Review #21 - Les Misérables (2012)

It is the start of 2013 and already we have had some amazing movies released. Les Mis has been backed up with cast from the theater showings including Samantha Barks (Esponine), Daniel Huttlestone (Gavroche) and more. However these are just a few of the cast in this story. Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Anne Hathaway (Fantine) and Russell Crowe (Javert) to name a few of the lead roles.

  Upon the opening scenes, if you are a fan of the story and have seen the musical on stage, will send tingles up you’re spine – it sure did for me. Even though many comment on the singing it is simply the instrumental that gets me throughout this movie.

    I am not aware of Hugh Jackman doing any musicals before – I apologise if he has – but from my point of view he did incredibly well during many of his songs including ‘Valjeans Soliloquy’ which is well supported with close ups on his facial expressions. For me this scene and song sung by Jackman had me rooting for him as a character knowing that this is the turning point from a bad life to a new life, with the voice portraying the emotions that Valjean goes through. Another notable song that I feel Jackman nailed was ‘Suddenly’, an emotional start to Valjeans and Cosettes life together.  As supporting evidence of Hugh Jackmans enticing acting he managed to pick up a nomination in Les Mis for the Oscars.

    Anne Hathaway, also picking up a nomination in the Oscars for best actress in a supporting role, has shocked many with her utterly wonderful version of “I Dreamed A Dream” (currently rank 19 in the iTunes charts at the time this was written). This song was recently, 2009, covered by Susan Boyle who got the song into the top 40s and Hathaway smashed that with the emotional tear jerking version. With Hathaways short screen time she is one of the key components that allowed this film to pick up so many nominations. 
    Another big name that comes to mind in this production and a key role is Russell Crowe, Javert, who in my opinion suited his role did not perform as well as the others. Throughout the movie his voice is fairly monotone. Songs that Crowe sings include “The Confrontation”, “Stars” and “Javert’s Suicide” to which need more emotion and power to which Crowes voice couldn't give. However as an actor and his character this role was well suited for Russel Crowe to which we see a man strong and unstoppable in his profession beaten by Valjeans choices.

    Other actors who deserve a mention for their singing include Isabelle Allen who sings “Castle On A Cloud”, the base instrumental for the trailer and an emotional start to Cosettes role. One of the more fun songs in this musical is “Master Of The House” sung by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter who create the roles of Madame Thenardier and Thendarier himself. Putting their own twist on the role these two lighten up this movie with light jokes and a few laughs from the audience. Samantha Barks, Eponine, who was in the stage show as well as the movie sings “On My Own” who got this moving song to 37 in the charts. Then combined singing from Barks, Amanda Seyfriend and Eddie Redmayne in “In My Life / A Heart Full Of Love” who compliment each others voices so well create the love story behind this musical.  Eddie Redmayne who plays Marius creates one of the most tear jerking moments in the movie which is the song “Empty Chairs At Empty Tables” his voice just carries so much emotion in this scene.
    However with all these individual songs two songs which will always stick out to me will be “One Day More” and “Do You Hear The People Sing?” which are sung by the whole cast combined. “One Day More” is one song which I feel Russell Crowes voice is strongest and suits so well.
All actors in this production deserve credit for the live singing they used for each scene which allowed a initial reaction and emotion from themselves singing it how it feels right rather than being told to do it in a certain way.

Moving on from the musical side and onto the film aspect. There is only one thing which I feel let the film down on the majority part and that was the fixed, close up shots on the actor’s & actress’ faces throughout.  Where it worked for Anne Hathaways “I dreamed a Dream” it did not work so much on songs such as “Javerts Suicide”. Where this type of shot helped give the same feeling as if it was on stage and showing the emotions there could have been room for so much more which was sadly missed. 
 The creative side to this film also deserve a mention as many of the set was created in a warehouse and looked genuine and perfect and also the fact that they chose to use the church 5 minutes from where both Jess and I live. The make up teams deserve note for the scenes with “Lovely Ladies” and the transformation of both Valjean and Fantine – special note to Hathaway for persisting that her real hair be cut in the scene for authenticity.

This fantastic film of one of the greatest musicals I have seen at the theater picked up 8 Oscar nominations – winners announced on 24^th/2. Whilst at the Golden Globes Les Mis picked up 3 gongs. With the Les Mis Soundtrack album currently resting at number 1 on the UK iTunes album charts – even though there are songs missing. 

Overall this movie is a fantastic transition from stage to film and has been recommended by many and remains trending on twitter, #LesMis. I rate this movie 5/5 and have recommended to so many.

#LESMIS

Review #20 - The Impossible

'The Impossible'. This film has without a doubt cracked the impossible of getting a whole cinema to tear up over the emotional scenes within. With tears, sniffling and the nervous laughter by those who are unsure what to do at points 'The Impossible' is a movie that you won't forget easily. With the movie itself being based on a true story from the outset you know what you are about to watch will be an emotional journey.

With actor Ewan McGregor, Henry, taking a 'lead' role in this movie alongside co-star Naomi Watts, Maria, you get the shear sense of understanding through their passion for their family. We have heard Naomi Watts scream for 'King Kong' but the piercing screams she gives during this feature will have you moving in your seats.  Tom Holland, Lucas, deserves huge recognition for his outstanding acting in this film. As any young person would he starts out like an average teenager but as disaster strikes the transformation and the love of his family this young actor takes his character to a whole other level. I found myself at times sitting there wondering what I would do in those situations and knowing a real life young person has been through this really brings it to home.

From the outset of the movie starting the sounds play a huge part. With the sound of the sea the opening scene of the ocean is cut short by the roaring engine of a plane. The next 10 minutes, maybe longer, sets a calm and amiable nature to the holiday destination but what happens December 26^th 2004 is an event even you won't have forgotten. The sound over the trees and the roaring ocean soaring through the sky just creates a deafening sound of destruction that is unforgettable.

 Without going into the film too much scene by scene there are moments of this first hour where you will tear up, so get you're tissues ready from the point the tsunami hits to the end of the film. The end of the film is touching to the heart as all the loops and one liners previously made which you would have laughed and cried to are wrapped up but the sound of a plane and the sight of the ocean as this worn out family get the peace they deserve.

This feature length film is a daunting reminder that Mother Nature itself can cause so much destruction but the will and strength of a family in such a vast disaster pulled a very real life situation to home whilst we sit in our seats watching. With over a quarter of a million people dead in the real event this movie has portrayed the confusion and panic amongst so many people both there and at home wondering about their families involved. So let's not forget those who past and take a moment to remember whilst we sat watching on the TV that Boxing Day in 2004 a very true and sad event took place.

I would rate the acting in this film 5/5 as everyone that played a role portrayed such emotions perfectly. The film itself also deserves a 5/5 so take you're tissues and sit back and enjoy for this has to be one of the top films to be released over the past 12 months.

“Film of the year, 2013”

“Harrowing, get ready for some tears”

“When does this come out on DVD? I'd watch it again for sure”

Blog #2 - Welcome to 2013!

Welcome to 2013! We have completed many Reviews of the past year being under the Cineworld Unlimited card but both myself and Jess no longer have those cards so have in turn been to the cinema less.
 However this does not mean our reviewing days are over! I will continue to write film reviews of 2013 releases as and when I can after I have seen the movie. Looking at our statistics we had a fair amount read from all across the world so I can’t let you down. With the first review of 2013 following this blog.

We had some fantastic films released last year including The Avengers, The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey, The Amazing Spiderman, The Dark Knight Rises, The Woman In Black, Safe House and more! So let’s have a peak at what we have in store this year!

 The Sweeney, Identity Theft, Oz: The Great and Powerful,  Jack The Giant Slayer, Scary Movie 5, Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, Fast and Furious 6, Hangover Part III, World War Z, Kick Ass 2, Monsters University, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and so many more. All movies to watch out for over the upcoming months!

So get you’re friends together organise the trips and mark down the dates for the releases you want to see! As 2013 looks like it will be good one!

Hope you had a good xmas and a great start to the New Year! Welcome back to Cine-Addicts Reviews!

Review #19 - War Horse

War Horse release date Friday 13^th January 2012. Cine-Addicts review of film is on Tuesday 7^th August 2012. Thats right it’s up to date and current as I could get it! Enjoy the belated review and sorry for the delay.

An introduction to the film to get your mind through potentially one of the most artistic films at beginning of 2012 in my opinion. As the title suggests the film involves a horse whom finds itself in a war, but this is not the story over and done with. From the outset the locations really bring you into the time of World War 1England. With the countryside of England being cottages, market towns and fields you are quickly thrown into the life of farm boy Albert, Jeremy Arvine, who is trying to help save the farm and house from taken. This is where the Horse comes in... Young Albert takes it on board to train what was labelled an untradeable horse which quickly stirs emotions when he succeeds however as World War 1 comes around Joey, the horse, is taken to serve in the army as a War Horse. However this is not the story of the war, the story is within how Albert manages to find his way to Joey during the war after being separated for so long.

 The shots themselves prove artistic for every angle they were taken with colours in mind from the deepest reds to the rolling greens to create a theatrical feel and to accompany Joey on his journey. The film, previously in Book form and stageplay, has managed to give an artificial look to the way the locations feel for the audience this may be due to the lighting and the filters but these only help create the mood throughout.

The emotions go from happy, sad and some slight comedy during it but these are cleverly executed by S. Spielberg, director, to which he used trigger scenes that were created to make your emotions switch drastically. *SPOILER* as an example the scene to which the horse is stuck out in no man’s land and both sides to the army set out to help him get out of a trap. *SPOILER END*

 I can easily say that this film is a family film and S. Spielberg has accomplished exactly what he set out to do and that it is to send you, the viewer, on a rollercoaster of emotions for a couple of hours. However – as much as I have used this before – this film was great in the cinema but I think a family outing there would be better films to see so save your money and wait for release date on DVD and buy or rent this movie and watch on a lazy Sunday Afternoon.
 For a film which moved me and the others in the cinema viewing I can give this a 4* Rating. 

Review #18 - Fast Girls

Let me begin by saying this film is very much what you got in the trailers; Shania Andrews (Lenora Crichlow) is a talented runner but when she joins a squad of other skilled athletes she finds herself clashing with Lisa Temple (Lily James) who has the support of her competitive father with his money and influence. As you will see from the trailers the girls fight, make some mistakes on the track, have some laughs and ultimately put aside their different backgrounds to combine their talent and work together. There really are no surprises in this film but that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad one.

       I felt like the audience was kind of thrown into the film at the beginning without much explanation or back-story to build up a likeable character we can relate to but that actually turned out to be ok. By revealing more about the character slowly, by having her normal life happening around her rather than making a point of side plots to do with family etc., it felt like the audience wasn’t being treated as an idiot. The audience knows that there are going to be stereotypes surrounding this character due to her race and economic background, but they also know that the film isn’t trying to make a moral point on these issues but is merely using these stereotypes to aid character development.

      Other than feeling a little ‘thrown in at the deep end’ to begin with, the pace of the film was fine. In fact it was quite tight with every scene being vital to the storyline, which was why the scenes of the girl’s night out was a bit of a relief. The part in which they run down the road, high heels in one hand and glittery purses in the other, laughing as the men chasing them quickly run out of steam was probably my favourite part of the movie as it was one of the only times I felt any sort of thrill. It was nice to see something that didn’t wholly revolve around sports and was there to inject a little comedy into the film.

     The only other time I felt any kind of strong emotion towards this film is when *SPOILER* Trix Warren (Lorraine Burroughs) sustains a serious injury during her race for the gold medal resulting in the end of her sports career. This was a very clever side plot as it was subtly woven into the story in such a way that because you hadn’t paid too much attention to it before, it kept you guessing and I found that I didn’t know whether she was going to win or lose. A problem with having given so much away of the main storyline was that it made the film predictable; I knew that the girls were going to win in the end and so that final race didn’t have the tension that it perhaps should have. A big part of sports is being on the edge of your seat, your heart hammering as you wait with eager anticipation for the elation of winning or the disappointment of losing but here I knew the outcome and so felt no anticipation whatsoever.

    However both Joey and I did both enjoy the running scenes. Even though the races were predictable, I found they weren’t boring me because of the way they were filmed with 45-degree angles capturing the runner’s legs and the conventional use of slow motion. It wasn't anything radically different but it looked good and kept the audience entertained. I also liked the use of shots from the presses point of view, especially in the final scene and of course the final shot of the girls carrying the British flag links up nicely to similar scenes we will soon be watching of the Olympics.

        Overall there was nothing really special about this film. It was well made and entertaining, and perhaps a good way to wet your appetite for the Olympics but nothing more than your average sports movie (Joey likened it to Goal!) We would rate it 3* as it was well filmed, had a simple yet compelling storyline and interesting three dimensional characters however it was lacking in emotional involvement. For this film to be really great the audience needed to want the team to win so that we experienced the same elation when they succeed, but as we were expecting a win, this was not able to happen. I would recommend you see this film but as Joey suggests, watch it on sky movies or rent it one night when you feel like something good but simple. 

Review #17 - Dark Shadows

         Dark Shadows was a film I went to expecting it to be brilliant and not be able to find a single flaw in it, unfortunately there were a few things that caught my attention though so I thought I’d get them out the way and end the review on a positive note. We see early on that a key component of Barnibus Collins’ character is a lesson his father taught him early on about the importance of family yet I felt that the film focussed more on the problems surrounding the family business than the family’s dysfunctional relationships. With a mother and daughter constantly fighting, a young boy striving for his father’s attention and misunderstood by the rest of the family except a new and mysterious governess there was a lot of broken relationships to be fixed. I thought that Barnibus would be restoring the family as well as their wealth, and although he does help them in many ways, I felt that this side of things was not explored as thoroughly as it could have been. But then again with a curse, a business falling to ruins and Barnibus’ complicated love life, the plot was so full to the brim that it is no surprise that some aspects fell to the way side!

     Another unsatisfactory part of the film was the ending. Without giving too much away I hope, there were aspects that kind of felt thrown in at the last minute and didn't seem to serve a majorly important purpose. Also I felt that nothing had really been accomplished by the end, the Collins ended up in pretty much the same situation as they started in, if not worse! Generally the final scenes did not seem as well constructed as the rest of the film and I found myself waiting behind at the credits hoping some other funny scene would appear revealing what happens next, but alas no scene came. My only other minor complaint is that many of the best scenes were used in the trailer but then again that is a common occurrence these days.

   Ok on to the good things! Firstly any fans of Johnny Depp will love his brilliant performance. His love of strange and eccentric characters shines through and I loved every minute he was on screen! I particularly liked his archaic twist on modern phrases, wish I could remember some of my favourites to share with you but I’ll let you listen out for them yourselves. All the actors were great and I especially liked the husky voiced witch, Eva Green, she played the part perfectly.

   It was a really funny film and I thought the way jolly 70’s music was juxtaposed with some of the scenes was excellent and made them all the more amusing! This film was a bit of a disappointment, it could have been so much more but that doesn’t take away the fact that it is an entertaining film. It does have several criticisms but overall I enjoyed watching this film and would do so again, perhaps my only recommendation for this film is to lower your expectations and not to judge it solely on the reputation of it’s director.

Review #16 - The Lucky One

   The Lucky One is a sweet, feel good film. Logan (Zac Efron), a marine who after finding a picture of a beautiful woman while in Iraq, avoids several disasters while others weren't so lucky. Believing the photo to be a good luck charm on his return from the war he sets out to find the woman and thank her for the photo that provided his safety and return a treasured token that she had sent for a loved one. However when he meets Beth (Taylor Schilling) he is unable to find the words to explain and instead starts working for her and her Grandmother at their dog kennel. Inevitably the two begin to fall in love, healing each others scars and finally finding happiness with each other.
    The romantic dawn and dusk lighting used almost constantly throughout the film, envelopes it in a rosy haze. At times it seems a little over done but also quite accurately sets the tone for the film. All the characters, particularly Beth and Logan are extremely likeable and right from the beginning you find yourself rooting for them all to find happiness. I liked that the obstacle keeping them apart was not a deceased war hero husband or even a current love interest but a controlling ex. Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson-the ex) is a well rounded character with enough flaws that the audience dislikes him but also occasionally showing a more compassionate side making him more interesting and three dimensional. There was also some good acting from Riley Thomas Stewart as Beth's son Ben, who at ten years old has already appeared in 11 titles!

    Joey, thought the romantic scenes dragged out a bit but was interested in the story; He described it as a film he might have on in the background while doing something else or one to watch with friends. I would describe it as a nice chill out film to watch on a weekend. It's a DVD I might pick up cheap in a sale. It's an enjoyable film to watch but I wouldn't insist you run out to the cinema straight away. The plot was engaging and it was a sweet storyline about fate, love and finding peace within yourself. Simple but lovely - a 3* Film.