The Host Review

While on holiday, my family decided that we should watch a different type of film. So here is where we found a very strange, slightly political, Korean film called The Host. It addresses the problems of humans not caring about the environment and the incompetences of governments. What i found most interesting was that you almost did feel much sympathy for the main family because they were just as incompetent as everyone else!

At the start of the film, the Americans dump a load of chemicals into the South Korean sea and this creates a monster. This monster steals the daughter of a failed father and granddaughter and niece to the rest of the family members. The father, who is comically useless, is infected with a 'virus' from the monster. The government goes insane trying to cure him but he just wants to fight back and save his daughter. With his father, sister and brother he attempts to find his daughter but encounters a few problems along the way.

What i enjoyed most about the film was the humour that was brought with a strong message. I am a strong believer in being environmentally friendly and the reason that this monster was made was because of the pollution of the Korean sea. The monster is a bit of a metaphor because like pollution, it was caused by us and will kill us. The colouring of the film is dark and grey, which fits with the horror theme. Although i don't like horrors, i though this one was done well because there were tense moments but there was still a story to follow. The animations were really believable and i liked the idea of a shark with legs. It was interesting that you were not made to feel empathetic towards the characters despite their situation. They were all so different but just as useless as each other. The political message of the film was showing how incapable the government can be and how America has destroyed so much (chemicals in sea and strong reference to Agent Orange). Overall, this being the first South Korean film i have watched, i really enjoyed its 'Jaw' type ideas. I would recommend this to any one how wants to try something that isn't a hollywood film or doesn't like very scary horrors. But after watching this, you might not want to swim afterwards!

4 out of 5 stars

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Half Way Through Misfits Review

I am halfway through series three and am delighted with my choice of TV show. In series one and two, we follow the five main characters but hardly discover anything about their past. In the first series, there is an equal amount of storyline about their crime and their superpowers. I really enjoyed seeing what people have to do on community service and how useless it seams to be; they had to dance with old people and sort through rubbish. The characters slowly become more and more obscene. My favourite part of series one is in the last episode when Nathan makes a hilariously-accurate speech about how messed up our generation is and how different it is to all the others. The speech will make you realise that this is okay and it is supposed to happen. The acting becomes more believable as we find out more about the character's personalities.There is an abrupt departure of (spoiler alert) Nathan at the end of series two, which doesn't seam to affect the group much but I was annoyed because he was the hottest one and had the most outrageous humour. The best thing about Misfits is the unexpected twists in the story line that seam to occur all the time.

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If I stay Review

Chloe Grace Moretz is one of my favourite actresses; mostly because she isn't in a load of typical teen films. Saying that, If I Stay is quite a typical teen film adaptation of a book. I read the book in a day and thought it was a very unique idea to have a book set over 24 hours. Before you find out much about anyone, there is a sudden car crash affecting Mia, her parents and her little brother. She appears un-conscious to other people but she can see and hear what is happening after the crash. As more characters get introduced in the waiting room of the hospital and tragic things start to take place, the reader finds out through flashbacks what significance they have in her life. She is a passionate cello player, has an un-expected boyfriend and doesn't fit into her family. Mia must choose whether she wants to stay and wake up or let go and leave the pain behind. 

Because Mia is a 'ghost' we follow her everywhere and see her feelings (which the other characters can't). This cleverly makes you think of yourself in her position. You sometimes forget that she is in a coma when you were watching a flash back and then be completely shocked. Although being quite discrete and reticent, Mia had so many people that loved her and it's had to fathom what you would do in her situation. I think the parents were exactly how i would imagine them from the book: contrasting to Mia but a very similar state of mind. Mia's boyfriend Adam, is played by a British actor which added to their differences. I think that the time that they were happy together was too short and their relationship went too quickly in the film. I wanted to see that Mia and Adam were opposites, just like Mia and her parents are opposite and Mia and her best friend are opposite but they all work so well with each other. I loved the music scenes and the way they showed that music was the one thing they had in common. The directors had interesting characters to play with but their personalities weren't disparate. I don't normally expect unique ideas from a teen film but from reading the tense book, i expected more individuality from the whole film. 

2 stars our of 5

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Wadjda Review

Wadjda is a film in the unlikely setting of Saudi Arabia. My mum recommended it because at the moment i am writing a short story about a young girl being forced into marriage in Saudi Arabia. I came up with the idea from listening and reading all the media coverage on Saudi women. Their rights practically don't exist and i find it so interesting that their society is surviving. My story is also about male guardians and the relationships that families have. I read a lot of wikipedia pages about women in Saudi but i wasn't getting the atmosphere from the facts, i needed to see it. The director of the film (Haifaa al-Mansour) was the first Saudi Arabian women to make a film and it be filmed in Saudi. It wasn't easy; she was disliked by the locals and she could not work with men so had to sit in a van and use a walkie-talkie to direct the actors.

Wadjda is a young girl living in Saudi Arabia trying to avoid the prejudices girls are accustomed to. She wants to ride a bike, paint her nails and back chat to everyone. Her father might remarry and society is shaming everyone. Wadjda sometimes finds school difficult but has an aim to make money. She wears converse and hangs out with a boy. Contrary, stubborn and strong.

This film is very relaxed and it doesn't require much concentration (except for the subtitles). The film gives you the basic rights of young girls but rushes over the main limitations of women (like being forbidden from driving). I would have liked if it was equally about her as it was about her mother. A contrast in ages but also a contrast in rights and expectations. It was humorous but lacked energy; only one emotional scene. It shows that women are second class citizens in Saudi's social hierarchy and really helped me understand how children feel living there. If you can persuade them, then this is a good first subtitle film for children around eleven years old. They will relate to Wadjda almost automatically and find her attitude hilarious. I never found it boring and i enjoyed the 'that's life' style of it.

2 and a half stars out of 5

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The Help Review

I am always incredulous about judging a book by the film adaptation but i think that this has a story line that could only have been written by a author who understands the animosities at this time. For this reason, i enjoyed THE HELP. It is set in a time when racism was everywhere; the 1960s. It includes lots of candid history. You see the bigotry attitudes were not just against the black people but also against the women who worked and people who wanted to class black people as equal to white. 

The film follows the story of Skeeter, an independent, white aspiring author (unexpectedly Emma Stone), who has humourlessly been given a column in a local magazine on cleaning, which she is entirely clueless about. She was given this job after acclaiming a degree instead of a husband (much to her mother's disappointment). Her new project is to interview the black female servants that raise white women's children and look after their houses for many years. They aren't allowed to use the same toilet as the white people and are treated unfairly. Only Aibileen, the housekeeper of Skeeter's best friend, will talk at first. As the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward and tell their story. The interviews eventually turn into a book. Skeeter's friends are appalled that she is mixing with the lower classes. The film includes how little power some of the men had in their homes. Women were above men in the household but not outside. 

THE HELP takes the idea of unexpected friendships and puts it into historical context. It was interesting to see that Skeeter didn't want to do what other people wanted her to. The way that she reacted to discipline varied. I learnt a lot about the history and the mind set of people at this time. I was not aware that Emma Stone could play such a serious role but still invoke her personality into the character. Overall, her character was whimsical and confident. I liked her. For a film like this, i would have preferred if there was no 'lovey doveyness' but near the ending, she does find a man (he looks a bit like Zac Efron so i don't mind too much). I think the other characters were astoundingly believable. Not one character was similar to another. The film somethings broke away from the strictly serious scenes to incorporate farce. Wait for the toilets in the garden scene...

3 and a half out of 5

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Side note: Just wanted to say that i am aware that i review the most cliche films and they are all very modern and have a-list actors in. I am a film aficionado, which means i love every single film no matter what. Every film interest me and i always want to know how they are made and who came up with the ideas. Film is like art to me. Every single film i watch i review, which shows that films that have been on television lately have been all the modern ones and the ones in the cinema have been biopics. Soon i will start reviewing more alternative films because they are compelling and challenging to review. I prefer films that are not modern but i feel like they are helping me develop my film critic voice. 

Good Night and Good Luck Review

GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK is a modern black and white film set in 1950's America when Communist beliefs were considered a crime of being un-American. This film offers the true story of the predicaments the CBS Television Station encountered when Senator Joseph McCarthy accused some of their staff of committing anti-American acts. At this time it was very dangerous for a respected news station to break their unbiasedness and shares their notions of the political problems occurring at the time. A very public predicament develops between CBS and McCarthy, who responds by accusing the show host and workers at the station of being communist. This political war, caused by censures, advances throughout the whole film with more accusations and altercations. A forbidden marriage, a tragic suicide and a stand against the government are major occurrences in the film. The film has a clear message; stand up for what you believe in especially if it means saving someone else too.

This is one of the only modern films that has managed to make a black and white colouring look realistic and acceptable to the era they are trying to portray. Another reason why the monochrome is successful is because the film includes original footage of the ruthless and devious speeches and court hearings made by Senator Joseph McCarthy (which are in black and white). The atmosphere is authentic because of the constant subtle sound of a female jazz singers voice singing mellow blues. The audiences vision is constantly obscured by the storm of smoke hanging around the rooms. The accents were believable just like the persuasive costumes. So much concentration is on the costumes, props and set that i found that the small-role characters were lacking an empathy or inspiration. The speeches, although emotional, took up a large proportion of the film. This is definitely a film about language not action.

This time in history is commonly compared to the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible. They both include a lead character that everyone is scared of and believes will always have the right answer. This character accuses people of serious crimes if they disagree with them. If you enjoy films that are more concentrated on history and emotions rather than big moments and thrilling scenes that this is for you. Not a lot happens but the concentration is on the inspirational speeches that altered peoples opinions at the time.

2 and a half out of 5 

The Lunchbox Review

The Lunchbox is a film set in western India in Mumbai. A lonely housewife makes a packed lunch for her neglectful husband but it is delivered to the wrong desk. This desk belongs to a grumpy man that is on the verge of retiring. Surprisingly, he enjoys the meal. The spices must have gone to his head because overtime, he becomes a more empathetic and caring man. After she realises it did not end up at the right place, Ila, the women that made the food, sends a letter asking who is eating the meals. They then start a chain of letters and tell eachother their fears, memories and regrets.

The Lunchbox was quite unoriginal. It was a very adage love story that i found very predictable. The writer has tried too hard to capture the romance but also the everyday traumas that the characters go through. The film takes advantage of the location and shows off the bustling city of Mumbai (finally, not a love story set in cliché New York). You get a feel of the aliveness of the Indian trains and it shows the delectable cuisines and culture. The characters were believable but not at all interesting. This may have been a good thing because it showed what life was like for real people not adapted film characters. The ending was unsatisfactory and lazy; it didn't leave me thinking.

Overall, this film was witty in a 'mums will laugh' sort of way. The film is heavily adapted around romance but manages to not be too soppy. The characters are older so i would not recommend this film to teenagers. If you are not a fan of Bollywood, but love the Indian culture and romance films then this is for you.

2 and a half out of 5

Paddington Review

I'm ashamed to say that i knew nothing about Paddington Bear before seeing this film. I had of course seen his iconic image but was never told the story or watched the show as a child. This may be as a result of him being most famous when my parents were young - in the 70s. I didn't know what to expect, but i knew there was going to be a lot of adult jokes because he has so many older fans. Surprisingly, i found that there were few jokes that i struggled to understand or that children wouldn't get. The humour was extremely slapstick and ridiculous, and i couldn't contain my laughter. Paddington made a new mistake in every scene so there was never a dull moment. He skateboarded, slid down the stairs in the bath and flew through the sky.

Strangely, i found this film was very similar to Lilo and Stitch. In both films, there is a lost animal that doesn't quite fit in but finds a new family. The ending of both films (spoiler alert) are practically the same and use the same soppy lines about family being family no matter what. The writers of Paddington manage to relate it to today by include an arrogant neighbour that doesn't like feral immigrants - is this a Ukip stab? The recurring Calypso band and the marmalade machine are my favourite elements of the film. If you like Miranda or Nanny McPhee; childish, outrageous but relatable humour, then you and your family will enjoy this. Not sure about you, but i'm going to be leaving some marmalade sandwiches on my doorstep in the hope that i might attract a Peruvian bear.

3 and a half out of 5

The Imitation Game Review

“Sometimes it is the people whom no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” -The Imitation Game

THE IMITATION GAME is a film set during the second World War when Britain was loosing to Germany. It starts with strong characters and a humorous atmosphere but then ends with a heartbreaking truth. Alan Turing was an ingenious mathematician and cryptanalyst.  He had an extraordinarily brilliant brain and was incredible at crosswords. He was credited with cracking the unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. Turing was a 'heroic outsider' who thought himself to be superior to most others. At one point in the film, he writes a letter to Churchill asking if he can have the £100,000 funding he needs for his machine. Turing's visionary but enigmatic behaviour helped save the lives of millions of people and shortened the war by two years.

I didn't know what to expect from this film; I wasn't certain that it was going to concentrate on just machines and science or if it was going to be a biopic. I was pleasantly surprised; the film had an equal share of drama and fact. Benedict Cumberbatch is entirely believable and portrays Alan Turing as unique, eccentric and poignant. Much like in Sherlock, Cumberbatch brings cheeky humour to the role. Again, he plays a logical man who doesn't understand jokes and sarcasm and finds normal human interaction very mysterious and challenging. The film also shows how people that were not fighting were living. Keira Knightly plays a fearsomely intelligent woman who is very audacious and spontaneous who penetrates a man's world. You are first introduced to her when she arrives late to an interview and shows nothing but 'sass' when she is discriminated against because she is a woman. This is very relevant to today with the issue of gender inequality.

I was more moved by this film than any other I have watched this year. I was in tears at the end because of the prejudice and injustice Turing encountered after the war and the absolute misery he found. He invented something extraordinary (the precursor of the modern computer) and was a true visionary and yet his achievements and life were kept secret for years and it was only last year that the Queen pardoned him and gave him his due place in history. Alan Turing was an inspiring man who was viewed as extremely stubborn because he believed in his own ideas. During his life time, he was never given the recognition or commendation he deserved. And because of the prejudices and intolerances of the time he lived in, he had a terrible end.

4 and a half out of 5