What I Watched Last Week (25th-31st March)

Life Is But A Dream
Whilst I'm not a die-hard fan of Beyonce, I have bought a few of her albums so I thought this would be an interesting watch. Sadly what I witnessed was 90 minutes of cash grabbing propaganda continually telling me how stressful her life is - I like your music Bey but when your as successful as you are please don't moan about it! This film's saving grace however were the scenes describing her miscarriage which added a sense of humanity along with some very good concert footage. This certainly isn't Katy Perry's Part of Me (which I found to be a really insightful emotional roller coaster) but still a nice enough way to pass an hour and a half on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
2.5/5

The Hunger Games
With nothing but repeats of Friends on TV I thought it was about time I revisited my favourite film of 2012. Despite the fact that it is about the fifth time I've watched it I remained gripped from beginning to end and continue to be mesmerised by Jennifer Lawrence's performance which was believable and absorbing the whole way through even though the camera is rarely off her through the whole 2hrs20mins of the film - it's no wonder she won the Empire Best Actress award for this performance the other week.
5/5

Oz the Great and Powerful
Having heard mixed reactions from friends and having no idea what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by what is essentially a less bleak version of Alice in Wonderland. Despite a fairly run of the mill script the visuals are so stunning and there's some nice one-liners that it's still a lot of fun. Read my full cinema review for more information.
3.5/5

Brave
Another one of my favourites from last year - definitely the best animated film! It's just so charming and beautiful that you can't help but get caught up in it, even if it is a story Disney have churned out several times already. It may not be Pixar's best film but I think it's still brilliant.
4/5

21 Jump Street
Definitely the funniest film of 2012, deservedly earning second place in my favourite films of 2012. The script manages to churn out joke after joke at lightning speed resulting in their never being a dull moment and without it being devoid of charm - the relationship between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum seems as though they've genuinely been best friends for years. Tatum is surprisingly the real star of the film, showing some real chops for comedy acting, but you need to look out for a cameo appearance by Johnny Depp (the star of the original '80s TV show).
5/5

Cinema Review - Oz the Great and Powerful (PG, 130 Mins.)

Synopsis: A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches.

Verdict: This film is definitely a slow burner. Early scenes portray Oz as one of the most unlikeable protagonists I've seen on screen as he womanises and refuses to help a child in a wheelchair. It's not until we arrive in the magical land of Oz that this film comes into it's own - despite still following in the shadow of Judy Garland's original.

Whilst the plot is fairly run of the mill Hollywood (spinster turns good, rag tag team of underdogs etc etc) there is certainly a lot more going on than other recent book adaptations such as Snow White and the Huntsman. The saving grace in this respect is the snappy one-liners which help to differentiate it from the much darker Alice in Wonderland, with it being much more similar to Enchanted.

Of course, however, the visuals are the real star of this show as shown by the trailers. An ingenious move by Sam Raimi was to show the early scenes in Kansas in black and white 4:3 ratio before expanding into colourful widescreen to show how magical a land Oz is. In addition to this I'd say it's a must-see in 3D as it takes full advantage of the hit-and-miss format with depth being added to the beautiful landscapes and creatures flying right in your face. I doubt you'd feel the same impact at home on DVD. Whilst many of the in your face special effects steal away your attention, some minor ones had a significant affect on storytelling and were nice touches - most notably the the scars left on Kunis' face from her burning tears.

Credit where it's due however for the acting. Mila Kunis was genuinely surprising as Theodora, showing some real acting chops through her characters' transformation. Meanwhile Rachel Weisz struck the perfect balance between hammy and cold to make her witch an intimidating threat. My only gripe about the acting is that James Franco seemed a bit uncomfortable when his character started to expand out of his usual sleazy roles. However this is a minor issue and he still gives a convincing performance.

As the story unfolds it's clear that Disney are intending to make a franchise from this movie with some loose ends not entirely tied up. If time is spent on a decent script which continues to let characters grow then this could be a franchise to keep an eye on.
3.5/5

What I Watched Last Week (4th-10th March)

Busy week at school last week so I didn't get a chance to watch many movies but here's the list of the ones that I did see:

Mississippi Burning
This is a truly shocking film about racism in the southern states of the USA after the murders of two black men and a white man are investigated. As events continue to spiral, difficult subject matters such as domestic abuse and lynchings of black people by the Ku Klux Klan mean that you can't keep your eyes off of the screen. In my opinion one of the only detriments was that at some points the soundtrack could be a bit loud and distracting which slightly pulled me out of the story and there were a couple of brief moments where the script slowed down a little bit. 
4/5

The Help
Another film about American civil rights (I'm studying it for History at the moment so what better way to research than watch some movies?!) this may be more targeted at a female audience but I thought it was great. It showed the hardship that black maids went through so whilst there was some dramatic moments - particularly as the story delves further into the backstories of the maids - it was also laugh out loud funny at some points... I don't think I'll ever be able to look at pie the same way ever again!
4/5

Side Effects
This is a very strange yet compelling story with so many twists along the way that I was on the edge of my seat straight from the offset. Read my full cinema review for more information.
4/5

Les Miserables
One of my favourite films of late, this had the perfect mix of heartbreak, battles and fun that there was something for everyone. Mix in some wonderful music such as "I dreamed a dream" with some breathtaking performances and you have a classic on your hands. Read my full cinema review for more information.
5/5

Cinema Review - Les Miserables (12A, 158 Mins)

Synopsis: In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.

Verdict: This film is a truly epic, heartbreaking musical masterpiece. From the opening scenes as we meet Jean Valjean, a convicted criminal (HE STOLE A LOAF OF BREAD!) who's just been released, I was captivated. 

Some people may have their qualms about the fact that there's just about no speaking at all in a film that lasts more than two and a half hours but to add in dialogue would not be staying true to the musical. With a story told so beautifully in the first place without any talking I feel it would've detracted from it. The fact that all of the songs were sung live made the film feel more real and really added an extra emotional punch, particularly for Anne Hathaway's stunning rendition of "I dreamed a dream".

The main highlight of this film though is the performances. I have not seen Lincoln so for all I know Daniel Day-Lewis may have been incredible, but how Hugh Jackman didn't pick up many gongs for his performance is beyond me. He made this film feel so grim, real and absorbing playing a character through the majority of his lifetime perfectly. The real star of the show here though was Anne Hathaway. Despite the fact that she was on screen for all of 25 minutes, Hathaway steals the show as Fantine, the mother to Cosette who becomes penniless after losing her job - resorting to selling her hair out of desperation in a scene that won't leave a dry eye in the house. For me the only slightly disappointing performance here was Russell Crowe as the police inspector Javert. Whilst his acting was very good, his singing was sub-par and for me was slightly distracting.

Whilst I thought that Marius and Cosette's storyline seemed slightly drippy, Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried brought such passion, hope and love to the story that a little bit of schmaltz didn't seem to faze me - compared to other musicals I suppose this was nothing. Two of my favourite characters however were the Thernardiers. These characters were made for Sacha Baron-Cohen and Helena Bonham-Carter - both bonkers and hilarious they brought a perfect balance of fun to the film along with one of my favourite songs "Master of the house". 

In short this film looks beautiful, was acted wonderfully and had the perfect balance of fun and heartbreak along with some epic violence - there's something for everyone here.

5/5

Cinema Review - Side Effects (15,106 Mins)

Synopsis: A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

Verdict: I had absolutely no idea what to expect which is probably the best way to go into this movie given all the twists and turns the plot takes the whole way through. One minute you think you know what's happening then the next the plot is turned completely on its head (boy it's going to be difficult reviewing this without giving anything away...) which is what makes this stand out - thanks to a brilliant script by Scott Z. Burns.

Some might complain that it's too confusing but sometimes it's good to watch a movie where you have to use your brain a little bit, without walking out with your mind completely boggled. Everything that happens here is completely feasible but not obvious when you first look at it. Whilst it'd lose the shock factor, I think this would justify repeat viewings just to see if you can spot things you hadn't previously - like Inception.

One of the main joys of this film is the acting. Jude Law is the main star of the show here and he puts in quite possibly the best performance I've ever seen him do - carrying off being a smug doctor early on before seeming more wounded as events spiral out of control - and I think it could be worthy of an Oscar nomination. Whilst Channing Tatum features prominently in the marketing his part is fleeting and he rarely appears on screen but he is really starting to prove himself as an actor. Rooney Mara also gives a scarily real performance as a depression sufferer which I think helped make the film so absorbing through the whole runtime - I can't imagine Blake Lively playing such a beefy part, if those rumours were true.

If it is true that this will be Steven Soderbergh's swan song as a director then he's certainly gone out with a bang - thank goodness after the mess that was Magic Mike (did that film actually have a plot?). He has managed to produce a breathtaking medical drama/conspiracy thriller that is scarily representative of the current pill-popping culture with characters comparing which drugs they've taken for depression in a truly Hitchcock-esque style.

What I Watched Last Week (25th February - 3rd March)

Seen as I had a week off school last week, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up on a bunch of movies I've been wanting to see for a while...

Kill Bill Volume 2
In my opinion a rather disappointing finale after what was a disgustingly brilliant first volume (who could forget the epic fight against the Crazy 88s?!). Far too much unnecessary dialogue and I thought that the last death should have been the most gruesome and impactful which left me disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was still enjoyable but my expectations were very high after the first one and I was left slightly underwhelmed as a result.
3/5

Buried
I had no idea what to expect from this movie what with Ryan Reynolds mixed bag of movies (Green Lantern anyone...) but this surprised me as being nerve shreddingly tense at some points. This was only enhanced by Reynolds mesmerising performance as he desperately tries to escape the coffin, so much so that a film that never leaves a coffin for 90 mins rarely has a dull moment until its shocking conclusion that had me breathless for the last five minutes.
3.5/5

Gone Baby Gone
Ben Affleck's directorial debut certainly didn't disappoint. With a twist at the end that I certainly wasn't expecting it manages to keep you on edge most of the time despite sections of it being a little bit too talky for me.
4/5

Jo Nesbo's Headhunters
This film surprised me by how witty and intelligent it was. At the beginning of the film I was slightly worried it was going to end up being a bit dull with not a lot going on but very quickly things started spiralling out of control and it went into hyper-mode with some great action set pieces. The great thing about this is that it didn't outstay its welcome either with a short runtime of just about 90 mins thanks to some snappy editing which meant it didn't get bogged down in unnecessary dialogue.
4/5

Into The Wild
Having read almost unanimously positive word of mouth about this film online (with some people even talking about how it "changed their life") I had high expectations for this movie but was left largely disappointed. What this turned out to be was the story of a guy I found incredibly unlikeable - which got grating thanks to its bloated 2 hrs 30 mins runtime - wondering around trying to fulfil a dream of living wild in Alaska. Don't get me wrong it had it's redeeming factors - it looked beautiful and was well acted (apart from Kristen Stewart doing her usual lip biting schtik!) - it's just I was left feeling a bit cold by the end.
3/5

Ted
What a great way to end the week! If anything I found this film funnier watching it this second time than I did the first time at the cinema having watched more episodes of family guy thus understanding more of the in-jokes.
4/5