Pacific Rim - Review

          Hello! Today was my dad's birthday, so happy birthday to him! <3

        Let's get right on with this - before I do begin though, I will mention that any spoilers will be clearly marked, and will be in red, so if you haven't seen this yet and plan to - avoid red. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663662/

        So, as I said on Friday - I went to see Pacific Rim. It was release day, but being as it was still sort of during school hours, there were very few people in the cinema, which I tend to enjoy, being as I hate crowds. I'm not sure if that affects how I view a film or not, but I thought I'd add that, just in case it did. I also had the BIGGEST bag of pick'n'mix, so I was having a great time before the film even started. If you haven't seen it yet, here's the trailer:

         Now, I was only vaguely aware of this film happening before maybe, last Tuesday, which is why it wasn't in my post with all the mini pre-emptive trailer reviews. When I saw the trailer, it didn't even immediately strike me that it would be my sort of film, but I went with a group of guys and we all know I much prefer massive bad-ass robots to emotional chick-flicks with sappy dialogue. 

           Pacific Rim, dirercted by Guillermo del Toro, was released in the UK on Friday 12th of July 2013, and is rated 12A. (which I guess is a PG13 in America, basically - if you're under 12, you need a parent) I think it should be said, that if your kid leans towards being a bit more sensitive - the depiction of the Kaiju in the first 15 minutes or so of the film is pretty intense, especially as they look so realistic, - so they might find it a bit frightening. That being said, the fight scenes are epic, and that fear will likely dissolve pretty quickly and be replaced with awe. 

           As I said - the fight scenes are so awesome, which is helped by the fact that the graphics are pretty much flawless - I never once sat there and thought 'such obvious CGI' or 'they could have rendered that better.' On the contrary, I continuously found myself thinking 'holy sh*tballs' and at one point - 'Jesus Christ, that things can fly.' My point, is that for a good deal of the film, my jaw was on the ground. 

Individual photos from http://www.imdb.com/

            The three main stars of the film are Raleigh Beckett, (Charlie Hunnam) Stacker Pentecost, (Idris Elba) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), As far as character and storyline go - this film doesn't offer much. We're made to feel sympathetic towards Raleigh in the beginning, but then he's pretty standard, apart from being a good guy and a great fighter. As for Mako, her story was actually pretty heart-breaking in a way that demands you're empathetic, and if you don't really have it in you to feel on behalf of others (and that's not a bad thing - some people just aren't wired that way) then that's basically just explanation in picture form, which is pretty handy because it's not a film which relies heavily on words. In fact, the only line I remember from it (and I normally store a good few quotes from films after the first watch) is some thing like '...or we can take these ray guns and do something really stupid' which was funny, and really awesome, given the circumstances.

               I know I said there isn't much in the way of characterisation - and I did not mean that to come across as negative in the slightest - it's not a film which requires you to really care about the characters or even be aware that they have back-stories. But they did do a really great job of making me absolutely detest Chuck Hansen (Robert Kazinsky) -

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2059117/?ref_=tt_cl_t8

 *SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*

             Which, A) made it so, so cathartic when Raleigh punched him square in the face, and B) meant he died more of a hero's death, accepting what was coming with courage.

      

          

           

             Something which I haven't mentioned yet, is the 3D element of this film, and that is simply because I didn't watch it in 3D. What I will say though - and this is in contrast to my general opinion of 3D films - is that I can really see how this would look great in 3D. I think it'd be best to sit further back, as everything is so huge, it may give you a slight headache as I can imagine it being pretty intense.

             I don't know for sure, but there is a very vague page on IMDB for Pacific Rim 2, so perhaps that will happen. I'm not really sure how it can happen, but let's just see where that goes.

              All in all, I'd say this deserves at least four pandas, for being really awesome, but if you go to the cinema looking for a storyline, you'd be hard-pushed to find one here. Saying that, I would recommend it, and I would watch it again when it comes on the TV later in the year. What I will say finally, is that I really want a Jaeger suit. No joke - those things are bad-ass.

                 So, I'll be back on Friday to make something up for you. I have no idea what yet, but when do I ever? I hope you liked this review - if you've seen the film, do you agree or disagree? What were your thoughts about the film? Have a really great week!

   

                                           Thanks for reading, Laura

                                                                         xoxoxox

       

The Films of Summer 2013 - Mini Reviews.

        Hey there! Today, I'm sort of winging the post a bit, fear not - it's still a review! However, I've seen nothing new, I've read a book or two, but I've already gushed about how much I adore James Herbert, so I don't suppose those would be of much interest to you. So, I love films, but am not likely to see a new one for a couple of weeks, so I thought, with so many coming out recently and in the near future, I'd put up a few trailers, and then review those. Then, when I see the actual film and review that, I can refer back to these mini reviews and say whether or not the trailer did the film justice. 

           Before we begin, all of the videos I'll be putting on here are from YouTube: I do not own any rights to them and do not gain anything for actually posting them or talking about them, apart from a warm fuzzy feeling inside when the post gets viewed. So, without further ado...

       300: Rise of an Empire - I didn't realise until I watched this trailer a week or so ago that I remember very little about its prequel. However, I have to say that this looks pretty great. I love an action movie and I know I loved 300, even if I don't remember a lot of it. I'm likely to go and see this, but I'll have to rewatch the first one before hand.

        

         The Hangover: Part 3 - I had my reservations about this, I really did. I wondered if there was even a point to making a third part of something that had two very similar prequels, how they'd go about not repeating the same jokes that were in the other two. However, I saw the full trailer when I went to see Star Trek, and I was actually really pleasantly surprised. It seems like they've got a different kind of storyline but still have some genuinely funny jokes. I only hope that they haven't put all of the funny bits in the trailer, making the actual film a let down.

        Scary Movie 5 - I know this has been out for ages, it came out in April. But I can't get over how terrible it looks. I know the acting in the Scary Movie franchise has always been overstated and that's not my issue with it. My issue is that they should have stopped at two, three at a push. There is no need for this, and parodying Inception goes against the grain a little for me, being as it's not a horror movie. You can make reference to Scary Movie 1 having references to The Usual Suspects, but really, that was just a nod, and was done quite tastefully. I won't pay to see this film, it's likely to be the kind of thing I go on a Twitter rant about rather than review on here, although I may, now I've mentioned it on here.

    

          The World's End - I can't wait for this. I really like the other Simon Pegg/Nick Frost films. I love the British humour, the sarcasm, the way it goes from being a relatable film about a group of guys going on a pub crawl, to including what look like robots/aliens/cyborgs. I love the nod to the fence jumping in Hot Fuzz, I love Martin Freeman, and I love that Mark Heap (Green Wing, Saturday Night Dinner) is in it, if only for a little while. I will definitely see this film, and I'm certain I will love it for all of its quirky charm and humour.

         The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug - Yes, yes, yes. I am excited about this, I love the Lord of the Rings films so much, and I loved the first part of this trilogy too, so I'm so excited for this instalment. Initially, people were questioning whether there needed to be three Hobbit films when there was only one book, when LOTR is a trilogy, taken from a trilogy. My argument - there is a lot of content that was not included in the LOTR films, and if Peter Jackson had included every damn song that the hobbits sing throughout, there would have likely been nine films instead of three. Also, if there is enough material to warrant three films, then I say go for it. How rushed would The Hobbit have been if all of this had been in it as well? You'd never get to know the characters and empathise with their plight, and it would be really confusing as there would be way too many people and too much jumping around. Let's not forget that this is Tolkien. Anyway, I think this trailer is great, and I can't wait for this film.

          Despicable Me 2 - This looks so cute, I love the minions and thought the first film was great. It's a film which is engaging for kids and funny to adults. I think there's a longer trailer out there somewhere, which has more to do with Gru and the girls, but this was one of the best ones I could find on YouTube. It's very, very likely that I'll go and see this film when it comes out.

         Monster's University - The prequel/sequel to Monster's Inc. looks great. I like that some of the monsters other than Mike and Sully from the original are present - it gives it a really nice dynamic. Also, the fact that Mike and Sully do not immediately get along and are rivals is particularly nice, as there is room for some really great character development. I have to say, the part which depicts their halls experience reminds me so much of my first year at university, just socialising and generally causing havoc. Again, this is a film which can be enjoyed by the whole family, at any age group. I'm hoping to go and see this with my dad, as I saw the first one with him when it came out all those years ago.

                                Overall, I give the films of summer 2013 4 pandas. 

          And that's it from me for now. Thursday will be a creative piece as per usual, it may be a bit later in the day, however, as I have a busy busy day planned! Have a great week! I'll see you on Thursday.

      

                                   Thanks for reading! Laura

                                                                  xoxoxoxox

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

http://www.wallgc.com/outer-space-quotes-douglas-adams-the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-2264/

          

            As it goes, I'm glad this post has ended up being written/posted in a Thursday, as one of my favourite quotes from the first book in the 'trilogy of five' happens to be Arthur Dent's revelation that 'it must be a Thursday - I could never get the hang of Thursdays.' 

http://thepattieproject.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-and-humorous-severity-12/

           The phenomenon began in 1978 as a radio comedy broadcast by the BBC, the books of which were published between 1979 and 1992. In addition to this, it was made into a TV series in 1981, a computer game in 1984, three comic-book series published by DC comics and a Hollywood film in 2005. The third, fourth and fifth books were adapted into radio series between 2004 and 2005. In 2009, Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer published the sixth installment of the series, titled And Another Thing...

          I discovered HHGTTG when I was 18, during my A-levels when I assume I was supposed to be writing an essay or revising for an exam. I read the first couple of chapters of the first book and as soon as I got home, ordered the whole 'trilogy of five'. The first film I ever downloaded from iTunes was the 2005 film. I became quietly obsessed, as I do with many things which often turn out to be a flash in the pan. This, however, has lasted for the best part of four years now, and isn't really showing any signs of diminishing. 

          As I became familiar with the books before I ever heard the radio series, I always take the books as my base. The book, however, is almost identical to the radio script, which - personally - I like, because it means that whichever one you come across first, you are not disappointed by the other. The radio show being so close to the book's contents means that it sounds like an audiobook, except all of the characters have their own voice and there are some really great sound effects. One of my absolute favourite things about the radio series is that they use the back-track from a Pink Floyd song at one point, which also just so happens to be from my favourite album. 

             If you haven't seen the film, I recommend it. It's not a heavy-going sci-fi but it's not slapstick or stupid so it should appeal to a fairly wide audience. Here's the trailer, which is also really fantastic:

           I often find myself disappointed by film adaptations of hugely popular books, however I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this adaptation, directed by Garth Jennings and starring Martin Freeman and Mos Def. In addition to it being a good adaptation in general - as it's pretty true to the first book throughout, only changing the ending so as to have more of a rounded off sort of effect - the casting is simply wonderful. Mos Def brings Ford Prefect to life, and Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent is so heart-warmingly lovable. The rest of the cast are fantastic too, with Stephen Fry providing the voice-over, including excerpts from the Guide itself, Zooey Deschanel playing the part of Tricia 'Trillion' Macmillon, Bill Nighy playing the role of a man who's name does not matter. (Slartibartfast)  Other cast members are no less significant, including the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Bill Baily, Sam Rockwell and Alan Rickman, among other notable names, making the film familiar on a level other than the fact that it's quite similar to the first book. 

            The success of HHGTTG has sparked its very own day of celebration/commemoration; the 25th of May was pronounced 'towel day' back in 2001, two weeks after the death of author Douglas Adams, where fans carry a towel with them. This is due to the significance of towels in the series,which is described in the 'guide' as follows: 

              'A Towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V...More importantly, a towel has an immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (non-hitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has a towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits...Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have 'lost'.' (pg. 22) 

             The thing which really makes me adore the series is Douglas Adams' 'voice' throughout - he never tries to over-simplify over over-complicate, he is sarcastic and witty, and writes as though he's telling you everything over a cup of coffee. In short, it is a casual easy read/watch/listen. I'd be pretty happy to read this to a child, with the omission/amendment of a few words here and there, as it is so easy-going, it's easy to get into, it's easy to love the characters, it's easy to stick with. It's a great book for the train, it's good background noise, it's a good film to watch late at night when you can't sleep too well, or even if you're a bit sleepy - it doesn't take too much thought and the bits that do are explained by Stephen Fry.

               I think it's pretty clear that I adore this series in many of its forms, and I would recommend it so much to anyone who'll listen. If you've not read/seen/heard it, I emphatically urge you to, if you have, pop a comment below what your favourite part is, your favourite character, etc., Maybe even some fun movies facts or blooper type things. For now though... 

http://americankabuki.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/advice-from-hitchhikers-guide-to-galaxy.html

              So that was this week's review, I'll include a link to the radio series on here, which should link to a playlist someone has helpfully made which has all the parts in order. Next week, we're back to the normal Tuesday review/ Creative Thursday, so Tuesday will be a review of series 3 of Game of Thrones. Thursday is likely to be the last bit of The Following too, so if you have any suggestions for things you'd like to see in the future, drop me a comment, or tweet me @EmphaticPanda. Until Tuesday, lots of love!
               Oh! Oh! I forgot! FIVE PANDAS!

              

                                           Laura

                                                   xoxoxoxox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjMqoLBIaek&list=PL8B0E11D798B2314C 

Evil Dead - Film Review

        It's a bit later in the day than I would have hoped, but I have mitigating circumstances. My computer decided yesterday at 7pm that it would be really really fun to have a complete meltdown, with constant crashes and 'bluescreens' and all sorts of other fun computer-based activities. It culminated in my losing everything, basically and I have since spent the day putting things back onto my computer. So - as promised, and only just after Tuesday - my review of Evil Dead.

http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/evil-dead-2013

             Originally released in 1981, Evil Dead once again took to cinema screens on the 18^th of April 2013 (UK) Directed by Fede Alvarex and featuring a not-so-well-known cast, my initial reaction to this film was simply that I didn’t have much of a reaction to it at all, and if someone were to ask me what I thought of it, I actually found it difficult to verbalise my thoughts. (Short of ‘meh.’)

I didn’t review it straight away, as generally if I come out of a cinema feeling underwhelmed, I find that the film grows on me, and I end up thinking it’s great – or alternatively, I come to the realisation that the film was just bad in itself and I don’t agree with critics or the general public in such a case. However, after a significant amount of time, I still had no positive or negative adjectives for it, something which I noticed was a trend both among the people I saw the film with, and the general population of the internet.

Almost in desperation, I watched the 1981 original, directed by Sam Raimi. This changed my opinion of the 2013 remake considerably. In 1981, cinematic effects were just not what they are today, and it makes the most tense moments of the film almost laughable, with its genuinely terrible ‘possession’ make-up, and poor acting. (Actually laughable – I laughed) With regards to the possession make-up and general effects, the 2013 version wins hands down, with the demons being extremely creepy – moving into scary. However, the acting still leaves a little to be desired, with over-exaggeration of lines and all of those other horror movie tropes.  (Exaggerated screaming, making lots of noise when they could clearly benefit from being quiet, someone reading an ancient language which awakes demons despite glaring scribbled messages which state DO NOT SEE THIS, OR SPEAK IT OR HEAR IT, which would be some level of a deterrent to the average human being, especially one who is supposed to be intelligent, like Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) is, but that’s a different rant. Then there’s the strong-willed individual calling the demon ‘motherf***er’ before brandishing a chainsaw, etc. etc. etc.)

Not obvious enough.
http://nitehawkhatched.com/2013/04/12/one-sentence-review-evil-dead-2013/

One thing which is a massive improvement in the 2013 version is the back story of the characters. Although I came out not knowing any of their names, and not really caring either; after watching the original, I can honestly say that Mia (Jane Levy) – the new version of Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss) – as the initial unfortunate soul who runs into the wrong demon is far more logical in terms of the storyline. For one thing, she is a recovering drug addict, which makes her erratic behaviour more understandable, and of course makes it more logical that she’d not be taken seriously when she is terrified of what she has witness and been through.

Something else which I really thought was a great touch with the remake is the inclusion of a sort of prelude, in which we are introduced to the book which outlines the possession process and how to get rid of the demons. This was effective to me simply because it starts the film with an element of tension, which seemed to come out of nowhere in the original.

Despite these comparisons, I’m still not prepared to say that the 2013 remake is good; it absolutely is better than the original on many levels; however as a single entity, it still left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed. I found the blood too much - it made it all seem slightly less serious when it appeared to be a film which does take itself seriously. Overall, I’d give it two and a half pandas, maybe edging towards three if I really compare it to the original. I may watch this film again, and next time I may appreciate it more, however for now, I just don’t think it’s for me.    

That said, this...                              

http://www.totalfilm.com/the-evil-dead-2013

http://www.themaninthemoviehat.com/trailer-happy-what-watching-evil-dead/

        

            is far better make-up  

                           than this...

            Next Tuesday I'll be reviewing a book which is about 30 years old, but I love it and I think it needs to be spoken about, especially since the author is one of my biggest literary heroes and he died a couple of months ago. 

                       Anyway! See you Thursday (which is technically tomorrow by now) and sorry for being late,

                                                               thanks for reading, Laura

                                                                                            xoxoxox

Star Trek: Into Darkness - A Review

        Hey hey! I've had a think - reviews on here in the past seem to have gone down reasonably well, and as a way of bringing some sort of structure to my own blogging habits, I thought it may be worthwhile to make them a more regular thing. I thought it could work if I post reviews on Tuesdays, and creative pieces on Thursdays. I should say now that the reviews may not always be of brand new things, of course if I see a film on or close to its release date, I'll try and review it on here around that time. What I mean though, is that with regards to other reviews such as books, the book may not be a new release. So, without any further delay...

http://collider.com/star-trek-into-darkness-banner/

        Star Trek: Into Darkness made its appearance in UK cinemas on Thursday the 9th of May, 2013 - It is the follow up to the 2009 film Star Trek, both directed by J.J Abrams. It begins with a mixture of comedy and tension with Captain James T. Kirk, (Chris Pine) Bones, (Karl Urban) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) trying desperately to prevent a huge volcanic eruption on Planet Nibiru, which is threatening its primitive inhabitants. The tension continues with the dramatically ambiguous introduction of Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) The main story line begins here, with many twists and turns - the tension remaining at more-or-less the same level throughout, with some big peaks, and moments of comedic relief once again from Scotty (Simon Pegg)

        The inclusion of Carol (Alice Eve) I felt was almost unnecessary; I personally felt that her acting didn't quite live up to the standards of the other actors, and on her part there was no major character development or any sort of epiphany. Perhaps if she is included in future Star Trek films, she will have her moments of greatness, but for me, they just weren't there in this one.

        One really stand-out element of the film which I found absolutely fantastic, was Cumberbatch's portrayal of Khan. I'm a pretty massive Cumberbatch fan anyway, and truth be told - I went to see this film because he was in it. I was blown away though, honestly. He was dark, mysterious, brooding, evil, lovable, untrustworthy, a bit trustworthy; and just all around ambiguous and wonderful.

           There is one pretty big plot hole, but unfortunately, it is a bit of a spoiler, and I'd hate to ruin this for anyone. What I will say, is that it is quite near the end and involves resuscitation. I can see why they did it the way they did though, and the plot hole doesn't take anything away from the actual story. 

             Finally, I thoughts the character development which was shown with regards to Kirk in particular, and Spock to an extent; was their own character development. While Kirk remains young and fun-loving, he has a new edge of maturity - something which is very present near the film's conclusion.

              Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and am looking forward to the next installment, which has been announced, and should be on our screens some time in 2016. 

Next week's review will be on Evil Dead.

                                        Thanks for reading! Laura

                                                                       xoxoxox 

The Following - Part 3

         I feel like this is a big achievement, I made you a quasi-promise and actually followed through on it. Here, as promised, is part 3 of The Following. 

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/rain%20at%20night

                I woke up from my nap and realised that I’d been sleeping for longer than I meant to, as the streetlights were piercing the darkness of my apartment. The photo of her that I keep in a silver frame was just a cube of light at the end of my bed. I picked it up and replaced it on the shelf. I smiled to myself at the sight of her face and then turned away. I could hear water hitting the window, and the way the moon was coming through a small gap in the cloud cast a pale blue light over everything, making it easy for me to manoeuvre in the dark.

                I took the skittles from the side. I’d made sure to buy sour ones, because I knew she liked those best. I put my shoes back on and tried to decide between my coat and my umbrella. In the end, even though it was still around 24^oC outside, I reasoned that my coat would take up less room.

                It was raining heavier than I thought outside. I glanced up to see that her bedroom curtains were still closed, but the living room curtain were open and I could see the light from the TV screen flickering into the bleak night air. I pushed the skittles into my pocket and ran across the road to the foot of her building. I went to the back and began climbing the ladder there. I went up three floors and climbed from the metal landing onto the guttering. It was slippery tonight, but I’d anticipated that and had work shoes with more grip than usual. I’d learned that from past errors.

                From here, I sidled along the guttering until I came to her balcony. I climbed onto it silently and crept round to the French doors. I peered in at them; him sitting upright on the far left of the sofa, her cuddling into him. I sat cross-legged outside and realised I’d forgotten my camera. I cursed, but came to realise that due to the rain, I wouldn’t have been able to get a clear shot. Instead, I took out my skittles and began to eat.

                When the film finished, I started to leave, however he got up and put another one in. Although I was soaked to the bone and further, I decided to stay for the second one, to make up for missing the first half of ‘Taxi Driver’. I had a few skittles left anyway; I’d normally have eaten them faster but the darkness was making it difficult to see what colour I was eating, and I like to eat them in order. On his way back to the sofa, his eyes flicked to the window, and I think he almost saw me, because his gaze rested there for a moment, before she distracted him. When he looked back, I’d put my head down and had jammed my hands into my pockets, so that to him, I may just resemble a bin bag, or nothing at all. It worked, because when I slyly lifted my head around a minute later, he had resumed his position on the left of the sofa and was playing with her hair to the opening of ‘Fatal Attraction’.

                                      Sorry for spamming you! Thanks for reading anyway, you're swell!

                                                                           Laura

                                                                                  xoxoxoxoxox

Film Review: Les Misérables

                                                'FIGHT. DREAM. HOPE. LOVE.'

           Hey, hey! Second post in as many days; you must be getting sick of me. So, why on Earth am I here again? Well, reread the title...there you go, that's your answer. I went to see Les Misérables last night and again, didn't really want to keep quiet. Now, I'm aware that, once again, you DO NOT need me to tell you how great this film is. But I'm going to, because, well; I feel like it. For a full synopsis, cast list, etc., I am once again sending you here.

          I digress, slightly. So, I went in unfamiliar with the stage musical so every move and moment was a surprise. For that reason, I adored it. There is a great deal of 'hype' surrounding this film, and while I was watching it, there were moments when I wondered if I'd been subjected to too much of this, and my expectations were too high. In short; I wondered a couple of times whether I was enjoying it because I was enjoying it, or because I'd basically been told to.            
           I came to the conclusion that I was enjoying it for its own greatness, somewhere between not noticing that my leg had gone to sleep due to its stillness for God only knows how long, and noticing that I hadn't blinked for around the same period of time. My eyes didn't stay dry for long, I'll be honest.

www.http://collider.com/tom-hooper-les-miserables-james-bond-interview/

       
             So, getting down to the film itself, its individual elements and such - the acting is wonderful, actually, no; wonderful isn't the word. There may not be a word. Anne Hathaway was phenomenal, really, crazily phenomenal. When she sang 'I Dreamed a Dream'...wow. That's all, I can't verbalise it. Hugh Jackman was fabulous, both of these characters show desperation so well, and make you really feel it. 

            The film is the first to use live singing - it didn't pre-record the vocals and edit them, so if a character is crying, you hear the desperation and the sorrow. It's so beautiful. 

             I didn't write this review last night or this morning for one good reason: this is a film that with each passing hour, and each new moment given to thinking about it, its power just increases. I didn't realise this until some time in the night, so thought I'd give it something like 24 hours, to completely just let it fester and grow with me. That way, I could be as emphatic as my name suggests. (Though, disappointingly, not as panda-like) 

              I don't want to say too much about the plot in case anyone stumbles across this who hasn't seen it. If that's you; I urge you to see it! Please see it. I won't accept 'it's not my type of film' as an excuse; it's everyone's type of film. It's magnificent. What I will go into though, is just how empathetic I felt for every individual character throughout the film. You love the characters you're supposed to love, and hate the characters you're supposed to hate. In the end, you still feel sympathy for the ones you're supposed to hate. There are incredibly bleak times, as the name would suggest, but there are some truly funny scenes which include Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter which really do their job well in relieving the darkness of the world of the film.

http://seizetheabsurd.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/les-miserables-movie-review-symphony-of.html

                               

             Sitting here now, writing this, I just want to go and watch it again. I'd cry more, laugh more, engage more now that I know how much I love it, and why I love it so much. I've never known a film to have  almost filled the room almost two months after its (UK) release; have more than half of its audience in near violent tears, and receive a round of applause at the end. Wow doesn't cover it. Incredible nearly does. Seriously - people were sobbing; one couple had to stay behind for a while because the girl was legitimately having a breakdown. I can't cry at films in front of my family, and I couldn't hold it in. 

             The only very, very tiny and almost insignificant criticism I have, is that you don't have to sing literally every word, some more of it could have been done in normal words, but like I say; that's not relevant, and it didn't ruin it or take away from any aspect of awesome at all.

              Drop me a comment with your thoughts and opinions, are you in the minority who thought it was mediocre or poor? Or are you more fanatical about it than I have been (I didn't realise how much I loved it until I was halfway through this post and have seen the adjectives I've used for it.)

             It's still not been released in every country yet, for your country's release date, have a look here; I'm going to leave you with this, and I'm going to go and get my hands on the soundtrack so I can relive it on the way to everything. 

   

                                             

                                              Thanks for reading, you're really great! Laura

                                                                                                          xoxoxox

Film Review - Django: Unchained

        This isn't normally my field, I know. However I went to see 'Django: Unchained' last night; almost two weeks after its UK release; and I just can't keep quiet.

        Of course, there are the facts that it already has a plethora of great reviews, and the fact that it's a Tarantino, which mean that you don't need me to tell you that it's really, really great. Check out the synopsis, rating, revenue and cast list here.

               

        'Django: Unchained' is set two years before the American Civil War, when slavery and the slave trade were at its peak. 

        The movie opens with a group of slaves being transported from one plantation to another by a pair of traders. The succession is stopped by a friendly 'dentist' - Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) which beautifully weaves in some humour in an otherwise bleak and depressing scene. It's worth mentioning that the scene up until this point, has some really, incredibly beautiful images - the men struggling to walk by the light of a lantern in the dead of night, framed by ice covered trees. These are elements which Tarantino is famous and celebrated for, after all.

        For the next two and a half hours, the audience come to love Django (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. King Schultz. They grow as individuals, and as a partnership. 

           People will always talk of the violence in films, saying that it shouldn't be portrayed in the ways that it is; but does that not add to the realism of Tarantino's films? Does that not make it more hard-hitting? And honestly, if you're that squeamish and scared/angered/offended by violence and swearing - a Tarantino film is probably not the way you should spend your Friday night. Of course, there is a lot of violence in this film, but it features the slave trade, and a bounty hunter, so how on Earth could anyone make a film without violence in it, which contains those elements? The roles are well cast and superbly acted, so you grow to really hate and love the characters, therefore, seeing the bad guys die in a uniquely, Tarantino-esque way is so satisfying. 

         There are twists, turns, clever one-liners, touching moments and elements of humour, when the subject matter is bleak, to say the least. Django as a character is charming, witty, talented, and in short: bad-ass. There are moments where you might feel the need to look away, you might be shocked, you may even feel sick. But it is truly an amazing thing to behold.

        All in all, this may just be one of Tarantino's best films yet (and I'm pretty fanatical about Tarantino's work) The casting is perfect, the acting is incredible. The dark themes are lifted with moments of beautiful humour. The camera angles add to the depth - creating such awesome images. 

         In short, I LOVED this film, and I think you should all watch it. Aside from Argentina, Turkey, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and India - the movie has been released pretty much everywhere - so you have no excuse! For more information about release dates in your respective country, you can look here.

        I can't wait to see this film again!

       I'll leave you now, to the peace of your day. If you haven't seen this film, go! It's £10 (ish) and 2-and-a-half hours (with adverts) well spent. If you have seen the film, comment below with your thoughts and opinions! Like I (think I) said in a previous post, I've changed the settings so now everybody can comment, not just other people with blogs.

                                      Thanks for reading! You rock!

                                                                     Love, Laura

                                                                               xoxoxoxox