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: Cinderella (2015)

As anyone who reads this blog will know that I love Disney movies, which is why I couldn't believe its taken me this long to watch the new live action Cinderella, especially as it has Rob Stark in it - swoon! The King in the North, The King in the North!

Who doesn't know the plot for this?  I'll bash it out anyway, just in case!  Ella (Lily James) is the apple of her fathers eye, after her mother (Hayley Atwell) passes away he finds a new wife in the form of Cate Blanchett.  On his travels Ella's father falls ill and passes away also, leaving her in the care of her Step Mother and living with her two 'ugly' sisters (Sophie McShera & Holliday Grainger).  Ella's step family become increasingly demanding, making Ella do all the household chores and any other menial labour they deem necessary until Ella's fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) makes an appearance to save the day....

Best. Fairy. Godmother. Ever. I was so excited about this and because of that I was worried I may end up disappointed.  Fortunately, I loved it.  I noticed many a comparison to the Disney animated version but obviously slightly tweaked for the live action version.  For example, the mice... you could still work out which one was supposed to be which from the cartoon even with them not able to speak.  They were probably my favourite part! I loved the revamped version of the original 'A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes' song too.

I was in for this at the mention of Frozen Fever and Richard Madden, so didn't give the actual film a single thought till it began! Actually, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

It actually feels like they have brought one of my favourite childhood films to life (which was all you ever wished for as a child!) and the creation and inevitable destruction of the pumpkin carriage is stunning to watch (although I still can't work out why the shoes didn't disappear - is it because they were made from scratch rather than changed from something else?! Answers on a postcard please!).  Cate Blanchett is an amazing bad guy and stunning to watch on screen, Lily James managed to hold her own but didn't quite channel Cinderella as well as I would have hoped.  The Prince (Richard Madden) - although beautiful - was a bit drippy and not a patch on the animated Charming of Disney's original outing. I'll agree with you on that one for sure, but he was definitely pretty to look at :)

Would happily watch this again and kids would love it.

Looking back on my scribbles I came out of the cinema loving this Cinderalla remake, but I actually kind of forgot about it until I spotted Jenna's post in our drafts list, which makes me a little sad because I really did enjoy it!

Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2

Can sequels ever be better than the original??

How to Train your Dragon 2 has proved they can, what an experience...

I was lucky enough to see this on Fathers Day, when they put it on as a special before it came out properly and as my Dad is the world biggest HTTYD fan, how could I not take him.

 

I on the other hand missed the previews which felt like a year ago, and ended up watching it when Planet of the Apes sold out.

The sequel picks up five years after the events of the first film on the Island of Berk.  Every Viking now has their own dragon which are now used for dragon race competitions (Quidditch apparently?!).  Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) however, prefers to investigate new lands and find new worlds with his trusty sidekick, Toothless.  On their latest adventure, Hiccup and Toothless stumble across a gang of Dragon hunters led by Eret (Kit Harrington) who are gathering dragons for the mysterious Drago (Djimon Hounsou).  So now it's up to Hiccup and his barrage of hapless friends (and their dragons) to keep their friends and their home safe.

 

What a film! This just goes above and beyond the first one, for starters ageing the characters (which is a rarity in animation) which gives Hiccup a bit more confidence and bravery while still maintaining his geeky lovable charm.  The visuals are amazing, the dragon flying scenes in 3D had you holding onto your chair.  The detail is impeccable as with the original, I particularly like an early part in the film where Hiccup and Astrid are talking and in the background there is a whole other story happening with their dragons, plus the grass and their hair are all blowing in the wind and each leaf on the tree I moving in it's own way.  It's one of those film where you will spot something new every time you watch it.

 

Honestly, the first half of HTTYD2 really got on my nerves. How much dialogue does a film need? The reveal of Hiccup's mum was ruined for me because it was just there in the very first trailer. Why?! Honestly Dreamworks, you could have given us a trailer where nothing at all happens, just Toothless being a derp, and you would still have the same audience.

 

During the reunion scenes, there was so much repeated dialogue that I actually stopped listening all together and had much more fun watching Toothless in the background, playing chase with another dragon. Hiccup's mum had done a whole speech and I didn't listen to a word.

 

The story is great (usually a downfall of sequels) and there is a twist which keeps it interesting.  There are also some quite adult topics addressed which steps it up again from the original. 

The supporting characters that I loved in the first one are given more opportunity to develop in this outing. However, all credit has to go to Toothless, as the star of the show.  The expressions, reactions and all around lovableness has proved successful once again, he steals every scene that he is in (even when he isn't the main focus, see above) and the bond between him and Hiccup is still as epic as it was in the first one.

 

Enough ranting from me though, because the second half of the film was absolutely fantastic. It was like a switch went off and the film burst into life. The action was better, the 3D was actually utilised, and we lost the boring dialogue. I really want to point out though that this isn't suitable for young children. Two scenes in particular come to mind, one really quite scary, and another absolutely heartbreaking. One small child begged to leave because he was so distraught.

If you liked/loved the first film, make sure you see this, don't be put off by the fact that it is a sequel as I think for sure that it is better than the first!

 

Taken as a whole, I think the first was the best, but I would watch this again and again for the second half alone (and maybe Toothless because he's such a cutie)