Review: Anomalisa (2016)

It felt like a lifetime waiting for this movie to be released in the UK! I swear I would move country just to see movies like this earlier. Anyway. I’ve always been a fan of animated movies, and since my Media course in College, I’ve had a real appreciation for the work that goes into it. I produced a 30 second claymation in class that took 2 months, and boy, does it require a lot of patience. 

Anomalisa (2016) is a fantastically quirky movie that not only took 3 years to create, but it was brought to life thanks to the 5,770 crowdfunders on Kickstarter that collectively raised over $400,000. It follows roughly 24 hours of our main character (voiced by David Thewlis) living his mundane life. When he happens to meet Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh), his life looks as though it may change.

I’ve tried to stay away from too many detailed reviews of this movie until I’d seen it myself, but one of the comments that came up often were to do with the fact that it’s so easy to forget that this is an animated movie. Now, that’s a testament to the fantastic work of the animators to create characters and a world that seem so lifelike, but honestly, I would urge anyone to do the opposite, and constantly remind themselves that this is in fact animated. It makes those intricate details that much more fascinating.

Maybe I’m geeking too hard over it, but such simple details like a swinging ‘magic tree’ air freshener in the taxi, or the ice machine in the hotel just had me in awe. Those are things you wouldn’t even think about in a live action movie, but it took hours to film those brief moments. 

This is one I’ll be buying on DVD for sure once it’s released, I think a second viewing will be rewarding. I got really distracted after a while at the fact that every character other than Michael and Lisa were voiced by the same person (Tom Noonan). I tried to tell myself that it was probably down to budget constraints, but I couldn’t shake it from my mind. Of course, it all got explained eventually (and it was a beautifully painful moment) but I definitely missed some details along the way.

There’s one scene in particular that was incredibly difficult to watch, and I’ll try and explain without going into spoiler territory, because this isn’t a complaint in an obvious sense. It’s an intimate scene, and I felt awkward, but not because I’m typically British and things like this make me embarrassed anyway, but the scene was so well done it kind of felt that by watching, I was intruding. Does that make any sense? It’s hard to explain.

The bottom line is, I loved this movie, and would recommend it to others. It’s not for everyone, and you have to be in the right kind of mood. Above all else, don’t try to forget that it’s animated, and appreciate those little details!

Review: Carol (2015)

My New Year’s resolution for the last few years has been to watch more movies. Resolutions are meant to be difficult, and take some effort to achieve, and this year has been the first year that I could confidently say I’ll do this without much effort, so I needed a new movie-related resolution for 2016. This year I’m resolving to move out of my comfort zone, and be more open to movies I’d never normally watch. And that’s how I found myself watching Carol.

Carol (2015) is the story of an unexpected love affair between Therese (Rooney Mara), a young woman working at a department store, dreaming of a career in photography, and Carol (Cate Blanchett), an older woman stuck in a loveless marriage and a difficult custody situation over her daughter.

Is this a period drama? I’ve just realised I’ve never actually understood the term. How many years ago does a movie need to be set before it’s classed that way? I’m going to learn something new today, that’s for sure. Anyway, that’s something I wanted to say. How the sets in Carol were beautiful. The department store in particular reminded me of the one in Brooklyn (the movie, not the place, although it was set there...you know what I mean) which put me at ease instantly. The costumes as well, were so well done and I found myself missing dialogue at some points because I was marvelling at everything else.

This isn’t my kind of movie at all. I struggle with romance movies without the comedy element, and of course with the nature of the romance in Carol, there’s no leading man. So I was baffled when I found myself completely sucked into this story. I loved following Therese’s story, wondering whether she would leave her quiet life and love interest Richard (Jake Lacy) behind for a life with Carol. Equally, my heart sank when Carol’s husband Harge (Kyle Chandler) opened up a custody case for their daughter.

It even took a much darker turn and a twist I wasn’t expecting. It’s all thanks to the amazing job that Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett have done, and it’s a shame this year’s awards season looks so strong, as I’d love to see them both win for their work here.

Something else I wanted to highlight in this movie is something I don’t normally notice, the music. It really stood out in Carol, and in 2 key moments. One I don’t want to mention because spoilers, but it burst out again at the ending, and it was so powerful it kind of gave me goosebumps!

So all in all, my New Year’s resolution is going well, and I’m really glad I gave Carol a chance. I don’t think I’m a fully converted fan of the genre yet, but I’ll certainly give more movies like this a chance.

Review: Sicario (2015)

Argh, I was so gutted to have missed Sicario in the cinema! It’s one of those movies that only came on my radar because of being a part of the movie blogging scene. There wasn’t much promotion of it at all in the UK in the run up to its release, but once it came out in the US my Blogger feed was full of reviews, and every single one was singing its praises. It just turned into a moment of too many movies and not enough time, so I had to wait till the DVD release before I got my chance.

Sicario is the story of FBI Agent Kate (Emily Blunt) who volunteers to join a government task force with the aim of ending the escalating war on drugs at the border of the US and Mexico. The cartel they are hunting down are responsible for the deaths of multiple of Kate’s team members, and that’s her reason for joining, although she quickly finds herself way out of her depth.

It sounds like a typical, generic ‘war on drugs’ plot but it’s just done so well. Straight off the bat you know what you’re in for, as the first scene throws gruesome images at you and sets your stomach on edge. This is not your everyday action movie, and should not be watched with your Sunday lunch, as I did…

Emily Blunt is just my hero at the moment. She’s so badass! If you loved her role in Edge of Tomorrow you’re going to love her in this. There’s a scene early on in the movie where you see she’s clearly the only woman in this task force, surrounded by menacing men, and in that scene she seems so small and vulnerable, but just minutes later she’s absolutely holding her own, and I love it!

I didn’t realise a movie that wasn’t a horror could have so much tension. Seriously. There are a few scenes like it, but a fairly early one takes place on the road leading right up to the Mexican border, and the pacing, coupled with the music, had me on the edge of my seat hiding behind a cushion. I was almost glad in that moment I wasn’t in the cinema where I couldn’t hide! 

What I wasn’t expecting was the performance by Benicio Del Toro. Holy moly, this guy was terrifying! His character started off as fairly quiet and sort of faded into the background a little, but then he came out of nowhere!

Sicario is simply a must watch. As someone who has very little interest in movies like this, it was one of my favourites of the whole of 2015. Now why did I have to write that list just a week before watching this?!

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!!!

Review: Spotlight (2015)

This is the one I’ve been waiting for! I haven’t been enjoying the Oscar movies as much as I hoped I would this year, but every time I’ve gone to the cinema I’ve gotten a little more excited for Spotlight. We’ve had to wait for it for so long in the UK! I wasn't even remotely looking forward to this for two reasons, I had a feeling the story was going to stay with me for a while (I wasn't wrong!) and it seemed very talky, I wasn't convinced it was going to hold my attention.

Spotlight is the retelling of the true story of how the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team uncovered the horrendous scandal of child molestation within the Catholic churches, and the cover ups that came with it. It’s one of those movies, just like The Big Short, that covers a real life story that I’m aware of, yet know very little about, which is what made both so appealing to me.

I’m writing this the day after watching Spotlight, and I honestly don’t know where to start. I didn’t sleep well, it played on my mind that much. I’m growing a bit of a fascination with journalistic movies, having watched Zodiac and Nightcrawler most recently, so this was right up my street. I was enthralled within the first 10 minutes, the big offices of the Boston Globe reminded me of somewhere I used to work, and the leaving speech just brought back happy, but cringey memories.

I think what helped was the casting choices for the main Spotlight team. They’re all such likeable characters, with genuine chemistry, and it honestly felt like I was watching a documentary about a team that had been working with each other for years, rather than a movie. Each of the characters begins their year-long investigation with professional courtesy, but as the story unfolds and the scandal grows, you can see it affect each of them on a personal level, and it’s in the second half when the tensions are running higher that you see just how well they can all act.

I really loved the fact that you bought in to every single character without having to spend ages delving into their personal lives, there was the odd passing comment about their lives here and there, Mikes marriage problems for example.  The film was completely focused on the investigation and the victims, this made it all the more difficult to watch for me, normally when a film is unsettling, I will focus on the other mini stories that are running through it.  This didn't have that option so you had no choice but to concentrate on the traumatic experiences of these victims.

Behind my awe however, lay an unsettling feeling of sorts. It’s so uncomfortable to listen to the stories of the survivors and victims of abuse. It’s one thing to read about it, but to hear someone say it out loud, it made me feel nauseous. There’s one scene in particular where Sacha (Rachel McAdams) is talking with a survivor as they walk through the town, straight past a huge church, with a children’s playground right in front of it. That’s an image I won’t be forgetting for a while.

Although it was already in the trailer, so I'd heard it before, there was a line of Michael Keaton’s that just stood out for me from everything else. “We got two stories here: a story about degenerate clergy, and a story about a bunch of lawyers turning child abuse into a cottage industry. Which story do you want us to write? Because we're writing one of them.” That was such a turning point!  There were some great lines in this film that really drew an impact but for me it was all about Mark Ruffalo, I can see why he is up for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.  The way he delivered each and every line showed every inch of emotion that the real Mike Rezendes must have felt.  This one stood out for me "It's time! They knew and they let it happen! To KIDS! Okay? It could have been you, it could have been me, it could have been any of us. We gotta nail these scumbags! We gotta show people that nobody can get away with this; Not a priest, or a cardinal or a freaking pope!"

Just over 2 hours passed, and as the final words came onto the screen, I felt a rush of different emotions. Disappointment, firstly, that this movie was over already. I didn’t know where the time had gone. Then came anger and disgust at the reality of the story, that lingered with me as I went to bed. Then, the morning after, or now, as I type this, amazement at just how brilliant this movie is.  Those final words on the screen literally broke my heart, it was horrifying to think of how many people were effected by the church and the subsequent cover ups.

Review: Brooklyn (2015)

The countdown to the Oscars is on and so is the annual tradition (not technically a tradition yet as its only the second year for me) of racing to watch all of the big hitters before the big day.  Brooklyn was one I was looking forward to anyway so it was a good one to kick off with.

Year two for me, too! I think the tradition for me is more of an 'UGH I don't even want to watch half of these movies Jenna why are you making me'!

Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) is young girl growing up in Enniscorthy, Ireland who feels like her life is going no where.  Her sister, Rose (Fiona Glascott) sorts her a job and place to live in Brooklyn, New York.  After suffering with homesickness she finally starts to feel at home and in love when tragedy brings her back to Ireland.  The prospect of another life and love makes Eilis question where her heart lies.

I've only seen Saoirse Ronan in a handful of movies and I only really liked her in The Grand Budapest Hotel (I knew she looked familiar!) so I was a little bit concerned that I might not like her in the lead but really wanted to watch the film.  I couldn't have been more wrong, she was incredible and absolutely stole the show, I don't think this would have been the same with any other actress.   Throw in Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Domnhall Gleeson (Is it me or is he in absolutely everything at the minute?! He is, and I'm LOVING it) and what's not to love?

Safe to say I couldn't convince the fiance to watch this one with me ("but it has General Hux in, it's practically Star Wars!") so I watched this alone. I'm not one for romance movies without a hefty dollop of comedy thrown in, but I was weirdly kind of hooked within the first 10 minutes.

I was completely taken with the film, I didn't move once, no fidgets, no toilet visits, not even a sip of drink - I had chronic dry mouth by the time it was over but it was worth it.  For me it was like a grown up version of the teen romances films I loved as a teenager, I grinned when she fell for loveable Tony (Emory Cohen) and wanted to shout at her when she considered a different life with Jim (Domhnall Gleeson). Tony's little brother was one of the cutest movie kids ever! Just no filter on what comes out his mouth. Love it.

I felt like the worst person in the world for wanting Eilis to stay with Jim. He was such a sweetheart though! Domhnall Gleeson just owned 2015. Like, this time last year he was just a Weasley brother to me, and not even one of my favourites, and now he's just BAM. In every movie I've watched last year. Or at least it felt that way.

It was really clever how they made subtle changes to Eilis's wardrobe, hair and make up throughout the film to show how she grows and changes as a person.  When she heads back to Ireland, you can see the distinct differences between the way she dresses and holds herself and the way her friends do, and how she used to be.  It's just another reminder of how good Ronan is in this role.

I thought that, too! She starts off so quiet and sheepish at the start of the movie, and the changes in her are so subtle. It wasn't until the final scene that you can really compare just how much she's grown.

Ronan is utterly engaging throughout, no need to be a hopeless romantic you'll love it anyway.

Review: The Revenant (2016)

Managed to get an advanced screening for this so I was dead excited thinking I was going to see a big Oscar movie way before everyone else, until I realised my big preview was the day before the general release date.  I gained a whole day.....

Whereas I convinced myself that an Odeon Secret Screening was something else, and missed a chance to see it 2 whole weeks before release date! Doh!

The Revenant is based on the true events of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who, while out with a group of hunters, is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his own team.  Amazingly, Glass manages to fight for survival to find the men who deserted him and take is revenge.

I have no idea how to explain my thoughts on this film, I really did enjoy it and the first 40 minutes I was so engrossed I let my ice cream melt while sat with my jaw dropped.  It was all pretty graphic and there were a few moments where I actually covered my eyes to avoid my ice cream going in reverse.  Before I even saw the film I was willing for DiCaprio to get his Oscar because I felt like he deserved it for all his amazing roles but no I've seen this he needs to win in solely for this movie.  He barely says a word in the whole movie but he completely owns it.

Seeing this at the cinema reminded me just how much fun the cinema experience is. During the opening scene when the main group is attacked by the natives, there were gasps and cries left right and centre as the slaughter happened on screen. I heard one woman utter a pained 'I felt that one' and even grown men cringe! The bear attack got an even bigger reaction. That was a really tough scene to watch, actually, and major kudos to the technical teams for all their work on that.

Tom Hardy is at his best as Hugh's main target for revenge, John Fitzgerald and his scenes with Will Poulter were amazing.  Although, as good as Poulter was, I couldn't get his character from We're the Millers out of my head which kind of ruined some of the scenes for me. You're so mean! I loved him in this, I thought it showed how he can do so much more than comedy, but I have got Chasing Waterfalls stuck in my head, so thanks for that. This just highlights for me how good DiCaprio, Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson are because I've seen them in countless films over the years but I never relate one to the next.  I even forgot both brothers were Hardy in Legend. 

How do you even pronounce Domhnall Gleeson's name?! He was on Radio 1 with Will Poulter the other day promoting this movie and I swear they were pronouncing it 'Dome-hull'. I thought it was more 'Dom-nall' with a silent 'h'? This is what I tend to think about late at night while I try to sleep. Can we just call him General Hux? Anyway! Hasn't he had an amazing year in 2015?! Seriously, it's like Ex-Machina all over again....

Edit: I've done more resarch into this than one would consider healthy, but it hasn't helped, it's just added a third pronounciation to the ring, 'Doh-nall'! Argh!

I don't think anyone can argue with how beautiful The Revenant is. In fact, last year during the Oscars season I tried to learn what Cinematography actually meant with very little luck, but whilst watching this, I realised. This is Cinematography! At it's finest, too. It's something I don't normally notice, but there were so many seemingly small technical bits (sorry for the lame terminology here) that really stood out. Things like character's breath fogging up the screen during close ups, I noticed and appreciated it all.  I need to watch it again to see these bits, I spent a lot of the film with my hands over my eyes for fear something was going to jump out!

Which brings me on to my only real complaint about The Revenant. It has a decent runtime anyway, but the middle section moves by so slowly, it felt at least an hour longer than it was. Also, whilst watching Glass' struggle for survival was a harrowing affair, there's only so much despair I can take until it all becomes too much, and turns sadistically funny instead. The moment Glass and his horse ride straight off the cliff face? Hilarious! I felt awful for laughing, but my heart had frozen about half an hour prior to that scene.  Oh dear god, in the cinema I was in, that made everyone gasp, I think I even let out a little yelp and you laughed?! That poor horse...

There were a few moments in the middle where I got a little bit bored but I was still interested to see where the film went so it didn't ruin anything for me.

This is firmly in the list of amazing movies I never want to see again. I wish it was shorter, but there are a good few categories in the Oscars I'll be wanting to see The Revenant win in. Technically, it's a 10/10, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

Review: Creed (2015)

Jenna! I can’t believe you’re leaving me to start off this monstrosity of a post. I think by this point in our blogging adventure, it’s expected of me to have not watched an all time classic movie, but you?! Let’s just get this out of the way. Neither of us have ever watched a Rocky movie. Nor do we have much knowledge about boxing in general. So if you’re even still reading at this point, you’re probably wondering why on earth we even watched Creed. But it’s tipped for awards, and we’re trying to watch all the big awards movies, so we gave Creed a shot together!  In our defence we have Rocky on our Blind Spot list for this year and we are kicking it off with that one in January but yes it is true we have not seen a Rocky film between us and I think in watching Creed we may have inadvertently 'spoilered' ourselves. 

So, as far as I understand, Creed is the story of Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) as he follows his father’s footsteps in becoming a boxing champion. To help him on his way he hunts down retired Rocky Balboa himself (Sylvester Stallone) who eventually agrees to mentor him.  Not that we could understand what he was saying!

For the record, this was so much fun to watch together, as we shared what little we knew about the Rocky series. I think everything we know can be summed up like this:

- There are some steps that Rocky ran up in the originals. They didn’t actually look that difficult, but then neither of us have tried.

- I think Rocky had a love interest called Adrian. Also pretty sure there’s a moment where we cries ‘ADRIAAAAN’. I don’t do a very good Stallone impression.

- According to Jenna, the famous Rocky music sounds a lot like the traditional wedding march. haha! OK play this and listen to the first part of this and tell me it doesn't sound like the wedding march......

It doesn't sound like the wedding march, and now you're going nowhere near any of my CDs at the wedding in May!

Moving swiftly on…

I thought Michael B. Jordan was absolutely perfect for this role! He’s everything I imagined a young boxer to be. He was confident, and a little arrogant, but he oozed so much charm at the same time. It was really sweet watching him in the early stages of his relationship with Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and I can’t wait to see more of him in the future.
I felt like we may have ruined this film for ourselves because I get the feeling nostalgia goes a long way with this one, that being said I did really enjoy the boxing scenes (it also reminded me that I forgot to review Southpaw!).  Michael B. Jordan was the perfect choice for Adonis, he was great and i'm so glad hes brought it back after the disaster that was Fantastic Four.

One thing I will rave about are the boxing scenes themselves. They were intense! Especially the final scene, which I of course won’t ruin. Jenna and I were literally shouting and cheering at the TV at that point, acting as referees. If you love the sport, don’t ever watch it with us. Seriously. Our favourite parts are the ‘hug it out’ moments as we call them!  I was scaring the bejesus out of the cats with my impressive boxing moves and every time the boxers 'hugged' we put on our rugged manly voices to 'yeah yeah hug it out' - I think we might actually be insane but its the most fun I've had watching a movie in a long time!  Can anyone actually explain why they hug?!

I just feel that my lack of knowledge/interest in boxing, coupled with the sad fact that I’ve never watched a Rocky movie ultimately hindered my enjoyment of the movie as a whole. I can certainly appreciate it for what it is, but it felt too long to me.

It did seem to go on a bit and I don't usually mind long films, a lot of the scenes just seemed a little dragged out where they could have been shorter but overall an entertaining watch that i'm guessing fans of the franchise will love.

Review: Memento (2000)

After watching The Usual Suspects a while ago, I put the feelers out on the IMDB boards for suggestions of films with a similar, plot-twist theme. I love these kind of movies, ones where you have to really sit and think, but you definitely have to be in the right mood to put one on. Memento was suggested to me, and I noticed that it's also in the IMDB Top 250 list, so I couldn't say no.

Memento (2000) is a mind bending film about Leonard (Guy Pearce) who suffers from short-term memory loss. He's on a self-given mission to find the man who murdered his wife, which, given his condition, is a near impossible task.

He writes himself notes constantly to remind him of things he's been told, and takes photos of places that he;s visited and people he has met to remind himself who they are, and whether they are trust worthy or not. He also tattoos the key facts he learns about his wife's murder on his body.

I just love how this film is sequenced. In the opening scene, we see Leonard kill a man called Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) who he believes is the 'John G' he's been looking for. Doubt gets put into your mind instantly because either this John G is a very good liar, or there's a fair chance Leonard has caught the wrong man.

The rest of the film plays almost in reverse; the next five minutes or so of footage ends where the previous part began. It really confused me at first but after a while my head got round it. I've never seen a film like it before so it was a great experience.

This Teddy turns out to be a main character in Memento, as well as a lady named Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss). They both seem to be trying to turn Leonard against the other, although it's not clear what the link between Teddy and Natalie is. Throughout the story we also get another timeline running through of Leonard on the phone to somebody talking about Sammy Jankis.

Leonard has a tattoo on his arm telling him to 'Remember Sammy Jankis', and he talks in great details about the insurance case that he was involved in before his accident. These scenes threw me off a little every time, just when I thought I was working out what was going on.

Just when I thought I was never going to work out what was happening, the twist came and threw me completely. There was even a huge hint at it which I thought I saw but completely dis-regarded it. I have to say, it was a brilliant twist, although really quite saddening.

Memento was a fantastic film experience for me, and I'm definitely going to see it again sometime. Apparently there's a special edition DVD you can get where you can watch the film in exact chronological order - that would be a real treat to see!

 

Review: The Boxtrolls (2014)

Have you ever, when you’ve met someone new, or been stuck next to a stranger for any length of time, had an extreme disliking of them, for no real reason? (I really hope it’s not just me by the way). There’s a review here somewhere, I promise. When the trailer came out for Boxtrolls, I was a little ‘meh’. It looked alright, but I was going to wait for the DVD release to watch it. Then the Oscar Nominations came out, The Lego Movie was denied a slot, but there was The Boxtrolls. From that moment, I hated the film for that reason alone.

But the other night, I decided to give it a try. Partly because I felt guilty, and one of my friends wouldn’t stop singing it’s praises. Partly because I wanted to see why the Academy thought it more deserving than The Lego Movie.

The Boxtrolls are a group of mischievous but kind-hearted creatures who live underground in the town of Cheesebridge. They each wear a box which they hide and sleep in, and never take off. Together, they raise an orphaned boy who they have named Egg, after the box he wears. Trouble hits the Boxtrolls when Archibald Snatcher, the town’s exterminator, starts to capture them all.

Anyone with an appreciation for stop-motion animation will be fascinated by this film. I studied it very briefly in college, and it was a royal pain in the ass. It’s easy to forget just how long each movement must have taken to create, and I did forget, until a really clever, almost breaking the fourth wall moment after the credits. That little clip really brought a smile to my face.

The Boxtrolls themselves are adorable. They’re grubby, heavy-handed, but loving and helpful at the same time. They’re all named after whatever is on their box, so you have Fish, Shoe, Sweets, Wheels, and even Knickers, who’s constantly pulling up his box. My favourite thing about stop-motion animation is due to the crazy amount of time it takes to create, there’s plenty of tiny, intricate details to spot. Wallace and Gromit is a great example of that.

My absolute favourite part of any kind of animated film is trying to work out who voices each character. It’s like a game to me, and I feel sorry for whoever is watching the film with me as I’ll pause every few minutes to pop onto IMDB to see if my guesses were right. I didn’t guess Ben Kingsley at all, that was a huge surprise to me, and as much as I love Richard Ayoade, his voice didn’t match his character at all, which was weird.

The plot was predictable, and the little twist was fairly obvious, but I can’t criticise that as I’m not the target audience. It didn’t spoil anything for me, however. All in all, I really enjoyed The Boxtrolls, and I’d like to apologise to it for the undeserved hatred I gave it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and buy a Fish Pop! Figure…