10 Exciting Films Still To Come in 2014...

We are only four months into 2014 but it has already shaped up to be a pretty memorable year for film. With the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, Noah and Divergent already done and dusted, you'd be forgiven for thinking that 2014 cinema has peaked already. However, you would be wrong - and here I have 10 exciting films that 2014 is yet to bring....

Cheer up Tobey

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Release Date: April 18th
Not long to go now! Peter Parker fans have been excited for the second installment of Marc Webb's take on the Marvel comic ever since the first film in 2012. Andrew Garfield continues to replace Tobey Maguire as everybody's favourite insect-based superhero in a film that promises to remain as faithful as possible to the original comic book story, thumbs up all round!

2. Maleficent
Release Date: May 28th
If you are anything like  me you will feel like you have been waiting for Angelina Jolie's portrayal of Disney baddie, Maleficent, forever. Telling the story of Sleeping Beauty from the villain's point of view, Maleficent will reveal what it was that made her so cold-hearted and why she cursed Princess Aurora. One thing is for sure, Maleficent will be visually stunning and bring out the child in even the hardest of adults. 

3. Jersey Boys
Release Date: June 20th
This may be mildly exclusive to me due to my absolute love of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, but as somebody who simply can not afford to go and see the West End production of Jersey Boys every single week, the prospect of it being a film is overwhelming. Even if you think that you don't know who The Four Seasons are think again and give the film a chance; you will be surprised to discover just how many of their songs that you know and you will be dancing and singing along in no time!

Love you, Eddie

4. Jupiter Ascending
Release Date: July 25th
An interesting sci-fi adventure that stars Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones, a young woman who is targeted for assassination by the Queen of the Universe (nice job title!) and consequently realises her destiny to end the Queen's reign. It unarguably sounds like a great story, but did I mention that Eddie Redmayne is also in the film? Because that sealed the deal for me. 

5. Guardians of the Galaxy
Release Date: August 1st
Another Marvel film but this time on the lesser known Guardians of the Galaxy. I am just sold on the concept that each of the guardians have their own flaws but together they discover their greater mission. There is also the presence of Rocket Raccoon and Groot, animated characters that are voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel respectively, who serve as just one example of the CGI and special effects spectacle that this film is set to be!

6. The Inbetweeners 2
Release Date: August 6th

Do you really need a reason? Do you really?! After the success of The Inbetweeners television show and their first film back in 2011, it is about time that Will, Simon, Neil and Jay reunited for some more laughs, chaos and many, many awkward situations.

7. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
Release Date: August 29th
Even if it wasn't a sequel to the brilliant 2005 film Sin City, the star-studded cast would be enough to lure in the most cynical of spectators. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Temple, and Bruce Willis are just a few of the names to top the list, alongside a surprise cameo from none other than Lady Gaga. Whether the film is good or not (it will be), watching it is certain to at least be an experience.

Blurred-Lines-Girl

8. Gone Girl
Release Date: October 3rd
Gone Girl was the book of 2013; everywhere you looked people seemed to be reading it and even those who weren't reading it seemed to be talking about the global bestseller. Neil Patrick Harris is set to make his  first serious film debut since.... God knows when, and the 'Stunning-Blurred-Lines-Girl', aka Emily Ratajkowski, will also be featuring as Andie Hardy. 




9.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Release Date: November 21st
I have said it before and I will say it again, for me Mockingjay is the weak link of The Hunger Games book trilogy. Especially the first half of it. And especially the ending. That is why I was so surprised that of the three books it was Mockingjay that got split into two films. Saying that, I am still heavily invested in Panem and the lives of Katniss and Peeta and nothing will stop me from seeing how this film plays out on the big screen. Although frustrating we will then have to wait another year before we see the final chapter, the hope that director Francis Lawrence will change the book's ending is enough to see me through.




10. Unbroken
Release Date: December 26th
Angelina Jolie is allegedly staying firmly behind the camera as she directs this true life story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II. With rising star Jack O'Connell starring as Zamperini there is no doubt that this will be one of the most emotional and powerful films of the year!




Special Mention: Madame Bovary
Release Date: WHO KNOWS?!
There has been a Madame-Bovary-Shaped thorn in my side ever since I got excited about the film adaptation, starring Ezra Miller, back when it was announced in 2012. Originally billed for release in 2013, the year came and went and no cheating Doctor's wife was to be found. Now it is apparently going to be released in 2014 but with no production news, no set date, or even month, I remain apprehensive. Fingers crossed for a release this year - how much longer are we expected to wait?!

Where are you, Ezra? We miss you.

So there we have it! Alongside the 10 films mentioned above there are a multitude of other great pieces of cinema set to come before the year is out. Keep an eye out on my blog and Twitter page for updates and reviews on all the films mentioned, and then some!

Love,

BILLY AND ME

I know that Giovanna Fletcher's debut novel Billy and Me is most definitely not a film, so it may look a little out of place on my otherwise film-orientated blog but let's just ignore that. The book is about a normal girl, Sophie May and her relationship with Hollywood heart-throb Billy Buskin so that's enough of a connection to make it film-relevant... Right?

Anyways, when i received an advanced copy of Billy and Me in the post i literally squealed with excitement. The worst part of my daily life is the near three hours i spend on trains, tubes and buses each day as i commute to my job in Camden so new and exciting reading material is always a sure way to make those commutes a little less boring and i just knew that this book in particular would be something special.

I am not usually a chick-lit kind of gal, my all time favourite book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower (of which i have 5 copies of, including one sent to me by the phenomenal Stephen Chbosky with a beautiful message to me inside... And of course i have the DVD... And it's soundtrack... Plus a tote bag. Okay and maybe a notebook.. Shhh, we're getting off topic!) and although i love those rom-com films i never really felt the urge to divulge in romantic novels, Billy and Me definitely popped my chick-lit cherry and i'm sure the question on everybody's lips is was it good for you?

To which my response is: Yes. And a smiley face :)

Giovanna has this incredible ability to connect the reader to the story in ways i did not think possible. I felt like Sophie was my friend; having read the book on my way home, each time i walked through my front door i felt the urge to tell my mum about what my friend Sophie has been up to and you wouldn't believe what Billy did and did you see Billy and Sophie at the BAFTAs??? But then i would have to harshly remind myself of the fact that these people aren't actually real and are most certainly not my friends.

The plot itself is heartfelt and as a reader you feel a true emotional involvement. It isn't just a typical light and fluffy love story with perfect characters and happy ever afters. Each character has their flaws and this makes them so much more human and thus so much more relatable. I love realism in books and films, i love seeing characters respond to things in a way that i can understand and relate to. One of my biggest pet peeves when gorging on a work of fiction is when something so implausible happens that you are quickly swept back into reality and lose all ability to get lost in that particular fictional world ever again. Sophie and Billy and all the other wonderful (and not so wonderful) characters that we meet are real, and that makes you, as a reader, instantly connect with them. The story line itself isn't just mushy conventions; there's some real heartache and pain hidden beneath the surface and i will warn you from now that Chapter 23 in particular is very emotional and highly charged so maybe have some tissues at the ready for that one; the last thing i want is for you all to be blubbing on the tube during rush hour like i was (Cheers for that, Gi!) 

Read with caution!

Of course it's not all realistic doom and gloom because at the end of the day that isn't what we sign up for when reading romantic novels, is it? The ongoing essence of Billy and Me is ultimately heartwarming and feel-good. As a reader you can live vicariously through Sophie May as she fulfills every hot-blooded woman's dream of dating a sexy, rich and famous Hollywood actor. Even if it might not be all it is cracked up to be. I may have shed a few tears when reading and although some were sad tears, there were definitely some happy tears thrown into the mix, as well as a few laughs and a constant, beaming smile and thirst to read on.

Billy and Me is one of those painstakingly annoying and conflicting books that you want to read as much as possible because you can't find out fast enough what is going to happen next, but at the same time you want to read really, really slowly so that you can savour every lasting moment and put off the unwelcome but inevitable fact that it will actually have to end at some point. I don't think i could have dragged out reading those last few pages for any longer if i tried. I was reading and then re-reading paragraphs as i felt the lessening amount of pages i had left to read and when i did finally read the last word on the last page i felt that really heavy, lost emotion that you always feel when you come to the end of a great piece of fiction - whether it is a book or a film or a play, you know that it was good when that post-fiction hangover comes along!

Once you read Giovanna Fletcher's Billy and Me i think that it will become clear to all that Giovanna is 'not just' Tom from McFly's wife, 'not just' Mario from TOWIE's sister, 'not just' the pretty lady singing on YouTube with a beautifully vintage voice... She is Giovanna Fletcher; an incredibly talented author who is carving her own path as she prepares to take the literary world by storm.

One day Eddie, one day.

Billy and Me is a brilliant debut from a brilliant author, it entertained me, it emotionally drained me (cheeky rhyme - nice!), it kept me busy on the otherwise boring commutes and distracted me from the vast amount of nose-picking business men i normally see on a daily basis... And, most importantly, it gave me a little insight of what to expect when Eddie Redmayne finally realises his undying love for me and asks me to be his wife!

...Well... I can dream, right???

All in all I award Billy and Me: ★★★★★




Due for release on the 23rd May, you can pre-order your own copy here

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

Author Giovanna Fletcher, Emma Willis and Me