Finally! The release of Maleficent. Since the pre-production announcement back in 2012, I've been eagerly awaiting the release. Not only has Sleeping Beauty remained one of Disney's highest rating films, but it also remains very dear to my heart. I first received the original film in the form of a limited edition DVD nearly ten years ago when I was nine. I immediately grew an attachment to the story and the magic within it - the fairies being my favourite characters to this day! So as you can imagine, I was pretty excited to book my tickets for the new Angelina Jolie interpretation.
I went to see the 2D 18:45 screening, and although I probably would have preferred 3D, that was the only showing both me and my date could make it to. But regardless, the film was stunning. The special effects, in their truck load, effectively created a new world of mystical beings. I particularly enjoyed the subtle nod to Tolkien and the Ents through the warrior-like tree creatures. Maleficent's character was suddenly given more depth and was portrayed as a misunderstood villain much like Elphaba in Wicked. It seems like these days we are heart set on discovering the deeper meaning behind our baddies! Why MUST the actions of our antagonist be explained? Why are we no longer satisfied with evil just being evil? Although I love seeing how writers and producers interpret a story and a character, sometimes I'm happy just leaving the plot alone.
The film wasn't what I expected. From day one, I thought that it would act as a prequel, again much like Wicked was, but instead it turned out to be a total retelling of the classic with little hints of the original. Cleverly changing the outcome worked in the films favour, as it is now one of the few Disney creations that challenge the idea of a male hero. However, I will add that I felt like the voice over (particularly at the end) cheapened the movie slightly. Whilst I understand the basic idea behind it, old fashioned fairy tales being narrated, I felt that the segment at the end was too cheesy and left the film on a sour note. Having said that, Maleficent was wonderful. With its epic fight scenes, interesting special effects and elaborate theatre style acting, this wont be a film I forget anytime soon.
One last thing. As it's a Disney film, there is an increased chance of younger viewers in the audience. Don't make the mistake I did by sitting next to a young girl and her mother. The child asked questions throughout and was relentless with her 'oohs' and 'aahs'. It very nearly ruined the experience for me!
This weeks date night consisted of movies and snacks, perfect for me because I love films and I love food! Since both of us had missed it during its run at the cinema, we decided on The Lego Movie, for a light hearted night of laughs. I enjoyed the basic premise of the movie and 90% of the jokes had us both laughing aloud. The humour seemed to surround and acknowledge the fact that the characters are made of Lego blocks which helped to distance the film from other animated flicks. Some of the jokes had us pausing the video so that we could laugh louder and longer, for example, the mispronunciation of Nail Polish Remover had us in stitches. No doubt this will be a film that leaves a lasting impression on those who see it. Whether that be in the form of a particularly hilarious joke or in the form of a song... The 'Everything is Awesome' song will be stuck in my head forever along with comedian Rob Deering's 'Coffee' song which I had the pleasure of hearing twice this May thanks to Gilded Balloon's third annual Happyness Comedy Festival in Inverness (Yes, that was a plug for where I work).
It's easy to forget how successful a family friendly film can be these days. I recently wrote a report for university that detailed the rise in violent animation in an attempt to attract a disappearing audience. But The Lego Movie proves that as long as the idea is solid and the animation is well executed, the audiences will be there. Emmett, our lovable protagonist, is the typical hero. The film follows basic hero/villain guidelines in a very obvious way without the story feeling familiar. Showing how writers these days do not need to rewrite the laws of story telling to create film history. And with the arrival and parody of classic film characters like Batman, Gandalf and Han Solo the film appeals to several demographics at once.
However, the whole idea of the film got me thinking. Since when was being a toy not enough? Why has the Lego franchise grown so unnecessarily over the last decade? First come the blocks representing a popular film, then a video game of said blocks, and then a cartoon based on the game which was based on the blocks which was based on a film. And now, even that is not enough. Now the company has produced its very own film with new and semi original characters that it will no doubt be selling by the truck load this year.
Protip: Dates that consist of laughing for two hours, whether they lead to anything serious or not, will always be worth the time.
Although we are now a full five months into the new year, there have been very few highly anticipated comedy films of 2014. That was until the promo trailers for The Other Woman and Bad Neighbours started. Suddenly film critics and film lovers were a buzz about both films, saying that they were to be among two of the most hilarious films of the year. Despite my hatred of the typical Hollywood rom-com's (and most comedy films in general), I decided to see both The Other Woman and Bad Neighbours in an attempt to understand the hype.
First was The Other Woman. I was particularly impressed by the trailer, the first comedy trailer in a while that has grabbed my attention and made me laugh. Thankfully, unlike most films these days, the jokes were not limited to the promos. The entire film was littered with clever jokes and even the occasional slap stick scene. Cameron Diaz was able to prove why she was considered to be the Queen of Comedy for so long. She definitely has a strength in playing the strong and occasionally abrasive woman. Still sexy at 41, she makes women of all ages laugh and envy her at the same time. Leslie Mann annoys me and has annoyed me for most of my life. I've never known why, I just cannot seem to separate the actress from the character - and all of her characters have been painfully annoying in one way or another. Nevertheless, she was incredibly funny as the neurotic wife of scumbag Mark King a.k.a Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
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Finally Kate Upton/the boobs. I am a fan of Kate, I think she's made a name for herself in the model world in a completely new way. She's the social media model and that's pretty cool but she's not an actress. It's obvious that the producers were aware of this as she had very few lines considering she played a pretty important part. The relationship between the three women is central to the story, yet it felt like the focus was on Cameron and Leslie and Kate was the awkward third wheel. Scenes involving Upton seemed forced and often had to be rescued by Mann and her moments of neurotic craziness. However, the biggest thing I noticed about Upton's involvement was that she was hired to be 'the body' of the film. But personally, the body most worthy of a trophy in the film belonged to Nicki Minaj. Although I've never been a die hard fan of the rapper turned actress, there is no denying that her body is fantastic. I felt very guilty eating an entire bag of chocolate buttons whilst watching her tiny waist on screen!
As I mentioned at the beginning, the film was hilarious and mixed several traditional forms of comedy. In particular, the concluding scene involving glass panes and buckets of blood had me in stitches. My stomach hurt from laughing and my cheeks were red from smiling. I loved the film in its entirety even with my opinions on the lead actresses.
Secondly, loaded with pizza and wine, I went to see Bad Neighbours! And I'm sorry to say that if I hadn't had wine, the film would have been far less interesting. Following the typical blockbuster comedy formula, it was loaded with weed jokes, sex jokes and unnecessary cameos from comedians like Blake Anderson and Hannibal Buress and actors like Jake Johnson and Lisa Kudrow - who are all frankly too good for a film like this! These films, generated to bring in big numbers at the box office, end up disappointing me the most because they care less about the jokes or a plausible story and care more about bringing in as many demographics as possible. Like seriously, as if Rogen and Byrne were the only family on the street who had had enough - even with the frat boys 'helping out' around the neighbourhood, those parties just got louder and louder! Having said that, thanks largely to the wine, I chuckled a couple of times. There were some moments that were heavily fuelled by references that could potentially be overlooked by some younger audiences, but everyone 18 and up at my cinema seemed to understand most of the film references made.
I'm well aware that most young women were flocking to this particular film to see one thing - Zac Efron's body. I've never really fully understood the hype surrounding Efron and always thought of him as just another good looking actor. His body is spectacular but throughout the entire film his veins are protruding and his face seems strained. It honestly looks like he'd been using steroids to build himself up! But still, there is no denying he's incredibly attractive and will continue to do well in the industry because of it.
The film was fine. I won't see it again but if someone asks about it I'd probably say something like 'meh, might as well go see it'. There were some cool party scenes and some interestingly shot moments. The soundtrack was awesome and featured some classic, cool hits from Missy Elliot and Fergie remixed for a new generation. Rogen and Byrne had fantastic chemistry with the young twins playing little Stella and made a surprisingly cute family. But at the end of the day, films like Bad Neighbours and even The Other Woman, are ultimately forgettable. They haven't broke boundaries or left us with iconic sayings or scenes. They were just films that in a few years time will be playing at 5 o'clock on Sunday on a mediocre TV channel.
I've never really like comedy films... sorry.
