Film Review: 'Cinderella'

So I just wanted to start this post by thanking everyone for the amazing support  I received on my last post, 'I am a Feminist... (I think!)' It was amazing to watch the view count slowly creep up! I know it

was a bit more of a serious tone than my usual but your response has given me the confidence to start thinking up more posts where I give my opinions on issues...

However, for just now I thought I'd break off from exam revision to review a film I went to see with a friend on Friday night. I had wanted to go and see it for ages, but so far had been unable to justify the time out of revision. However, I needed to go into town anyway to shop so my friend and I scheduled a pizza hut and cinema catch-up!

I don't care that I'm 18 years old, I have a special place in my heart for Cinderella and this new rendition did not disappoint.

One of my main reasons for wanting to go was because, from the trailer, I knew that Lily James was playing Cinderella, and I loved her from seeing her in Downton Abbey.  She was a perfect Ella, beautiful and gentle and mesmerising. And I'm not going to lie, Richard Madden as the Prince may have been another motive! Not having seen Game of Thrones, I was unaware of Madden and had not come across him before, but he was perfect in the role and his attractiveness helped a lot! Similarly, Cate Blanchett was the ideal Stepmother... make no mistake, she remained as stunning as always, but her beauty was warped by her wonderfully cruel character. You feel genuinely heart-broken for poor Ella, and that indicates excellent acting both on Blanchett's part, and on James' part, for making you empathise with her. The Step-sisters too were adequately pretty, ditsy and plain air-heads!

The storyline was heart-warming and stuck very true to the original tail. But seeing it in 'real life' as opposed to motion picture was beautiful. Within the first 5-10 minutes I was literally crying (I won't give it away but the sadness at the beginning struck a very emotional chord with both myself and my friend!) and had the kind lady next to me give me a pat and say "U ok Pet?" haha. The plot made you value what you have and literally made me glow inside!

It wasn't a musical version, but there was one song which was sung on a couple of occasions, by Ella's mother and by Ella. I don't know if it was Lily James herself who sang or someone else, but the voices were gorgeous- you could hear a pin drop! The song went: "Lavender blue, dilly dilly, lavender green...." and this in itself contributed to my love for the film as this was a song my mum sang to me when I was little.

The costumes (one beautiful ball gown in particuly!) were absolutely stunning- the costume department did an incredible job!

I would say that, overall, 'Cinderella' is possibly the best Disney Princess re-make I've seen so far (I am now very excited to see Emma Watson star in 'Beauty and the Beast'). No matter your age, go and see it and remember, all you need is "to have courage, to be kind, and a little bit of magic..." <3

Film Review: 'Love, Rosie'

When my friend and I went to see 'If I stay' at the cinema last year we saw a trailer for 'Love, Rosie' starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin and based on the novel 'Where Rainbows End', which I haven't read but would like too. We turned to each other, and without speaking (we were in the cinema after all, but maybe we did whisper a little) we knew that it was our kind of film. But when it finally came out in the cinema, we never managed to arrange a time when we were both free to see it.

It was my sister's birthday 2 weeks ago and her friend bought her 'Love Rosie' on DVD. So, on Sunday night my sister and I stocked up on Easter egg chocolate and watched it.

Brief Summary: Rosie and Alex are best friends from a very young age. As they grow up, Rosie is a party-girl, popular with the boys, while Alex is smart (...and very handsome!) Alex receives a scholarship for Harvard University and wants Rosie to go with him, but she finds out she's pregnant and lies to her friend to save embarrassment. But sometimes who and what you need is closer than you think...  

In the opening 10-20 minutes of the film, my sister found me really annoying because I kept making comments about how unrealistic it was. I mean, it wasn't so much the plot, because yes parts of that were unrealistic but you kind of have to accept that in films! It was more than, for me, the acting and direction portrayed in the opening  of the film didn't convince me that it could be real. There were several sequences in the film where I kept thinking it was going to be one of those "and then she woke up and it was all a dream" moments. After a while she basically told me to shut up, and I did enjoy the rest of the film, but the  comments about the stupidity of these elements was eating me up inside!

That said, I really like both Collins and Claflin and found them a good pair, who were amusing too! After watching, I had this kind of appreciation for opportunities in life: for love, for travel, for education, for friends, for family, for choices. I know that sounds pretty deep but it just reminded me that sometimes things don't go as planned but it doesn't mean you don't get something good out of it too!

Overall, this film was a wee bit disappointing for me because it was very different to what I was expecting and I'd been waiting so long to see it that I think I made I made it more impressive in my head! But it's watchable and worth it if you're looking for something light-hearted!

Film Review: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'

Hi all!

The other week when I was in ASDA with some friends, I saw that they were selling this film on DVD for £5 and I was in the mood for an impulse treat! So I bought it, but I've been too busy (or tired!) to watch it... until Friday just past!

I came home from Orchestra rehearsals and just wanted my bed but I decided to sit up a while and watch this film! I read the book by Stephen Chbosky (who also directs the film!) in July 2013, but it has taken me until now to finally watch the film! My friend had told me that it was one of her favourite films, AND Emma Watson is probably my favourite actress, so I was extremely keen to watch it for numerous reasons!

It was worth the wait! I was tired, so I plan to re-watch it when I can focus a bit better... well I'm sure I'll re-watch it several times since I now own the DVD! I think I might even re-read it since I own the book too.

It was bizarre seeing Emma Watson play this character, as it is so different from anything I've ever seen her in before. Although she was as perfect as always (ok, I may have a teeny tiny girl crush on her haha!) I'll be honest and say I don't think the role of Sam, as was in the film, gave her the opportunity to achieve her full potential and it isn't my favourite performance of hers.

Logan Lerman (Charlie)

But that was sort of the magic of the film: it was simple, but at the same time meaningful. Yes, it was another 'growing up' story, but I'd argue it was unique, and all the while I was thinking that Chbosky had taken a totally different angle from the likes of John Green.

I adored Logan Lerman's (pictured left) portrayal of principal character Charlie. He achieved the perfect level of awkward and he is very cute (in my opinion!).

The character of Charlie had experienced trauma as a child that left him very mentally unwell, but aside from this his experiences were relatable- feeling low, feeling lonely and just trying to get through the days sometimes. His integration into a welcoming friendship group made me glow inside, and I genuinely felt that there is hope for everyone, for every outsider. I personally am lucky to have a wonderful group of friends, but I sometimes find new company awkward and 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' addressed the 'fitting in issue' fantastically.

Perhaps my favourite character was Patrick, played by Ezra Miller. He was just so individual a character that you can imagine him being a real person, not a stereotype put in to every story to keep it going, if you know what I mean!? Another issue dealt with was finding your feet with homosexuality, because Patrick is gay and in a secret relationship that leaves him later feeling embarrassed and ridiculed. Although I think that the book I recently reviewed 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson.' was a superior addressee of homosexuality and the difficulties for young boys particularly, I think that the result of its presence in this film was less about the homosexuality itself but the humiliation present between peers in every high school in the world.

On the topic of relationships and love, TPOBAW also successfully deals with uncertainties of romantic feelings. Sam wants to be loved, but has made her fair share of mistakes along the way. In Charlie she sees a friend, a brother... and the ideal love? Or not? Charlie is undeniably devoted to her from the start, but Chbosky doesn't try and pretend its as easy as happily ever after. Charlie is a newbie to the dating scene and his first kiss, for example, is a central scene.

Admittedly, the luck of Chbosky's character's is still immensely better in terms of romance than I, for example, am yet to experience, but at least he doesn't try and pretend it's as easy as boy meets girl, or boy meets boy or girl meets girl!

I could, surprisingly, say much more about this film. In some ways, I think it tries to cover too many issues, but mostly I feel that every element finds a slot and the viewer can easily accept that none will be explored in detail. As the DVD blurb says:

 "THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up."

"THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope- and the unforgettable friends that help us through life."

Now I'm off out to meet some of my friends.. xx