The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/

I can't even put into words how much I was looking forward to Breaking Dawn. As a huge fan of the Twilight books and films, I had been excited to see this in the flesh (so to speak) from the moment I started reading the book. 

Writing the review however, is something I was not looking forward to. I feel much like I did when I was faced with writing the review for Source Code, my first review of a Jake Gyllenhaal film. Being a huge fan of his, and knowing that most of my readers were aware of that fact, left me feeling like I was going to be subject to more scrutiny for that review than for most others. And in many ways I was, but I also think I managed to surprise most with how impartial and objective I was to that film and I hope to do the same here. Yes, I am a Twilight fan, but this will not automatically make me biased and a bad reviewer!

My job is also harder here than say, when I was writing the review for the last Harry Potter film, as I have not reviewed any of the previous Twilight films. Therefore I ask you to bear with me while I sum up. For those who have been living under a rock for the last six years, Twilight is the first in a series of four books and so far, four movies. Twilight tells the story of Bella Swan, a normal teenage girl who lives with her mother in Phoenix but decides to move back to her father's home town of Forks when her mother remarries. On her first day at her new school she meets Edward, who just happens to be a vampire. Edward is immediately drawn to Bella's scent and thirsts for her blood over all others, which makes it particularly trying for him when she starts to fall in love with him, and him with her. The situation is exacerbated when a group of nomad vampires come to town who are hell bent on ending Bella's life. 

In the second book/film, New Moon, Edward decides to leave Bella in the hope that she will have a much more normal and safe life without him in it. What he doesn't know is that her best friend Jacob is about to have a life altering experience of his own which will again put Bella's life in danger, when he realises he is a werewolf. Meanwhile, Edward's sister Alice who sees visions of the future, informs Edward that she has seen Bella's death, only for the 'vision' to be revealed as one of Bella cliff diving, rather than committing suicide. But it's too late, Edward has already approached vampire royalty and all round law enforcers, The Volturi, to end his life as he cannot live without Bella. 

Book and film number three, Eclipse, sees The Volturi take more of an interest in Bella as one of the 'laws' of their world is for no human to be aware of their existence. As she does, they give Edward an ultimatum, that Bella be killed or be turned. The latter being a prospect Bella would be quite happy with, but which Edward does not want to happen. He believes that humans have a soul and that transforming Bella would take hers away. But with the wolfpack growing in numbers, the return of one of the nomads, and a visit from The Volturi fast approaching, Edward may have no choice but to turn Bella or risk losing her forever.

Which brings us to book number four, Breaking Dawn which is being split (a la the final Harry Potter book) into two films, Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Part 2. Now the cynical person in me says this is a money spinner for Summit, the production company behind the Twilight films, as Eclipse was easily as big a book as Breaking Dawn and they only felt the need to make one of those! But the fan in me is quite happy that they have split the final book as there is a LOT in it and it would have meant a lot of cutting or downsizing of important scenes. 

*The only spoilers in this review are already contained in the trailer so if you've seen that, fear not!* 
In Breaking Dawn Part 1 we open on preperations for Bella and Edward's wedding. Which as weddings go, goes pretty much without a hitch. The honeymoon however is a slightly trickier situation as Edward is much stronger than Bella. This matched with his blood lust is a combination that screams trouble. But as any normal girl would, Bella wants her honeymoon to be normal, and that means sex. What neither of them was expecting was for Bella to be expecting soon after. And so begins a race against time to save Bella before the thing inside her kills her from the inside out.


It's funny how when I reviewed Harry Potter, I had only read the first few books, and so for the later films I couldn't compare the two. Yet for Twilight, having read them all (several times over), I feel like I have to compare them to the books. And I have to say that this one remained pretty darn faithful. 


*Spoiler Alert* The one scene I was worried about was the birth scene as I wasn't sure if the film was going to end before/during that scene and even if it was intact I wasn't sure how it could be done as in the book it's very gory. It was probably the only scene in the film that I didn't feel they'd done right. That's not to say I didn't like it, it just wasn't how I'd imagined it would be. Everyone goes on about the sex in Breaking Dawn, but there really isn't any in the book, it's all just implied, whereas the birth scene is described very clearly, and it wasn't how I thought it would be. Having said that, I re-read the birth scene when I got home and was surprised at how close they kept the movie to the book. Other than one change it was pretty much word for word as it is in the book. *End Spoiler Alert* 


The wedding was beautiful and actually better than I'd imagined. The honeymoon was almost exactly as I'd pictured in my head. The one aspect that shocked me was how good the special effects/make up was in the latter stages of Bella's pregnancy. The look they went for was much more horrific than I'd imagined, and so well done. 


Some of the green screen surrounding the house looks a bit naff and the wolf telepathy scene is a bit of a bore but I don't think they could have done it another way. Overall I think Bill Condon did a great job. He's come in on the last two films, the ones which the fans are probably most protective of and most anticipated of all the Twilight films, with a cast who are already so close they're like a family, and he's had to make sure he's lived up to their expectations as well as ours. I think he's done well and I have high hopes for part 2.


The cast, well I know this will be the most scrutinised part, "Kristen can't act/Rob's wooden/Taylor just takes his shirt off and calls it acting", I've heard it all a million times. I know how much stick I'll get for this but I do actually think Kristen Stewart is a good actress, maybe she's not showcased it so much in these films, but there's no denying that she can act. And she definitely gets to do more in this film than just lust after the sparkly one. Speaking of which, Robert Pattinson also has more to do in this film than just shine, he (literally) gets his teeth into this part finally and does some fine work in the birth scene. Taylor has a few good scenes in this film and although I still don't like Jacob, I do like his portrayal of him more than I liked the character in the books.


I think fans of the books and previous films will love it. Those who think Twilight is for girls should probably avoid. It's not perfect but it's very faithful to the source material. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 18th November 2011

UK Release Date - 18th November 2011

Cast Overview:

Kristen Stewart ~ Bella Swan

Robert Pattinson ~ Edward Cullen

Taylor Lautner ~ Jacob Black

Gil Birmingham ~ Billy Black

Billy Burke ~ Charlie Swan

Sarah Clarke ~ Renee

Ashley Greene ~ Alice Cullen

Jackson Rathbone ~ Jasper Hale

Peter Facinelli ~ Dr Carlisle Cullen

Elizabeth Reaser ~ Esme Cullen

Kellan Lutz ~ Emmett Cullen

Nikki Reed ~ Rosalie Hale

Anna Kendrick ~ Jessica

Christian Serratos ~ Angela

Justin Chon ~ Eric

Michael Welch ~ Mike

Michael Sheen ~ Aro

Christopher Heyerdahl ~ Marcus

Jamie Campbell Bower ~ Caius

Charlie Bewley ~ Demetri

Daniel Cudmore ~ Felix

Mia Maestro ~ Carmen

Maggie Grace ~ Irina

MyAnna Buring ~ Tanya

Booboo Stewart ~ Seth Clearwater

Julia Jones ~ Leah Clearwater

Alex Rice ~ Sue Clearwater

Kiowa Gordon ~ Embry

Tyson Houseman ~ Quil

Chaske Spencer ~ Sam Uley

Bronson Pelletier ~ Jared

Alex Meraz ~ Paul

Tinsel Korey ~ Emily

Director ~ Bill Condon

Writer(s) ~ Melissa Rosenberg (Screenplay) and Stephenie Meyer (Novel)

The Ides Of March

http://idesofmarch-movie.com/

My loyal readers will be well aware by now of my well documented crush on Ryan Gosling. Therefore it was a given that I'd see The Ides Of March, even if it did look a bit dull and like it might hurt my brain with all the political speak. 

Seeing it however, proved to be more of a problem than I'd anticipated as it finished at my local Cineworld after only a week on release, and when I planned a trip to the next town (which has a bigger cinema) the week after, they stopped showing it too. Just when I'd given up completely and resigned myself to waiting for the DVD, my cinema buddy told me the Odeon had picked it up for one week only. 

The Ides Of March is essentially about a governor - Mike Morris (George Clooney - who also co-wrote and directed) who is running for presidency. One of his aides, Stephen (Ryan Gosling), is asked to meet with fellow aide who works for the opposition. Once he does, although nothing comes of the meeting, he feels compelled to tell the governor and is subsequently fired. But he soon learns something about the governor which makes him question the morals of the man who would be president. Something big enough that could stand Stephen in good stead if he chooses to use it. But as that would be as morally wrong as what the governor did, will he be able to make that choice?

The Ides Of March was pretty much what I expected it to be, a well acted and intriguing film. But I found myself pleasantly surprised by it too. It wasn't as dull as the trailer implied and wasn't so heavy on the political speak that it alienated me from the story. The performances are all excellent as you would expect from a cast including Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei and the direction is slick and well paced. I also think that when George Clooney directs himself it makes him a better actor!

The story flips between politics and the people behind the speeches and decisions and this is what stops it from being boring and keeps it interesting. A taut and intelligent film, not to be missed. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 16th November 2011

UK Release Date - 28th October 2011 

Cast Overview:

Ryan Gosling ~ Stephen Meyers

George Clooney ~ Governor Mike Morris

Philip Seymour Hoffman ~ Paul Zara

Paul Giamatti ~ Tom Duffy

Evan Rachel Wood ~ Molly Stearns

Marisa Tomei ~ Ida Horowicz

Director ~ George Clooney

Writer(s) ~ George Clooney (Screenplay), Grant Heslov (Screenplay) and Beau Willimon (Screenplay - based on his play Farragut North)

Ghostbusters

http://www.ghostbusters.com/

It's classic film time once again folks! But this time I didn't need to travel up to London, or visit my local independent theatre to watch an oldie but goodie, as Ghostbusters came to Cineworld for one night only. 

As I was only 3 when Ghostbusters came out I can't quite remember the first time I saw it. But I do remember that I loved it and still love it to this day. It's an undisputed classic with so many memorable lines it's almost criminal.

For the uninitiated, Ghostbusters is a film about three scientists who decide to become spook catchers in New York City. Their first client Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) experiences a supernatural event in her kitchen and goes to the Ghostbusters, Dr Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Dr Spengler (Harold Ramis) for help. They soon discover a coming apocalypse and Dana's apartment block seems to be the gateway. Will they be able to stop it in time? Or will the Environmental Protection Agency shut them down before they have a chance?

If you haven't seen Ghostbusters I suggest you get on it as Ghostbusters 3 (yes that's 3, there is also a Ghostbusters 2 that came out in 1989) is rumored to be coming out next year. The original is (so far) the best though and until now I had not seen it in the cinema. I saw Ghostbusters 2 a few years ago at a special one off screening, not dissimilar to this one, but seeing the original on the big screen was a special experience. 

I don't know what it is about 80s movies but they seemed to get away with so much more than films these days. Or maybe my mum was more accomodating and just allowed us to watch films we were too young for? It just seems to me that films like this and Back to the Future were a staple of my childhood and when I look at them now I see a lot of adult humour that I wouldn't have understood, strong-ish language and some quite scary visuals.

And yet, like another classic 80s film from my childhood, The Princess Bride, I still love Ghostbusters, but I find I love it now for the things I wouldn't have understood as a child. And yet not understanding those things back then certainly didn't make me love it less. I guess it just works on many levels.

Some of the effects haven't aged so well but a great story, written by the stars of the film Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (and according to IMDb, co-written by Rick Moranis, although uncredited? How they know this I have no idea!) and fantastic comedic performances from Bill Murray, Aykroyd and Ramis, and what can only be described as great chemistry between all of the leads, Ghostbusters still thrills today.

If it's on at a cinema near you I recommend you go and see it, if not then you must buy, rent or borrow this off someone today and remember why it's considered a classic. 9.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 15th November 2011

Original UK Release Date - 7th December 1984

Cast Overview:

Bill Murray ~ Dr Peter Venkman

Dan Aykroyd ~ Dr Ray Stantz

Sigourney Weaver ~ Dana Barrett

Harold Ramis ~ Dr Egon Spengler

Rick Moranis ~ Louis Tully

Annie Potts ~ Janine Melnitz

William Atherton ~ Walter Peck

Ernie Hudson ~ Winston Zeddmore

Director ~ Ivan Reitman

Writer(s) ~ Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis

The Rum Diary

http://www.rumdiarythemovie.com/

Despite Johnny Depp's recent film choices being less than reliable, I still wanted to see The Rum Diary, mostly because the trailer did actually make me laugh out loud. Something I rarely do at most comedies, let alone the trailers for those comedies.

What I wasn't aware of when I made the decision to go and see The Rum Diary was that this was the prequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. One of the few Johnny Depp films I haven't seen and don't own.

The Rum Diary tells the story of American writer Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp), who is hired by a newspaper in Puerto Rico to help it's failing readership. Whilst out in a country where he doesn't speak the language (even though his CV says he does), Paul becomes embroiled in a dodgy deal involving building hotels on a private island, dabbles in drink and drugs and steals the wrong guy's girl. 

But that's about all he does. And while that might sound like a lot, The Rum Diary suffers a similar fate to In Time in that it feels like a very directionless film which has only been given the greenlight because Johnny Depp was involved. It is a slightly more interesting film than In Time however, and with infinitely better performances. Notably from Depp but no surprises there. He isn't the only good performer with fine support from Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins and Giovani Ribisi.

But fine performances from a solid cast do not a good film make, as Yoda might say. As I mentioned above the film seems to lack direction other than to say that the story continues with Fear and Loathing, and I personally have no greater interest to watch that movie now than I did before I saw The Rum Diary.

There are funny moments but these have all been seen before in the trailer. Sadly this leads me to say that this is yet another lacklustre film from Mr Depp. His next film will need to be something spectacular if he's to lure me back to the cinema. 6 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 13th November 2011

UK Release Date - 11th November 2011

Cast Overview:

Johnny Depp ~ Paul Kemp

Aaron Eckhart ~ Sanderson

Michael Rispoli ~ Sala

Amber Heard ~ Chenault

Richard Jenkins ~ Lotterman

Giovani Ribisi ~ Moburg

Director ~ Bruce Robinson

Writer(s) ~ Bruce Robinson (Screenplay) and Hunter S Thompson (Novel)

The Awakening

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms/film/the_awakening

It was only last week that I saw the trailer for The Awakening. I understand the lengthy process of film making but this seems to have come out of nowhere to me. I hadn't read anything about it in the run up to its release and only had the trailer to whet my appetite before deciding to go and see the movie.

But the trailer was enough and I did go and see the film this weekend. The tale is one of a boys boarding school in the 1920s which is being plagued by a ghost. One of the teachers at the school, Mr Mallory (Dominic West), is prompted by the matron (Imelda Staunton) to visit novelist Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) who is famed for disproving ghost sightings and seances. Florence visits the school and sets booby traps for boys she believes are wandering around the school at night frightening other pupils. It's only when she has a horrifying encounter of her own that she starts to wonder if her hoax theories are true after all.

I'm very glad that I saw the trailer for The Awakening or I might have missed this small British film entirely. And while I think it would work as well on DVD as it does in the cinema, there is something quite frightening about a pitch black room and a screen so big they make the terror that much bigger and therefore all the more scary.

Eerily shot at Manderston House on the Scottish border, with very little in the way of effects, it's all about the set up and the environment. At its core this is a haunted house movie. But unlike the Paranormal Activities of this era, The Awakening evokes reminiscences of films like The Others, which although I didn't love, I could appreciate it had originality and was genuinely eerie to watch.

The Awakening is very similar in that respect, more of an old school ghost movie. So many scary films these days it's all about murderers or CGI so it's nice to see a good old fashioned haunting. And it really is the simple touches, the use of darkness, an unfamiliar and large house where you don't know what's hiding behind each corner, a sound in another room, the camera passing by someone that your main character hasn't noticed, all of these things are much scarier than the big shocks which are designed to get a scream from the audience. I guess because the things you imagine are often much worse than the reality.

There are enough scares and jumps here to keep modern horror fans entertained, and good enough acting in between the scares and jumps for everyone else. Like The Others, The Awakening also has a twist in the end. And I am happy to say that although we had our guesses, neither me or my companion guessed the twist. And I even came up with a further question at the end. I won't spoil it for anyone wanting to go and see but I'll ask you to comment if you've seen it and have your own theories. And if you haven't seen it, don't scroll down to the comments! 

Worth a watch but you might need to hide under your coat when she's looking through the spy hole. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 12th November 2011

UK Release Date - 11th November 2011

Cast Overview:

Rebecca Hall ~ Florence Cathcart

Dominic West ~ Robert Mallory

Imelda Staunton ~ Maud Hill

Isaac Hempstead Wright ~ Tom

Joseph Mawle ~ Edward Judd

Director ~ Nick Murphy

Writer(s) ~ Stephen Volk and Nick Murphy

In Time

http://www.intimemovie.com/

When I saw the poster for In Time, my immediate reaction was that I didn't particularly want to see it. If you read my review for Red Riding Hood then you know my thoughts on Amanda Seyfried (and if you haven't, you should coz it's quite funny, even if I do say so myself). And if you've read my review for Friends With Benefits you'll know that that was the first time Justin Timberlake had made any kind of impression on me. But then I saw the trailer and I thought it looked interesting so I decided to give it a go.

In Time tells the story of Will (Justin Timberlake), your average 28 year old from a poor, working class family. The difference here is that this is the future and here, the currency is time, not money. Therefore you stop ageing at 25 and have one year to earn more time. If you run out of time, you die. Will has a chance encounter with a man who has too much time on his hands, literally, he's been alive for more than a century and now just wants to die. He gives Will his time, effectively taking his own life. Just when things are starting to look up for Will, his mother (Olivia Wilde), runs out of time. It's in this moment that Will decides to take matters into his own hands and find a way to give some extra time to those who need it most, the poor.

In Time, to put it simply, is a bit of a waste of time. I'm not sure I've ever seen a film with less of a purpose. There doesn't seem to have been any ultimate goal to this story. It just sort of meanders along aimlessly. We have the back story which I'm guessing is designed to make you feel something for the characters, a way of identifying with them despite the futuristic setting. The characters steal time from the rich and give it to the poor. A sort of modern day Robin Hood. But to what end? 

The purpose of the film is even more obscured by the fact that the film doesn't really know what it wants to be. A love story? Sci-Fi? A tale of one man's struggle? It doesn't really know and so it never really achieves any of these fully. And because the film doesn't know what it wants to be, neither does the audience. This undermines the ground work of trying to get us to identify with the characters in the first place. 

It's a pity as despite the less than impressive leads (side note to Justin Timberlake - you are terrible at conveying emotion. You need to learn how to cry if you want to be an actor), In Time does have some strong actors in smaller roles. Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy and Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) to name but a few. But there lies a problem here too. See, if everyone is supposed to be 25, why hire an actor like Cillian Murphy who, no offence, looks his 35 years. Or Johnny Galecki, who might not look 36 but he certainly looks older than 25. They should have hired actors who were all 25 or at least under 30, across the board. Instead, we have a mix of actors ranging from 21 to 36, making the older actors look even older compared to the ones who are actually younger than the 25 years they're portraying.

Regrettably, even the film's better actors can't save what starts as an innovative idea that turns into a boring mess of a film. One of my friends pointed out that there's a lot of running in this film. But where are they running to? Do we care. No is the unfortunate answer. 5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 6th November 2011

UK Release Date - 1st November 2011

Cast Overview:

Amanda Seyfried ~ Sylvia Weis

Justin Timberlake ~ Will Salas

Olivia Wilde ~ Rachel Salas

Cillian Murphy ~ Raymond Leon

Vincent Kartheiser ~ Philippe Weis

Johnny Galecki ~ Borei

Matt Bomer ~ Henry Hamilton

Alex Pettyfer ~ Fortis

Director and Writer ~ Andrew Niccol

The Help

http://thehelpmovie.com/us/

As previously mentioned in my Crazy, Stupid, Love review, I am a bit of a fan of Emma Stone. In fact, a bit is a bit of an understatement. Ever since I saw her in Easy A I have had a bit of a girl crush on her. And I also think she's one of the most promising actresses to come out of Hollywood in a long time. She's the only reason I'm even considering going to see the Spiderman re-boot. So when I heard about The Help it was a bit of a no-brainer that I would go and see it.

The Help is based on the best selling novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett and tells the very different story of two women in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. Writer Skeeter (Emma Stone) has dreams much bigger than the small town in which she lives. The problem that she has is convincing the even smaller minds of the town's community, from the editor of the paper she works for, to her best friend and even her own mother, of the problems going on under their noses. Skeeter decides she wants to write a book from the perspective of 'the help', the African American maids who work for white families. Skeeter wants the world to know how they're treated, what they witness on a daily basis and how they're made to feel. The bigger problem is getting 'the help' to talk to her.

The more I looked into The Help, the more I read, the more interviews I watched, the more praise that was heaped on the book and in turn the film, the higher my hopes got. When I eventually saw the film however, it smashed all of that to pieces. It actually left me feeling that I'd just watched a really great film. 

The characters are fantastic, even the ones you hate, you can't help but admire the actors potrayal. And the actors, or rather actresses as this is a predominantly female cast, were faultless. Every single one. I know I already mentioned my girl crush on Emma Stone but she is wonderful. But then so are Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. And the supporting cast is a dream, from the likes of Allison Janney (who can do no wrong in my eyes, I've loved her for years!) to Sissy Spacek and Mary Steenburgen. Fabulous one and all.

This is an eye opening story told with such emotion, had me laughing and crying in equal measure, which was so well executed by all involved. It seemed a story which was very dear to the hearts of everyone who had a hand in it, from the actors to the writers and director. It was a story told with such attention to detail and a lot of love.

I can't recommend this film highly enough. Harrowing in places, unafraid to show the bad with the good, but a film which ultimately proves that humanity can be gracious and kind. But without the schmaltz. As near perfect as a new film has gotten for me this year. 9.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 4th November 2011

UK Release Date - 26th October 2011

Cast Overview:

Emma Stone ~ Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan
Viola Davis ~ Aibileen Clark

Bryce Dallas Howard ~ Hilly Holbrook

Octavia Spencer ~ Minny Jackson

Jessica Chastain ~ Celia Foote

Ahna O'Reilly ~ Elizabeth Leefolt

Allison Janney ~ Charlotte Phelan

Chris Lowell ~ Stuart Whitworth

Cicely Tyson ~ Constantine Bates

Mike Vogel ~ Johnny Foote

Sissy Spacek ~ Mrs. Walters

Mary Steenburgen ~ Elain Stein

Director ~ Tate Taylor

Writer(s) ~ Tate Taylor (Screenplay) and Kathryn Stockett (Novel)

We Need To Talk About Kevin

http://www.weneedtotalkaboutkevin.co.uk/

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film I knew nothing about until the word of mouth started to filter through. This has surprised me as I had also not heard of the novel that the film is based on, which it turns out is rather well known and won the author, Lionel Shriver, the 2005 Orange Prize for female authors of any nationality writing in English.

The film - and the novel from which it is based - is about a writer and mother, Eva (Tilda Swinton), coming to grips with a heinous crime committed by her teenage son, Kevin (Ezra Miller). The film also details Kevin's upbringing and what Eva had to endure from her son on a day to day basis, from being a baby, through his toddler years and up to the present day.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is one of the toughest films I've yet had to review. And one which I discussed at length with the people I saw it with. The sign of a good film is how much it stays with you long after the credits have rolled. And this film definitely achieved that. 

We were all in agreement that the performances - especially by the three child actors who played Kevin at varying stages - were exemplary. And it has to be said that the casting of the three actors who played Kevin was flawless. You never felt like you were watching three different actors, you just felt like you were watching Kevin grow up. And the perfomances, from all three Kevins (Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell and Rock Duer) were chilling. To think these perfomances came from such young actors just astounds me.

The other thing we were in agreement on was how the film evoked all manor of emotions from us throughout the viewing. Anger, sadness, fear, sympathy, hate, compassion, you name it and we went through it just as the characters did.

The film also stands out because of the angle it takes. I imagine this is thanks to the novel (although I haven't read it myself), as most films with a subject matter of a high school massacre tend to show the story from the point of view of the killer or the victim. This is the first film of this kind that I have heard of which is shown from the mother's point of view. It's a fresh take on what could have been a film seen before and made for interesting viewing.

The reason a film like this is difficult to review is that the end result is not enjoyable, or fun. It's a hard movie to sit through and one which I'm not sure I would want to see again (not in a hurry anyway), but that's not to say that it isn't good or that I'm not glad I saw it, because it is good and I am glad I saw it.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend seeing it if you would like to see something more challenging than the below average fare that's littering the cinema these days. And something which will start a debate between you and your friends. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 29th October 2011

UK Release Date - 21st October 2011

Cast Overview:

Ezra Miller ~ Teenage Kevin

Jasper Newell ~ Childhood Kevin

Rock Duer ~ Toddler Kevin

Tilda Swinton~ Eva

John C Reilly ~ Franklin

Ashley Gerasimovich ~ Celia

Director ~ Lynne Ramsay

Writer(s) ~ Lynne Ramsay (Screenplay) and Rory Kinnear (Screenplay). Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver