Imagine doing
life with the same person. You live on the same street; went to the same
schools and even planned to move to the same country for better opportunities.
It seems like a simple, everyday situation. But when something so simple is
complicated by five tequila shots, it’s not hard to believe how Rosie (Lily
Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) managed to slip from each other’s grasp.
The Story
The film is based
on the originally titled novel, Where Rainbows End, written by Cecelia Ahern (P.S. I Love You). It follows the plot of two childhood friends who
were meant to fall in love, but simply kept falling out of it due to a
momentary lapse of the mind. Though the novel spans from childhood to their
elderly years, the film condenses their life experiences to perhaps their late
thirties.
What I love
about the story is the emotional rollercoaster that it takes you through. Time
and time again you just want to scream, “JUST SAY IT!!! TELL THEM YOU LOVE
THEM!!!” Other times you just want to sit there and pat the characters on the
back for moral support. The comedic elements of this film were very
entertaining and added a light-heartedness to a film that is packed with
almosts and what ifs.
The Cast
Lily
Collins and Sam
Claflin had great chemistry and complemented each other nicely. They were
believable as both friends and lovers. They did a great job falling in and out
of love with one another, as well as other people.
Jaime
Winstone gets a special mention for her stunning performance as
Rosie’s BFF, Ruby, who was the main source of comic relief. She brought a
beautiful devil-may-care attitude to a film that’s packed with heart-wrenching
moments.
Overall, Love, Rosie is one for the
girls. Some guys might sit through it, but it’s definitely on for the
girlfriends to watch together. I recommend it for anyone who’s never taken John
Mayer’s advice and didn’t say “what they need to say”.
Imagine waking up in a large metal
elevator and not knowing who are or where you’re going. Imagine seeing foreign
faces gawk at you and not know half the things they’re talking about. Then,
imagine being trapped by large walls that open and close, never knowing what’s
beyond them.
Welcome to The Glade.
The Story
Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is faced
with not knowing who he is and why he’s been sent to a make shift community of
boys. It’s clear that these boys have been here for a while, and the constructs
of their living are bound by three rules: 1) work hard, 2) don’t hurt your
fellow Glader and 3) never enter the maze. Once you’ve come to realise that the
story begins at the end, you also realise that throwing a girl (Kaya
Scodelario) into the mix means there’s no time to figure out male-female
dynamics, but actually, she was sent as a trigger – a trigger to change the rules.
The new rule stands as: find a way out or die.
Based on James Dashner’s award winning
trilogy, The Maze Runner is
successfully the most accurate page-to-screen film I have ever seen. But
to be honest, if you’ve the read the books, then you’ll know that Dashner
writes with incredible cinematic imagery that leaps from the page into your imagination.
Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers and T.S. Nowlin all deserve a standing
ovation for their incredible adaptation – not to mention a great big KUDOS to
Wes Ball for his incredible direction for a film of epic proportions.
If you don’t get a chance to watch
the film, then read the book. Either way I recommend the trilogy for any thrill
seekers out there. It’s one that will get you heart racing from start to
finish.
The Cast
Dylan O’Brien brought
Thomas to life perfectly. He understood the mental and emotional rollercoaster
ride that Thomas goes through throughout these series. He captured the essence
of his character perfectly, taking audiences through the highs and lows of
entering the unknown, from finding his purpose amongst the Gladers and eventually
becoming a leader by the end of the film.
Similarly Aml Ameen did a brilliant
job of portraying Alby, the fearless first Glader. Again, much like O’Brien’s
depiction, Ameen beautifully captured a leader whose only flaw was being confused about not knowing his past. Supported perfectly by Thomas
Brodie-Sangster, who plays Newt - the Glade's second in command, we see the same camaraderie that Dashner depicted in his book. Brodie-Sangster’s played the logical Newt and Amee played the humble, yet dominant, Alby. Together with Ki Hong Lee, who plays Minho, there’s a
great depiction of sound democratic eldership within the Glade. Hong Lee was also effortless in his job portraying a character who is first Thomas's mentor and eventually his equal and friend.
Will Poulter also
took on the great roll as Gally – the hated Glader. Poulter understood that
Gally need to be liked just as much as he needed to be hated. He was the voice
of doubtful-reason and he took that job seriously enough for audience to be swayed
to listen to him at times.
Blake Cooper gets a
special mention for his perfect portrayal of Chuck – the comic relief and the
youngest Glader. Through Cooper we see the battle between boyhood and manhood as even
the youngest of the pack needs to be both protected and play his part in the
community.
Kaya Scodelario did
an equally believable job portraying Teresa. Although I wished there was a lot
more of the telepathic uniqueness between her and Thomas that Dashner envisioned, I thought Scodelario
did an amazing job portraying a scared girl in a world of boys - not to mention a
scared girl in a world closed-in by gigantic moving walls and monstrous
mechanic killing machines.
Special and Visual Effects
These departments receive a special
mention for their amazing work on the maze. It was so real and the movements of
the maze, along with the Grievers, were absolutely phenomenal. The magnitude of
their dedication to creating such a large-scale maze to look realistic was undeniably mind-blowing.
Overall this is 2014’s
must-see film. It’s jam-packed with thrills that will make you squeal, action
that will make you heart leap, and suspense that will keep you guessing. Like I
said, read the books and watch the film – it’s worth every penny.
Is something ever lost if you never had
it from the beginning?
In a society where the past does not
matter and the now is always as it has been, memories seem insignificant;
language is precise and feelings are conceptualised. Jonas (Brenton Thwaites)
is at a point in his life where all of this will only be a distant memory,
because only he has the privilege of accessing the past, to truly see the
present, and change the future.
The Story
The
Giver takes on the title
of the novel it is based upon. Like many post-apocalyptic films, this film is
set in a futuristic world where everyone is truly equal and communities are
segregated. Although it does not have The
Hunger Games’ or Divergent’s
concept of differing groups functioning in different ways, The Giver has a similar thread in terms of how individuals operate
in a society.
The film follows the same plot of Lois
Lowry’s novel, but he only major change was the additional budding romance
between the protagonist and his only female friend. There was also a slight
attempt to have a love triangle, but I think that sub-plot was just to show the
differing friendship dynamics when “growing up” is added to the mix.
Overall, I thought it was accurate to the
book. The parts I loved in the book were all presented in the film, but be warned,
although Micheal Mitnick and Robert B. Weide do an excellent job of adapting Lowry’s
novel, there’s so much more to the story that were omitted to suit the
97-minute time limit. Otherwise, I thought it did the novel a great justice.
The Cast
Brenton Thwaites is one to
definitely watch over the years. Another Aussie hitting up the big screens,
Thwaites not only held his American accent, he also portrayed a very believable
Jonas. He understood the naivety that Jonas begins his journey with and allowed
himself to progress into that hunger for more as his character began to make
different discoveries about the past. As Jonas grows in his ability to “see
beyond,” Thwaites was able to draw you in and invite you to take that journey
with Jonas.
Jeff Bridges, who plays the Giver,
was incredible in his portrayal of a man burdened with the – literally – the
weight of the world. You could feel his fatigue, passion and his agony over the
loss of the world around him and his own personal loss too. Together with
Thwaites, the bond between mentor and pupil was evident and inspiring.
Meryl Streep was as beautiful and
captivating as always as she played the Chief Elder of the community. She was
elegant and fearsome which is exactly how the book portrays the collective body
of Elders.
Odeya Rush needs a special mention
considering her character is not as central in the book as it is in the film. I
love the fact that she had a delicate balance of child and adult in her
portrayal of a girl who’s learning different ways of seeing life. What I loved
most was that chemistry between Jonas and Fiona was not strong, because it made
the film more believable – not to say that the two had no chemistry at all! Rush
complimented Thwaites very well and balanced his mental discoveries with her
limited physical imitations to perfection.
Overall I thought The Giver was incredibly enticing and
captivating. It had a brilliant concept on the page that was well executed on
the screen. I recommend reading the book prior to or after viewing the film in
order to fill-in the blanks. Like I said, there was much that was omitted in
order to get the main progression of the story presented on the screen.
I know, I know! I cannot believe I haven't been to the cinemas in ages! Alright, y'all need an explanation and I think this meme explains it the best:
Yes, I'm part of the small percentage of new graduate teachers around the world who have just received a real taste of full-time work. Although I am thankful for the work, I have been a little upset that I haven't seen a movie for/with you guys in a while. Here's a list of trailers of movies I wish I saw when they came out:
GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY
LUCY
THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY
And here's a list of movies I'm hoping to see in SEPTEMBER:
IF I STAY
THE GIVER
THE MAZE RUNNER
Realistically speaking though, I'll probably only see one of these...but who knows? I mean, I DO get school holidays as well! Hahaha!
Aiight, I hope the update was enough for y'all - I will get to the cinemas, I just don't know when! But y'all know when I update my reviews!
Everyone knows the legend that is wrapped
in one name: Hercules (Dwayne Johnson). Son of Zeus; Hated One of Hera; Sport
of the Gods; Strongest of all men. His twelve labours match no man’s
achievements. They testify to his strength and his prowess as a demigod.
But what if the legend is all that he is?
What if the legend is merely a story? What if Hercules is only a mere whisper
to the ear?
Did such a myth ever truly exist?
The Story
The premise of this retelling of the Grecian
hero is that Hercules was a simple man who achieved many things. His glory was
achieved by many men (and a woman) rather than on his own. In this story, we
see that the twelve labours are not what they seem, just as much as Hercules is
not who he appears to be. In the process of serving a striving ruler, Hercules
and his might warriors find themselves in the middle of a civil war that has
the past, present and future colliding. Suddenly, in his darkest hour, Hercules
completes the twelve labours that reality spawns from myth; here, Hercules is turns
legend into truth.
I enjoyed watching this movie a lot! The
first reason is that it’s not at all the myth of Hercules, in fact is about how
the myth was birthed and prolonged – and ideally how it came to be true. I
loved the fact that Hercules was not just the name of one man, but rather the
name of many men. From the get-go you realise that it’s not about a hero, but
the fact that anyone can be a hero. The second reason I loved this movie is there’s
no love interest. Taking from the original text, this film picks up somewhere
in the middle where Hercules had and lost his wife and children – creating a
mystery as to how he lost them in order to add to the legend. The third and final
reason I love this film is for its simplicity. It didn’t try to portray a man
larger than life, but rather a man getting by in life.
I also liked that Hercules struggled with
anxiety from the trauma of his loss. I liked that this weakness was framed in
the context that it’s a personal labour that he must conquer – something that
he must gain closure for. I’m a bit at odds with whether the military formation
was more Roman than Grecian, but in saying that, I really enjoyed seeing
ancient military tactics that I read about back when I was in high school.
The Cast
Dwayne Johnson was a great
Hercules. He was believable in his seriousness and light-heartedness, even in
his spurts of comedy. Much like his character, Johnson was well supported by Ian
McShane, Rufus Swell, Aksel Hennie, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal and Reece Ritchie.
McShane being the wise seer of the pack, along with Ritchie’s youthful antics
and powerful “wordsmanship”, provided much of the comic relief with their
little quips about death from the former and witty retorts from the latter. Boslø
Berdal and Swell were the serious and sarcastic additions to the pack who kept
Hercules intact. Although Hennie only had one intelligent line the entire film,
when he did deliver it, it was powerful and meaningful in the father-son-like dynamic
between Hercules and Tydeus.
John Hurt and Joseph Fiennes play
very interesting characters as they portray two fairly similar rulers. Both
were believable and incredible contrast to each other and to Johnson. The power
dynamic between these three characters is incredible.
Rebecca Ferguson also did an
incredible job of being the wife and mother that Hercules’ lost. Not that their
was any interest projected by the two characters, but rather a common ground in
the loss of loved ones and a hope that comes with overcoming such tortures.
Ferguson portrayed a friend and sister – if anything an added member to the
comrades – rather than a possible love interest.
Aussie, Stephen Peacocke, receives a
special mention for his sound performance in his first motion picture. Though
his accent was a little unclear, he delivered his lines with conviction and
even with a slight hint of humour. Kudos mate!
Overall
It’s a well-written, well-executed and beautifully
casted film. There’s enough action to keep you buzzing, enough emotion not to
miss a side-line love story, enough comedy to have you smirking and enough
heart to have you swelling with communal pride. I recommend it for all ages –
but if you get a little sick with the sight of blood, be prepared to shut your eyes
tight. It’s one for the history nerds – represent!
