradise Falls - the location Carl and Ellie (his wife and childhood sweetheart) used to dream of visiting. Russell and Carl tether themselves to the house and set off for the falls, but along the way Carl will meet a former idol who isn't all he seems, and Russell will meet two very strange new friends - a talking Dog called Dug and a giant bird (that to me looks a bit like a stretched version of the Cadburys Parrot) who decide to join them.

Up defies expectations by taking an untypical hero - a grumpy old man who walks with a stick and turns his hearing aid down to avoid listening to people - and making him a genuine hero of a story that, as well as the usual cartoon silliness, is at times heart-breaking and also surprisingly 'real' (there are excellent touches such as Russell and Carl becoming more sunburned as they traverse the giant canyon of Paradise Falls). In this world if you clonk someone on the head with your walking stick, instead of being funny it gets you taken to court for GBH. However, although this cartoon world is more realistic in some ways the film doesn't suffer from being too serious; there are the usual side-splitting moments of humour. Despite the screen we were in being populated entirely by grown-ups there was laughter throughout. My particular favourites were the introduction of Dug (and really any Dug-related scene), Alpha - the doberman with the squeaky voice, and 'Kevin' the giant lanky (and female) bird who provides some excellent physical humour.

As many other reviews have reported, it's the first 5-10 minutes of this film that are really a departure from the norm, at least in terms of what are seen as kids cartoons. I thoroughly agree with Empire who said that "if you left the movie at that point, you’d feel thoroughly satisfied that you’d got your money’s worth." It really is the portrayal of 'normal' life that makes this film feel so special; Russell and Carl feel realistic despite the stylised animation of the human characters (though I much prefer this to Robert Zemeckis' 'animated corpse' mo-cap version of humans). The animation here, as ever with Pixar, really pushes the envelope - some of the wide shots of the 'Paradise Falls' location look almost photo-real and the close-up shots of things like Russell's sash and scout badges are works of art.

Generally I thoroughly enjoyed Up, and it has very few weak moments (the 'baddie' in this one is introduced too late and doesn't really make sense). The entire film is a feast for the eyes, and the 3D is underplayed - used most noticeably in the wide shots where it gives incredible depth to the picture. It hasn't dislodged Ratatouille and Wall-E as my top two Pixar films but I shall almost definitely go see it a second time, though maybe when I don't feel quite so sleepy!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Foolishly I passed up the chance of seeing The Soloist to see this film whilst in Manchester earlier this week. This was a big mistake as it turned out, as The Soloist is now not showing anywhere in or around Oxford, grrr. However, I did genuinely enjoy Meatballs so I don't regret my choice too much. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the latest 3D animation, this time from Sony Pictures Animation. The story is silly but has an interesting enough plot for grown-ups to appreciate as well as its target audience. Flint Lockwood, our hero, is a bit of a mad scientist suffering a loss of self-confidence since he invented spray-on shoes as a child and was laughed out of the classroom when the other kids realised he couldn't take them off. Ten years later and Flint is still wearing his spray-on shoes and trying to invent a device that will end world hunger by transforming water into food. Flint succeeds in his endeavour but the device gets accidentally fired into the sky above his hometown where it transforms every rain-storm into a selection of food. Things start to go wrong when the food gradually gets bigger and bigger and a shower of gargantuan meatballs threatens the safety of the town.

Despite not being up to the stellar standard of Pixar, this offering from Sony has similar charms and the animation is almost flawless. 3D can sometimes expose CG's weaknesses but here it shows off the high standard of the animation and enhances the surreal nature of the story. The two main characters, voiced by Bill Hader and Anna Faris, are charming and funny even if heroine Sam Sparks backstory could have been made a little more fresh instead of repeating the cliches of Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality etc. In general however, there is a broad range of humour with something for everyone to enjoy, including a good portion of slap-stick, which always appeals to me. Possibly my favourite scene for visual splendour combined with kooky humour was the 'giant birthday jelly' sequence :) Look out also for the town cop, randomly voiced by Mr T, who is one of the funniest characters.

Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia is based on two true stories. Firstly, that of Julie Powell, who in 2002 decided to cook her way through the entirety of Julia Child's book 'How to Master the Art of French Cooking', and blog about it here. Secondly, that of Julia herself when she first moved to Paris with her husband in 1948. Julia didn't have a job in Paris and feared getting bored so enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school and learnt to cook French cuisine like a natural. After successfully mastering French cookery she began teaching others before being invited to write a book by fellow foodie Simone De Beck and her friend Louisette Bertholle.

The film runs the two stories in parallel with some links between the two plotlines - as Julie's blog takes off her marriage struggles, and as Julia experiences success as a chef, her husband is being investigated at work. Generally, although the two stories are very different, they don't jar against each other and in fact I enjoyed the two together more, I think, than I would have done a single film about either woman. Both actors are spectacular. Meryl Streep's Julia Child is a literal hoot, imitating her voice and intonation perfectly, and with Child's characteristic presenting style on TV - professional but with a hint of the eternal amateur, which was what gave her her charm. Amy Adams is almost unrecognizable as mousy Julie, stuck in a cubicle and feeling utterly unfulfilled by her job. She is also utterly charming, though perhaps too much so, given that her real-life counterpart was much more caustic on her blog than the angelic Julie is, and also that her brief rift with her husband seems rather unrealistic given that all she'd apparently done to upset him was to cook him a good meal every night.

The film is a lot of fun and both plotlines are equally enjoyable. I left wanting to read both Julia's and Julie's books, and I'm sure Julie's original blog will get a sudden spike in visits as the first thing I did was to go and check it out - and very funny it is too. I can recommend this film to all - one to take your mother, daughter or sister to. And I'm sure any man who enjoys good food would appreciate it too!

Woodstock Literary Festival debate - Does Reality TV Debase Modern Culture?

So last night I went to see the Independent Live debate at the Marlborough School in Woodstock, part of the Literary Festival that's going on in those parts at the moment (tomorrow I'm off to a talk on Queen Victoria - whee!). It's the first time I've been to one of the WLF events, I don't know how I missed it the last few years but this year they seem to have about a million events I would have liked to attend. As it was I managed to restrict myself to one free one (the debate) and one that I have to shell out £10 for (Queen Victoria). I have to say I was thoroughly impressed by the debate last night and don't think I've ever enjoyed myself so much in a school hall (and I've seen many amateur musicals in such places).

The debate was chaired by Penny Smith, of GMTV News fame, who looks much prettier in real-life than she does on TV and was wearing a very spangly silver top. She was replacing Mariella Frostrup, who had to drop out, but frankly I doubt even Mariella could have done a better job. Penny was charming to the audience and firm with the debaters, and I can even forgive her rather obvious lack of knowledge about Big Brother (tsk). The main participant in the debate, Janet Street-Porter, also had to drop out, which was a shame but, for me, didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the evening. As it was the final four participants were: Tracey McLeod (journalist apparently - I've never heard of her but she seemed nice enough), Alex James (formerly of Blur, now makes cheese, contributed very considered responses but seemed rather serious), Dom Joly (somehow the words 'roly-poly' always attach themselves to his surname whenever I think of him, anyway he was very funny), and Johann Hari (another journalist; wasn't aware of him before last night but now suspect I love him a little).

I've never been to a public debate before but I thoroughly enjoyed this one - here were four well-informed, witty, well-spoken people discussing trash TV at length and with every sign of enjoyment. Hari in particular provided a spirited defence of Big Brother and extolled the virtues of older reality TV shows like 'Touch the Truck' - being apparently horrified to discover that the contestants on Touch the Truck were allowed breaks from the truck-touching and therefore weren't as hardened as he'd believed. I also enjoyed the more serious discussion of X-Factor and whether small children should be allowed to watch it as it apparently condones bullying - I have to agree with the audience and panel on this one. Having watched one series of X-Factor I was put off it for life by the "freak-show" in the final episode where some of the most deluded auditionees from the first few episodes were paraded in front of the audience for further humiliation.

I felt a little out of place in the audience of middle-aged, tweed-clad, coiffed Woodstock residents, being sat there in my jeans and also being a big fan of Big Brother, but they all seemed to respond in good humour to the debate and there were some interesting questions from the floor in the second half of the evening. The final conclusion, I am pleased to report, was that all four participants answered "no" to the question of whether reality TV debases modern culture, and I came out of the hall feeling heartened by the experience, and slightly less guilty about my love of Big Brother.

(500) Days of Summer

(500) Days of Summer has been touted as this year's 'anti-rom-com' and has been adored by many, not least my good friend Lindsey over on Matching Curtains, who saw it with me last night. It subverts the genre in that it's your typical girl-meets-boy story, except that the boy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the romantic fool who idealizes the relationship, and the girl (Zooey Deschanel) is the hardened cynic who doesn't want to make a commitment and ditches him after a few months of hand-holding and trips to IKEA. As you might expect there is no happy ending here, but as you might not expect it does end on a note of hope and a suggestion that Tom's belief in soul-mates and true love might in fact be correct.

I did really enjoy this film, but if it hadn't ended the way it did I might not have, if that makes sense. The problem for me was that, ordinarily, I adore Zooey Deschanel and her scarily blue eyes and stoner accents, but in this film she came across as a giant bitca. Now, perhaps she's intended to, but I suspect the film-makers also want you to have hope for this fledgling relationship, whereas I just wanted to scream at the screen "RUN AWAY!!!!!". I loved Gordon-Levitt as Tom, he's as cute as a button, and is tailor-made for this kind of role, and I was delighted to find that they'd given him a hint of a happy ending. If it had ended with the end of Tom and Summer's relationship and no suggestion that things would get better I think I would have found the whole thing too depressing, as it was I left the cinema with a little bounce in my step, which was much better.

The film is directed very cleverly in a non-linear fashion, with flicking numbers telling us which day of the relationship we are seeing, and cunning cuts between the happiest days and the worst days. For instance, in one of the best sequences, Tom dances through the park after sleeping with Summer for the first time, commuters and road-sweepers falling into step behind him, animated bluebirds fluttering round his head, he enters the elevator at work looking like he's on top of the world - then the numbers flick forward and the elevator opens to show Tom in full on tragic-mime mode, complemented hilariously by a later sequence in the cinema when he appears to be watching a silent French film starring himself, communicating how desolate he feels after Summer leaves him. The soundtrack also is a delight, with plenty of Regina Spektor as well as other indie goodies.

I found this film really interesting in the way it presents the relationship, and it did get me thinking about the way rom-coms usually work. Summer seems like an evil ho simply because she's taking the stereotypically masculine role - as one of Tom's ill-advised blind dates points out she was clear with him from the start that she didn't want a relationship. But who would believe any girl who says such a thing?

This is definitely one I'll watch again, if only to work out the chronology, which is a little confusing at the start of the film but things slot into place as you see more of the 500 days. But, as many before me have done, I can also recommend it as an antidote to the slew of bad rom-coms this year (I'm looking at you "He's Just Not That Into You").