Stephanie Likes Films

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

MALEFICENT

I have been looking forward to Maleficent (PG) since the concept of the film was announced and if you follow my blog you will know that it was one of my most-anticipated films of 2014. Well, the day to watch it finally came; Was it magical? Yes. Was it beautiful? Yes. Did it exceed my expectations? ABSOLUTELY.

We all know the traditional tale of Sleeping Beauty, but Maleficent reminds us that there are two sides to every story. Angelina Jolie stars as the title character, a magical fairy who turns evil after being tricked and mistreated by humans. In a jealous rage Maleficent curses the new baby princess Aurora (Elle Fanning), but she soon comes to realise that the child may be the only one who can restore peace between humans and the magical creatures.

First and foremost, Maleficent is one of the most visually beautiful films that you will ever see and the use of 3D really makes the magical kingdom come alive. From the fluttering fairies, woodland creatures, and even Maleficent's magical powers, absolutely every aspect of the film is truly pleasurable to watch and will transport you into that world and make you feel like a child again.

Angelina Jolie is striking as the lead role in both appearance and performance. The film is solely focused on telling the traditional fairy tale from the villain's point of view and Maleficent's character development is beautifully told; from her childlike innocence and kindness to the despair and sorrow that she feels when she realises that humans have betrayed her trust. This sorrow quickly turns into bitter vengeance and when she curses the innocent baby Aurora the audience feel Maleficent's pain and are completely on her side. Jolie's portrayal of the character is brilliant in ensuring that Maleficent doesn't just become a fantastical and unrelatable source of evil - despite possessing magical powers she is very human throughout the film and captures the audience's heart and empathy.

Once Aurora goes to live with three fairies in a bid to protect her from the evil curse, Maleficent begins to follow her life more carefully and with the help of her servant Diaval (Sam Riley), a rescued raven who she can transform into man at the mere flick of her wrist, she watches over the princess and finds her hardened heart thawing with Aurora's sweet and loving innocence.

One of the key aspects in Jolie's performance is that no matter how evil she appears to be, Maleficent is

never truly a villain. Whilst she acts maliciously and is full of hatred and anger her softer side is never too hidden away and you appreciate the entire time that she is not a bad person deep down, simply forced into making bad and harmful decisions due to the terrible way she's been treated. On top of that, the character has wit and attitude, yet avoids becoming a cringe-inducing Disney cliche and instead becomes a source of inspiration and the true embodiment of a strong, female character.

Although Jolie is the star of the show, Elle Fanning brings charm and grace to Aurora, a character who is normally considered quite plain and two-dimensional. Although your eyes will never wander off the evil queen for long, when they reach the princess it is just as beautiful to watch. Riley also shines as Diaval, a welcome character that provides an insight into Maleficent's mind who also supports and comforts our heroine as the humans put her under siege.

All in all, I am so happy to say that Disney has exceeded itself in this enchanting tale that will delight both the grown ups and children in the audience in equal measures. Visually stunning to watch, Maleficent transports you into a fairytale realm and Jolie's heartfelt and alluring performance will captivate you from start to finish.

★★★★★

Maleficent is in cinemas now!

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

Love,

Sunday, 25 May 2014

BLENDED

Following 2004 comedy 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore unite onscreen yet again in family rom-com Blended (12A).

The concept of the story has all the makings of a great family drama; Jim (Sandler) is a widow and has three daughters who he’s trying to play both mum and dad to and Lauren (Barrymore) is freshly divorced with the father of her two sons refusing to take an interest in their lives. After a terrible blind date between Jim and Lauren they hold nothing but resentment for one another, but when they find themselves thrust together at a family resort in Africa they realise the positive impact the other has on their children and discover that maybe they aren’t so mismatched after all.

Sandler has the stronger story here, he plays his usual manchild character that the audience have come to expect from him but there is more heart and emotion at Jim’s core than usual. We discover that Jim’s wife died of cancer and it’s clear that neither he nor his daughters have fully come to terms with her death, which makes for some heartrending scenes that show the funny man’s sensitive side and will bring a lump to the throat of even the hardest viewers.

On the other hand, Barrymore’s character is neurotic to the extent of parody with her older son harbouring a creepy obsession with his babysitter and her youngest having extensive anger issues over the fact that he isn’t very good at baseball. These ‘quirks’ in both the children are clearly designed to be funny and an attempt to balance the emotional heartache that comes from Jim’s background. However having the majority of the attempts at comedy come via Lauren and her family ends up being to the film’s detriment.

Blended would have been much better off as a family drama rather than a comedy, as that genre seems to have forced the film into throwing around slapstick and childish gags in a desperate attempt to make the audience laugh, seemingly without realising that subtle comedic undertones among the drama would have made for more pleasurable viewing all round.

Sandler is yet again consistent and reliable for the genre and it is his character’s one-liners and dry wit that give some genuine funny moments to the film, whilst Barrymore and the supporting cast are left with the bigger gags that cheapen the film and take the focus off the heart and warmth at the story’s core. These jokes feel like they’re taken from a bad Carry-On film with children swearing, food being spluttered all over somebody’s face and sexual innuendos galore.

Frustratingly, the basic storyline and character development of both Jim and Lauren and all of their children is at times gripping to watch and it is particularly endearing to see Jim’s relationships with his daughters grow as the film progresses. The attempts at comedy take away from what would have been a really brilliant drama and although there are aspects of Blended that are thoroughly enjoyable, the next bad gag is never too far away which ruins the overall tone of the film.

All in all, Blended has the makings of a strong family drama and it is unfortunate that the attempts at comedy take away from this. Adam Sandler was without a doubt given the stronger role in Jim, and his family provide the audience with genuine laughs, heartache, tears, and a warm fuzzy feeling whilst Barrymore and her children are left to struggle on with bad jokes and gimmicks. Sandler proves yet again that he’s more than able to give a serious and heartbreaking performance; it’s just a shame that Blended wasn’t brave enough to avoid his comedy safety net.

★★☆☆☆

Blended is in cinemas now!

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

Love,

Friday, 16 May 2014

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY

From the producers of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the writer of Drive, and the author of The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Two Faces of January (12A) is screenwriter Hossein Amini’s directorial debut.

Set in the 1960s among the beautiful backdrops of Athens, Crete and Istanbul, The Two Faces of January tells

Oscar Isaac steals the show as Rydal

the story of Rydal (Oscar Isaac), an American con artist working in Greece as a tour guide, where he meets glamorous American couple Chester and Collette MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen andKirsten Dunst). After finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Rydal ends up entangled in the couple’s lives and it soon becomes apparent that he is not the only con artist around.

First and foremost, The Two Faces of January is visually stunning. Not only do the sunny villages and ruins of Greece provide the film with beautiful scenery, but the 6os era makes way for a subtle yet time-appropriate costuming, and the entire tone of the film feels very traditional of the classic film noir genre.

The story itself is fascinating from the offset; the concept of both leading men being a little on the shifty side makes for an interesting watch as you’re never sure who you can trust or who is telling the truth. For example, upon meeting the couple Rydal says that he was drawn to them due to Chester reminding him of his father, however, is this just a ploy to get closer to Chester’s beautiful wife?

Perfectly paced by Hossein Amini in his directorial debut, as the story unravels so do the characters with Chester becoming increasingly paranoid of Rydal’s intentions which ironically leads to him to destroy everything that he loves. On the other hand, Rydal’s increased wariness of the unstable Chester leaves him more and more desperate to find a way out of the mess that he has somehow found himself involved in.

Whilst Dunst and Mortensen each give incredibly strong performances as the MacFarlands, it is Oscar Isaac who steals the show as Rydal. Commanding the screen with charm and charisma, Isaac adds to the film’s noir style with a presence uncannily similar to that of the leading men from old Hollywood classics of yesteryear, cementing his position as an up-and-coming actor to watch.

The cast have a brilliant on-screen chemistry and every aspect of their very complex relationships was riveting and believable to watch. Their understated performances were just as engrossing as the underlying tension and intrigue of the story.

Unpredictable from start to finish, The Two Faces of January provides a nostalgic look at cinema with timeless performances, backdrops and costumes that makes the film seem fresh and innovative despite being set over 50 years ago.

All in all,The Two Faces of January will quickly become a timeless classic in the thriller genre, with a great story and impeccable pacing leaving you unable to guess what the next scene will bring. Strong performances all round create a chemistry that transcends through the screen and into the hearts of the audience with Oscar Isaac proving himself yet again as a leading man and firmly announcing himself as a bold new face of cinema.

★★★★☆

The Two Faces of January is in cinemas from today, 16th May!

Check out our Q&A with the cast here!
Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

WE ARE THE BEST!

Based on Coco Moodysson’s graphic novel ‘Never Goodnight’, We Are The Best! is a heartwarming, coming-of-age story that will remind you just what it was like to be thirteen.

Set in Stockholm, 1982, We Are The Best! Follows three 13-year-old girls, Bobo (Mira Barkhammar), Klara (Mira Grosin) and Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne), who decide to form a punk band – despite everybody telling them that punk is dead.

The premise of the film is an interesting one; 1982 punk from a child’s point of view is a unique narrative and could easily have gone wrong or stagnated relatively quickly once the novelty of the subject matter had worn off. However, despite the niche exterior of the film, We Are The Best! is ultimately a heartwarming tale with charm, wit and nostalgia at its core.

Alongside the main storyline of the three young girls attempting to form a punk band, we follow Bobo, Klara and Hedvig as they try to navigate first loves, embarrassing parents and ignorant bullies who pick on the girls for their love of punk rock – making it more of a lesson in youth and friendship for the audience, rather than punk music and 1982 Stockholm.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about We Are The Best! is just how easily the three young actresses carry the film. It is always going to be risky business when a film is heavily dependent on child actors, especially when placing them in an era that they know nothing about alongside such a specific, and alternative, subject matter. Barkhammer, Grosin and LeMoyne have a natural chemistry that ensure the authenticity of their friendship isn’t doubted for a moment; making it really feel as though you are really watching a group of best friends.

Even more endearing than their on-screen friendship are the buckets of charisma that the girls bring to the film. They bounce off each other with wit and embody their characters with such energetic charm and innocence, making it an absolute joy to watch them flounce around Stockholm, thinking that they’re grown up and know everything that there is to know. We Are The Best! has a brilliant self-awareness that pokes fun at the know-it-all attitude that young people have without coming across as patronising or mocking of teenagers. Instead, it provides a nostalgic trip down memory lane for every older person in the audience who will watch these characters and be reminded of the embarrassing things that they did when they were thirteen too.

Throughout the film, the audience witness the trials and tribulations of adolescence; the girls laugh, they cry, they get scolded by parents. They fight over boys, are laughed at by their classmates and secretly get drunk from Klara’s older brother’s alcohol – all whilst trying to become the biggest and best punk band in the World. It is this relatability that makes the film so enjoyable, with it staying realistic and light-hearted right until the very end.

All in all, We Are The Best! serves as an endearing reminder of what it was like to be 13. On the outside, the fact that it is set in 1982 Sweden and is about the punk movement might seem a little alienating, however, the crux of the film is the innocence of childhood and with such fresh, energetic and charming performances from the film’s protagonists, it’s impossible to watch We Are The Best! without a smile on your face.

★★★★☆

We Are The Best! is in cinemas from 18th April!

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

Love,

MAGIC MAGIC

Starring Juno Temple and Michael Cera, Magic Magic is an indie horror film, inspired by an urban legend of what happened to a girl whilst vacationing in a Brazilian hostel.

Alicia (Temple) is an American girl who has travelled to Chile to visit her cousin Sarah (Emily Browning). Whilst staying with her cousin's friends, insomniac Alicia starts to lose a grip on what is real and what she is imagining, leaving the audience to wonder who the real bad guy is...

Marketed as an intense psychological horror, Magic Magic has all of the ingredients to make a fantastic film - the strong cast, great background story and the novel addition of the story being told through an unreliable narrator (Alicia) should have been enough to create edge-of-your-seat and spine-tingling chills. However, it doesn't exactly work out like that.

Once Alicia arrives in Chile, her cousin Sarah is called away almost immediately, leaving Alicia to spend two nights alone with Sarah's friends, Brink (Michael Cera), Agustin (Agustin Silva) and Barbara (Catalina Sandino Moreno). The friends seem cold from the offset, with Cera nailing a particularly disconcerting performance as Brink, who manages to appear creepy and unnerving without even saying anything particularly offensive. However, despite Cera's discomforting presence and the group's tendency to speak to eachother in Spanish, meaning that Alicia can not understand, as the film progresses it becomes a struggle to see what the group are doing that makes Alicia scream down the phone to Sarah that they are 'all sadists'.

For example, while the fact the boys shoot a bird when they go hunting would upset many people, myself included, it isn’t far-fetched to think that an American teenage boy with a shotgun would shoot an animal. The film also tries to use the fact the boys tease Alicia and laugh at her misfortune as evidence of their cruelty, but again this isn’t exactly unusual behaviour for teen boys. Alicia's paranoia makes these overreactions a little easier to swallow, but more could have been done to make these characters appear as the sinister threats that they are supposed to be at this point in the film.

Over time, it becomes evident that there is something seriously wrong with Alicia; her cousin joins them but Alicia is struggling to sleep and her behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre. This is when the film finally starts to pick up. Despite the lack of genuine jumps or scares, the intrigue of the story and where the film is going is just enough to keep you tense and maintain your interest as you desperately start to wonder what is wrong with Alicia... and that is what makes the film's conclusion all the more disappointing.

The final scenes gradually become more and more ridiculous, eventually becoming reminiscent of a certain goat scene in Drag Me To Hell. However, alongside being totally far-fetched and implausible, the conclusion is also incredibly out of place in Magic Magic. The conclusion is rushed and makes no sense in relation to the rest of the story and it completely bypasses the tone of the majority of the film. Although certainly not without its faults, Magic Magic at least maintained an element of realism up until this point and had they decided to opt for a realistic ending, rather than prioritizing their bid to shock the audience, it would probably have made the film a much more compelling watch.

The one positive part of the entire film comes from the strong performances; as well as creepy Cera, Juno Temple gives the part her all and truly embodies Alicia's paranoia, which becomes more and more apparent as her mental state deteriorates. Emily Browning also does her best to add some realism to the madness and gives an equally strong performance, despite being underused. However, strong performances are just not enough to cancel out the film's fatal flaws, with its fascinating concept being ruined by a ridiculous narrative which results in an underwhelming watch... In fact, resulting in the worst film that I have watched this year.

★☆☆☆☆

Magic Magic is available to watch from 18th April!

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

Love,

Saturday, 12 April 2014

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

After waiting for what feels like forever, the sequel to director Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield's take on everybody's favourite insect-based Superhero is finally hitting the big screen!

Continuing with his more faithful adaptations of the Marvel comics, Webb's (That's not even a pun, that is his actual name!) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 picks up with Peter Parker (Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) graduating high school, Peter’s childhood friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHann) returning to New York after years at boarding school, and an accident at Oscorp turning Spider-Man super-fan Max (Jamie Foxx), into glory-seeking villain Electro.

Peter is still doing what he does best: swinging through New York City solving crime and saving pedestrians, however he has relationship troubles to boot.The narrative picks up where the first film left of; Peter’s girlfriend Gwen is still the only person who knows Spider-Man’s true identity and while she struggles to cope with her boyfriend’s double life, Peter also fails to find the balance between his personal life and his vigilante alter-ego.

Garfield continues to trump Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of the superhero as he gives him the wit, sarcasm and likability that is found in the original comics. He brings believability and relatability to an otherwise surreal situation and his efforts to maintain his relationship with Gwen bring an element of normality to Peter Parker’s life.

Although Garfield steals the show as the leading man – and rightly so – all of the supporting characters are just as well-rounded but none more so than unassuming unassuming ‘nobody’ Max Dillon, who Spider-Man saves from death in a busy New York street. Unable to believe that he has actually been noticed by somebody, Max becomes obsessed with Spider-Man and begins to believe that they’re actually best friends. Ignored by many and mocked at work, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Max and this is why when he has an accident at Oscorp and turns into villain Electro it’s all the more upsetting - because you know that he isn’t a villain at heart and his transformation is just as confusing and unsettling for him as it is for the viewer.

However, Electro isn’t the only villain in the sequel and the plot is full of surprise twists and turns with action-packed fight sequences as well as an emotionally engaging subplot surrounding Peter and his personal relationships with both Gwen and his Aunt May.

Throughout the film the use of 3D gives a really slick feel to the story, making it appear so glossy it is almost other-worldy. The breathtaking visuals bring the film to life and it is almost as though you are swinging around the city with Spider-Man in tow. The effects are strong from the offset and from the very opening sequence you will find yourself appreciating and marveling at the special effects, with the awe not faltering until the credits have started to roll.

To conclude, Garfield and Webb continue to be a winning team when it comes to Spider-Man as they create strong characters and an enjoyable narrative; all mixed together with these with stunning visual effects and 3D. The combination of action, emotion, and surprise twists together create a film that is so engrossing the two and a half hour run time flies by.

One word of warning though: There is no post-credits scene, I repeat: THERE IS NO POST-CREDITS SCENE! (We found out the hard way and the credits are really long...)

★★★★★

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is in cinemas from 16th April!

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

Love,

THE QUIET ONES

On Tuesday 1st April I was lucky enough to attend the World premiere of Hammer Film's newest chiller

Me on the red carpet at The Quiet Ones premiere

The Quiet Ones.

Starring Finnick Odair, sorry I mean Sam Claflin, and inspired by true events, The Quiet Ones tells the story of a professor (Jared Harris) who performs a series of experiments on a young patient (Olivia Cooke) in order to test his theory that you can create a poltergeist from negative energy.

The most original aspect of the film is the storyline itself as it offers an interesting take on the notion of poltergeists and evil spirits. Harris effortlessly slips into the role of Joseph Coupland, a professor at Oxford University who believes that everything has a rational explanation, including the appearance of demonic possession. Coupland takes on four of his students; confident and sassy Krissi (Erin Richards), her joker boyfriend Harry (Rory Fleck-Byrne), and shy, unassuming Brian (Claflin), alongside a mentally disturbed girl, Jane (Cooke), to test his theory. The experiment involves driving Jane to the brink of insanity in order to summon the negative brain energy out of her and into an inanimate object, curing her of her apparent demonic possession.

However, as time passes Jane’s state only appears to worsen and with demonic etchings suddenly being burned into her skin and Krissi’s life coming under threat, the students begin to think there’s something supernatural going on after all. Coupland stubbornly refuses to accept the possibility of his hypothesis being wrong, leading to friction forming among the group and putting all of their lives in danger.

With its setting in the 70s, The Quiet Ones is immediately eye-catching with its retro feel that will appeal to

Claflin, Cooke, and Fleck-Byrne introducing the film

fans of horror classics such as The Exorcist and The Omen. Claflin’s character, Brian, also serves as the cameraman for the experiment and the film flits between regular filming and Brian’s shaky, grainy, handheld camerawork. As a viewer this technique thrusts you right into the middle of the experiment as you experience the same terrifying perspective as the students.

Most of the horror comes from the tension of not knowing what is going to happen next which makes for creepy, edge-of-your-seat viewing rather than scream-inducing terror. Cooke gives a stand-out performance as the disturbed Jane, confusing the audience into whether they should be scared of her or pity her and often achieving both. The rest of the characters are also well-rounded and integral to the plot with their presence adding elements of reassurance and normality to the film, with scary scenes neatly embedded among everyday conversations between the group. In a way, you start to look forward to the scenes where all the characters are together as you feel a sense of unity with the students who are just as confused, scared and freaked out as you are.

The Quiet Ones is strong from the offset and only gets stronger as the film progresses, however parts of the conclusion feel a little rushed with one particular revelation about Jane’s character being delivered quite suddenly and then being quickly glossed over to make way for the film’s grand finale. Although the finale is still effective, it probably would have a stronger impact if the audience weren’t still trying to process and get their head around the previous scene's twist.

All in all, The Quiet Ones is an innovative and intriguing new horror film that will have you on the edge-of-your-seat throughout. Even if you’re made of stronger stuff and the scares don’t impact you, you’ll still be able to enjoy the story and the characters as, unlike many recent horror films, The Quiet Ones doesn’t depend on the horror to make the film.

★★★★☆

The Quiet Ones is in cinemas now!

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

Love,