My 10 (and a half) Best Films of 2013

As 2013 comes to an end it is time to reflect on the greatest films we have been treated to over the last year!

So, in no particular order, here are my 10 (and a half) favourite UK releases of 2013!

1. Les Miserables
It's hard to believe that it has been less than a year since Hugh Jackman pranced across the big screen singing about how he stole a loaf of bread. One of the first big films of the year, the movie adaptation of the world's best-loved musical did not disappoint; Russell Crowe's dodgy vocals aside, the talented all-star cast definitely made this film an instant classic!

2. Wreck-It Ralph
Despicable What? Monster's Universi-Who? 2013 was all about one animated hero, and he came in the form of Ralph - the misunderstood video game villain who dreamed of being a hero. Voiced by Mr. Cellophane himself, John C. Reilly, and with Sarah Silverman bringing the laughs as cutesie glitch Vanellope, Wreck-It Ralph was the perfect combination of humour, narrative and heart - putting the sequels to established classics Despicable Me and Monsters University to shame.

3. The Great Gatsby
A debatable choice as it is no secret that this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic book received largely mixed reviews. However, Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo Dicaprio and Carey Mulligan are three of my favourite people in the industry. Throw in an incredible soundtrack, all of the beautiful 1920s fashion and of course those parties and there is very little that can go wrong in my mind!

4. Behind The Candelabra 
Around the time of this movie's release you couldn't walk for two seconds through the London underground without seeing yet another poster advertising the outrageous, sordid and unbelievable true story of history's greatest entertainer: Liberace. A vastly entertaining watch with perhaps the best performance of Michael Douglas' career to date; it is a huge shame that Hollywood refused to back this film stateside, meaning that it will inevitably be snubbed by the Oscars, because Douglas is truly deserving of, at the very least, a Best Actor nomination!

5. This Is The End
No doubt one of the stupidest movie releases of the year but what can I say, I just loved it. This Is The End exceeded my expectations and then some in providing laugh-a-minute comedy with a brilliantly, self-aware cast. There is absolutely no doubt that this is the funniest film of 2013!

6. The Conjuring
The first horror film in my 22 years of life that actually scared me, so for that reason (and because I don't want to be haunted for not including it on my list) it deserves a mention. Very creepy.

7. Captain Phillips

Yet another true life story with yet another Oscar-worthy performance, this time in the form of Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips. Arguably the most tense film of 2013 as I was on the edge of my seat throughout - nobody does it quite like Mr. Hanks...

8. Saving Mr. Banks

...Which can be proven by his second inclusion on the list, this time alongside the brilliant Emma Thompson in the emotionally-charged, fascinating and entertaining tale of how Mary Poppins came to be. Although tainted with a few little white lies incorporated to make Walt Disney look good, this was an enchanting film that had me on an emotional rollarcoaster of tears and laughter throughout. Plus, I just really love the movie poster.

9. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Due for release on Boxing Day, this is just the feel-good, heartwarming film that we need to round off 2013. Although by no means an instant classic or a cinematic masterpiece, TSLOWM is laugh-out-loud funny whilst harbouring an interesting and thought-provoking message. The beautiful cinematography and great performances make the somewhat predictive narrative forgivable, this will be the perfect movie to remedy those post-Christmas blues!

10. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

A long overdue arrival to The Hunger Games fandom led to a late addition to my top films of 2013. Having finally read the books and been left unspeakably disappointed by the first Hunger Games film, I caught one of the last screenings of Catching Fire earlier this week. It more than makes up for the monstrosity that is the first film as it truly captures the tone of the books in this heart-wrenching and epic power-struggle between the people of the Districts and the evil President Snow. One of the most loyal film adaptations I have ever seen, every significant moment of the book is pin-pointed and presented to perfection. Catching Fire has everything that makes a great film -heartbreaking emotion (One word: RUE!), high-tension action sequences, beautiful cinematography, great characters and stellar performances. I only hope that Mockingjay follows in this film's footsteps and we can all just pretend the first one never happened.



1/2. The Call
Not worthy of the full glory that other films received but I can't make this post without a special mention to the first half of The Call. A film whose second half would make my 'Worst Films of 2013' list as it ruined a brilliant, fast-paced, intense and emotional hour of genius with perhaps one of the stupidest and most unforgivable endings in cinematic history. It has been months since I watched the film and I am still upset that such incredible potential was let down in this way; had the rest of the film been as good as the first half, The Call would have been in my top films list for sure. Instead, it is definitely number one for disappointment of the year!

Well, there's my round up of the best 10 and a half films of 2013!! Keep an eye on my blog for my next article with the ones to watch for 2014!!

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

Love,

THIS IS THE END

I’m not always the biggest fan of Judd Apatow-esque comedy so going into This Is The End I didn’t actually know a majority of the cast/ cameos! Obviously there is Seth Rogan (who I have liked ever since 50/50) and James Franco (who I’ve liked ever since I saw his face – I’m only human!) but Jay Baruchel? Danny McBride? Craig Robinson? I know Jonah Hill as a name but am not the biggest fan of his films. When I first watched the trailer I thought that it looked funny and the concept of actors playing themselves really appealed to me, however, as I didn’t know half of the main cast I was doubtful over whether or not I would enjoy it as I thought the jokes might be mostly ‘in-jokes’ that non-fans of their films wouldn’t understand… It took a couple of weeks of reading nothing but good reviews for me to decide to just give it a chance and hope for the best!

This Is The End tells the story of a group of famous actors who are having a party at James Franco’s house when the apocalypse begins. Having witnessed the grisly death of fellow party-goers, Rogan, Franco, Baruchel, McBride, Hill and Robinson find themselves standard together in Franco’s house with limited food and water, fighting for survival.

It took a while for me to develop any faith in this movie, the pre-apocalypse scenes felt a bit awkward and clumsy; making it obvious that much of the script had been improvised. The party scenes were very much just a game of Spot The Celebrity and, as Seth Rogan’s films tend to go, the comedy was mostly coming from weed references and sex jokes, which isn’t my kind of humour to say the least. However, once the erm, apocalypse began and the film got into the swing of things the laughs came thick and fast; the half a dozen actors who make up the main cast have a fantastic rapport and work really naturally together, and that is what made the film so funny. Without the fuss of the party and fitting in as many celebrity cameos as possible the central cast had a chance to flourish and although it was never going to be the most integral or witty film of the year, it does exactly what it says on the tin – simple, silly but very enjoyable.

The Holy Trinity

As you may have guessed from my previous reviews, comedy films have to work the hardest to impress me. I’m not naturally drawn to comedy films and there are few that I find laugh-out-loud funny, especially new releases. But This Is The End had me and the rest of the cinema laughing out loud constantly, the script (improvised or not) was so strong for a film of this standing and a lot of the time I found it to be the small moments that made the film. The muttered-under-the-breath comments, the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments, the holy trinity being compared to Neapolitan ice cream – the humour came in a variety of ways and almost all of them were spot on for me.  In fact, I saw this film last night and have since found myself giggling at the memory of particular quips and comments (the ‘elephant in the room’ comment has been getting to me the most I have to admit) - That’s when you know that you have seen a good film!

The cast had great chemistry

As well as the humour, the storyline was strong – it kept my attention and had me wondering what would happen next. However, towards the end it became a little bit repetitive and very predictable, if the film were to have gone on for even ten minutes longer I think that it would have been ruined so I am glad that it finished when it did, although a post-credit scene showing the fate of the other characters wouldn't have gone amiss! The cast worked flawlessly together, obviously they are all friends in real life but this really translated to the big screen and the natural chemistry that the actors all have with eachother is what made This Is The End so believable to watch (not the apocalypse part, obviously, but the way that the cast reacted to the apocalypse and to eachother was very realistic) and there were some very welcome references to classic horror movies such as The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, that film fans will appreciate but unfortunately appeared to go over most of the audience's head!

In short, this is a fun, enjoyable and hilarious film that delivers 100%. I feel that there is a bit of pretention against it with people criticizing and passing the film off as nothing more than a group of self-righteous actors getting together, fooling around and cashing in…. And do you know what? That is exactly what This Is The End is, but when the end result is so strong what on Earth is the problem with that?!

All in all I award This Is The End with ★★★★☆



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

Love,

P.S. I do kind of wish Neil Patrick Harris had a cameo :(

My name is Stephanie...

...And i'm a DVD-holic

#Can'tBeTamed

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

Walking The White Carpet

A couple of weeks ago i got an invite to the Star Trek: Into Darkness World premiere and when i saw this invite sitting comfortably in my inbox i literally choked on my drink from the excitement and very promptly RSVP'd with a BIG. FAT. 'YES!'

In all honesty, i am by no means a 'trekkie'. I'm not into Sci-Fi or Space. I hadn't seen the first Star Trek or Star Wars... I can't even sit through an episode of Big Bang Theory. The most i knew about Star Trek was all learnt from the incredible West End show Loserville. So, why was i so excited to be attending the World premiere of a franchise i have no real interest in? Okay, well it might have something to do with my love for the film's director JJ Abrams and it definitely had something to do with all of the hype surrounding the film, even if it wasn't a genre that i normally gravitated towards I was eager to get a sneak peak at what was sure to be one of the biggest films of the year.

Anyways, on Thursday morning i recieved my ticket and waited excitedly all day until the time came

My Ticket

to walk the white carpet. The amount of hardcore Star Trek fans (admittedly alongside the masses of hardcore Benedict Cumberbatch fans) that had waited all day at the premiere barriers in order to be a part of this event was absolutely mind blowing. Leicester Square was literally filled to the brim as hundreds of people hoped to catch a glimpse of the stars who had promised to make this installment of one of the World's most succesful franchises even better than the last.

JJ Abrams Introducing The Film

The Cast Join Abrams On Stage

Once everybody was seated and Alex Zane had interviewed all of the key cast and crew on the huge white stage outside, the audience were treated to an appearance from JJ Abrams himself as he introduced the film and called  down all of the stars to join him on the stage.The warm, loving relationship between Abrams and the cast was obvious to all as the group laughed and joked, excited to finally unleash their new film onto the World.

As you all probably know, this film is 3D. I don't usually watch 3D films as they normally make me feel a little queasy and when i have a choice i always see a made-for-3D film in 2D. So as you can imagine the 3D in itself was a big treat for me! I would definitely recommend trying to see the 3D screening, even though i know it costs a couple of pounds extra. The setting of Space just makes parts of it really beautiful and this beauty is so much more intensified through the lenses of 3D glasses and on top of that the schrapnel and characters flying towards the screen during inevitable fight scenes adds so much to the already high-tension scenes.

As soon as the film started, all of the worries i had about not being a 'trekkie' and not loving this genre of film just evaporated away. I was a little concerned that as a newbie to the whole franchise i wouldn't understand anything that is going on because i half expected Abrams to just assume that the audience know the back story so not include the relevant information in this film. I was completely wrong; all of the characters are introduced in a subtle but useful way, Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty... All of their relationships with eachother and their tasks within the enterprise were clearly explained but in a way that is not patronizing or too time-consuming for your hardcore Star Trek fans. Everybody was accounted for. I'm not going to lie; there were a couple of incidents where some parts of the audience laughed or applauded for reasons that weren't too clear, so i'm sure that Abrams included some in-jokes especially for the Trekkies and although they obviously went right over my head, i appreciate the touch and even though i didn't understand the references, they did not interfere with the overall story arc throughout the film.

I surprised myself with how involved i got with the film, i have to say that there was a lack of character development at the beginning of the film, obviously because these are all well established characters within film culture but this meant that as a newbie i did struggle a little bit in connecting with  Captain Kirk to start with. He is just a little obnoxious and seemed pretty unlikeable as a character but as time went on i did really grow to love him and was on the edge of my seat vouching for him to win.  All of the performances were faultless, an absolutely perfect cast overall; Zachary Quinto was incredible as Spock and i found myself looking forward to his next scene when his last one finished - i think for me personally he stole the show. Simon Pegg as Scotty was a flawless choice; a choice i had originally doubted when  i first heard that he was cast (How could Shaun of the Dead possibly fit comfortably within the Star Trek enterprise?!) A friend of mine mentioned Anton Yelchin before i saw the film, so i was on the lookout for his performance as Pavel and although it is a relatively small role he is simply adorable in it and i just wanted to cuddle him and tell him how cute he is.

Hmmm, now... Am i possibly forgetting someone?! Have i not mentioned the man who stole the premiere's thunder? The man whose name evoked the most incredible response whenever it was mentioned to the hundreds of people outside of the cinema, craning to get a glimpse of him? The man who i actually knew nothing about before Thursday but have since learned that the Sherlock fandom is pretty much out of this World?! Ah yes... That's the one, the only: Benedict Cumberbatch. Playing myserious, sinister John Harrison. Creepy, creepy Harrison with his creepy, creepy voice and terrifying death stare. Another incredible performance from a very talented actor but is Harrison actually so bad?! You might have to watch to find out! For all the 'Cumberbitches' (really??), i think  you are most definitely in for a treat. He really does you, and the role, proud and will really mess with your head as you try to work out whether or not you can believe a word that he says.

The storyline itself is very engrossing. It isn't as simple as the enterprise having to catch the bad guy or bad things will happen and there are so many twists and turns it is guaranteed to keep you hooked and, most importantly, keep you guessing. There is a lot of action and once one high-drama, high-tension sub plot comes to its natural end, there is another to take over your interest. The film is over two hours long but the time really did fly by, and when it did end i could have happily kept watching for another hour or so. I often find myself clock-watching after about an hour and a half's worth of film watching but this one felt like i had blinked and it was over. There was just never a dull moment and that is pretty unique for a film of it's stance.

Once again let me say: I am not a Star Trek fan. I am not an action fan. I am not a sci-fi fan. This is not conventionally my cup of tea. So to anybody who is trying to urge their boyfriend/girlfriend/brother/sister/dog to see this film and they are moaning that they won't like it and it isn't their kind of thing - this is the review for them. You don't have to be a lifelong fan to enjoy this film, you will be kept entertained throughout, you will become involved with the story and when it ends you will be hoping for more. This is definitely one for you all to watch and it is one for the big screen and 3D glasses too - it is out on the 9th May, so make a date!

JJ Abrams and his flawless cast and crew have made something to be hugely proud of and i applaud the effort that has gone into creating this great piece of cinema.

Losing one star for the slight lack of character establishment and another point that i can't make as it is a pretty huge spoiler, i award Star Trek: Into Darkness with: ★★★★☆

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

Love,

P.S. Special thanks to the lovely Jonathan Ross and Union J boys for being so nice and friendly :)

With Union J

With Jonathan Ross

MAMA

Okay, before I start can i just get this out of my system: Am i the only person who's inner fourteen-year-old is unleashed at the sight of the word 'Mama'?! Literally, i can't read the word without hearing this gem in my head:

Right, now that is out of the way let's get back to the topic at hand!

One thing you should know about me is that i love a good horror film - i love to jump and be scared and then hide under the covers at bedtime because i don't want the scary monster to get me. However, these days finding a good horror film is pretty much impossible. They are a rare breed and this is because a good horror film has to be more than just scary. There needs to be the right amount of scares, quality acting and, most importantly, have a really great plot.

Y'know, a plot?! One of those coherent things that drive films? Something that has a clear beginning, middle and an end? No massive, gaping plot holes? No amazing twists but with no explanation? Okay, good - you guys know what that is and that already puts you one step above most horror film makers! Just last year i saw the film 'The Pact' in the cinema, which was pretty good - it was kind of creepy and the story was sort of making sense as well as scaring me but then it committed that great horror film offence of an amazing plot twist making the audience gasp but then...... The credits rolled. Seriously, they had this amazing turn of events that ended so suddenly there was pretty much no explanation, no detail given, nothing! It was very disappointing to say the least and it made all the positives of the film - like the fact it made me jump and was scary in places - just disappear. Horror film scares are nothing without a plot!

Needless to say, i am quite cautious when choosing to invest time in a horror film because i know it will probably end up being disappointing. However, when i saw Guillermo Del Toro had a new film, 'Mama', coming out i was super, super excited! I have seen a few of his other films and i know that if there is one thing that i can trust Del Toro with, it is providing the audience with a good, coherent narrative. I was quick to Orange Wednesday'd it and was scared before the film had even started - apprehensive of the terror that would soon be engrossing me and the fact that i was seeing it late at night, meaning that i would be going straight home to bed in the dark afterwards, made it all the more terrifying.

I am so happy to report that the film is captivating from beginning to end. For those who don't know, 'Mama' is the story of two young girls that have been found living feral in the woods five years after they disappeared. They go to live with their Uncle and his girlfriend but are constantly talking to and about 'mama' and ~weird things~ start to happen. Typical to Del Toro's usual style the audience is a lot more emotionally involved with the characters than your usual horror movie. Within ten minutes i was close to tears at the sight of the two young sister huddling together for warmth having been abandoned in the forest and although i didn't cry at the end i know plenty of people who did shed a few tears!

Also executive producer of films like 'Pans Labyrinth', Del Toro is definitely more inclined to go down the more fantastical horror route than traditional, sinister horror. The ending of 'Mama' has been compared by many to something straight out of a Tim Burton movie and there are lots of fantasy elements throughout the film that make me think 'horror' isn't the most accurate genre-label for it. Mama herself is very fantastical looking, she is definitely not your typical horror villain and i have to be completely honest and say that i found her appearance somewhat laughable. Her face was just so big and her hair was so far receeded that she resembled a potato and the sounds that she was making sounded more like a cow moo-ing than anything terrifying. However.... THIS IS NOT A BAD THING!!!!

I was so worried when i went in that i'll be seeing her face in the shadows when i went to bed that night, so her face not being scary at all was definitely something that worked in my favour at least! And, most importantly, just because the villain herself wasn't scary to look at it doesn't mean there aren't any scares in the film! From things lurking in the shadow and the traditional aspect of things suddenly jumping out at you... I was hiding behind my coat for a little bit of it i have to admit.

The storyline was exactly what I had expected from Del Toro – an emotive and well-explained back story that leaves no real questions unanswered; there were downsides though. There was an incredibly obvious deleted scene which disorientated the story arc a little bit and I cant for the life of me work out why it was deleted, the time scale was also a bit messed up – it would be light outside one second then pitch black the next and we would then be shown the exterior of the house in complete darkness but once inside the house you could see daylight shining in through the windows. These are more goofs than plot holes though but they seem like pretty major goofs to have been missed.

One thing that definitely CAN NOT be ignored though is the absolutely outstanding performances from the two young actresses who play such an incredibly central role in the film. Like most, I am always a bit wary of films that are focused on a child playing a main role because, whether we like it or not, a lot of children can not act. One major film from last year, whose title I wont say because I don’t want to be slagging of a kid, was utterly ruined for me because of the distractingly bad performance from the child actor. These girls were extraordinary and their performances aided the emotional connection that I had with the film rather than hinder it, as has happened in the past. Congrats to them!

All in all I did thoroughly enjoy 'Mama' and although it had a few flaws and the CGI wasn’t up to scratch it had a decent storyline and was a captivating watch. I don’t feel it fits comfortably within the horror genre but rather flits somewhere between the horror/ fantasy hybrid that Del Toro is creating. It is definitely more horror and scarier than his previous film, The Orphanage (which is also amazing and you should check it out) but it has a heavier focus on emotion and character development than most horror films. And to those who are wary of watching it because you don’t want to have nightmares and aren't a fan of horror films i'd say… give it a go. You will probably jump a few times but there is so much more to the film than horror so i don't think it will do any lasting damage :)

I award 'Mama': ★★★★☆
Stay tuned for more things film!

Love,

Hiya!

I'm Stephanie and this is going to be my new blog!

As you may have gathered I am obsessed with films - i watch so many, but sadly i rarely have anybody to talk to about them! So i decided i will make this blog to tell you about all these wonderful films that i have been watching. I will discuss the old and the new, the mainstream and the obscure and won't be afraid to determine between the good and the bad! I will also be doing specials on my favourite actors and compiling many film-based-lists!

I hope you enjoy my blog and i promise i will get posting properly soon!

Love,