Review: Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

I have been absent from the blogging world for a while due to some family issues but luckily for me I have the best blogging buddy who completely takes the lead and looks after the whole thing – without complaining once!!  My blogging buddy is better than yours….. Aww :)

So, here I am back ready to write up the masses of films that I have seen while I’ve been away and do you think I can remember a single one – nope!  So instead I will be reviewing the latest film I saw just a few days ago, because that’s about as far back as I can remember!!

Bridget Jones is back, and this time she’s having a baby!!  Bridget (Renee Zellwegger) has spent the last 10 years on and off with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and is now in a definite off position as he is married to someone else.  Until one week of ‘living life to the full’ leave Bridget pregnant with no clue who the Dad is, Mark Darcy or the McDreamy Jack (Patrick Dempsey).

I didn't know how excited I was about this movie until the day came along and I was planning an outing with a few friends. I got so pumped, but then I started to worry. Teenage me would say Bridget Jones's Diary was one of her favourite movies ever, but this was pre-blog when I didn't watch much, and didn't know what made a good or bad movie. What if the original was actually awful, and this latest installment would be too?

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I questioned whether I'd even seen The Edge of Reason. After reading the plot on Wikipedia I realised that yes, I had, but I'd pushed it out of my memory completely. Those little workers in my long term memory tossed it out along with Bing Bong!

I never have high hopes for a sequel and I wasn’t even that bothered by the first two Bridget Jones movies but my heavily pregnant best mate desperately wanted to see this before she dropped so I went.  I’m so glad I did, I laughed constantly and cried on more than one occasion.  The scene with the hospital rotating doors and the countertop, well I had to look away because I nearly wet myself!!  The story was great, I was expecting to be very judgmental of Bridget for getting herself in the situation but I couldn’t, she just worked it so well. 

This is a movie I'll have to re-visit when it's out on DVD, because I had such an amazing cinema experience. The screen was fully sold out, and we all laughed, 'oooh'd' and 'ahh'd' with each other throughout, it was incredible. For the revolving door scene, we all laughed so hard we missed the next five minutes of movie!

The highlight of the show however, was Emma Thompson.  She stole every scene she was in with witty one liners and feigned horror at Bridget’s little ‘situation’ – she absolutely nailed it.  I had forgotten how much I loved Thompson, she is now well and truly back on my radar – more Emma please top movie boss people!!!

Sometimes, all you want from a movie is an escape from reality, and that's what Bridget Jones's Baby was all about. Of course the story is over exaggerated, it's campy, and no, I highly doubt Mark Darcy would really throw his phone out the window and carry Bridget all the way to the hospital, this is London, there are cabs everywhere, but would a taxi scene have been as funny? I didn't think so.

Minus Hugh Grant (kind of), the entire original cast came back, which gave me so many nostalgic feelings, and it wouldn't have worked without them. The addition of Emma Thompson was a brilliant move, she was funny in the trailer but in the movie itself she really shined. This might just be a rare instance where a sequel is just as good (if not better) than the original!

Highly recommend even if you don’t think you want to see it, go and see it anyway!!

Looking Forward to Seeing in the Cinema: October 2016

Welcome to October, the start of Halloweenie Month here at Flick Chicks (more on that here) and the time of year where it's perfectly acceptable to either live in a cardigan or pajamas, with smells of spiced apple and cinnamon in the house. Ahh, Autumn. As a break from watching scary movies, I'm looking forward to squeezing in a couple of cinema trips. There is of course the latest offering from Marvel, featuring my beloved Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, but there's something I'm looking forward to even more than that. Sorry, Benny.

I don't do nearly enough reading, but when I heard about the upcoming release of The Girl on the Train, hailed as 'the next Gone Girl' I knew I needed to read the book. I'd just finished consuming Ready Player One in 5 days and I had the reading bug, so I sacrificed a couple of hours sleep each day and read The Girl on the Train. It's good, guys. I never read Gone Girl, so I can't really make a comparison until I have, but it's good.

If you've not heard of it yet, The Girl on the Train stars Emily Blunt as Rachel, an alcoholic still suffering after her marriage broke down. On the train to work every day she fantasizes about a house a few doors down from her old house which the train passes, and creates names and stories for the couple she sees there. One morning she sees something which shocks her, and the next day the woman from that house goes missing.

Overall, I'm really happy with the casting choices, they matched what I had thought up in my mind really well. What's kind of bugging me is that the movie will be set in New York rather than London. It shouldn't be a big deal but it is to me, it was set in a beautiful little town just on the outskirts of London and the New York setting might just change the tone completely. We'll see.

This is normally the part where I share the trailer but for the love of all that's holy, don't watch it if you haven't done so already. Maybe it's because I know what happens but it has so much to say! Go in blind, please. It'll be worth it.

The Girl on the Train will be released in UK cinemas on 5th October 2016.

A Timely Blogathon: Airplane! (1980) & Stand By Me (1986)

Originally posted on Movierob here.

I have such a short attention span, and so when I saw the announcement of ‘A Timely Blogathon’ hosted by Movierob and Film Grimoire I practically squealed with excitement. Never has there been a blogathon more perfect for me! Of course, there’s something ironic about being late for a blogathon about being short on time, so thank you both for still having me!

The theme of the blogathon is movies that have a runtime of 90 minutes or less, and after a quick Google search I came across a movie I’d been meaning to watch for years, and luckily for me, it’s runtime was 88 minutes. Phew, just about! That movie was Airplane! (1980)

My sense of humour has made a lot of people groan, I’m a huge fan of jokes that get labelled as ‘Dad jokes’, and so numerous people have recommended Airplane! to me over the years. The only reason I haven’t seen it yet is it’s age. I struggle with older movies and I wondered whether any of the humour would actually hold up 36 years later.

The plot to Airplane! is simple enough. On a plane flying from Los Angeles to Chicago, the pilots and many of the passengers become alarmingly ill, leaving one passenger, Ted Striker (Robert Hays) with the responsibility of landing the plane safely.

I can safely say that not only do the jokes hold up over time, they come so frequently that a second viewing is almost mandatory; I spent so long laughing till it hurt that I probably missed a load of jokes! There are references to certain names that went straight over my head, but honestly, this is hilarious from start to finish. Just a few of my favourites:

Nervous?

Yes.

First time?

No, I’ve been nervous lots of times.

You’d better tell the Captain we’ve got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

A hospital?! What is it?

It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.

Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Surely you can’t be serious.

I am serious...and don’t call me Shirley.

I’m laughing my socks off just typing these out. I’ve got to say though, there is no way some of these jokes would make it into a movie made these days. There’s the ‘Jive Dudes’ that have subtitles whenever they’re speaking, the little girl who likes her coffee black, just like her men, and the pilot who asks the young boy in the cockpit all kinds of odd questions!

Realistically, this movie isn’t for everyone. It has a very unique sense of humour, and reminds me of Monty Python in that sense, you either love it or hate it. The plot is silly, the events completely unreal. If you’re looking for a serious, dramatic movie about a plane on the brink of crashing, this isn’t for you, but if you’re in the mood for something funny with a guarantee to make you laugh, you honestly need to give this a watch.

Since raving about this movie all week I’m now being told to watch The Naked Gun, does anyone else recommend it?  I can't stand the Naked Gun films but if you loved this you will love them!

I thought I would throw my 10 cents worth in after googling films that are 90 minutes long or less and not one but 2 of my favourite movies popped up.  Maybe subconsciously I prefer a shorter movie like Allie!

I can't believe that Stand by Me is only 89 minutes long, it feels so much longer when you're watching it.  The first time I watched this film when I was younger, I was on the edge of my seat, I was convinced one of the boys was going to be snatched or that something was going to jump out at them.  When I finally realised it wasn't a horror, I had to watch it again to actually enjoy the story for what it was.

The concept of the film and the story are so simple and yet told in a way that makes you laugh, cry and gasp.  For me, it's one of those movies where not much happens but you find yourself smiling to yourself as you watch it.  It stays with you long after you have finished watching and as an adult you find yourself with the urge to ring your childhood best friend and just say hello.

Allie reviewed this last year for a Blogathon and I didn't end up contributing so I'm glad I am getting the chance to show some love for this.  I can't say I have been a huge fan of Stephen King adaptations, Tim Curry's IT put me off for life - I have never been more terrified of an actor in a role.  However, Stand by me is one of my all time favourites and one I can watch over and over again much like Beauty and the Beast which was also in the list at 84 minutes of awesomeness and a great sing-along!

Review: Me before you (2016)

Anyone who knows me knows that I have been waiting for this movie to come out for months, no years.  I waiting too long to read the book after it being recommended to me and after finishing it i desperately wanted to forget it so I could read it again with fresh eyes.  As that wasn't possible I have been waiting impatiently for someone to make the movie....

Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke) gets a job as a care-give for quadriplegic Will Traynor (Sam Claflin) only find he is a miserable recluse who only wishes for his old life back.  Louisa spends her days trying to inject some laughter and substance back into his world with the help of his medical carer, Nathan (Stephen Peacock).

I obviously read the book before I saw this and I think because the book is more in depth you feel like you know the characters a bit more than someone who hasn't.  My buddy-o-pal Lou hadn't read the book.  Therefore, I cried like someone had just ordered the last Big Mac while she barely sniffed the whole way through (this is where I might add that she is pregnant and therefore somewhat hormonal) and yet I came out a puffy mess and she was her usual radiant self (bitch!).  I can only put it down to me remembering more from the book, I am waiting for her to now read the book to give me her opinion.

I did prefer the book with the extra little details and knowing more about Lou's feelings but they really did cast the lead characters perfectly, particularly Emilia Clarke - she has without a doubt the most expressive eyebrows in all of Hollywood.  She was everything I imagined Lou to be and then some.   Also, being a die hard Home and Away fan, it was great to see Stephen Peacock in his first big role in Hollywood!

I did feel like the key elements of the film (them falling in love and his follow up decisions) were really rushed, I think that is because it wasn't rushed at all in the books.  Other than that, I really loved it.  I think reading the book first was a bonus because you had all the extra depth that's missing.

Looking Forward to Seeing in the Cinema: June 2016

Ok - before we get into this whole looking forward malarkey,  I have a confession to make! Prior to last months post, Allie text me to ask me if X-Men was going to be my looking forward film, obviously I said yes so she kindly went with Warcraft!!  However, it turns out I have the memory of a sieve, because when it came to writing my post, I did a whole blurb on Captain America!! Even when I looked up the release date and found it was April not May, I still didn't realise what I had done.  It took the post going up for Allie to read it and text me saying, why the heck did you write about Captain America instead of X-Men!!!  Because i'm a numpty, that's why!  So in short, we both potentially wanted to pick X-Men and yet we didn't actually write about it! Can I use it for this one?!

Also, I have to note that we wrote this post well before it was published, so when you guys finally read this Miss Hawkins will be Mrs Adkins - all kinds of happy for my bestest and her beau.  Love you lots <3

Hello, summer! Is it just me or does it feel like it should be blockbuster season already? This year they seem to have been spread out throughout the year...which I'm fine with, because I normally only catch about 50% of the big releases in summer anyway! This month is a tricky one to pick, but I think I've made up my mind.

I saw the trailer for The Nice Guys right before seeing Spotlight in early January, and it completely took me by surprise. It looks hilarious! From what I can tell, it's set in the 1970's and follows Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe investigating the death of a porn star.

Ryan Gosling has been away from the big screen far too long for my liking, but his chemistry with Russell Crowe on Oscars night has really got me excited for The Nice Guys! I think it's a case of it either being a huge hit or a real disaster, with the only funny moments being shown in the trailer, but that's always the risk with comedy. I've got my fingers crossed! There was a gun through a window in the trailer which made me laugh hysterically! (it doesn't take much!).  Has anyone else seen the trailer for this which is Ryan and Russell in therapy in real life before the film's release, that really made me laugh.

The Nice Guys will be released in UK cinemas on 3rd June, 2016.

Oh my god, how long have I been waiting for this film, ever since I read the book way back when and then I reignited my love for JoJo Moyes this Spring reading the the sequel.  Now it's finally here.....

Based on the book by JoJo Moyes, Me before you is about Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke) who takes a job looking after quadriplegic, William Traynor who having lead an adventurous lifestyle before his accident s struggling to come to terms with his new life.

I love Emillia Clarke and I love Sam Claflin so what is not to love....

Me before you will be released in UK cinemas on 3rd June, 2016.

Review: Testament of Youth (2014)

It's taken me a really long time to write this post, it turns out I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started this movie on my own on a Sunday night.  I had no idea this was a true story until is started watching it and it really struck a cord with me, so I've had to wait a while to write the review so i didn't sob all over my computer!!

Based on the book of the same name by Vera Brittain, Alicia Vikander plays a young Vera during some of the brightest and darkest parts of her life through World War 1.  Vera a strong willed woman determined to do everything people tell her she can't from going to Oxford, to becoming a Nurse and a writer.

This film was truly heartbreaking and the thought that its a true story just chokes me up even more.  Vera was an unbelievably strong woman for what she went through at such a young and just continues to push forward.  It almost made me feel ashamed for worrying over petty issues and not trying to do more than what people expect of you.

I loved Vikander in Ex-Machina and she didn't disappoint, she was amazing at Brittain and made every emotion so raw I was a sobbing snotty mess in the first half an hour.  Another star in the making is Taron Egerton playing Vera's much loved brother Edward, who for me steals every scene he was in (we all knew it was possible after still standing out next to Colin Firth in Kingsman).  I was a little disappointed with Kit Harrington as love interest Roland but I haven't seen him shine in anything outside of Game of Thrones so its not a surprise.

I am fully aware that I haven't really reviewed the film but if I think too much about the plot I'm going to be a blubbering wreck again!

Jenna I want you to know that I really, really tried to watch and enjoy this for you. There are only 2 types of movies I struggle with, War and Period Dramas, and this was just too much for me! I appreciated the performances by the cast, but I just couldn't deal with the story...I think I started to tidy and clean the living room for something more interesting to do...

Review: The Choice (2016)

If you hadn't noticed already, I am a complete sucker for a weepie, more specifically Nicholas Sparks weepies.  Therefore when I found out the release date for The Choice, I made sure I had some time in the diary to get to the cinema and see it.  Albeit on my own, there aren't many people  I would out through the suffering of one of these movies, I've only done it to Allie once and it turned out to be my least favourite, sorry Allie! I genuinely kind of enjoyed that one to be fair...but that was pre-blog when I liked everything! Anyway, I digress, I took a daytime trip to the cinema on my own, took deep breaths through the sniggers and whispers of the only other people in the cinema for being on my own and settled in for my latest fix.....

The Choice follows Travis (Benjamin Walker) is in for a shock when he meets Gabby (Teresa Palmer) who seems to be the first girl to actually keep him interested, problem is she is settled with her doctor boyfriend, Ryan (Tom Welling).  Travis spends his time trying to get her attention and her heart.

The biggest issue that I have with these films is that I know they are rubbish and yet I love them anyway.  Even my least favourite (Safe Haven) I have watched countless times, they are my ultimate guilty pleasure.  This was one of them, I knew it was a bit rubbish and completely predictable but I do like the guarantee of a good cry.  I was a bit disappointed with the choice of leads, I really liked Benjamin Walker but Teresa Palmer was tough to like. Unfortunately, her lack of personality makes it hard to swallow that Travis is head over heels for her but he does bring a edge of likeability to the role, in fact you actually like him more than you should for the first half of the film.

On the surface, I did enjoy it and I would (and have) watch it again but when I start thinking about it from a review/critical perspective, there is a lot wrong with it.  The score  have given is solely based on my enjoyment of it in the moment (which is theory all scores should be!) rather than a critical perspective.

Review: Room (2016)

If you read my review for In the heart of the sea you will know that I was desperate to see Room so I was glad when I found some free time with my Dad and realised it was still on at the cinema. Why this took me so long to watch when it was one of my most anticipated Oscars movies I'll never know! I'm glad I finally got round to it, though.

Ma (Brie Larson) as she is known for the first half of the film had been trapped in a 10 x 10 room for 7 years and for the previous 5 has been making it a home for her young son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay).  He lovingly calls his home 'room' and having not known any other life, Ma makes his life exciting with games and stories.  It becomes quickly clear that she has been unwillingly kept prisoner by the man they call 'Old Nick' (Sean Bridgers).  Following Jacks 5th Birthday, and a night and day without power or heat, Joy realises she needs to make a change and plans their escape....

I found this quite difficult to watch, particularly having read so many similar stories in the news, to see it from the other side was nothing short of heartbreaking.  Larson's acting skills as a frustrated mother trying to hide every emotion from her son and still give him the life he deserves it are fantastic.  You can see every emotion on her face and you can actually feel her frustration as she tries to explain to Jack things that he doesn't understand having never been out in the real world.

 

It's no secret that Room was going to be a tough one to watch, and pull on your heart strings. What I wasn't expecting was to ugly cry throughout the entire movie! Thank the heavens for dark rooms...no, wait, now is not the time to make jokes about rooms.

Thankfully I had about a ten minute break between sobs when Jack made his escape attempt. My eyes were still watering, but that's because I now hold the world record for holding my breath! Those were such tense moments, I was genuinely clenching my entire body.

Jacob Tremblay absolutely blew me away, his confusion at being told things of the outside world and his childlike innocence is played out perfectly.  How someone so young can act so well really does amaze me!  The premise of this movies is truly terrifying, having seen so many similar stories in the news, this actually happens to real people.  What stops the movie becoming really dark is the narration from Jack, his perspective on the whole situation is so innocent and sweet.  He doesn't see Room as a prison, he sees it as an adventure and he makes friends with items in room, sink, toilet, rug, wardrobe, its really heartwarming to hear his sweet voice in such a dismal setting. Little Jacob is such a sweetheart! I love that kid!

I desperately want to read the book now and I half wish I could have read it beforehand but I never know which is the best order to do it in to not ruin one or the other. 

Depending on which way the Academy decide to take the Best Picture this year,  I think this has a real shot at it. Make your mind up woman, I thought you were #TeamRevenant! No I'm #TeamLeo keep up!!!

Looking Forward to Seeing in the Cinema this Month: March 2016

Oh, hello March! You're going to be a fun month for movies. How am I even meant to pick just one movie for this post, when there are currently five that I'm really looking forward to? The sad part is that I normally catch about three movies a month at the cinema, so I'm not even going to get to see all of these before their DVD release. 

If you're curious, the five movies floating around my mind right now are 10 Cloverfield Lane, High-Rise, Batman Vs Superman, Zootopia and Hail, Caesar! I need to pick one though, and to be honest there's one I've been looking forward to for months now, ever since I saw the teaser trailer last year, so let's go with that.

Hail, Caesar! is the latest Coen Brothers movie, with a star-studded cast too long to even list in this little post. I actually know very little about it, as I'm trying this year to not watch too many trailers and so other than the original teaser trailer and the hilarious "Would that it were so simple" trailer, that's kind of all I know. It's definitely enough to excite me though! 

Hail, Caesar! is released in UK cinemas on 4th March 2016.

So, all these big movies coming out in March, Allie has even listed them to make it easy for me and here I go and get all excited about the next Nicholas Sparks adaptation.  I'm not even sorry really, they are my guilty pleasure, I love the books and I always look forward to the movie that will inevitably follow. Jenna no!!!

The film will be utterly predictable (mostly because I have read the book) but I will still love it.  The trailer doesn't give much away and I can't remember the book  so I'm excited to remember what its about!

The Choice is released in UK Cinemas on 4th March 2016.

Review: Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

I made plans with my Aunt and Cousins to have a Saturday night in with Chinese food, wine and a movie, good plan right?!  Wrong!! 45 minutes, FORTY FIVE MINUTES it took us to decide on a genre of movie plus a further TWENTY FIVE minutes to decide which movie in that genre to watch (there was only 2 options!).  So there we have it, 1 hour and 10 minutes of my life that I am not getting back…..ever!  Finally landed on period drama and then Far from the Madding Crowd which I had been meaning to watch so I wasn’t all bad…

Adapted from the Thomas Hardy novel, Far from the Madding Crowd centres around Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) and three men who all profess their love for her. Gabriel (Matthias Schoenaerts) her neighbour as a young woman and key member of staff in her farming business, Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge) a somewhat controlling service man and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) her older neighbour with an infatuation.  Over the years, their live become intertwined and ever more complicated.

My family had all read this book either at school or college, however I didn't, so I didn’t have any idea of the story.  I think that meant I enjoyed it for what it was rather than comparing to the book at every twist and turn.  Carey Mulligan was brilliant as the strong independent woman who doesn’t need help from any man in life or in business, as is Michael Sheen as the nervous, quiet but determined Boldwood.  I felt like Tom Sturridge’s character what supposed to have this power and control over Bathsheba but he just didn’t quite sell it for me.

The true winner in this though is the British countryside, I can sometimes forget what a beautiful country we live in and this really showcased the amazing sights to be had on our own doorstep.  If you aren’t from the UK, this will make you want to visit and if you are it will make you want to drive out and see the beautiful landscapes for yourself.

Stunning visuals and as someone who has never read the book, quite an interesting story with some surprising twists and turns.

Review: The Martian (2015)

When the hype kicked in before the release of The Martian, I vowed to locate a copy of the book and read it cover to cover, and then see it on the big screen. Only one of those things happened in the end. Ah, the best laid plans… To be honest, when I planned a cinema trip nearly 7 weeks after it’s release, I was surprised to see my local cinema was still playing it, I thought I’d missed it all together!  I too very nearly missed this one but luckily one of my local cinemas has over 30 screens so keeps movies on for longer than most...phew!

Before I try to write something that resembles a review however, let me first have a little cinema related rant. Yes, there was a group of kids/teens chatting or laughing at the back of the screen, to be honest, it was barely even audible. Certainly not enough to ruin the experience. What was annoying however, was the couple a few rows behind me shouting ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Shut Up’ every 5 minutes. They started this charade during the trailers! I wanted to turn around and explain the irony, but I knew I’d only be adding to the problem. Chill out, crazy couple!  I can sympathise with both you and the couple, my Dad barely hears anything in the cinema but I can hear every whisper and it drives me bonkers, so I wold probably be the couple haha!  Although, I do try to cause less disruption with my annoyance than the actual disruption.

Anyway, The Martian (2015) is based on a novel of the same name written by Andy Weir. After a terrible storm kicks up on Mars, the Ares III crew are forced to evacuate, but during their escape, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is hit by debris and presumed dead. During the crew’s journey home to Earth, it is discovered that Mark is still alive on Mars, and so NASA must now perform the biggest rescue mission ever known.  Did anyone else think that maybe NASA wouldn't spend Millions probably Billions of Dollars to save one person?! (my Dads response to this comment was 'Well what else were they gonna do?' which I guess is kind of logical!)

Watching Mark figure out how to survive out on Mars for as long as possible was absolutely fascinating to watch, if not a little gross at times. We all know what fertilizer is of course, but ew. I will also never take a bottle of ketchup for granted ever again. I wasn’t expecting The Martian to be so funny, either. Not that it’s a comedy or anything, but this line in particular was hilarious: “In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option, I'm gonna have to science the shit out of this.”  My personal favourite was "I am the greatest Botanist on this planet".  The whole film had a real dry humour about it, it actually reminded me of typical British humour which felt great in a big Hollywood blockbuster!

Space movies aren’t my usual go-to movie of choice, and that’s mainly because I just don’t understand the science involved. For example, I felt like I enjoyed Interstellar, but man, I didn’t understand any of it. The Martian is different though. I got a little lost when the team at NASA were doing the calculations on how to rescue Mark, but for most of the time, I actually understood what was going on. Maybe that’s thanks to Mark himself for his crude and literal explanations of everything.

Although there were no crazy plot twists or dramatic love stories involved, I felt engaged from start to finish, although the run-time was a little long for a cinema trip for me. I need my pause breaks for long movies to get another cup of tea and a few biscuits! It was absolutely worth seeing this on the big screen though, the sets on Mars were simply stunning to look at.

I really loved this film, the humour helps to curb the sentimentality and moving from Watney surviving on his own, the rest of the Ares III crew on their ship and Houston keeps the pace of the film up really well.  In fact, when it ended I was so disappointed, I didn't want it to finish - I'm certain there is no requirement for a sequel but I will be keeping my fingers crossed!!

I should also mention the supporting cast, which contains quite a few big names and familiar faces. We don’t get to see much of them, but they keep the tension high and there’s a nice mix of series and comedic characters in there.  I loved Donald Glover, he's just cropping up everywhere at the minute, much to my delight!

The Martian will without a doubt be in my Top 10 for the year list, it was everything I hoped it would be. Now to make a start on that book!  Ditto!

Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

It’s finally here, the final instalment of The Hunger Games, it’s a bittersweet moment leaving me both excited and apprehensive.  I’ve been so excited about seeing Katniss, Peeta and Gale back on the big screen but this means that it is the end, what if it isn’t as good as the others (or only just as good as Mockingjay Part 1) what kind of sobbing mess would I be then?!  A gaping Hunger Games shaped hole in my life and no way to fix it (other than read the books again!).

Following on from the Mockingjay Part 1 (funnily enough), Peeta has been trained to hate Katniss, Katniss is the face of a revolution, Gale is a soldier and Primrose is a nurse.  Along with some firm favourites, Finnick Odair (Sam Clafin), Cressida (Natalie Dormer) and Pollux (Elden Henson), Katniss leads the team into the capitol and to President Snow’s mansion.  The route is fraught with ‘pods’ which release various terrifying booby traps from explosions to oil slicks. 

This is basically another Hunger Games, as noted by Finnick “Welcome to the 76^th Hunger Games” but set in the streets of the capitol instead of an arena.  All that was missing from that line was a 'looking into the camera breaking the fourth wall' moment. That would have been perfect! The gamemakers have made it near impossible for anyone to get to the mansion without being killed or maimed in the process.  

I will admit that the third was my least favourite book, there was a lot of talking and it seemed so much less action packed that the previous two.  However, what happened with the film it seems, is that all the boring stuff was jammed into the first film (my least favourite of the movies) and all the action and emotional gumph is in this one, making it ten times more awesome than I imagined.  Maybe it’s because I’ve see the first and second one a hundred times and this one is completely new but I think it might be my favourite of them all.  I spent much of the time tensed up while Katniss and co try to break free of another cruel booby trap and Josh Hutcherson was brilliant to watch as he fought the demons in his own head and tried to decide what was real and what was planted in his mind. After 4 years I'd thought I would have grown tired of being Team Peeta, but I loved all of his scenes!

I'd forgotten actually how much dialogue was in this part of the book. That's the main thing that frustrated me with this movie, the pacing was all over the place. It went from 5 minutes of solid dialogue to crazy action, back to chatter again. It was a bit stop start! I actually really liked that, it kept me on my toes - plus for me, the dialogue is what made the films so close to the books.

I think they really captured the reason behind Katniss’s choices, maybe more so than the books.  I don’t want to reveal any spoilers but her decision at the end of the book baffled me a little bit as it wasn’t what I expected but in the film it felt like the perfect ending.  I also didn’t find myself as emotional watching the film as I had in the book, I was sobbing like a small child when I read the third one but managed to scrape by this one without a single tear or sniffle.

One thing I'd forgotten from the books was how dark some of those scenes were! I won't mention because of spoilers, but with everything happening in the world right now one scene in particular was quite harrowing to watch.

I stand by my thought that Mockingjay didn't need to be split into two parts. If the dull, unnecessary moments from both parts were taken out and made into one movie, it could have been amazing, but my favourite from the series is still Catching Fire. 

I almost wanted this to be my least favourite of the films so I wouldn’t be sad that it was over but it has turned out to be my favourite, now I’m gutted all over again that it’s finished!  Back to the books I go…..