Girl Week: The Leading Ladies of 2016

For the second year running, king of blogathons Dell at Dell on Movies is dedicating this week to movies with female protagonists. It’s Girl Week! From 21st - 27th November he’s aiming to post every single day, so be sure to bookmark his blog if you aren’t already to check his posts out. Dell has been kind enough to ask us all to contribute to this special week, so I thought I’d put together a list of my favourite leading ladies of movies released this year, so far at least!

It was actually quite shocking looking through my film journal for the year and seeing just how few of those movies have a woman in the leading role. Nonetheless, there are a few, and plenty others I haven’t actually seen yet, so let’s kick this off shall we?

Amy Adams (Nocturnal Animals, Arrival)

I didn’t think I would love an Amy Adams character any more than Mary in The Muppets. That probably sounds sarcastic, but I love that movie so much. So no, I didn’t think she could top that for me, and then November came along and brought not one, but two movies with Amy Adams as the lead, and she plays completely different roles in each. Susan in Nocturnal Animals is cold, and cruel, whereas Louise in Arrival is warm and kind, someone we can look up to. November 2016 shall forever be remembered as Amy Adams month in my eyes.

Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn & Kristen Bell (Bad Moms)

Too many times it’s been said that women can’t be funny. When the trailer for Bad Moms came out though I felt apprehensive. After the deeply disappointing How to be Single, this looked like the typical comedy where the only funny moments are in the trailer. Yet I think Bad Moms surprised a lot of people in the end. It’s funny from start to finish, with several scenes that had me holding my stomach to stop it from aching. Not only does this movie have an all-female leading cast, it has some great supporting actresses too!

Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

We can always count on the ever wonderful Meryl Streep to put on a good performance. Whilst Florence Foster Jenkins won’t make my Top 10 Movies of 2016 list, it’s still absolutely worth a watch just to see Meryl Streep do what she does best. It’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, and I still can’t comprehend just how difficult it must be to deliberately sing badly when you actually have an amazing amount of talent in that area.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane)

Until this year I’ve only seen Mary Elizabeth Winstead in smaller roles, and it wasn’t until after watching 10 Cloverfield Lane that I recognised her at all. She really holds her own as the leading character in this thriller. After being rescued/kidnapped and locked in a bunker, Mary plays a fighter trying to discover the truth, rather than a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. It looks like she’s landed a big role in Season 3 of Fargo next year too, so I’m looking forward to that!

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon & Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters)

Maybe it’s because I’d never seen the original (I have now) but I felt indifferent about the announcement of a remake of Ghostbusters. There was a lot of noise about an all-female cast and a lot of upset hardcore Ghostbusters fans, and then a rush to score the movie as low as possible days before it was even released. I loved it, for the record, and I watched the extended version with my family over the weekend and still loved it. Point proven, women are funny as hell!

Ellen Page & Allison Janney (Tallulah)

Tallulah is a movie that makes me so grateful for this blogging community, because I don’t think I would have even heard of it otherwise. I’d read glowing reviews and sometimes that’s all I need to go out (or stay in actually, this was on Netflix) and watch a movie straight away. Ellen Page might be the lead in this heartbreaking story about motherhood, but her co-star Allison Janney gives a performance just as strong.

So there you have it, my favourite leading ladies of the year so far. I’m sure if I re-visited this list at the end of year I’ll be adding at least Felicity Jones to it! Don’t forget to check out Dell’s blog to see his Girl Week posts.

Mini Reviews: Bad Moms (2016), Keanu (2016) & Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

It's a 2016 comedy special here at Mini Reviews today! As much as I love summer comedies, I didn't get the chance to see them all in the cinema and so I've been saving them up for 1 post. Plus, it's nice to remember these kinds of movies before we move into the seriousness that winter cinema brings!

Bad Moms (2016)

Amy (Mila Kunis) is fed up of Moms like Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate), who take control of the PTA, and scrutinise every single bake sale in case heaven forbid, some of the cake is unhealthy or store bought. She has every right to be fed up! The thought of being a Mom in this decade is terrifying. Thankfully, she isn’t alone, and so Amy befriends Carla (the ever-hilarious Kathryn Hahn) and Kiki (Kristen Bell, the sweetest human being on Earth) and the three of them wear the label ‘Bad Mom’ with pride.

Perhaps it was the cinema effect, or the wonderful company (this one Jenna and I saw together) but I was laughing from start to finish for this, it took me by surprise. Sure, you had to wonder where everyone’s kids actually were whilst these Moms were partying, but who cares! The whole cast just looked like they had so much fun making this movie. Plus, it has some of the greatest clips in the credits I’ve ever seen.

Keanu (2016)

How did a movie about a cute little kitten called Keanu slip under my movie radar? In a plot not so different from John Wick (starring Keanu Reeves, geddit?) Rell (Jordan Peele) comes across little Keanu by absolute chance when he is heartbroken from being dumped. He develops an intense love for this kitten but in a case of confused identity, his house gets trashed and Keanu is stolen. Rell teams up with his cousin Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key) to infiltrate a nearby strip club and get the little furball back.

The movie brings nothing new to the comedy genre, and the plot is entirely predictable, but it’s the chemistry between Key & Peele that makes this so funny. Watching them trying to act ‘gangsta’ never got old, and the recurring George Michael theme was great. It even had a sensible, logical ending, which is often lacking with these kinds of movies. Worth a watch for sure.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

This one came out right around the time of my wedding, and as much as I was looking forward to it, as the day got closer anything wedding related was making me feel ill so it was ages until I eventually saw it. Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) are brothers who constantly get each other into trouble, and when their sister’s wedding approaches, they are forced to find ‘nice girls’ to bring as dates. Enter Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) who can’t be further from the description of ‘nice girls’.

A cast as stellar as this should have been a clear winner, but the entire movie was ‘meh’ for me. It had a few solid laughs, a really awkward massage scene, and a boring plot. A huge shame, because I honestly love everyone in that cast list and I had really high hopes. The highlight was when the four got on stage for a musical number, Zac Efron for Pitch Perfect 3 please!

I think this still leaves Ghostbusters (2016) as my favourite comedy of 2016, although I haven't seen them all yet. What about you guys? What's been the funniest for you? Hold up a sec, I just remembered The Nice Guys (2016). That's my favourite!

Jupiter Ascending Explained in 30 Seconds

For the record, I really do wish I could review Jupiter Ascending, and score it at the end. But how can you review something that made absolutely no sense to you?! Normally, when I draft up a review, I do a little introduction which normally has nothing to do with the film, locate a poster to make the post look pretty, and then summarise the plot of the film. Well, that’s where I got stuck.

What you’re getting instead is me, attempting to explain the plot, as I understood it. This may or may not be in chronological order, it’s been a whole week since I saw the film and I’ve kind of forgotten half of it. Apologies in advance…Oh! Spoilers ahead...

Some guys in uniform bust in on Mila Kunis’s parents and murder her father. He was trying to protect his telescope. I don’t know why. 

Skip to the present day. Mila Kunis cleans toilets for a living, although she’s always dreamed of more… p.s. her name is Jupiter...Jupiter - really!

Channing Tatum’s stealing some kind of medical records for a girl who’s name I can’t remember. It’s not Mila Kunis though. A group of weirdos, one with pink and blue hair, one with a crazy mohawk, and I think there was a third (?!) try and steal them from him. Channing uses his inner Magic Mike and escapes.

In the night, some alien things try and murder Mila Kunis’ friend, who just happens to be that girl whose records were taken. Mila manages to get a picture of it all on her iPhone. The aliens are cool with that.

The next morning, Mila goes to sell her eggs using the name of her friend. What was the friends purpose in this movie?! (see further rant below!) She really wants/needs the money to buy a telescope just like her father’s. Plot twist! The doctors are aliens who think Mila is actually her friend, and try to kill her. Channing to the rescue!

Once rescued, Channing takes Mila to his friend Ned Stark, who is alive and well. He lives with a lot of bees, bees which love Mila Kunis. Channing and Ned reckon this means Mila is actually royalty, so they take her to space.  I've never been stung by a bee, does this make me royalty?!

In between all of this, there’s some royal arguments over who owns Earth and when it needs to be ‘harvested’ Eddie Redmayne does a brilliant Voldemort impression.  I couldn't understand word he said!

Turns out that not only is Mila royalty, she’s the re-incarnation of the Eddie Redmayne and the other two’s mother. Err, what? Pretty Boy, Eddie’s brother hatches a master plan to marry his re-incarnated mother, murder her, and then take Earth for himself. Did we ever learn why Earth was so important to him?  Moreso, Why did he want to marry his own Mom?! yak!

If you hadn’t guessed, Channing to the rescue. Again. Mila is a little in love with him and his wolfy ears.

I really forgot what happened next. There was some fighting, some sort of betrayal, and Mila realised all she really wants to do is go back home and clean toilets. Somehow, her wish is granted. Everyone lives happily ever after, Channing Tatum now has wings, and Ned Stark got to see the credits with his head intact. Huzzah! haha!!

Sorry to anyone who really enjoyed this movie. If I may add, it was visually beautiful. It's just that it felt like it was based on a book that was mandatory reading material before walking in to the cinema!

I feel exactly the same as Allie (which is saying something because I usually understand films when she doesn't!! Sorry mate!) so I only have one thing to add to this.  Why, why, why did the Wachowski's decide after the debacle that was The Matrix Reloaded AND Revolutions, to make ANOTHER film that was visually stunned but appeared to be written by a small child.  The dialogue was painful and the story was ridiculous (what I could understand of it) and there was numerous characters/characters names that were brought in and out with no logical explanation.  Why have a film with such a complicated plot and vast volume of un-necessary characters and mentions with such simplistic and cheesy dialogue.  I wanted to love it, I had high hopes for it....unfortunately my hopes were dashed after 10 minutes!!

Looking Forward to Seeing in the Cinema this Month...February 2015

Is it really nearly February already!! Oh my gosh, the year is getting away from me...again!!  Both me and Allie struggled to come up with our looking forward to this month, we think that everyone has released movies in December and January for awards season so February doesn't get a look in!

Luckily, I have been looking forward to seeing Jupiter Ascending and it got delayed to February, win!  If you read my 'White Christmas' post you will know that I only finally saw the trailer for this on Christmas Eve after reading about it loads in my movie magazines. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is going to be film of the year by any stretch but it looks entertaining enough and a bit different to other action/sci-fi films.   If you're like me and you think you've watched the trailer but haven't - here it is...

Jupiter Ascending is out in UK cinemas on 6th February.

This is the first time I've ever had a problem picking a film for this little series we do. Well, not truly anyway. Normally I have 5 to pick from, and I don't even get round to seeing all of them! This month though, the only thing I really want to see is Jenna's film, Jupiter Ascending, and even then I'm not completely sold by it. There is a film coming out this month that I want to see though, but I won't be seeing it in the cinema. Therefore, I'm re-naming the title of this blog post for myself to:

'Sort of Looking Forward to Seeing out of Curiosity but Definitely not at the Cinema...February 2015'

Yes, I read the books, I'm a warm-blooded female, of course I did! I was one of those weirdos on the train trying to hide their kindle from everyone, making it more obvious than I needed to. I didn't care about the quality of writing, quite frankly, I co-run a 'just for fun' blog and so as an amateur writer myself, I'm hardly one to judge!

I can't quite believe the film is nearly here though. I honestly didn't think it would happen. Of course it's going to focus on the fluffy, romantic parts of the book, but really, I think anyone who's read it is at least curious as to how the film is going to pan out. I won't be there at the cinema though. It's going to be filled with old people and weird couples! I don't think I'll be able to go to the cinema for a while after either, not until they've dry cleaned all the seats (sorry).

Do I really need to look up the trailer for you all? I'm at work right now, it might be weird...oh, okay then, here you go.

Fifty Shades of Grey is released in UK cinemas on 13th February, 2015