The Duff (2015)

'The DUFF' follows the story of high school student  Bianca (Mae Whitman) who is quite comfortable in her friendship group and her own skin, that is until Wesley (Robbie Amell), a popular and charming jock blurts out that she is The DUFF.
DUFF- Designated, Ugly, Fat Friend.

Wanting to impress her crush, Toby (Nick Eversman), Bianca makes a deal with Wesley- she helps him to pass science and he helps her to bag the boy of her dreams but along the way she discovers that in one way or another we are all somebody's DUFF and we can only be happy when we are happy with ourselves.



Review:

'The DUFF' is a charming and witty teen comedy, the script is outstanding and builds up a great on screen atmosphere between the characters.Witman reminds me of  Emma Stone, a little bit quirky and downright hilarious, it is obvious she is going to become a star in teen films after her wonderful performance. Witman and Amell appear so comfortable on screen and they have great chemistry, their moments together had me chuckling many times.
Of course 'The DUFF' is predictable and follows the usual plot summary of a high school outcast trying to change herself but realising she is perfect the way she is and eventually bags the boy of her dreams.

The slapstick humour, sarcastic snaps and over the top reactions are just a way of portraying to the audience that the film itself doesn't take things to seriously but underneath all of that we can sense that it is a genuine and sweet story about inner beauty. Although on what planet is Witman 'fat' or even slightly overweight? That was one issue I had with the film; if you aren't a size 6, 5 foot 11 girl then you're deemed as overweight and in this society today the term 'fat' and any representation of it should be used very lightly.


Overall 'The DUFF' was much better than I had expected, it's definitely something I would watch again just for the feel good factor and the laughs. Yes, it's predictable but deep down we all secretly enjoy a happy ending.

4/5

Top 5 Film Releases 2015

Good evening guys! Haven't had much chance to watch any films over these last couple of days so instead I thought I would update the blog with the top 5 films that I am looking forward to in 2015. The films are in no particular order.
If you agree or disagree with any then let me know and send me across your top 5!



1. Unfriended (April 2015) 

In this film we witness a teenager and her friends become the victims of an unknown online presence who is using the account of a young girl who committed suicide a year ago due to bullying. Who is the person behind the account and how far will they go to exact their revenge?



2. Ex Machina (April 2015)

Caleb Smith is a programmer for an internet-search giant, he wins a competition to go and spend a week at the company's private mountain estate with the brilliant but reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman. Caleb soon realises he has been chosen to take part in an experiment to test the capabilities of Bateman's latest creation, a wonderfully sculpted AI named Ava but her emotional intelligence and deceptiveness is much more sophisticated than than the two men could have ever imagined. 

3. Jurassic World (June 2015) 

It has been 22 years since the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nubar is now a fully functioning dinosaur theme park but after 10 years in operation the visitor numbers are starting to decline. In order to bring people back to Jurassic World the geneticists create a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur but when it escapes from it's enclosure the whole park is in danger. 



4. Sinister 2 (August 2015)

There hasn't been an official trailer released yet but seeing as the original 'Sinister' is in my top 10 favourite horror movies of all time I am hoping that the second lives up to it's predecessor. There's also a lack of detail on the plot thus far but it follows the story of a single mother who moves in to a new home with her twin sons only to realise that they are now in danger and new targets for the murderous demon that haunts the residents of this cursed house. 


5. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 2015)

When Tony Stark awakens a dormant peacekeeping programme, things begin to go wrong which forces him to turn to Thor, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers for help. The fate of the Earth hangs in the balance and the Avengers face their toughest challenge yet in the form of Ultron, a technological terror who is determined to destroy the human race. 



So there you have it. My top 5 films that are due for release this year. If you have any comments or different views then don't be afraid to leave a comment and let me know!

Snowtown (2011)

Evening guys! So after watching 'The Babadook' and '54 Days' earlier this year I decided to look in to Australian cinema in a bit more depth and one film that kept on cropping up was 'Snowtown'. Known for it's brutal and graphic storytelling I checked it out anyway and here is my review.

Synopsis: 

Snowtown is based on the brutal murders that took place in the Australian suburb during the 1990s. The story follows John Bunting who is a charming and charismatic man who becomes romantically involved with Jamie's mother. John takes up the role of a father figure to the boys and takes Jamie under his wing, a 16 year old boy who has been suffering from sexual abuse caused by his older brother Troy. Using fear and control over Jamie he makes him an accomplice to all of these horrific murders.


Review:

Snowtown is most definitely not an easy film to watch, there will be times when you want to look away but enduring the graphic and torturous scenes allows you to take a look at the psychological traits of Australia's most infamous serial killer.
Snowtown builds slow suspense, it gives the viewer the chance to watch the character's develop and understand their lifestyles and mindsets, this helps you to understand why Jamie was dragged in to such a mess and why Bunting found it easy to brain wash him.
The gritty, social-realism really works well in Snowtown and what makes the film even more terrifying is that it is based on actual events. The unknown actors, shaky cameras and unconventional shots give Snowtown a documentary feel which works well in it's favour. Justin Kurzel hasn't opted to glamourise the story and has done his best in creating a diegetic world that is truly representative of what actually took place.
My only qualm with 'Snowtown' is that it drags out for much longer than needed, there are certain parts throughout the film in which I lost interest but it never lasted long because another key moment would occur and have me hooked again. The film doesn't focus too much on the brutality and gore, (sometimes moving the camera away from the torture) and this was a great way to add tension, sometimes it's what we can't see that terrifies us the most.


Not easy to watch but an interesting look in to the psychological profile of John Bunting and Jamie Vlassakis.

4/5

Love, Rosie

Hello guys! I recently discovered that my favourite Cecelia Ahern book had been adapted in to a film called Love, Rosie so that was definitely next on my agenda. Although it's not my usual Saturday daytime viewing I thought I would check it out anyway so here we go.



Love, Rosie (2014) 

Synopsis:

Rosie and Alex have been best friends from the age of 5 so their true feelings somehow get mixed up along the way. When Rosie unexpectedly falls pregnant at 18, she misses out on the opportunity to accompany Alex to Boston and life carries on throwing missed opportunities their way. Somehow the two of them are always drawn back together but will any of them realise that they are meant to be before time runs out and they miss that chance forever. 

Review:

Okay, so I'm not one for cheesy rom-coms but Love, Rosie doesn't sugar coat everything and the ups and downs of Alex and Rosie's lives make this story even more intriguing. Lily Collins and Sam Claflin are wonderfully charming in their roles and it is almost impossible for you not to fall in love with them together. Of course the ending is predictable, it's a romance film and that is what we come to expect of them but that doesn't mean Love Rosie should be shunned because the acting and character development is rather beautiful and left me with a smile on my face. Love Rosie is lacking in the comedy department but I feel as though any more laughs and it would have taken away the true sentiment of the film. 

Love, Rosie has a lot missing in comparison to the book 'Where Rainbows End' but that is understandable, as the book is rather long and does drag out this love story for several more years. The film adaptation does take away some key moments and character's but Christian Ditter has done a great job of bringing this story to life and it wasn't a disappointing adaptation. Some of the sub-plots are quite ridiculous and some parts of the story don't quite add up but they are quite easy to ignore, the whole narrative is created to focus solely on Rosie and Alex so the backing cast aren't really that important.

 Different to any other story Love Rosie follows the couple through 12 years of separate failed relationships, missed opportunities and real life obstacles but we get there in the end and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 

Definitely something I would watch again and will be suggesting it to my fellow romantics.

4/5

Fifty Shades of Grey

Hello guys! I finally watched 50 Shades of Grey, which has been a huge talking point amongst women and even some men for a while now. I wasn't sure what to expect but I went in with an open mind (Like Mr Grey asked) and here's the verdict...

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Synopsis:

Based on E.L James' best seller fifty shades of grey is a raunchy tale about a masochist relationship between the powerful and successful Christian Grey and a college student named Anastasia Steele. He wants nothing more than to have her submit to him but Ana wants more than that, she wants a loving relationship but in an attempt to understand his desires she realises it may all be a bit too much.

Review:

I'll be completely honest, I wasn't expecting Fifty Shades to be a great movie. After reading the books and realising it is in fact a terrible piece of literature, I still somehow found myself enjoying them because it was mind numbingly fun and allowed an escape. I was hoping the film would be the same but it was just incredibly awkward, not because of what was on screen but the non-existent chemistry between the two main character's. God bless Dornan and Johnson for trying but it's clear that they're both uncomfortable in their roles and there wasn't a single likeable trait about either of them. In fact, it was 110 minutes of scripted talking, brief sex scenes and unconvincing sexual tension. I am well aware that the team had trouble with casting and these two weren't the first choices but that being said, with this film being so highly anticipated, I had just hoped for much more. Sam Taylor-Johnson wasn't brave enough to explore the true depths and darkest corners of Grey's character which makes the movie adaptation tamer than several teen slasher movies I've seen in the past. Fifty Shades also comes across as contradictory, Christian mentions that 'He doesn't do romance' several times throughout the film and yet he sends Ana gifts with personalised notes, takes her on a helicopter ride and even introduces her to his family which makes it seem a little bit like a cheesy love story in several parts.

Overall, Fifty Shades of Grey has been a big disappointment and yet, I'm probably going to go back and talk to my friends about it. Far from a blockbuster to be remembered but still has tongues wagging. 

2/5

What If (2013)

Being an avid Daniel Radcliffe fan myself, I have been meaning to check out 'What If' for a while now so I finally took the time to watch it today and it's actually rather heart warming.


What If:

Synopsis:

Wallace (Radcliffe) is a medical school drop-out who has suffered his fair share of heartaches. After deciding to give up on love he is introduced to Chantry (Zoe Kazan) and the two of them hit it off immediately. Discovering that Chantry has a long-term boyfriend means only one thing, Wallace is placed in the friend zone but their undeniable chemistry means it's not that easy. What if the love of your life just so happens to be your best friend?

Review:

It has always been difficult for Daniel Radcliffe to step away from his Harry Potter roots but in his first ever rom-com I think it's safe to say that there's much more to this pint sized actor than meets the eye. Radcliffe is charming, witty and strikes up amazing chemistry on-screen with his co-stars and that is what really brings this movie to life. 

Of course 'What If' is never going to be a classic that's remembered years down the line but it's fun and respectable and definitely leaves you with a smile. It's completely predictable but isn't that what we all secretly want from a romance story? Wallace and Chantry are unbelievably cute together, their sweet little inside jokes and flirty insults have you rooting for them the whole time.

My only problem with 'What If' is the disappointing and frankly rather dull ending. After watching almost an hour and a half of Wallace and Chantry battling against their feelings for one another it's a bit of a cop out to skip ahead several years and show them happily married and madly in love. It would have been nice to see a bit more of their story as a couple but I still enjoyed it nonetheless,

A witty and modern love story that has you smiling most of the time. A definite must-see, even if it is just the once.

4/5

Blackfish (2013)

Hi guys, so I spent my evening watching documentaries and decided to watch Blackfish again for the third time. It's such a powerful and heart wrenching story that uncovers the dark truth behind these glamourised shows. I visited Sea World back in 2013, before I had watched this documentary but it has had such an impact on me that I won't ever visit that place again. If I want to see orca's then I shall go out to sea and watch these wonderful creatures in their natural habitat.


Synopsis:

Blackfish goes behind the scenes of the magical façade that is SeaWorld and takes a look at how the Orca's are captured, trained and ultimately mistreated thus leading to several deaths and attacks of trainers. It contains eye witness accounts from those who saw the attacks and statements from previous SeaWorld employees which paints a pretty grim picture of this sea life prison.

Review:

Blackfish is gut wrenching, intense and completely eye opening and it most definitely changed my outlook on the SeaWorld parks and the franchise as a whole. Cowperthwaite's detailed storytelling includes eye witness accounts, archived footage and tapes from several court hearings which makes it almost impossible to ignore. The brutality of the deaths shocked me to the core but Blackfish looks beyond that and uncovers the aftermath and the cover ups to ensure these huge corporations can carry on making money.

The documentary investigates the capturing of these majestic and intelligent creatures, how they are forced apart from their own families and jetted across the other side of the world to perform in front of thousands of people. Humans can never understand their emotional requirements but it's obvious keeping them in a small concrete pool with other whales from different cultures is not something they need or want. Cowperthwaite's argument contains plenty of evidence and facts to get viewers on board and of course it is always nice to hear both sides of the story but SeaWorld don't really help themselves by refusing to make a comment. Maybe because all of it is true and there really isn't anything left to say?

Hopefully Blackfish sets in motion some changes in the way these animals are treated and housed. I believe it is certainly powerful enough to persuade others not to visit these parks again and maybe some day these beautiful creatures can be left alone to live their lives out in the ocean.

Please watch this if you get the chance, it will change your perspective and if it doesn't then I don't know what will.

5/5