Film Review: "Frozen" (2013)

MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!

This review comes a little late, but that doesn't matter. Some people are yet to see this movie so here I am writing this up. Plus, I'm working on an editorial about the changes in the Disney Princesses over the years and hopefully this review will help me lead into that. But I'm off topic, what about Frozen? 

To be honest, I almost passed this one up. Why? I don't really know. It didn't really jump out at me. I knew it was Disney but that didn't encourage me to go see it. It was friends who wanted to see it and I came along too. But luckily, I was wrong and I'm glad I didn't pass up the chance of seeing this in the cinema. Twice. Three times! I enjoyed it so much, that I went back and watched it again and again. And downloaded the soundtrack.

So what's the story? The eldest Princess of Arendelle was born with the ability to control ice. Due to an accident, she becomes afraid of her powers and her parents shut her away from everything and everyone, including her younger sister. She bottles up her powers until one day, she slips and the town learn of her secret. She runs off, leaving the town in eternal snow and leaving her sister to go after her and save the town. On her journey, Anna teams up with ice salesman Kristoff, his raindeer Sven and a talking snowman called Olaf, to find Else and bring back summer.

I love pretty much everything about this movie. The animation is stunning. I do miss the days of the 2D Princess movie. But the past two "modern" 3D princess movies (this and Tangled) have still been great and stuck to the Disney Princess feel despite being computer animated. The soundtrack is great but I love Disney soundtracks in general. I heard that Disney are planning on releasing a sing-only version of Frozen soon which I'm not surprised by. The songs are catchy and memorable. I can't help bursting into song when's I hear "For The First Time In Forever" and "Let It Go" (both versions - i like Idina Menzel's version better but Demi Lovato's version shouldn't be overlooked!) Slightly off topic but, after seeing this the second time, myself and one of my coworkers ended up running down the street after another coworker singing "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" 

But what stands out to me most is the plot. It's not your typical prince faces off bad guy to save princess that he's just met or love at first sight plot. In a way, it parodies it. The film talks more about family. There is some romance but the focus isn't on that. There is also sense of female empowerment too. Both sisters can look after themselves and the men are just in the background. Also, come on, you can't sing along to "Let It Go" (mainly the Idina Menzel's version) without feeling empowered by the end! 

So is it worth a look? Totally. Even if the story doesn't appeal to you, the music will, or the animation will. My brother has been going on about how overrated this movie is since everyone online is talking about it, but I've been telling him not to judge it. He has no right to say its overrated until he's seen the movie for himself. The third time I saw it was because a friend of mine kept seeing stuff online about it and was curious. She ended up loving it too. So go see it and judge it for yourself. I don't regret seeing it and look forward to watching it again and again in the future. 

After all, "winter is a good time to stay in and cuddle but put me in summer and I'll be a..... Happy snowman!!" :)

Film Review: World War Z (2013)

A couple of years back, a friend recommended me a book he had not long finished - "World War Z" by Max Brooks. It was about a man from the UN, who, after the zombie apocalypse, interviews survivors. This book is their stories. So, of course, when the movie was announced, i was curious. How could you turn this into a film? There isn't a focal character. Hmmmm......


My mind went elsewhere when i got linked to an application form to be an extra. I almost filled it in as well. A couple of weeks later and i spotted this sign......

I almost went crazy! I made it my goal to get onto the set and see some filming. This was a once in a lifetime chance and it happens to be a film based on a book that i've read. For people who don't know, George Square is in the center of Glasgow, Scotland. News spread fast, and before long most shops had sold out of the book and crowds gathered at the fences, hoping to see some filming, Brad Pitt or both. Me, I was there for the filming, i'm not a huge fan of Brad Pitt. 

Crowds gathered to see the action (And/Or Brad Pitt)

It wasn't actually as hard as i thought to get on set, and i was down there pretty much every day, snapping away. One day though, the whole set was pretty much open (this was near the end of the filming) and i forgot my camera!! What kind of photographer am i??? But i had my phone which was something, at least. I have photos of pretty much everything, from cars, to mail boxes/newspaper stands, to the extras, to even the guy with the little clipboard that says take x on it!! I was especially pleased with that one. This was one of the last days of filming and this was the scene where people are running across the square being chased by zombies (its in the trailer). I got to watch two takes of this being filmed, it was so fun!!

Send in the army

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't clicked on yet, it's not Philadelphia, it's Glasgow. Sorry to destroy the illusion. We laughed anyway when watching the movie because, though they changed everything to look like Philadelphia, they left the Glasgow logos on the bus stops. I don't think Philadelphia has history about The Bell That Never Rang, The Tree That Never Grew, The Fish That Never Swam and The Bird That Never Flew. Would be weird if they did. Anyway, i'm off topic now. Back to the film. So yeah, it was cool. I never saw Brad Pitt, but as i said, i wasn't fussed about that.

So the film as a whole, what did i think? Well, i wasn't impressed. But i didn't think i would be. As a fan of the book, i knew it would be nothing like it. In the end, all the book and the film had in common was the title and zombies. That's it. People who like this movie and go off and buy the book are in for a shock!

One of the RV's driven by Pitt 

It was your typical zombie movie with nothing new really added. I felt i had seen most of this before, pieced together in different movies over the years. The only main attractions to this movie i had was that i had read the book and seen the filming.

Well, actually, it wasn't totally bad. The effects were pretty good and i have Muse stuck in my head for the rest of the day (which is fine with me, being a fan of Muse).

I may not have really enjoyed it, but at the end of the day, i don't regret seeing it. When the movie ended, i said to my friend; read the book, watched the filming, met the author, seen the movie. Case closed.

CRASH!!

There isn't much left to say. Is it worth watching? I really don't know how to answer that. If you wanna see it, then go have a look. It's not a film i would hugely recommend though. But i'll let you make up your mind about it on your own.

Film Review: Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Despicable Me advertisements 2010

I love Despicable Me! There, i said it! I'm in my twenties and i don't care, i love it! I saw the first movie in the cinema more than once and i know for a fact that i'll see this one again and again.

You were looking for an unbiased opinion of this movie? Sorry, you aren't really getting one here sadly. But i'll try.

As i write this, Despicable Me 2 isn't actually out in the cinemas yet. I went to the preview screening. Of course i was going to, it shouldn't be that surprising.

Minions, Gru and Myself back in 2010

Anyway, there wasn't really a plot released for this movie, up until a couple of months ago. The first two trailers gave nothing away. It wasn't until trailer 3 when we see the Anti Villain League, Lucy and the plot. Strangely enough (minor spoiler), the second trailer with the minions being kidnapped is actually part of the movie! I wasn't too sure if it would be or not, but it worked it's way in perfectly. Out of context advertisements work sometimes.
So what is the plot? Gru is a family man now and has given up his evil ways. However, when a new villain plots world domination, the Anti Villain League turn to Gru for help. Being an ex-villain, he should prove a useful asset. He is teamed up with Lucy Wilde, a spy for the AVL, in order to take down this villain. And yes, before you ask, there is a couple of references to him stealing the moon throughout the movie (and he still has his handy FreezeRay too)

So how does it hold up against the first movie? It keeps to the idea of the importance of family, which i liked. Though the girls are older, there isn't much difference in their characters. In fact, we see more of their personalities come out, especially with Edith. Gru has to face reality with his girls, in the way that they will grow up and want to go on dates etc. He's very protective of them. Agnes is as cute as ever! And she still has that unicorn! :) But in my opinion, we didn't see enough of them, like we did in the first movie. The first movie was based around them. This time, it's based around Gru and Lucy. Its the only thing i could say that i didn't like about this, i would liked to have seen a bit more of the girls.

Stealing Stuart's Cupcake

The voice acting was a good as ever. Still think it's strange that though Al Pacino pulled out and was replaced, his name still appeared in the trailers. But oh well. It's as funny as the first. The minions are great. They get more screen time around this time too. I don't know if its because they are so popular or because a minion movie is in the works or both, but i'm not complaining since i love them!

Overall, it's a fun family movie that will entertain children and adults alike (The number of adults outweighed the number of children in the screen i was in). If you liked the first one, you will like this one.

Viewer Tip: See it in 3D and once the film is over, wait! Fans of the first movie will remember the end credit scenes with the minions trying to get out the screen. They do something along the same lines this time and it's brilliant in 3D!!

Film Review: Man Of Steel (2013)

WARNING: CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS

I'm a Marvel girl. I don't hate DC but i'm not a huge fan. Thinking about it (please don't hate me for my lack of DC knowledge if i'm wrong), they only have two main heroes - Batman and Superman. While Marvel have the X-Men, Fantastic Four and the many heroes that make up the Avengers. This could be because DC hasn't have that many successful movies over the past couple of years, apart from the Dark Knight trilogy. But i'm not sure. What i can say is this, with the success of Marvel's Phase One, DC are trying to go down the same road. Summer 2015 is gonna be a big one with the planned releases of not only the Avengers 2 but also the Justice League!!! FIGHT!!!! Only kidding.

So with this in mind and the fact that Batman has already been rebooted, the next step was clearly Superman. Which leads us to this review. We all know Superman and his story. Even the people who don't like comics/comic movies, still know the story. So the writers had to find a new and interesting way to tell it, while also keeping the same tone as the Dark Knight trilogy (since it's meant to all be connected). Keeping Nolan on was a great idea and Snyder is a great director. You can see his personal style coming though with a little mix of Nolan throughout the movie. The only thing i didn't like about the direction was that i felt the camera was too shaky at the start of the movie (i really hope the director from the Hunger Games hasn't started a trend! Please!)

Another thing i wasn't keen on was the order of the movie once Superman lands on Earth. I felt the next 20 mins were all over the place. Clark saves some people..flashback....he's walking along the street.....flashback.......he's in a bar ........ flashback. I liked seeing him as a child, but it was a bit all over the place. In a way, it could be a good thing, since they talk about him being a shadow and not staying in one place long enough for people to get to know him. He has a habit of disappearing. If that was the point of the order, then it kind of makes sense, but personally, i didn't like it.

The acting was okay. The writers tried to add more logic into the movie which i liked. I did have a moment when i felt sorry for General Zod, since everything that happened wasn't totally his fault, he was just doing what he thought was right, but so were the other characters. And just because you think it's right, doesn't always mean that it is.
The action scenes were good but army were a little stupid. Can't you see your bullets have no effect??? Stop shooting, you idiot! It serves no purpose! AAAHHH!
Finally, i loved the stuff on Krypton and Clark has two awesome fathers!

It's not my favorite movie of the year so far, but it will definitely be in the Top 10, if not the Top 5. It's well worth a look.

Film Review - The Great Gatsby (2013)

I'm going to open by saying that i have never read the book or seen any other versions of the Great Gatsby. So i'm a new viewer to this story. I do have the book and will read it and when i do, i'll write up a Book vs Movie but that won't be for a long while (have you seen my to-read pile?) If you want that review sooner, drop me a note, and i'll move it up the pile.

But anyway, the new 2013 version of the movie? What did I think?

It was strange. As I've said, I'm new to this story so wasn't sure what to expect. Is it silly for me to say that I thought his big secret was something a lot darker than being poor and in love? I know I sound naive but I really didnt know anything about this story. I studied 1984 and Lord of the Flies in school! But taking that in mind, It didn't effect my enjoyment of the movie. In a way, it was a good thing. I remember watching the movie versions of 1984 and Lord of the Flies and knowing what to expect and it not shocking me as much as those stories are meant to. Watching this without history meant I could enjoy it more and not compare it to other versions or the book. I hate watching a movie based off a book I enjoyed and it's nothing like it and i can't enjoy it as a movie due to that.

Moving on. The stylising of this movie was brilliant. Very classy yet bright and colourful. It had some humor in the middle of, what I would say, is a serious movie. Easy to follow. Music was a bit a head of its time but who cares! Gatsby's parties looked fun. On a side note, how bad would it be, to be a cleaner at Gatsby's? Bad times! The acting was pretty good. I'm a fan of DiCaprio though.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable movie. How it compares to other versions, i can't tell you, but I enjoyed this one. At the end, my friend turned to me and said "you didn't enjoy it, did you? It's not a Sam movie" since I normally wouldn't pick this kind of movie to watch but I was like no, I enjoyed it. It makes you think as well. It's worth a look.

4/5 

Film Review - The Hangover Part 3 (2013)

The time has come. The time has come to say goodbye to the wolfpack. When the first Hangover film was released back in 2009, it was brilliant. One of the best comedy movies in a long time and set the bar for future movies. So when the second movie came out 2 years later, we expected the same standard. And, honestly, it was a little disappointing. It was a good movie. It was still funny. But it followed pretty much the same structure as the first movie, so it was a little repetitive. But it was still a good movie and we still enjoyed it, despite its flaws. 
What were we to think about a third movie? What could they do differently? Well, no stag do, no wedding, so whats the plot? A criminal war between a Vegas mobster and Chow which the wolfpack is dragged into. 

Did it hold up well against the other two movies? Yes and No. It's a decent watch and a nice ending to the series but it's not as funny as the first two. It's more feel good than funny. But i'm not saying it's not funny, it is, just not as much as the other two. What i loved about this movie though, was that it went full circle. We go back to Vegas, we revisit characters from the first movie including Jade and Carlos. There are a load of in jokes that you won't get unless you have seen the other movies. Strangely though, this is the only movie in the series not to feature Mike Tyson. 

If you want a movie to cheer you up and brighten your day, go see this. If you're a fan of the trilogy, go see it. If you didn't like the other movies, i'd give it a miss. 

One little thing that i'll end with though. A little tip. Don't leave when the credits start to roll. There is a scene in the middle of the credits and its totally worth waiting for. That one scene made me want to see another Hangover movie, and it's the perfect end scene for the trilogy. 

Film Review - Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Firstly, I want to start by saying I'm not a huge Star Trek fan (I'm sorry I'm sorry!!).

My dad is a fan of the original show so I have watched it somewhat. But space stuff normally doesn't interest me. Far away galaxies and aliens aren't really my thing. But this did look quite good.

I can't compare it to the last movie since I never watched it. At the time, I was a huge Heroes fan and couldn't see Zachary Quinto in any other role apart from Sylar, so it was difficult for me to take the trailers seriously. Heroes has been off the air for years now so it isn't too bad. Shame to say, I'm also a BBC Sherlock fan, and if I didn't have a thing for Benedict Cumberbatch, I would have had the same problem this time around. (Though there was one scene in the movie I did take a step back and think "You know, this is Sylar chasing after Sherlock Holmes")

But enough of me and my typecasting, how was the movie? It was surprisingly really good. Not too hard to follow, even for new viewers such as myself. It had its funny moments, its dramatic moments, its silly moments and its action packed moments. The acting is pretty decent. Plot is a bit iffy but i don't know if that is just this plot or if its a genre thing, i'm not sure. As i've mentioned, it's not my normal territory.

Is it worth a watch? Yeah. It was on my list of summer blockbusters and though it's not the best movie so far this summer, its good. It's not for everyone but if you like sci-fi/star trek, go see it. And if not, if you think the trailer is good, then go see it too, it do live up to the advertisements

. 

Film Review - Iron Man 3 (2013)

"I just stole a poncho from a wooden Indian"

So Marvel's Phase Two is officially under way. It's the moment we've been waiting for since the end of last summer. Will it be as good as Phase One? No one was really sure. The Avengers was such a good movie that Phase Two had to step it up. 

Phase Two (as far as i'm aware) will feature the following:

• Iron Man 3
• Thor: The Dark World
• Captian America: The Winter Soldier 
• Guardians Of The Galaxy 
• Ant Man (?)
• The Avengers 2

I'm not too sure about Ant Man since some sources say Phase Two, others say Phase Three. 
And don't forget ABC's new show "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D." (#CoulsonLives)

So yeah, Iron Man 3 opened the next Phase of operation, and it had to work as a stand alone movie as well as part of the series. Plus with a different director from the other two Iron Man movie, it was going to be new ball game. 

How did it work out? Brilliant! I loved it. It contained everything an Iron Man movie should contain; Tony Stark's Wit, big explosion action scenes, humour, a bit of growing up, references to other Marvel movies/characters, fun end credit scene a cameo from Stan Lee, etc. The plot was a little silly but that's part of the fun. The other movies in this Phase have a lot to live up to as this is just the opening. But i have faith.

The new Thor trailer came out the same week as Iron Man 3 was released in the UK, and it looks amazing too. This is encouraging a whole new generation to get into comics and superheroes. 

I don't want to say too much and spoil anything for those who haven't yet seen it. To those people i say this, go see it. It's worth it. It has everything you need. 

Film Review - Trance (2013)

This was a strange one. 

The story follows Simon, a man who helps a group of criminals steal a painting. However, after a hit on the head, he wakes to discover the painting is missing and has no idea where he put it. The gang hire a hypnotherapist to put Simon into a hypnotized state in hopes of finding the missing painting. It isn't long before reality and suggestion become mixed up. 

I loved the concept of this movie. There were times you weren't too sure what was real and what was planted in his head which left the audience wondering what will happen next. Even with that, i saw some of the ending coming. The overall conclusion of the movie i didn't see coming, the same with some of the twists at the end, but some of it was a little predicable.

You need to be focused watching this film, to keep up with it. The film does veer off at points, which lead me to believe the film lacked focus at times, but the ties up nicely in the end. 

It's a decent movie and i would recommend watching it if you like this type of movie. It's worth a look. 

STARS : *** 1/2 (3 and a half) 

Film Review - The Raven (2012)

Edgar Allan Poe solves murders based on his writings. 

On having a movie night in, i decided to watch the 2012 movie "The Raven" starting  John Cusack. I'd wanted to see this in the cinema but i hadn't managed to get round to it, and in a way, that was a good thing. 
The film overall wasn't as good as i'd hoped. However, i'll give the film this -  the acting was pretty decent, the sets were impressive and the concept was interesting. The story just didn't really grip me. I saw the ending coming. 

It's not a terrible movie, but it's not a movie I would be desperate to watch again anytime soon. Though it does make me wanna go read some Poe. After all "Quoth The Raven, 'Nevermore," :)

(there is a scene early on in the movie when Poe asks people in the bar to finish the quote "Quoth the raven......" I also yelled "NEVERMORE!!!!" at the screen hehe)

Book Vs. Movie - Warm Bodies

Since i was about to read the book, i never bothered to review the movie version for "Warm Bodies" but left a promise on my tumblr blog that i would hang off and write up a Book Vs Movie post instead, which i am doing now. 

When i first saw the movie advertised  my first thoughts were "No No No, Please Don't Do This!! Vampire Romance Was Bad Enough!! Not Zombie Romance Too!!!". A friend even sent me a link to a blog which compared scenes from the trailer to scenes in twilight which were the same. But the more i saw it, the more curious i became. So i decided to give it a go. After all, i made it through 4 twilight books and 5 movies!

THOUGHTS ON MOVIE
I surprisingly enjoyed the film. It was fun. Not too lovey-dovey, which was great. The story was nice and flowing. A bit predictable but nothing major. Much better than i'd hoped for. I don't know if i'm getting more romantic in my old age (haha) or what, but i certainly enjoyed the film, and i'm glad i saw it despite my worries. You can't compare it to twilight, because this is far better. Worth a look. Its good fun.

THOUGHTS ON BOOK
I loved the narration for the book. Through R's eyes, we see so much and learn so much. We think about the world and the people around us. Through Perry's memories, we see a world at it's end that won't recover and pointlessness of a life that will always end. Through Julie's character, we see hope. The book isn't about love, It's about hope and all the things that make us human.

BOOK VS MOVIE
The film is a condensed version of the book. The book goes into more detail about everything. It doesn't have as many jokes as the film which works just fine, but we see more of the world. Two things i loved about the book that weren't in the film were:
1.The community the boney's had created, with families, church and school - a lament to what has been lost. 
2. Perry's decent into darkness. We see in the film, he's depressed and doesn't see the point in life. This is explained better in the book and in more detail, which helps to put the point about hope across. 

The film is a good movie, but tries to fall on the funny side. The book is more serious and has more meaning. The film is worth a look but in the end (like most times) the book was far better.

Film Review - Oz: The Great And Powerful (2013)

The wizard of Oz is a classic. Everyone knows the tale and i have yet to meet someone who hasn't seen the iconic 1939 movie. There has been a ton of sequels and prequels since then but none have ever made an impact. In fact, i can't think of one that i actually really enjoyed. Until now!

I wasn't too keen on the idea of this film, until i saw the trailer. After that, it went on my must see list.

So, how did it compare to what we've seen before? It worked out pretty well.

I loved the start being in square format and in black and white - a hint to the original movie. The 3D in that particularly well in this scene as it added a lot of depth to the film. Being square format, you can see the difference it created.
On going into Oz, the director again tried to make good use of the 3D and the fact that Oz is a place with no rules. You can do what you want with the land, which he did, but kept some aspects of the original such as the yellow brick road (you can't have an Oz film without that!!) right down to the spiral in muchin land where Dorothy starts her journey.

The plot is a little confusing for younger audiences since you're not too sure at first who the bad guy really is, while in the original was just "kill the witch, save the land". This film had the same plot but tries to complicate things a little.  

The actors do a pretty good job most of the time. I felt Mila Kunis wasn't right for her part in the second half of the movie. She isn't a bad actress but her role in this movie changes half way through and she wasn't as great at the second half. Couldn't really pull off the laugh! But that is personal opinion.

As i've mentioned already, i love the hints to the original. There is a scarecrow, a lion, the muchins, the yellowbrick road, the flying monkeys, the good witch has bubbles, the evil witch has a smoking broom, the list goes on. It works well as a prequel and i would watch it again. The film was only missing one thing - the ruby slippers! But i looked it up and turns out MGM own the rights and Disney couldn't use them.

So yeah, overall, it was a decent movie. Great family picture.

FIlm Review - Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters (2013)

Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton going around killing witches for the sake of it, yup sounds good to me! :)

I've wanted to see this movie for a while now, so decided to see it last week. We had originally just booked 3D tickets before discovering it was also showing in D-Box at the same time, so had to go upgrade our tickets. It worked ok as a D-Box movie. Not as good as the likes of Die Hard and The Expendables (which were the last movies i saw on D-Box) but it still had an impact. The 3D was the same. It worked better in some scenes than others. Seeing it normally though, you wouldn't miss out on much. 

As for the movie itself, it was predictable. The ending and the twist was obvious. But i'm not saying it's a bad movie. It's good fun to watch, if you don't mind not having much of a plot. The plot is there, but you know what's going on the whole time so you don't really have to think, just watch the two of them kill almost everything that moves. 

The gory and violence is a bit over the top in some scenes. For example, there is a scene where they're killing a witch and decide to stomp her head off. Why? For the sake of it. It is a bloody and violent film but goofy at the same time for that reason. 

I liked the twist on the classic fairy, so it's a good idea as a film, but as i said, it's predictable. If you want a goofy action movie with loads of blood and guts, this is one to look into. It's over the top fun!!