Reviews

I don't get how mainstream movies in America continue to churn out the exact same movie every year, and people just allow it to happen? Such awful writing for young teens. It's clear that the writers had no idea what interactions between young kids are actually like. You have the main characters (Oakes Fegley) surrounded by such flat, unfunny, one-dimensional characters that add no value to the story. One owns a snake? Another has a sister that likes to embarrass him for no reason (there's a scene where she meets him at the lunch area and tells his friends about his fungus problem) and there's a girl who seems to be there more so for gender diversity rather than anything else. Then there's the main character's parents, who are meant to be "goofy" and try to portray a more 'realistic' type parents, but try too hard to be as funny as the parents from Easy-A and yet they fail miserably. And then there's Robert De Niro, who has fallen under the trope of "Old man played by famous actor from the 70's, now trying to understand how to use technology, because ha-ha, old famous man don't know how to turn on an iPhone". The plot revolves around Robert De Niro and Oakes Fegley. Robert De Niro's character, Ed, has supposedly lost the plot? Because he didn't know how to work a self-checkout machine at a Walmart. So he goes to move in with his daughter (played by Uma Thurman). The conflict is that Oakes Fegley's character, Peter, has to move his bedroom to the attic to cater to Ed on account of him being old and can't use stairs I guess? (Ignoring the fact that Ed has no issue playing game of dodgeball with his other 'old' pals at a trampoline park). So Peter decides to wage a war against Ed, for no other reason than to get his old room back. Ed doesn't really want to be involved. He just wants to go about his day in peace and fawn over the loss of his late wife (which I guess is supposed to add depth to his character, but, just like Peter's friends, the dead wife adds no value to the story, but more so a shrug-of-the-shoulder type plot device). This takes up most of the movie. Just a grandfather and his grandson playing pranks on each other, all over a bedroom. That's about it really. The pranks are supposed to add comedic value to the movie, but they're so predictable that you could smell it from a mile away. Pullings screws out of the furniture, setting alarms off at unexpected times, manipulating one another into doing something that turned out to be a trap. From this you can get a sense of where the story is going to go, and that's exactly where it goes. Ed and Peter develop a liking towards each other (because, you know, they're related after all) but the pranks become too much and people get hurt, and that's the climax of the story. Apologies are exchanged, feelings spill out. The end.

It's a movie that has been done time and time again, and will most likely continue to be made till the end of time. It makes for a quick buck, put together under a huge Hollywood budget, you bring in a couple of famous actors (Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman) and, hey, you have a movie! The humour is predictably slapstick when it comes to the pranks, and the interactions between the teens are too dry and are trying so hard to be relatable to the younger generation, but it fails to do so because the writers do not know how to accurately portray young teens in an authentic yet funny way. Its mindless storytelling is insulting to any viewer of any age, and it should not be viewed by anyone. Let the production companies sweep this under the rug and pretend that it doesn't exist.

I am not a very good reviewer, however this movie shook me to my core and I feel the need to share the experience I had with this movie. Possible spoilers ahead.

• The acting was phenomenal, particularly from Coleman, the chronically ill Queen Anne/the main star of the show. Her toss between extremely tranquil to the hysterical is seamless and awe-inspiring. Her comedic timing and subtle facial expressions is something worthy of an Oscar alone. Stone and Weisz are on par with Coleman, with their subtly feisty scandals and mischief that they put themselves into in order to be in favour of the queen is something that kept me on the edge of my seat.

• The filming and directing style of the movie is another aspect that I thoroughly appreciated. Particularly the fish-eye lens that is used in that majority of the long shots, in which the camera moves from one side to the other. The decision to use that style is incredibly unique and not something I quite understand but appreciate.

• A scene that I just want to pick out (spoilers ahead), is the scene where Sarah walks in and finds Abigail topless in bed next to Queen Anne. When Sarah walks out and into the corridor holding nothing but a lit candle, which is the only light source provided for the shot. Sarah is the only being shown in the shot, whereas her entire surrounding is completely black, perfectly symbolising her current state of loss and confusion. Absolutely stunning!

• The slow burning progress of this film was so well done, I found myself progressively edging towards the edge of my seat. So many twists and turns, so many shifting of the balance that takes place in the film, the time flies by without you realising it. By the end of the film I realised that I had held my breath for quite some time.

Again, I am not a very good reviewer, so I am not going to write anymore and pretend I am an expert in film, but this film is so unique in its style and form, and so raw in its acting and the realness yet absurdity of the time it takes place in, I just wanted to share my thoughts and views.

It's as if people nowadays just want to see a movie that sticks to a formula that is so overplayed and cliche and predictable. Is it so hard to enjoy a movie that is both mainstream and different from the movies that everyone has seen so many times. Usually in a romantic comedy movie it plays out like this: 1. There's a boy and a girl 2. They are so different and have different ideas and values that there's no WAY that they can be compatible 3. Turns out they can be 4. They start to slowly fall in love despite their differences 5. Their differences all of a sudden causes an argument. This is what makes the movie reach its climax 6. The couple splits up, seeing different people that are more suited to their values and beliefs 7. Turns out they miss each other 8. They fall in love. THE END

THIS MOVIE DOES NOT FOLLOW THAT FORMULA. It is such a beautiful and at times heart wrenching film about a boy who is an ambitious jazz musician and a girl who is trying to make it as an actress and they fall in love! But their dreams and goals puts their temporary La La Land phase to the test.

It's a real movie about real people and real things happen to them! There's no big fight sequence to make the movie interesting. There's no Deus Ex Machina that makes everything OK. It is about these characters who are trying to reach their goals, and in doing so they end up parting ways! And this is what seems to make people get super mad about the movie. The happy ending is not what the viewers had in mind. It drives away from that typical and cliche ending and goes somewhere that not many film makers dare to go. This is the primary reason to the movie's gorgeousness and realness.

On top of that, the cinematography is enough to make you cry! There are some amazingly shot scenes that just take your breath away. Ryan and Emma are absolutely stellar. They have such an amazing on screen chemistry that it makes their doomed ending all the more heart breaking. The music is another things that makes this movie so different. It's jazzy, it's sometimes bluesy, it is a genre that is not common in modern musicals. Modern musicals are so poppy and generic and something that has been seen time and time again. So this movie moves away from that tackiness and that's why it gets hated? So STUPID!

I could go on and on about why this movie is perhaps and absolute triumph in 2016, but there is no point as a lot of the special snowflakes who try to hate mainstream movies will thumb this review down.

This movie, to me, was like an empty candy wrapper. Before watching the movie and after seeing the trailer, it looked like it was going to be something magnificent! It had: Academy award winning lyricists - Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Academy award nominated actor - Hugh Jackman Academy Award nominated actress - Michelle Williams An inspiring true story about acceptance, love, relationships, family and sticking with what you value most. The cinematography looked absolutely astounding in the trailer, the acting looked amazing, the directing looked amazing, just EVERYTHING looked amazing in the trailer. It gave me goosebumps I must admit. So, it's a small wonder that I was excited to go see this movie as soon as I could.

However, that was just the wrapping of this promisingly sweet and delicious candy that I was looking forward to indulging. So when you open the wrapper and seeing that there's nothing inside it, you would feel quite disappointed wouldn't you? Well that feeling was similar to how I felt when walking out of the cinema.

The cast and the characters are probably this movie's strongest point: Zac Efron really came to his own in this film. Not being a big fan, I must say I ended up finding myself quite excited when seeing him on screen, His character was intelligent, classy, knew what was best for him and had his moral compass set straight (though a little bit crooked at the start of the film). Hugh and Michelle were great of course. Rachael Ferguson was absolutely stunning, Zendaya was extremely impressive, and the circus ensemble were great in each of their own way. The cinematography was extremely impressive, the first shot of the film already reeling me in in what I thought was going to be the movie of the year.

But that's where it ended. I understand where the lyricists and the composers of this film were aiming for a more modern feel with their music as a way to express Barnum's ahead-of-time ideas. But the 1800's setting mixed with 2000's music was definitely not the way to go, especially when each song started to sound the same: the structure being too similar to the point where you could predict when the chorus was coming up, when the beat was going to drop, when the texture was going to thicken. Hell, you could almost sing the lyrics before it was even sung! The messages with each song were very similar. Although they were inspiring messages, it didn't shy away from the fact that they ended up being quite redundant. Michelle Williams' solo was impressive, though, and was definitely a standout from the rest of the music.

The story was predictable - a man coming from a troubled life, yearning to make something of himself. He eventually gets there, getting married and having a couple of kids along the way, but of course let's the fame get to his head and therefore slowly strains the relationships he has built around him. He of course eventually picks himself back up after a few reminiscing pieces of music as well as inspiring "Nothing will bring me down" scores, and lives happily ever after.

It's been done before time and time again, and setting it in the 1800's and making it a musical will not shy away from the fact that the formula is getting really old.

So this is my humble opinion on "The Greatest Showman" and what I had to say on the matter. It's not the worst movie of 2017 but it definitely isn't the best movie of the year either. It will be forgotten once it gets out of cinemas I believe.

To be more precise my rating is a 6.5 but thought I'd round it up to a 7. Well this has been a Disney remake that I, along with what I am sure is many other people, anticipated for a very long time. I didn't expect too much, though: no one could top Angela Lansbury's rendition of Beauty and the Beast. And Emma Watson, though she does have the beauty that is similar to Belle's, lacks almost everything else that made Belle the way she was.

I'll start off with a list of what I believe was bad, then end this review on a good note. These are of course my opinions and are to be taken with a grain of salt! (Possible spoilers ahead). The Bad: 1. Emma Watson's singing voice. I was informed before going into the cinema that her voice was autotuned, but man this was autotuned to the MAX! Some parts almost sounded a bit too robotic for my liking. 2. Ewan McGregor. I respect him and do believe he is a fine actor, but he put on the worst French accent I have heard. Though, his rendition of "Be Our Guest" compensated for it. 3. When Beast transformed back into his human self, I would have very much preferred Dan Steven's actual look than try and copy the cartoon's human interpretation of the beast. 4. The ending felt a bit too abrupt. One moment they were kissing, then all of a sudden they were in a ballroom and everything was completely fine. I understand that this probably had to do with pacing issues but I do believe there was just some small transitional scene. 5. The beast's solo was a bit boring and not very effective. Dan Stevens has a nice voice but I felt that it didn't give as much of a punch as I had anticipated.

The good: 1. The visuals were absolutely stunning! I loved the cold winter-y setting used in the castle. Absolutely gorgeous and gives a very gloomy feel at the same time. The scene where Belle runs up the hills as her Reprise reaches its climax was just as breathtaking in my opinion. 2. I'm not trying to get political here but I liked the fact that they had some dark skinned actors and actresses instead of just all white like they did in the original cartoon. 3. It was great to see the prologue have a more in depth story which explains some of the plot holes present in the original film. I won't go too in depth and let the viewer find that out. 4. Emma Thompson did a very good job on "Beauty and the Beast", though my previous statement still stands that no one could top Angela Lansbury's rendition of it. 5. Be Our Guest was such a delight to look at! The visuals, the choreography, the singing! It was like watching a fireworks display. 6. I really liked Le Fou's character development in "The Mob Song". They gave him much more depth than they did in the original. I'm not just talking about the fact that they made him a homosexual, but I liked how they didn't make him a delusional, devoted idiot. He knew what was right from wrong. 7. The humour was effective. Then again I am easily entertained so I won't go too in depth with this point.

So all in all, it was a pretty good attempt. The visuals were stunning and most of the music was a delight to listen to, but I do believe that the original will always be the better one. I am no film critic, just a simple movie watcher, so like I said before: take all this with a grain of salt!

That this is honestly one of the greatest TV shows to date.

This is a show that started off as a blonde woman named Piper Chapman who surrenders to the police and hands herself over to a female prison. We see her backstory as the show progresses and we get to know a little more about Piper's Former life and her temporary lesbian desires with Alex Vause who so happened to be in the same prison for the same crime. By the end of season one, I have it an 8, as we only saw a lot of Piper and very little about the other inmates. The acting from all the female characters were amazing, with a few emotional punches to the chest, and the season FINALE between Piper and Pennsatucky was the absolute best, I could not get over it.

Season 2, we see a bit more of the characters, especially Taystee when her adoptive mother comes into prison. What we see at first is an ungrateful daughter who doesn't want to reconnect with her mother. But then we see the true side and what we see is a manipulative monster who slowly overtakes the prison. An ingenious idea and was executed so well. There were a lot of intense scenes and once again, the season finale was what you'd think be the peak of the episode. Vee was just a cruel, cold-blooded monster with a satisfying death. This brought the 8 up to a 9

Season 3 is when you get to REALLY know the other inmates. Piper slowly backs off as she starts on a "Pantie business". One of my favourite backstories would have to be Leanne's. A junkie who also happened to be an Amish lady. It was a true shock but also showed some depth to a character whom I did not particularly like. And we got to see a relationship progress between Big Boo, a huge lesbian "Dyke"who just loves nothing more than to have sex with women, and Pennsatucky, a woman who was this meth addict homophobe who we absolutely despised. The relationship between these two was just as great as the friendship between Taystee and Poussey. It's amazing to see these two different women who speak completely different languages (metaphorically speaking) come together. By this point Piper starts to act like a thug because she runs a little business that not many people know about. She turns to be slightly bitchy and really annoying.

Season 4 was where it hits right at home. This season was much more emotional than it was funny. You got to see Piper who tried to act like this thug return to her usual self. You feel the hurt and pain from Alex Vause who recently murdered a hit-man hired by Kubra to go and kill Alex Vause. The emotional stress that she goes through really leaves you feeling emotionally exhausted. The relationship between her and Lolly (Lori Petty) who was an accomplice to the murder is a little unusual but extremely cute and funny. However, the main character that made this show all the worthwhile was Taystee. In the last few episodes she has put on a raw and emotional performance that has brought actual tears to my eyes and have them dripping down onto my computer screen. Her acting was so raw and powerful in this season that it brought my rating from a 9 to a perfect 10!

So yes, after 4 seasons, I have watched what started off as a simple show about a woman serving 15 months in prison develop into a complex, multi-layered show that has made me laugh, cry and sit on the edge of my sit. It is an extremely witty and emotional show with powerhouse acting from all of the actors and actresses. I look forward to see what else this show has in store for us, and you bet that I will be there to watch the entire thing and remain as loyal as ever.