American Sniper

Hi guys! I'm sorry it's been so long but I will make it up to you with a review of the eagerly anticipated 'American Sniper'. Being a huge fan of the war genre I was incredibly excited for it's release and I wasn't disappointed.


American Sniper (2014)

                                                     

Synopsis:

American Sniper was directed by Clint Eastwood and follows the true story of the U.S Military’s most lethal sniper, Chris Kyle. Bradley Cooper portrays Kyle as he is sent out to Iraq to protect his fellow soldiers but when the opposition realise how lethal he actually is, they put a bounty on his head and he quickly becomes a prime target. Despite the stress and worry his wife has been put through, Kyle goes on to serve four tours of Iraq but when he finally decides to retire he realises that he will never truly escape the war.

Review:

American Sniper is a powerful and thought-provoking film that delves into the realities of the Iraq war and the soldiers who risked their lives every single day. Cooper’s portrayal of Chris Kyle is so believable and moving, it allows you to distance yourself from the Hollywood star and invest in the character of Chris Kyle. I believe the film would have benefited from paying more attention to the after effects of the war and how soldiers deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. American Sniper does cover this topic briefly but it focuses more on dramatic gun fights and Kyle’s ability to somehow be good at everything.

Cinematic, action packed and incredibly tense, American Sniper looks beyond the ‘legend’ of Chris Kyle and allows the audience to almost put themselves in the centre of the war and witness the true horrors he had to endure. There were several points throughout the film when I had to hold my breath and even shield my eyes from one particularly brutal scene, it does shock the audience but that is the harsh reality of war and it’s clear Eastwood has created an inspiring and honest masterpiece.

I am a huge fan of the war film genre and American Sniper is definitely up there with the best, it manages to provoke all of your emotions. There were times when I was incredibly tense and hoping Kyle would make it out of the dangerous situations, it also brought a tear to my eye time and time again and most of all, it made me feel an overwhelming sadness about these wars and the effects it has on the soldiers. Bradley Cooper is the main attraction in American Sniper and his ability to take on this role with sympathy and elegance is worthy of an Oscar.

American Sniper is one of those films you can watch several times and enjoy it again and again it offers so many depths of the story and will never cease to blow you away. I would definitely recommend this film to all of my friends and I already know it’s going to be joining my DVD collection when it’s released.

4/5

The Woman in Black 2: The Angel of Darkness

Happy new year guys! Well, it's now 2015 and the reviews must continue, starting with The Woman in Black 2. Now, I hadn't expected much from this sequel because the original was fantastic but I have to say, although it was lacking any real scares, I wasn't disappointed and actually enjoyed it.
So here we go.

Synopsis:

The Woman in Black 2: The Angel of Darkness is set 40 years after the first Woman in Black film, it has all new characters but follows the same back story of Jeanette Humphreys and the death of her son in the treacherous marshes. The film’s lead character is Eve Parkins, a school teacher who accompanies a group of WWII evacuee children to Eel Marsh House. The village has been derelict for years and the group are told that they are the only people on the island but after a series of strange events and several sightings of a woman in and around the house, Eve begins to believe they are not alone.

Review:

The Woman in Black 2 is atmospheric and tense from the very beginning; it contains the perfect setting for a horror film with long, dark hallways, creaking floorboards and a sinister looking cellar but it tries too hard to live up to its predecessor and only provides the audience with cheap jump scares that are all too predictable.

Eve Parkins played by Phoebe Fox does bring the narrative to life and I thoroughly enjoyed the back story to her character, it allows you to connect with her and makes it much easier to invest in to her world. The character building in this film is incredibly strong, the audience gains all the information it needs on the main characters but of course, it still doesn’t live up to Daniel Radcliffe’s roll in the previous film.

Towards the end of the film I could predict every single jump scare and sometimes they weren’t necessary. The eerie silences, the deep shadows and the unnerving camera angles would have been enough to make the viewer feel uneasy and add a bit more depth to the film, rather than follow the stereotypical cheap, thrills but I wasn’t completely disappointed and I may have come off my chair a couple of times to begin with.

Although the casting didn’t include any big names I felt as though they exceeded my expectations and brought the story to life, they were all believable and had their own little back stories to give more information on their personalities. I was personally a huge fan of Harry (Jeremy Irvine) and really enjoyed watching his character develop. I wasn’t sure whether to trust him to begin with and feel that Irvine added a mysterious presence to Harry’s character, which we later discover more about his past and his strange actions.

Before watching The Woman in Black 2 I knew it would never live up to the first one but I enjoyed the film much more than expected. The film is let down by its overuse of cheap thrills and repetitive scenes to fill up gaps in the story but the characters are likeable and relatable and the setting of Eel Marsh House will always send a shudder up my spine. Unlike the original Woman in Black, I wouldn’t want to watch this film again but it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re a fan of this genre and you scare easily.

3/5

Dumb and Dumber To

Hello again, thought I would treat you all to one more review before the New Year as I finally got around to watching the long overdue sequel to 'Dumb and Dumber' and let's just say, I wish they hadn't bothered.


Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

Synopsis:

The film meets back with Harry and Lloyd 20 years after their first cross-country adventure. Harry discovers he has a serious medical condition and needs a kidney transplant which makes him incredibly relieved to discover he has a 22 year old daughter somewhere in America. The two decide to track her down in the hopes that she will be the one to save Harry's life and embark on yet another adventure together filled with laughs.

Review:

I didn't want to have to admit this but I was incredibly disappointed with this sequel, it's full of crude humour that's way past it's sell-by date and frankly, Harry and Lloyd have become creepy perverts. I found myself cringing with embarrassment from time to time at some of the vulgar terms used; they were funny 20 years ago but it just felt a little too forced and it's obvious the Farrelly brothers have tried so hard to make it funny that they have forgotten about any form of characterisation or even an interesting storyline. 

Dumb and Dumber To did manage to get one or two laughs from me but I was expecting so much more. If you're a die-hard fan of the original Dumb and Dumber then give it a watch for yourself and let me know what you think but it's not something I plan on watching again.

2/5

Ouija

Happy New Years Eve my beloved readers. This is my last post of 2014 and I'm going to be reviewing 'Ouija', a 2014 supernatural-horror. Don't expect anything spectacular from this post as this film was a huge disappointment, so here we go.


Ouija (2014)

Synopsis:

After the mysterious circumstances surrounding their friend's death a group of teenagers try to contact her through a Ouija board, only to discover a sinister spirit had been haunting her and now it wants them too.


Review:

After hearing mixed reviews about this film I decided to give it a try myself. As you all know I am a huge fan of the horror genre and I'm on a continuous search to find truly terrifying films but 'Ouija' certainly isn't one of them. It's a glossy, predictable Hollywood blockbuster that provides cheap thrills and it even lacks in the usual predictable jump scares. The acting, however, wasn't as bad as I had expected and Olivia Cooke (Laine) does give out a convincing, grieving friend performance which makes the film a little bit more bearable.
There are a couple of twists included that make the storyline slightly more interesting and it does cut to the chase pretty quickly, providing us with all the information needed to invest in the narrative but other than that it's very similar to the hundreds of other 'horror' films that America release every so often. If you're not as fussy as I am you may enjoy this film for what it actually is, a PG 12, almost laughable attempt at a horror. The special effects which are supposed to be 'horrifying' and 'gruesome' merely look like they have been created in someone's kitchen with very little time and effort.
'Ouija' is definitely not a film I would recommend to anyone.

2/5

The Theory of Everything

"It gives us a powerful and emotional look into the mind and life of Stephen Hawking and proves that if there is life, then there is most definitely hope".



The Theory of Everything (2014)

Synopsis:

The Theory of Everything follows the incredible story of Professor Stephen Hawking, who at the young age of 21 was diagnosed with Motor Neurones Disease. The story follows Stephen's journey as he falls in love with fellow student Jane and she vows to take care of him but as his disease gets progressively worse Jane struggles to cope under the enormous pressure of caring for Stephen and raising their 3 children. Stephen does not allow his disease to control him and he breaks incredible new grounds in medicine and science and with Jane by his side, he achieves more than he could have ever imagined.

Review:

The Theory of Everything is a remarkable and intimate tale of Stephen Hawking's life, it allows us to gain an insight in to his marriage, his illness and his work through an incredible portrayal by Eddie Redmayne. Felicity Jones (Jane Hawking) and Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawking) are an absolute marvel to watch; their portrayal of these character's are sensitive, realistic and show unimaginable talent. Redmayne is able to show each stage of Hawking's disease with grace and respect and I have nothing but praise for him.

The story doesn't focus on Hawking's theories in particular but more on the man behind the mask, who he was and who he is now. The Theory of Everything allows the public to break down the barrier and take a real look at who Stephen Hawking actually is.

The only fault with the film is that it seems slightly sugar-coated; the love story between Stephen and Jane is magical to watch but it doesn't quite seem believable. There are no arguments, no jealousy on either side and the split seems a little too friendly but this may be to avoid the film from focusing too much on the relationship and the difficulties they faced as a couple. 

Overall I found myself incredible moved by The Theory of Everything, it gives us a powerful and emotional look into the mind and life of Stephen Hawking and proves that if there is life, then there is most definitely hope.

4/5

Stonehearst Asylum

Hello guys! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Sorry, I haven't been very active lately but don't worry, I have been keeping up with plenty of films and plan on posting the reviews as soon as possible. One film I managed to check out over the festive season was 'Stonehearst Asylum' and it was much better than I had anticipated so check out my review.


Stonehearst Asylum (2014) 

Synopsis:

Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) is a young doctor with a keen interest in the studies of medicine for those with mental health issues. He takes a trip to Stonehearst Asylum to develop his studies even further and finds himself besotted with a beautiful patient named Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale). As Edward struggles to come to terms with Dr Lamb's (Ben Kingsley) insane treatment methods makes a shocking discovery and realises not all is as it seems at Stonehearst Asylum.





Review:

Stonehearst Asylum is based on a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and is a gothic, periodic, thriller that challenges the audience and keeps you on your toes throughout. With more twists and turns than a maze it is a film that requires your full attention but the complex and diverse array of characters portrayed by wonderfully talented actors keep the viewer submerged in the story. Stonehearst Asylum takes a look at the brutal and barbaric treatment of those suffering from mental health conditions and does so without the use of blood and gore. The film has certain aspects of a horror with it's grand, mysterious looking castle set out in the woods and the twisted, dark characters of Dr Lamb and Mickey Finn (David Thewlis) but pays more attention to the psychological threats by using edgy camera angles, chiarascuro lighting and an eerie setting that hosts dark corridors and frightening 'treatment' rooms.
Stonehearst Asylum is very similar to Shutter Island and also has an unpredictable ending, which I always find is a great bonus when watching a film. Although this film is a bit of a slow burner, each part is relevant in building up the layers of the story and creating the perfect atmosphere for this thoroughly enjoyable thriller.

4/5

Gone Girl

Hello guys, I'm sorry it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I've had exams at university and been busy at work so I haven't had much time to watch any films lately. I did, however finally get the chance to watch 'Gone Girl' the other night and it is by far one of the best films I have seen in a long time so here is my review.


Gone Girl (2014)

Synopsis:

When Nick wakes up on the day of their 5th wedding anniversary he discovers that his beautiful wife, Amy has gone missing. The media quickly becomes obsessed with the case and Nick finds himself under immense pressure to prove his innocence as the police investigation turns on him and he becomes the prime suspect.

Review:

'Gone Girl' is a modern and dark tale of matrimonial companionship gone wrong. Fincher has created a beautiful masterpiece filled with twists and turns and sensational craftsmanship. The character's are complex and almost unreadable, creating a tense atmosphere throughout the whole film. Fincher has done a remarkable job on Flynn's novel and managed to bring the words to life by ensuring the character's and the plot are just as twisted and complex as the book itself. 'Gone Girl' runs for 145 minutes and each one of them is vital to the plot; the whole film is full of clues and deceit and the audience will find themselves completely unsure who to trust. With incredible acting from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike it's fascinating to watch these character's come to life on screen, I couldn't have picked out a better cast for these roles.

As I mentioned previously, 'Gone Girl' is quite possibly one of the best films I have seen in a long time and you would be missing out on an entertaining and brutal narrative that makes you wonder what is right and wrong and how far is too far? I couldn't fault the movie in any way; it managed to keep me absorbed throughout the whole 145 minutes and had me guessing all the time. A perfect tribute to a fantastic, best-selling novel. Please go and check it out.

5/5