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!!

Review: Tallulah (2016)

Oh boy, I hope I don’t make a habit of watching movies about terrible parents. A couple of weeks ago I watched Hungry Hearts (2014), a movie about a terrible mother who refused to feed her baby anything other than oils and vegetables, and it was awful. The movie itself was okay, but it was heartbreaking watching something like that, even knowing it was fiction. So of course, when I heard about Tallulah (2016) and read a few reviews, all positive, and then discovered it was available on Netflix, I had to give it a try. Plus I love Ellen Page!  Gosh that Hungry Hearts sounds awful, I don't think I could watch it to be fair!  There was some confusion with this as Allie thought I had recommended it to her so when she asked me about it, I was completely confused until she realised it wasn't me at all.  However, it did peak my interest so I parked myself with a glass of wine and Netflix!

The movie tells the story of 3 struggling women. Tallulah (Ellen Page) is a drifter, living out of her van with her boyfriend Nico (Evan Jonigkeit) and has dreams of travelling to India. One night, the living situation becomes too much for Nico and he leaves to go back home to New York to see his mother. With no money or food, Tallulah drives to New York to find Nico, scavenging food from left-out room services in hotels. This is where she meets Carolyn (Tammy Blanchard), AKA runner up for the Worst Mother in the World award.

Carolyn is out of her mind, clearly. Her husband isn’t aware that she’s galavanting out and about and she’s determined to have a good time, and to do so, she has no problems at all hiring a complete stranger to babysit her 1 year old daughter while she goes out to party. This scene was the only one I really didn’t like. Watching Carolyn rant and constantly ask Tallulah if she looks pretty just got far too uncomfortable for me. Eventually, Carolyn returns home horrendously drunk, and that’s when Tallulah takes the baby to sleep in the van with her to keep her safe.

The next morning, Tallulah goes to return the baby, but nopes the hell out of there when she spots no less than 5 police officers in the hotel lobby. And so begins the game of her just making the situation worse with every given minute. I honestly didn’t know how to feel at this point, I mean, is it still kidnap when she’s just doing what’s best for the baby?  I found it so hard to watch, I was just willing her to admit to what she had done so she could take her back, I was on the edge of my seat the whole.  The problem was I wanted Tallulah to tell the truth so badly just so that Margo wasn't let down again.  I felt like she was one of those characters that just keeps getting knocked down just as she is getting back up and it broke my heart.

Our 3rd leading lady is Nico’s mother, Margo (Allison Janney). I love this woman. Poor Margo is lost in life. Her husband came out as gay, cheated on her and now has a happy life elsewhere, her son left home on bad terms, her turtle just died, and a very unexpected visitor has arrived on her doorstep. I’ll let you watch the movie for yourself to find out who, and why.  

I wanted so badly to be mad at Tallulah for what she was doing, but I just felt such a strong connection to her, it was impossible. She had such a horrible upbringing herself that she couldn’t just walk away and let that happen to someone else. What would you do in that situation? I honestly don’t know what I would do. The story had me gripped from start to finish, and I had no idea what direction it would head in, or how it would end. My husband was giving me funny looks across the sofa as I was wailing ‘this isn’t going to have a happy ending’ over and over again.  I was totally on the edge of my seat, wailing at the TV, it all just got  too much and I had to pause for a cuppa (totally British, nothing in the world that can't be solved with a cup of tea!).  I wanted everyone to have a happy ending.

The performances all round were absolutely amazing, and as much as I love Ellen Page Allison Janney was the MVP for me here. It was the little qwirks in her character that gave me the much needed comical relief every now and again. Plus it was lovely to see some of my favourite faces (Zachary Quinto, Uzo Aduba & David Zayas) pop up for their small roles. Highly recommended! In fact, I made Jenna watch it the very next day after I did!

Ellen Page just wins everything for me, she is such an amazing actress and in this when you knew what the character was wrong in what she was doing you still wanted to reach out and help her.  It takes serious skills to pull of a character that no matter how bad their behavior, you are always on their side.  Alison Janney is one of my favourite female actors and these two together was just awesome, they need to do more work together....like now!

Review: Frances Ha (2012)

It’s a fun time, when an obsession hits me. Every now and again an intense feeling hits me over a particular actor or actress, and I feel the need the spend the following weeks consuming their entire filmography. What follows is normally hours of watching sub-par rom coms and dramas that make no sense to me, but every now and again I come across a real gem, a movie that makes me forget why I watched it in the first place. That happened to me the other night with Frances Ha (2012).

It’s an indie movie following a girl living in New York called Frances (Greta Gerwig). She lives in an apartment with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) and the two are closer than sisters, and life seems great, but Frances ends up separating from her boyfriend when he asks her to move in with him, and Frances is reluctant to leave Sophie on her own. What makes things worse is not long after, Sophie moves out to live with her boyfriend, and that’s where things really go downhill.

After she is forced to move out, Frances moves into a lush apartment inhabited by rich boys Lev (Adam Driver), who brings home a different girl every night, and Dan (Michael Esper), who she has a playful friendship with, with Dan picking up on all the quirky things she does and labels ‘undateable’, but with affection. It reminded me of when I was younger, and that’s how I envisaged my life panning out, living in a huge apartment with my friends. I mean, that’s not even a thing here in the UK, but regardless, the movie shows the downsides to this, too.

To be completely honest, it took weeks to eventually see this. I even considered not watching it at all, and for a silly reason to. It’s all black and white! An odd choice for a modern movie but I read that director Baumbach did it to instill a feeling of nostalgia. Being the same age as Frances, I can’t see it that way, but what I did find that without colour, I was fully focused on everything that the characters were doing and saying, and it held my attention more than most movies do now. Weird! I clearly have a much shorter attention span than I thought I did.

Frances goes through a lot in this movie, but essentially, it’s about break-up and change. Not a break-up in the traditional sense either, but a best-friendship break-up. It’s quite heartbreaking to watch, and although I couldn’t relate at every moment, I could definitely see parts of myself in Frances. Especially in the scene around the dinner table. I honestly feel so lost in group conversations sometimes.

I haven’t mentioned the soundtrack yet, either! It’s not something I normally even pick up on, but some of the songs in this had me dancing in my seat with a smile on my face. And finally, it isn’t until the very final scene that we learn why the movie is called Frances Ha. It’s such a minor thing, but it’s a detail I really appreciated.

After watching, I’d decided to give this an 8/10, but now I’ve written this review, I feel like I enjoyed it more than that...I don’t know. This is a placeholder score for now!

Review: 45 Years (2015)

I made a real effort to watch all of the Oscars Best Picture nominated movies this year, and I did much better than last year, working my way through all of them but Bridge of Spies. Embarrassingly though, at the time of writing this, I’m not even halfway through watching all of the Best Actress nominated movies. That’s something I’m trying to change! Why I started with 45 Years though, I’ll never understand. I like moving out of my comfort zone…

In 45 Years (2015), Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay play married couple Kate and Geoff, married for almost 45 years, funnily enough. Their 45th anniversary, and a huge party is looming, but when Geoff receives a letter on Monday morning with some difficult news to take, their relationship becomes terribly strained.

Kate and Geoff live a seemingly wonderful life. Retired, living in a huge detached house seemingly in the middle of nowhere in the UK, with their dog Max. Now, we all enjoy movies when we can relate to at least one of the characters, don’t we? So why I, a not yet married woman in her twenties thought I would enjoy this movie, I don’t know. But the weirdest thing was...I really did!

If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay were married in real life. They just bounce off each other so well and it’s so effortless. Although only Charlotte Rampling got an Oscar nomination, I thought Tom Courtenay was just as fantastic, especially during his speech at the party.

45 Years is such a small, quiet movie I think it’s better to watch it not knowing anything about the plot. Indeed, if someone told me they found it completely boring, I’d have a hard time trying to convince them otherwise, but my fascination was with Kate and Geoff themselves, and how they were going to work through the problems that this letter has brought. It’s a desperately sad story where there are no bad guys, no one in the wrong.

Just as Saturday rolled along, my heart swelled at the visible change in Geoff. His speech actually made me cry at the end, which I wasn’t expecting, and I thought it was so sweet that they danced to their wedding song from 45 years ago. But then Kate’s face changed, and the credits rolled, and I found myself completely confused. And then I looked up the lyrics to Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. Utter heartbreak. That’s what I felt.

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: 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.

Review: Hello, My Name Is Doris (2016)

Sometimes you come across a film that stays with you for all the right reasons.  Hello, My Name Is Doris is that film.  I was so tired when I decided to watch it that I never thought I would finish it but it sucked me in and I couldn't turn it off.

Doris (Sally Field), is a sixty-something woman who has spent her life looking after her ailing Mother.  After attending a self help seminar she decides to pursue her romantic interest, John (Max Greenfield) who just happens to be half her age.

I spent most of this film with my hand over my face because I kept assuming that Doris was going to make a complete fool out of herself but everytime she just owned her decisions. I loved the positive message that it gives out that it doesn't matter what people think of you, it's what you think of you.  It really tugged at my heartstrings because I was judging her, I saw her wear an outfit and I assumed she was going to be laughed at but she wore it with such confidence that everyone loved it, and why the hell not.  I think more people in the world need to be like Doris. Last week I was ranting about how every office needs a dog (it does - but perhaps not your office Jenna!) but this week's rant is that every office needs a Doris! 

This movie was so cool! I was expecting a bit of a silly, slapstick kind of comedy (I didn't see the trailer) but this was something better than that. It was funny in all the right places, and it had a truly original storyline. Original to me at least, I've never seen anything like it. I lost interest in some of the slower parts of the movie, but it was definitely refreshing to see something so unique.

It's always good to see Max Greenfield (even if he's not playing Schmidt!) but Sally Field absolutely steals the show in this dramedy, playing the confident Doris who is just a little bit broken on the inside from the loss of her Mother and the insensitivity of her Brother.  I've decided this whole movie takes place in the New Girl universe, and the company they work in is in fact the marketing firm Schmidt works for...!

I still don't know how I feel about the ending! If you've seen it you'll know what I mean...it sort of has two endings. At first my reaction was 'NOOOOOO you ruined it', then I laughed till it hurt, and then my face kind of did this scrunchy thing when I realised it may have ended that way. I don't know, man...I don't know.

Review: Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

What would you do if you read this ad in your local paper? “WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid when we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed.” I like to think I’d get in touch, for sure.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) is a ‘Dramedy’ based on this classified advert that a man named Kenneth (Mark Duplass) has written. At a magazine publishing company, Jeff (Jake Johnson) proposes to investigate the author of the advert to chase an amusing article for the magazine. One of the interns, Darius (Aubrey Plaza) volunteers to join him, and a second intern, Arnau (Karan Soni) gets dragged along too. The three of them set out on a road trip to a coastal town to research the story.

It is very quickly evident that Jeff actually has a more important reason for taking the job on. It just so happens that his old high school crush Liz (Jenica Bergere) lives in this coastal town, and so he leaves both Darius and Arnau to do the work whilst he gets in contact with Liz to try and rekindle their romance. When that plan fails, Jeff takes Arnau out to make sure he doesn’t waste his youth. I enjoyed their side of the story, but it is secondary compared to that of Darius and Kenneth.

Darius succeeds where Jeff failed in gaining Kenneth’s trust thanks to her aloof yet tenacious attitude. Aubrey Plaza gets to play the sarcastic character she does so well but with a much more serious overtone this time around, which she nailed. She is one talented and awesome lady! I wasn’t expecting the story to take the romantic turn that it did, but it was fascinating to watch Darius and Jeff’s relationship grow.

What I loved most was the question you find yourself asking throughout the entire movie. Can Kenneth really travel back in time? There are no clues (that I noticed) that give any indication either way, but you are definitely left questioning Kenneth’s sanity more than once.

I won’t spoil anything for you, but the ending of Safety Not Guaranteed really got me thinking! At first I was a little disappointed, but the more I questioned it, the more I realised there just wasn’t a better ending. It was actually brilliant!

Highly recommended if you enjoy quirky little movies!

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.

Mini Reviews: Pretty in Pink (1986), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) and Mannequin (1987)

A few weeks back, I went a bit 80's movie mad on Netflix and watched all my old favourites, except Say Anything and Can't buy me love because they weren't available but these three were.  Nothing beats a Sunday afternoon of back to back 80's movies.

I watched this a few times with my Mom when I was a kid and I remembered really enjoying it but couldn't remember much of the story.  Andie (Molly Ringwald) is the poor girl being pursued by her best friend Ducky (Jon Cryer) and the local rich kid, Blane (Andrew McCarthy) who doesn't like the ways of his fellow rich kids.

I really love this film, it really shows how insecure teenagers can be (even the rich and popular ones). I completely forgot how awesome Ducky was, he wasn't the best looking but he was the most loyal friend Andie could have asked for.  I spent the whole film switching between which one I thought she should go for him or Blane.  This is one I could watch over and over again.

This was my Mom's favourite film when I was a kid but I wasn't allowed to watch it until I was older. Keith (Eric Stoltz) is obsessed with going on a date with Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson) who agrees to go out with him after breaking up with her boyfriend.  His best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) is on hand to help him get the girl.

I spent most of the film screaming at Keith to forget about Amanda, I didn't like her at all, she was completely self centred and mean!  I also got mad at Keith for spending all his money on one date, what a moron, how was he planning to keep it up?! Amidst all the shouting however, I loved it, the music was great and the appearance of Elias Koteas literally made my day, love that guy!!

One of my favourite films as a kid, having watched it as a grown up though I realised a lot of the film was over my head.  I thought Hollywood (Meshach Taylor) had a room mate called Albert ;-)  Jonathan (Andrew Mccarthy) creates the most perfect mannequin and ends up landing a job in the store where she is in the window.  The mannequin, Emmy (Kim Cattrell), is a cursed Princess from Egyptian times and comes to life in front of Jonathan.

This film has my most favourite montage scene EVER, I still have the song in my car and dance along to it on the way to work.  It has the most hilariously awkward scenes when someone else comes into the room and Emmy turns back into a mannequin.  Movie critics hate this and even rotten tomatoes only gave it 55% so I guess this one of my guilty pleasures.

Review: How to Be Single (2016)

There’s something a little ironic about going to see How to Be Single when you’re getting married in 3 months time, accompanied by one of your bridesmaids who is getting married herself in 6 months time, and her other bridesmaid who also isn’t single. In our defence, we actually wanted to see Fifty Shades of Black, but found out the release date got pushed back, and well, we’d already seen Deadpool!  We had a similar situation where we just rocked up at the cinema and this was all that was on, I did want to see it though so it's not all bad!

How to Be Single (2016) is set in New York City and follows the lives of 6 singles living there, looking for love. Alice (Dakota Johnson) has never been single so tells her boyfriend she wants a break so she can find herself. Robin (Rebel Wilson) is single and loving it, so takes Alice under her wing to show her the ropes. Meg (Leslie Mann), Alice’s sister works too many hours as a nurse to be in a relationship, but wants to have a baby. Tom (Anders Holm) runs a bar and has tinkered with his apartment to make it the perfect bachelor’s pad. Lucy (Alison Brie) spends all her time online using the Wifi in Tom’s bar seeking her ideal partner. Finally, David (Damon Wayans Jr.) is a struggling single parent who finds it difficult opening up.

Phew, that was exhausting. I think I’ve nailed one of the problems with this movie. Too many main characters! The posters make it look like a movie about 4 single girls coming together to either help each other find love, or to simply support each other. Instead, the main story arc revolves around Alice, her sister Meg and her new friend Robin, none of whom ever actually meet Lucy in the movie, which just seemed odd. It’s like her character was just thrown in for the sake of it. On the plus side, with such a great cast, there’s bound to be a reason here for anyone to give the movie a chance!  I think they may have been going for a Love Actually/Valentines Day type thing, an ensemble cast where everyone is connected in weird ways!  However, they kind of missed the mark with forgetting to include Lucy in anything and then having characters thrown in for the hell of it....I'm talking about you Damon Wayans Jr!

This movie has been heavily marketed in the UK, and I can safely say that I’ve seen the ‘tit punch’ scene enough times to just not find it funny anymore (I laughed, a lot!). I loved the ‘dicksand’ joke but Rebel Wilson already explained it all on the Graham Norton show! Thankfully, there were still plenty of surprise funny moments, largely thanks to Rebel Wilson herself who is on top form here. Leslie Mann was also hilarious, and the scene with her talking to the baby early on was equally sweet and silly.  I thought (and I said this countless times throughout) that Wilson actually saved this movie, I'm not sure I could have say through it if i wasn't waiting for her next clanger, she was on top form.  Unfortunately, I can't say the same for anyone else or the film in general.

I think the main problem with How to Be Single is it doesn’t know what it wants to be. There weren’t enough funny moments for me to really rate it in my favourite comedies, but there were also lots of serious and heart warming moments that were wonderful, but just a bit out of place. One scene with Damon Wayans Jr. in particular had me sobbing quietly into my jumper sleeve!  The heartwarming stuff was painful to watch, completely random and I don't think added any value whatsoever, I'm feeling a bit ranty about this, can you tell?!

I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about it. The ending was good, I won’t spoil it but I started to worry it would end with everyone finding the loves of their lives, which would ruin the whole point, and it didn’t. I just think there are going to be more rom coms out this year that will be a lot better.

I think it was utterly predictable all the way through, somewhere around the half way mark they indicated that they weren't going to be predictable therefore letting the audience know they were going to do the exact opposite of what you initially expected.  predictable!! Thank god for Rebel Wilson is all I can say!

Review: The Lobster (2015)

It’s times like this that I love co-running a movie blog. I’ve watched so many movies over the last (almost) 2 years that would have fell completely off my radar would it not be for the little blogging community that I’m part of here. I love reading reviews of movies I’ve seen, learning about the perspective of others is fascinating, but I also love reading reviews for movies I’ve never even heard of. Seriously, if I read a review singing the praises of a movie I’ve never heard before, I’ll do everything within my power to watch it that very night. And that is how I found myself watching The Lobster.  I really struggled to make myself want to watch this, I sensed it was outside of my comfort zone but I was determined to watch it anyway, especially with such a high review from Allie.

The Lobster (2015) has one of the craziest plots I’ve ever heard. I tried to explain it (badly) to Jenna before Christmas but with more time to think I might be able to make it sound more coherent. Set in a dystopian future, single people are arrested and taken to ‘The Hotel’, where they stay for 45 days with the goal of finding a new partner. Should they succeed, they are free to leave, but if they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choice and sent away.

I’m not kidding, that really is the plot! The movie starts with Colin Farrell’s character David, arriving at the hotel after recently losing his wife. With him is his brother, a dog, whose stay at The Hotel clearly didn’t go very well. It takes a while to get accustomed to this movie, it really throws you into the deep end. Everything looks a little dull, and everyone speaks in an almost monotone way that makes the humour that much more deadpan.  The deadpan voiceovers really confused me, for the first half of the movie I thought it was terrible acting rather than a conscious choice. Once I got used to it though I realised it was part of the overall effect.

Throughout the guests 45-day stay, they are forced to attend dances just as awkward as those you attended as a child, and guests are also brought onto stage to talk about themselves, in order to find common ground with the others. They can also extend their stay by taking part in an almost Hunger Games style activity of shooting down escapees with a tranquilizer gun. Each escapee, or ‘loner’ they shoot down is worth an extra day, and not surprisingly, there are a few veterans at The Hotel who may never leave!

I definitely preferred the first half of the movie to the second half, the second half felt a bit more chaotic which was logical based on the change of pace in the movie but I could barely keep up to be honest.  The first half however, I loved.  The bond developed between David (Colin Farrell), the lisping man (John C. Reilly) and the limping man (Ben Whishaw) was hilarious (although not sure if it was supposed to be!!).  Did anyone else notice that no one else in the film had a name other than David?!  I thought about it and checked IMDB and sure enough, not a single name!
 

I loved how this movie brought to light all the crazy conceptions we as a society have about relationships. Things like the fact that we feel like we need to find common ground with someone in order to be compatible, all the way to thinking that having a child is the way to solve problems within a relationship, suddenly seem that more absurd here. I’m a big fan of movies that get me thinking long after the credits have rolled, and The Lobster is one for sure.

My only real complaint was that by the second half of the movie, I felt it had all got much too clever for me, and I started to lose interest. Not in the story itself, but just the ongoings on the screen. I later read a full synopsis of what happened though, and I’m keen to watch this again now I fully understand it.  I'm not sure I would sit through this again to be honest.

This might be the craziest movie I’ve ever watched, and I can’t recommend it highly enough! It was truly insane but completely different to anything I have ever seen before.