Shame
Directed by Steve McQueen
Starring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
Plot
Brandon (Fassbender) is a sex addict living in New York, whose lifestyle and obsession turns into self-destruction when his young, erratic sister Sissy (Mulligan) comes to stay.
I had wanted to watch Shame for a while, and as I had some time to kill today waiting for my new laptop to be delivered (which I am in love with, by the way!), I took the opportunity to finally see it on Netflix.
Seconds in to the film, I realised I wasn't quite emotionally prepared for it. It starts with a macabre scene between Brandon and a strange women on the tube, where playful flirting soon becomes uncomfortable, interspersed with shots of him paying women for sex. We soon identify Brandon as an extremely lonely man with an uncontrollable habit. I will warn you, if easily offended by sexual scenes or nudity, then steer clear of this one, because there's a lot of it. The whole film is very up-close and personal, particularly with Michael Fassbender, but what I think the director has done so well is make the sex scenes totally devoid of emotion and deglamourised (is that a word?), making them part of the story rather than gratuitous.
The only glimmer of hope we see is Brandon attempting to start a relationship with colleague Marianne; their chemistry in a voyeuristic scene of their first date brought a genuine smile to my face, and their almost-love scene is the only romantic one of the film.
Michael Fassbender is just incredible in this film. He fully commits himself to the role, and I think he is one of the best actors around at the moment. He simultaneously conveys the sinking feeling of despair with the mask of a charming man. Carey Mulligan is also brilliant, in probably the most outspoken role I've seen her in. She is brash and troubled and mesmerizing, and the scenes between Sissy and Brandon are the best of the film. The one seen from behind them on the sofa (in the image above), where Brandon finally expresses his anger towards her, had me holding my breath, it was so full of tension.
The direction is stunning, too; the shots are long and static (Sissy singing in the club, Brandon running off his impulses), often focusing on the characters midriffs rather than their faces, and this gives a very realistic feel. This realism is also created through the minimal dialogue and the fact a lot is expressed visually rather than verbally. Shame has been criticised for not having enough development of the siblings' troubled past (which was obviously influential in who they are now), but I think this reflects reality; unlike some, more mainstream, films, where character backgrounds are nicely summed up in a speech or a flashback, here the audience are left to imagine it for themselves. The soundtrack of mostly hypnotising classical piano music is also brilliant, giving a kind of poetic feel. That sounded kind of cheesy, but you'll know what I mean if you see it.
Shame has had a mixed reception; some felt it lacked in storyline, others think it a masterpiece. I personally loved it...it is more an observation into someone's life than a full story arc, making the emotion in it all the more visceral and moving.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Not quite perfect, but just about. Oh, and don't watch it with your parents, could get a little awkward.
Have you seen Shame?
PS: Quick! Follow me on bloglovin' here before Google Reader disappears!
"What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society intended?
What if a child aspired to something greater?"
Man Of Steel
Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner
This weekend the much-awaited new Superman reboot, Man Of Steel, was released, and earlier today I went to see it with my Dad. You may have gathered by now that I get way too excited about films long before they are out, leading to a ridiculous amount of build up to new movies, and this was definitely one of them!
As you may know, Man Of Steel is an 'origin story' (just for a change) of Kal-El or Superman. It shows his life from birth on his home planet Krypton as it is being destroyed, through a troubled adolescence coming to terms with being different, to fighting against General Zod and the last remainders of his people.
The opening of Man Of Steel is the best part, and just a brilliant piece of cinema. The film starts with Kal-El's birth, the first natural one on Krypton in an age. The planet is about to collapse, and his father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is determined to save the race by transporting his son to another land. The vast landscape shots of Krypton are just incredible, with a huge sunset and explosions across the horizon. The costume in particular is stunning, a mix between medieval regalia and futuristic armour.
Seeing Kal-El grow up as Clark Kent is also brilliantly done; his childhood is told through flashbacks, which I'm not always a fan of, but it really works here. We see Clark struggle with his powers and become an outcast despite being a hero.
So let's talk about the super man himself. I have loved Henry Cavill since seeing him in The Tudors, but I can now confirm that he is the hottest man on not only this planet, but Krypton as well. Just....wow.
He has an incredible physical presence that obviously suits the character well, and though he isn't the most expressive actor, he conveys some moments of pure emotion beautifully...I just wish we saw more of those moments. He is also convincing as a blend between an angry young loner, a loving son and a legend from another planet, and plays it with great subtlety.
As for the rest of the cast, Michael Shannon stands out as the fascistic military leader General Zod. There is definitely a crazed look behind his eyes that make him a pretty chilling villain that we could have done with getting to know better. The scene with his televised threat to the whole of Earth is one of the best of the movie. Amy Adams is nicely watchable as always as reporter Lois Lane, but I think her character could have been developed a lot more too. Her and Clark seem to be kinda pushed together with no scenes to back it up, and so that doesn't leave room for much chemistry. That could be the fault of the story, rather than the actors.
The story also falls flat a little in the middle of the film, with a lot of spaceships flying around but nothing really gripping the audience. There is a lot of action. A LOT. So much that I personally found it a bit too much; there's only so many times you can see people being punched through buildings before it gets a bit dull. But, I will admit the apocalyptic action scenes do look incredible and create a sense of awe much bigger than Earth, a direct display of director Zack Snyder's style and reminiscent of his previous anti-hero film, Watchmen. But, unlike Watchmen, the whole world does look a little washed out and bleak, and though this reinforces the theme of metal and steel as metaphor for our hero, I think some more colour would have brought more life to the film.
Overall, I enjoyed Man Of Steel, but it wasn't as mind blowing as I'd hoped it would be. This is probably partly because of my daft tendency to build up my expectations for certain films, and therefore they have to be amazing to live up to them. I guess with Christopher Nolan as producer (The Dark Knight trilogy director) I was wanting more out of the story in terms of character and building tension as we saw with Batman. Parts of the film are genius, but it doesn't quite flow as a whole film and though I would definitely recommend seeing it and will be purchasing the DVD, it wasn't the perfect superhero movie I was hoping for.
(Also, the trailers give away far too much of the film for my liking!)
Rating: 3 out of 5
That's my verdict on a first watch, which my Dad thinks is really harsh haha! But hey, it's my opinion.
If you're a superhero fan like me, then I would honestly tell you to go see this, cause it is really enjoyable and, as I have read a sequel has been commissioned, is a great set-up for what will hopefully be a brilliant new franchise.
Just another thing, here's a drawing I did of Henry Cavill as Superman a few weeks ago, what do you think? What can I say, I just love looking at his face ha!
Have you seen Man Of Steel?
Jay Gatsby: "I knew it was a mistake for a man like me to fall in love..."
I have been so excited for this film! I know not everyone does, but I absolutely love Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo & Juliet; how stylized it looks, the eccentricity of the camera angles and just the romance of the storytelling makes it one of my favourite films. When I heard he was taking on Gatsby, I was really looking forward to how he would interpret it.
I actually saw this film around 2 weeks ago, but have left writing the review till now just because..I wasn't really sure what to say!
First things first, The Great Gatsby looks amaaazing. I'll admit I saw it in 2D, so I can't speak for how it uses the third dimension but it was still beautiful, full of colour and decadence, visually showing the wealth and gluttony of the lives of the characters perfectly. The costumes are incredible and the party scenes are extraordinary, with every piece of the screen exuding life and glamour. It is quite in-your-face though, and kind of got a little bit much to be honest, because the film moves along so quick it is quite difficult to keep up! Despite that, weirdly, it feels long. Really long. Nearly 2 and a half hours!
I think the reason it feels so long is because there's a lack of actual storyline... for a start, it takes forever to actually meet Gatsby (though admittedly, when you do, there is literal fireworks) and there seems to be no cohesion between the scenes at the house and parties in between. This gets better as the film progresses, particularly after Gatsby and Daisy's affair is revealed to Tom Buchanan in a brilliant scene full of tension. Up until then, it kinda feels like nothing much is happening, making the audience impatient. This could maybe be down to the novel? I do own the book and have tried to read it several times, but it just never grabs me at the beginning so I haven't managed to finish it! Also, considering it is a love story, the really moving romantic moments that you want to see between Gatsby and Daisy are few and far between.
Without doubt, the best thing in The Great Gatsby is the man himself, played by Leonardo Dicaprio. He plays the legendary character with such subtlety and control, it really is brilliant to watch. You believe that his life of luxury has all been to impress the love of his life, and that he will never give up hope of getting her back. Leo can do no wrong for me anyway, but he really is the highlight of the film. Though, if I never hear the phrase 'old sport' again, it will be too soon. Seriously.
The other legendary character is that of Daisy Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan. Don't get me wrong, she looks stunning, but I just wasn't convinced by her. She didn't seem worthy of Gatsby, which, again, could be all to do with the character, because Carey did play her part well. Her husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) is also thoroughly one-dimensional, and Tobey Maguire is good as always, but just seems to be standing around watching everyone else.
There has been a lot of hype about the soundtrack, which does have a lot of my favourite artists including Florence Welch and Lana del Rey, but...I didn't love it. At times, particularly in the party scenes, it was really great and added to the atmosphere, but at others, it was jarring to what was on screen and just didn't seem to flow. This may just be me, but there you go.
Overall, I was a bit let down by The Great Gatsby, but that could have been a result of me building it up too much before seeing it! True to Tobey Maguire's voiceover, the only person you really like by the end of it is Gatsby himself.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Definitely a case of style over substance!
Have you seen The Great Gatsby?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie.
"You think your world is safe?
It is not.
So....shall we begin?"
Star Trek: Into Darkness
(Watch the trailer here)
Directed by J.J.Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban
Words cannot describe how excited I was for this film.
I don't claim to be a huge Star Trek fan; I haven't watched any of the original films or series, and fully admit to jumping on the bandwagon when J.J.Abrams rebooted the franchise back in 2009. He is one of my favourite directors, and the sci-fi legend seemed so much cooler in his hands.
This is the sequel, and was heavily built up with a bigger budget, bigger cast and, following in the footsteps of Nolan's Batman (and as suggested by the name), was going for a darker feel.
Don't worry, you don't need to be a mega Star Trek or sci-fi fan to enjoy this film, it it just a genuinely brilliant watch. There's plenty of action, and it moves really quickly. The special effects are remarkable, and the whole film looks really bright and clean (with plenty of Abrams' signature 'lens flare' going on). It deftly balances a mixture of claustrophobia (and often panic) with the scenes aboard the Enterprise with the enormous beauty and scale of the universe and planets it creates.
Despite the aforementioned darkness, there is plenty of comedic moments; Simon Pegg is excellent (as always!) as Scotty, with some great one liners pulled off in a rather ridiculous Scottish accent. The whole ensemble (Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, etc..) work really well together and bounce off each other, with the extremely hot Chris Pine doing a great job of combining both the cheeky ladies man and the conflicted Captain as James Kirk. I also liked Karl Urban, who gave a memorable performance as 'Bones' McCoy, and Zachary Quinto as Spock. Him and Pine have a great chemistry on screen as the legendary duo, and we get to see both Spock's human side and his logical Vulcan half (although my Dad did remark that Spock was a little too emotional for his liking).
The real star of the show here is the guy with the best name in the business, Benedict Cumberbatch. He is probably one of my all-time favourite actors, and he does not disappoint here. He plays villain John Harrison so brilliantly that you don't know whether to hate him or pity him, and is the kind of actor that just draws you right into the moment on screen with his incredibly physical and intelligent presence. He provides the darkness and emotion here, causes both Kirk and the audience to question the morality of what his character has been through, and is most definitely the highlight of the whole film.
I do have one little thing to moan about though! Which I hate to do about such an enjoyable film, but here goes. The ending: why is it so rushed? The audience is being pulled and pushed through the real heart of the action of the film, and then it just seems to cut a load of the plot out! (Believe me, if you see this you'll know what I mean). The film didn't feel particularly long, so I just wish they had told the ending properly, instead of making it feel hurried and a little cliche.
(I know that paragraph was a bit of a riddle, but I don't want to drop any spoilers!)
Overall Star Trek: Into Darkness was a great film with an excellent narrative and fantastic performances, and one I'll watch over and over again: I'd highly recommend it to just about anyone!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
So close to perfect, I just wish they'd took their time with the end!
Thanks for reading!
PS: Apologies for lack of posts recently, been swamped with uni work. But, my second year is all finished with now, so I should hopefully have plenty more time for blogging! And a big thanks to some new followers I've gained!
Sophie.
'S p r i n g b r e a k forever....'
Last week I was with my beautiful uni friends up in Newcastle, and after some good solid uni work (a presentation which I just found out I got a first in! Yay!) we took a well-earned break and went to The Gate for something to eat and a cinema trip!
The original plan was to see The Place Beyond The Pines, the latest installment in our Gosling loving, but unfortunately it was full by the time we got there! So, Spring Breakers was the second choice.
Spring Breakers, directed by Harmony Korine, is a full-on film about four girls who commit a robbery in order to fund their spring break, but who end up under rapper Alien's wing after he bails them out of prison.
I had heard a lot of hype over Spring Breakers ever since the beginning of the year, so I was pretty excited. Sadly.... I was largely disappointed.
I'll start off by saying that visually, Spring Breakers is brilliant. Full of saturated neon colour and stunning sunsets, it really does evoke a bright sense of summer and heat during spring break, with a great contrast of dark greyness when the girls are at college. In terms of fashion, you only have to look around your high street to see the grungy girlyness worn by Disney stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in the film has had a direct influence.
However...
... the film is shot through a lot of extreme close ups, and also with distorted visual effects to emanate the characters' drug use, which can be a little headache-inducing (although I did watch it from two feet away in a teeeny weeny cinema, so that probably didn't help).
Spring Breakers tends to tell its story indirectly, through images, which weirdly seems to slow the pace of the film down and yet make it a little hard to follow. Also, the plot itself is kind of nonexistent, and what little plot there is is a bit ridiculous, and, quite frankly, creepy.
There is some good stuff here though; the way the robbery is shot from outside, through the window of the getaway car, is reeeeally cool, and the use of the sound of a gun shot between scenes (and when Alien mimes taking a picture) provides an ominous undertone and effective sense of dread. Also, when the film just takes a breath and slows down, it gets considerably better.
James Franco is definitely the best thing about the film, once you get over his ridiculous appearance and accent. His chemistry with Faith (Selena Gomez) is tangible, and he brings the little comedy there is really well. Speaking of Faith, hers is the only character you can really like, but she is only present for half the film; this is where it goes downhill, because the only girl you cared about is gone, so you're not really bothered about what happens next.
One thing you NEED to know about Spring Breakers is that it is most certainly not one to watch with the family. There is barely a moment without some form of sex, nudity or phallic symbolism, which is so incessant that by the end it doesn't even make an impact. The four stars are gorgeous, but there's only so many girls in bikinis you can see bouncing around before you get a little bored (even the boys next to me were! Honest!).
As I say, I was pretty disappointed with Spring Breakers. There was good moments, but overall too much sex, not enough character development and basically no plot. I'll always love James Franco, but I'm not sure what drew him to this film and his character, I guess I think he's better than this.
I hate to say this about any film, but it just wasn't worth the price of the cinema ticket, and I wouldn't even recommend giving it a watch!
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 (I couldn't decide between 1 and 2!)
Have you seen Spring Breakers?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie.
.....this is going to be a bumpy ride.'
Apologies for it having been so long since a new post; I've been busy starting my second year at uni, and wanted to work on redesigning the layout of my blog (though it is still a working progress), so I hope you like it!
I've seen a lot of great films recently, so wanted to write a few reviews. First up is:
Zombieland
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/
Zombieland is the tale of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a slightly awkward sociopath with a phobia of everything who is one of the few humans left in a zombie-infested world due to a list of rules for survival. He begins a journey to discover the fate of his parents and comes across a lively gang along the way, consisting of Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and sister act Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
Rule No. 18: Limber Up
For starters, the acting is simply brilliant. There is no weak link in the foursome; each is witty and excellent, and they gel together perfectly considering their only other co stars (with the exception of Bill Murray) are blood-crazed zombies.
Rule No. 17: Don't Be A Hero
Jesse Eisenberg is one of my favourite actors; his subtle yet remarkable performances in films like The Social Network and Adventureland are full of smartly spoken dialogue and dripping with sarcasm. He does well at making Columbus nervous and lonely, but incredibly likeable.
Rule No. 8: Get A Kick-Ass Partner
The first companion Columbus acquires is the steely, hot-headed Tallahassee, a man who thoroughly enjoys ripping zombies to shreds and is unstoppable in his quest for his favourite snack, the illusive Twinkie. I love Woody Harrelson in just about everything; he's quirky, gritty, and an amazing presence on the screen.
'When Tallahassee goes Hulk on a zombie, he sets the standard for 'not to be fucked with"
Columbus and Tallahassee set off on their travels, and everything goes well until they meet their match in sisters Wichita and Little Rock. Both Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are naturals and make for some of the best moments in the film, not least how they fool the two boys. Twice.
Rule No. 31: Check The Back Seat
Emma Stone, I believe, is one the best comic actresses in film at the moment. She has a way of bringing a script into reality, and has an ease in front of the camera that always makes her so enjoyable to watch (her performance in Easy A is outstanding).
'It's amazing how fast the world can go from bad to total shit storm.'
Zombieland is short (only around 80 minutes), snappy, and seriously smart. There are genuinely hilarious moments throughout, full of fantastic one liners delivered by a superb cast. The story is simple but well executed, and there is a comic book feel to it (especially in the theme park section) that really suits the genre and enhances the zombie-killing action. Eisenberg's deadpan narration really makes the film, as does the idea of the survival rules appearing on screen when relevant (again adding to the sense of the characters living in a comic book, or even a virtual game-world). The tentative relationship between Columbus and Wichita does seem almost like a generic required romantic element, but makes for some nice scenes and brings the group together.
It's a whole lot of funny with just the right amount of emotion, and will definitely become one of my favourites.
Rule No. 32: Enjoy The Little Things.
Verdict: The American equivalent of the excellent Shaun of the Dead.
Rating: 5/5
Watch this film!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie.
So today me and my uni friends plucked up the courage to go and see 'The Woman in Black'; directed by James Watkins, it is an adaptation of the novel by Susan Hill. I had heard about the play, and how terrifying it was with the woman in black actually wandering around the audience, so despite being apprehensive, I've read great reviews of it so decided to man up and give it a go!
'The Woman in Black' is the story of Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer who is sent to a Northern rural village to sort the paperwork of its recently deceased resident, to discover the house is not quite empty. I'll be honest, a good portion of this film I watched through my scarf! It wasn't particularly bloody or gory, but I really felt caught up in the tension that the film created, and just knowing the woman in black was present was enough to scare me!
The physical look of the film adds a lot to the atmosphere; the stony grey houses, misty horizon and overgrown landscape seem to lack any sense of warmth or sunshine, and that's without mentioning the black marshland that surrounds the ominous Eel Marsh House. The woman in black herself is pretty menacing, but I personally thought the creepy toys around the house were frightening enough!
I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so I was worried that I would be unable to watch Daniel Radcliffe without thinking we were in Hogwarts, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Because his opposing lead character is essentially a ghost, he has quite a tough job of having to move the film along by himself, and wander around the house a lot without too much dialogue to rely on. I think he does a really good job with it; the only downside that we found was that he was a little unbelievable as a father and a husband, although I think that may be more down to us being used to seeing him as a school boy, rather than his peformance.
Horror films can often be a bit of a grey area: what doesn't bother one person in the slightest could absolutely terrify someone else. I think 'The Woman in Black' might be one of these films. I've seen some people's opinions that they didn't find it scary at all, but my friend Tarany (talulahs-attic.blogspot.com) and I were practically jumping out of our seat! I personally find the idea of ghosts really disturbing anyway, and I thought that the way this film portrays the woman in black, as well as the devastating effects of her curse, made for quite a chilling mix, so much so that it was hard to understand why Arthur didn't leave immediately! The ending is equally sad and satsifying, and the feeling of relief when you leave the cinema is a sign of the atmosphere it creates.
Quote of the Film:
Mr Daily: 'I believe even the most rational mind can play tricks in the dark.'
Rating: 3/5
Definitely worth a watch, but maybes in the daytime!
Enjoy!
Sophie.
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