The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Premiere - A Lament

 

It's 11.18pm and I have to be up for work in approximately 8 hours. I'm also cold and in dire need of a bath, and yet instead of running myself some hot bubbles, I am sitting at my laptop writing. Or rather outpouring my absolute hatred for the people who ruined The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Premiere for me and countless others. 

You know them. The "dealers" or autograph hunters. Those people, ususally massive, brick shithouse type guys, who's sole purpose at a premiere is to get one of the items from their huge portfolio stuffed full of glossy 10 x 8's signed by whoever is there. They don't care as long as they get something to sell. And by being there, on the barrier spot of a premiere, they are taking the place, and the cherished picture that a fan should be in, and robbing them of the chance of an autograph of their favourite star.

Yes this rant is because I only got one signature tonight, and not of anyone I was there for. This despite standing in the cold and wet for a good 8 hours. But this rant is also on behalf of the young girl who must only have been about 10. The girl who's only wish today was to have her moment with Katniss. And who the giant moron in front of us promised he would move to the front when Jennifer arrived and then didn't, because he wanted her signature for himself. This rant is also for the very sweet teenager who just wanted to see Liam Hemsworth, and who the same man again promised he would move aside for, only to elbow the poor girl in the ribs when Liam did arrive, and cause her to be in floods of tears.

I really think it's about time the premiere organisers stopped letting these arseholes into events like this. Events which are supposed to be for the fans of these people and these films. Not people who are only there to make money out of it. 

These people are always unpleasant nasty bastards who would rather elbow people half their size out of the way when most people would gladly let you hold something between them at an event like this so that everyone can go away happy.

Of course sometimes the stars are in a rush or ushered through the crowds quickly, so you're not always going to be able to get that autograph or photo, but at least not having these creeps there would give the genuine fans a fighting chance. 

If they're not banned from these events then I think the least the organisers could do is to let them into the enclosures last. So all the fans will have their places on the front or first few rows of the pens, and then let the "dealers" in and see how they like being at the back. 

For me, it has made the whole day feel worthless and upsetting and left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth. This despite meeting some absolutely lovely people there.

I'm also gutted there was no cosplay contest to win tickets as I was the only Katniss there. Oh well, there's always Avengers: Age of Ultron. I swear that if an autograph hunter even tries to get in my way there, the Black Widow will be taking them down into a whole world of hurt.

Rant over. Be good to each other.

Pride and The Riot Club

http://www.theriotclub.co.uk/

UK Release - 19th September 2014

I know what you're thinking. How on earth do these movies have anything remotely to do with one another. Well, truth is, they have a lot in common.

The first is that they are both British made. The second is that they share quite a few cast members (and probably crew too). And the thing is that after I saw Pride, I wanted to review it. But it had been out a few weeks by then and I kinda felt as though I'd missed my window (the same as I did for Guardians of the Galaxy - but don't worry, that one will come). Then I saw The Riot Club and I just knew I would have to combine my reviews in order to really get my point across.

So while I'm relatively calm, I shall start with Pride...

http://www.pridemovie.co.uk/

UK Release - 12th September 2014

As you might have gathered, Pride is a movie about gays (I say this with a hint of a Welsh accent and I promise you it's meant in the kindest regard). But my god it's so much more than that. It's about a time when people actually gave a shit about what was happening to their friends, their neighbours, and they stood up and fought back when things were being done to their friends and neighbours which weren't right. Most of them being done by the UK government at the time. It's set in 1984 during the miners strike, when at the Gay Pride March in London, a group of gay and lesbian activists decides to raise money to support the families of the striking miners. The only problem is that the Miners Union is embarrassed to receive their support. The activists are not deterred by this. They decide to ignore the Union and go direct to the Miners. They identify a mining village in Wales and set off in a mini bus to make their donation in person. And so begins the extraordinary story of two seemingly alien communities who form a surprising and ultimately triumphant partnership.

Yes, most of that I got from the official Pride movie website, but it describes it so beautifully that I decided I couldn't do better. Anyway, my point is that even though I tend to steer away from British movies, and despite that fact that I read a pretty awful review for Pride, I thought it was bloody brilliant (again to be said with a Welsh accent). It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me feel. Where sadly, a lot of movies lately have not. If it's still on near you, I wholeheartedly recommend you see it and be pleasantly surprised. 8 out of 10.

And so, into the depths of hell we go. From one surprisingly great British film, to one I am sorry to have given money to. Not only that, I'm also disgusted to live in a country where the type of people depicted in this film are all too real. 

The Riot Club -

Set amongst the privileged elite of Oxford University, The Riot Club follows Miles (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Claflin), two first year students determined to join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening.
The Riot Club is directed by Lone Scherfig, who most recently helmed 'One Day', and the Best Picture Academy Award nominee 'An Education'. It is produced by Pete Czernin and Graham Broadbent of Blueprint Pictures ('The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', 'Seven Psychopaths').
Screenwriter Laura Wade has adapted her critically-acclaimed play, with development support from the BFI Film Fund and Film4. 'Posh' premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2010, before transferring to the West End.

I write about film, not for a living but because it is my great passion in life. If there is a discussion about films of any kind in my day job office, I will bend my ear to try and hear it and join in. A debate about film is even better, different views and ideas all being thrown in. If my review sparks debate then so be it, but I just want to preface what I'm about to say; I am not saying this to be controversial, or in fact to start a debate. I am saying this simply because it is how I feel.

The Riot Club made me feel physically sick. Bravo film-makers, you have made a film so vile it actually made me gag at one point. I honestly don't understand why anybody wanted to be involved in this film. It's sick, it's depraved, it's filled with horrendous characters that you can only pray you never meet anyone like. Knowing only too well that sadly, people like this, people who get away with murder because daddy can buy them out of jail, are all too real. And in fact most of them are today running our great country. 

I am sad that the BFI put it's name to this film because it will forever tarnish them in my mind. I will always wonder if the next BFI backed project will be just another Riot Club. 1 out of 10. 

I find it so infinitely fascinating that two movies, both made here, both about parts of the rich history of Britain, both with some of the same actors, can be so very different. Here endeth the lesson on British Film.

Cast Overview Pride:

Mark ~ Ben Schnetzer
Joe ~ George MacKay
Gethin ~ Andrew Scott
Mike ~ Joseph Gilgun
Steph ~ Faye Marsay
Jeff ~ Freddie Fox
Jonathan ~ Dominic West
Dai ~ Paddy Considine
Sian ~ Jessica Gunning
Hefina ~ Imelda Staunton
Cliff ~ Bill Nighy

Cast Overview The Riot Club:

Alistair Ryle ~ Sam Claflin
Harry Villiers ~ Douglas Booth
Rachel ~ Jessica Brown Findlay
Miles Richards ~ Max Irons
Lauren ~ Holliday Grainger
Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt ~ Sam Reid
Dimitri Mitropoulos ~ Ben Schnetzer
Jeremy ~ Tom Hollander
James Leighton-Masters ~ Freddie Fox
Charlie ~ Natalie Dormer

Boyhood

http://boyhoodmovie.tumblr.com/

Suggested on a whim by my cinema buddy (who now has his very own tumblr and writes mini reviews - I am so proud of you man!), Boyhood was only showing at our local independent cinema, but it's Richard Linklater so how could I say no? 

Boyhood is the first film of it's kind, where a six year old was cast in 2002 and the film was shot over 12 years. That might sound impressive, but you have to remember that it wasn't only the six year old that filmed the movie over the space of 12 years, everyone in the film did too! What an amazing project to be involved in. 

It's utterly fascinating to me that they did this. I have often thought when watching films with young characters who grow up, for example, We Need To Talk About Kevin, where several actors played the role of Kevin, what it would be like if they just staged the shooting over a number of years and used the same actor. I should have known that Richard Linklater, who has always brought such realism to his movies, would be the one to pull this off. 

As I said above, the film spans 12 years in the life of Mason, a six year old at the start, with your average set of childhood problems, not being able to concentrate in class, having parents who are divorced, and an older sister who is super annoying. Over the 12 years we see Mason cope with alcoholic step fathers, girlfriends, school, what he wants to do when he's older, responsibility, and ultimately discovering the kind of person he has grown up to be. 

His life is not extraordinary, but the way that the story is told, using the same actors all the way through, really makes Boyhood stand out from the crowd. 

It's emotionally engaging, it's funny, it's sad, it feels so real that it's kinda like reading someone else's diary. 

The casting was absolutely key to this movie and Linklater has chosen his actors perfectly. I have loved Patricia Arquette since I saw True Romance around 20 years ago, and I cannot tell you how nice it is to see her finally do something so worthy of her ability as an actress. She has been underused for so long. Linklater regular Ethan Hawke also puts in a fine performance, but of course the film really belongs to Ellar Coltrane, who is mesmerising to watch as Mason.

The film is long at nearly 3 hours but unlike another 3 hour movie I watched recently, the time flew. The showing I attended was sold out, and I just got this feeling that the whole room was just as engaged and drawn in as I was. I don't think I have ever felt that before. The movie also got a very deserved round of applause at the end, which is also incredibly rare. 

If Boyhood is showing in a cinema near you, I urge you to see it. It really is worth it. 10 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 12th July 2014

UK Release Date - 11th July 2014

Cast Overview:

Mason ~ Ellar Coltrane

Olivia (Mason's Mom) ~ Patricia Arquette

Mason Sr (Mason's Dad) ~ Ethan Hawke

Samantha ~ Lorelei Linklater

Director/Writer ~ Richard Linklater 

Movie Madness

You may recall that the last movie I reviewed before my unscheduled sabbatical was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was an awesome film. The next movie I was due to review was Divergent. But anyone who looks closely at my list of cinema visits will notice that I did see something in between those two films, I just wasn't sure if I should review it as it was a play, but I happened to watch it in a cinema...

Anyway, as promised, here is the complete list of all the films (and plays) I saw at the cinema in the last 4 months, and a brief review of each:

• Broadway's Romeo and Juliet ~ 01/04/2014

Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad play the star-crossed lovers in this most recent adaptation of Shakespeare's famous tale. I saw the Broadway show which was transmitted live in the cinema. The two leads both shone in different ways but ultimately I couldn't help but feel that 37 year old Bloom was just a little too old to pull off playing a teenage Romeo.

• Divergent ~ 05/04/2014

My best friend is currently reading the series of Divergent books and can't put them down. The film however I found quite forgettable. The most memorable thing about it was the shocking way in which the producers 'hid' Kate Winslet's pregnancy, here love, why don't you carry around this giant folder (binder) for the whole film for no apparent reason. Yeah, no-one will have noticed...

• Noah ~ 14/04/2014

Shocking, shockingly bad and long. It's not quite bad enough to be truly terrible, and it's not even so bad it's funny. It's just long, boring and not especially well acted. Look out for Jennifer Connolly's snotty nose towards the end of the film. It's really quite gross.

• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ~ 18/04/2014

After the recent good run of Marvel movies I was really optimistic about Spidey 2, especially after how much I loved the first re-boot when I'd not been looking forward to that at all. Unfortunately the second one suffers from the too many villains scenario, and again has the problem that a lot of Spidey films have, in that the villain isn't really a bad guy, just a nice guy that shit happened to and he lost it. Do better with Spidey 3 Marvel. 

• The Other Woman ~ 11/05/2014

It really bugs me that this film is called The Other Woman. There is more than one so shouldn't it be The Other Women? Rant aside, a comedy that's slow to get off the ground but gets better as it gets into it's swing. The bit at the end with all the blood though, not fitting with the rest of the movie and kinda nasty.

• Godzilla ~ 17/05/2014

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed Godzilla. I liked the twist, I liked the story, even though I spent a lot of the time saying "well that's convenient isn't it?" to my cinema buddy, this is one I would definitely add to my collection if it was on sale. It's fun, you can switch off your brain and just sit back and enjoy the giant lizard/dinosaur/fish creature. Brilliant B movie. 

• The Two Faces Of January ~ 21/05/2014

A taut and intriguing thriller about a man and wife on the run from the mob. They meet a shady tour guide and go on the run across Europe. It was shot in stunning locations, with a pretty cast but the end was disappointing and didn't seem to fulfill it's earlier promise.

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ~ 22/05/2014

Yet another play that was transmitted live, this time from the National Theatre in London. Not the easiest play to watch due to the subject matter but it was incredibly well acted and one that I am glad to say I have seen. 

• X-Men: Days Of Future Past ~ 25/05/2014 and 22/06/2014

With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 out of the way, Marvel move back into the fanperson's good books with X-Men Days of Future Past. They had a lot of ground to make up for after X-Men 3 was so shoddy. And I wasn't particularly impressed by X-Men First Class either, so DoFP had a lot to live up to. And live up to most of it, it did. Now they just have to carry on from where they left Wolverine in 1973 and I'll be happy. 

• Edge Of Tomorrow ~ 31/05/2014

Tom Cruise gets killed over and over again. What's not to like? There is also a bad ass Emily Blunt doing hot training. Seriously, what more could you want from a movie? Oh right, plot. Well, it's not got a bad one. Tom and co are fighting a losing war against a bunch of aliens, but luckily for the war effort, Tom has the ability to re-set the day and start over each time he dies. Meaning they can learn how to defeat the aliens and win the war. Hurrah!

• Grace Of Monaco

Ironic that I saw a Tom Cruise movie followed by one starring his ex-wife. Grace Of Monaco felt distinctly like a made-for-TV special from start to finish. Just with bigger stars than you'd expect to find in one of those TV movies. The behind the curtain look into Princess Grace's life after she left Hollywood was intriguing, but never really delved deep enough to make an impact. Kidman was woefully mis-cast and I can't help but feel like having her as it's star did the film a disservice, as a lesser known actress in the role might have made it easier to look at her as Grace rather than just seeing Nicole Kidman looking like she was playing dress up. 

 

• How To Train Your Dragon 2 ~ 15/06/2014

It seemed like we'd waited forever for the sequel to How To Train Your Dragon. I managed to see a sneaky Father's Day preview of the film with my cinema buddy (and at the IMAX too) and it was awesome. It lost it's way a little in the middle when (Spoiler Alert) Hiccup's parents started singing and dancing, but then picked up again just in time for the grand finale. Pity they couldn't have hired a wee Scottish Girl to voice Hiccup's long lost mammy as Cate Blanchett just didn't cut it for me.

• Jersey Boys ~ 21/06/2014

I have never seen the play of Jersey Boys and now I definitely don't want to. This movie, despite being a musical (I despise musicals) had everything going for it that I should have loved, the golden era of Rock 'n' Roll, 50s/60s music, a band, but I was bored. It's way too long and the story just goes nowhere. Most shocking of all was when the end credits rolled and up came the announcement that it was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood! Not only was I shocked because it's nothing like the films he normally makes (i.e. good), I couldn't understand why he would want to make this movie. Your mum will probably love it, as would mine, but in my opinion, you'd do better to spend 3 hours of your life doing something (anything) better.

• 22 Jump Street ~ 25/06/2014

After the surprise that 21 Jump Street actually wasn't a half bad movie, I knew I had to see the sequel, even though it looked even more preposterous from the trailer. Some genuine laugh out loud moments, and a very memorable end credits sequence meant this was one of the better comedies I have seen in recent months. Just needed more shirtless Channing Tatum. FYI to directors out there, every Channing Tatum movie needs more shirtless Channing Tatum. 

• Chef ~ 04/07/2014

I thought I'd missed my opportunity to see Chef but I just managed to catch it before it finished it's run. A delightful, lighthearted and feel good summer movie. It won't change your life, but it will make you hungry. Just don't expect a lot of Robert Downey Jr or Scarlett Johansson and you won't be disappointed. 

 

• Transformers: Age Of Extinction ~ 05/07/2014

A promising start soon turned into an overlong metal on metal grudge match. Yes, I know that's what the other three movies were too, but this one has a really pointless sub-plot about a bomb and an alien ship too. Just save yourself some money and 3 hours of your life and avoid this rust bucket of a movie. 

• Poltergeist ~ 05/07/2014 

Classic movie, open air screening in the middle of summer, what could be better? Well the weather for one as it poured down on me and my cinema buddy, but hey, it's the UK, it was bound to happen. We stuck it out and thankfully didn't catch a cold (or take home a ghosty) and thoroughly enjoyed the film on the pop up big screen.

Well that's all for now folks, full review of Boyhood to follow tomorrow. 

Apology

Okay, so I owe everyone a massive apology. Back in April I promised you all a review of Divergent, which never materialised, and then I went off the grid. No updates, no post to say what was happening, nothing. I'm truly sorry for that. 

I started my blog back in 2011 and have been growing a steady base of readers since then. It was not my intention to ever deceive you. I fully intended to write the Divergent review, but then life kinda got in the way. 

I lost my job in December last year, which I don't think I ever shared. I received a payout and I temped for a few months and then got a permanent job in March. That's when I received notice to move out of my flat that I had been living in for 3 years. So just as one part of my life evened out, another ton of crap landed on me. 

For those who don't know me, I f*cking hate moving house. I have a LOT of stuff and so it takes time, and packing, and unpacking, and I have NEVER once found it fun to move. I hate it. 

And no, I won't get rid of my stuff just to make moving easier. My stuff is me, it's who I am, and I am not going to throw that shit out because the box is heavy. I am a hoarder. Deal with it. 

Rant over. 

So yeah, life kinda kicked my arse for a while and then when I was in a position to start writing reviews again I just found that my inspiration, my passion, whatever you want to call it, had just gone. I still went to the movies, movies are my life and I don't see that ever changing, and I still wrote, my passion for writing certainly didn't go anywhere, but my drive to write about films went AWOL. 

I kept figuring it was the movies I was seeing, that they were all kinda distinctly average (Divergent) or bad (but not in a really terrible bad way, just in a kinda laughably bad way - Noah), and so I wasn't inspired to write reviews for those films. And the thing is, that the fact that I wasn't inspired to write about those movies probably tells you that not only were they not worth seeing, they weren't even worth reading about. 

I know that a big part of my not writing reviews was me, I'm not putting all the blame on the films, but part of it was the films too. 

Having said that, I have seen some really good films. Like How To Train Your Dragon 2. Which I honestly thought would be THE ONE that got me writing again. But it just wasn't enough. 

The truth is that if this was my job, no matter how dire the movie, I would HAVE to write the review. And I'm good with that. But this isn't my job. And I don't need the challenge of reviewing every film I see at the cinema. I've done that 3 years running. I know I can do it. So now I'm just going to write the reviews I want to write. 

But, if you have an honest to goodness NEED for my opinion on a film that I haven't reviewed, drop me a message or a tweet, and I'll be more than happy to oblige you. 

Because at the end of the day, without you, I'm just a crazy lady rambling to herself.

So I bet you're all excited to know what movie it was that got my creative juices flowing again right?

Well, you'll have to wait a little longer for that (as I'm currently staying at a friends house without my laptop), but I promise that a review will follow. Along with a brief run-down of the movies I have seen in the last few months. 

Thanks for sticking around. I hope it was worth it...