Which film should you go and see this weekend??

Review that has been enjoying a week off this week, which obviously means making a couple of trips to the cinema! We went to see Annabelle, The Babadook and Horns. Which one should you go and see?

If you want to be scared go and see Annabelle. It was pretty scary. The 2 of us were scared enough to be a little spooked out by our drive back from the cinema. Then when I got home I remained in a state of fear with my dad scaring me simply by talking to me! With any scary film I cannot possibly give away the plot but as far as horror films go it is ok. My main plus point would be that it is only an hour and a half, which avoids long winded plot lines and boring scenes. By keeping it short it keeps you on your toes and it comes to a conclusion before you get bored and restless. For a Halloween weekend it's a safe bet to not be disappointed.

If you want to be disappointed, go and see The Babadook! The premise is so good. A character from a children's book, that mysteriously appears in a house, comes to life. Great! Scary right?? That would be WRONG. It isn't the tiniest bit scary. Essentially all that happens is you spend the first half of the film thinking that the scary part will be coming up soon. And then the second half you accept that that is as scary as it gets and wish you were watching something else. One of the more disappointing films of this year so far I would say. If you like more Indie type films you will probably like it because that is what it seemed to be going for! You may like it!

If you want to hear Daniel Racliffe do a really bad American accent then Horns is the one for you! The film is inspired by a book so you can look up what happens but basically a guy's girlfriend is murdered and he turns into the devil. Far fetched?! yes. Potentially brilliant?! Yes. Does Horns do it justice?! Probably not. The first hour of the film is pretty ok. Funny in parts, gripping storyline, growing the Horns is really interesting and a good idea. As someone who has studied Religious imagery in films at Uni of course this appeals to me more than most! But everyone can find it pretty decent. You do get into it. By the end of the film, however, you will be ready to leave.

One of the things I really didn't enjoy about the film was the overemphasis on telling you what was happening. The main character would litterally tell you what was happening because you the viewer are not clever enough to work it out. Except you are and it just feels patronising (I genuinely felt patronised but the film)! Another failing is Radcliffe. Bless him. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and really do want to like him but he just wasn't very good. Really miscast part in  my opinion. He isn't dark or edgy enough, and you can't believe he is evil and tough. I had to stop myself laughing when he started beating someone up. It just didn't work, My last big issue with the film is that it just took itself way to seriously. At best it's going to be an entertaining film, it isn't going to be winning Oscars! But it was just so flipping serious and trying to be edgy. Dislike! 

Really what you should do is go and see Nightcrawler or Ouija and tell me what they're are like! They are 2 films I really want to see!

The Guest

I have mentioned before that every year my brother and I compare our top ten films of the year. Last year my number 1 (and my brother's number 3) was a film called You're next. You're next is an amazing film which is really worth watching. It is on Netflix so next time you're wondering what to watch, watch You're next.

The Director of You're Next is Adam Wingard who this summer has made a film called The Guest. Needless to say I have been excited about this film due to my love for You're Next.

The Guest did not disappoint. 

The basic story line is that of a family who have lost their son in the war in Afghanistan. One day a visitor arrives on their door step and says he is a friend of their sons. They welcome him into their home and he makes a big impact.

Really I don't want to say more about the plot then there would be no point in seeing it. You need to see the film without any expectation for what is going to happen; if you know you will be disappointed.

One major plus about this film is the length. A 99 minute film is ideal. It's not too long. When films get past the 2 hour mark there are always unnecessary scenes or over complicated plot lines. The Guest moves at a perfect pace. You get involved in the plot and there is certainly no time to get bored. 

The Guest is well acted, exciting, funny, surprising, it has a great soundtrack and a good story line.

I would be surprised if anyone didn't enjoy The Guest. Go and see it!

Into the Storm

I love going to the Cinema. It's my favourite thing to do. I am willing to go and see most films and have been to see many films I have thought would be pretty terrible (sometimes they are).

My brother also likes going to the cinema. When I told him that I was going to go and see Into the Storm he told me he had no interest in going to see it and that the trailers had annoyed him. On New Years Day, we both compile our lists of the top ten films of the year and compare them. I always have a very different list to him. The reason is because we go to the cinema for different reasons.

My brother reads about films and goes to see things that interest him. If he loves the director he goes to see the film. He will go to see foreign films, silent films, independent films etc. He will go to cinemas further away to see particular films.

I like going to the Cinema to escape for a while. I like to be engrossed in a film; to get excited, to get sad, to get happy. I like to forget about life and taken away to a different world. If I don't check my phone during a film, it has achieved its purpose. 

My expectations for Into the Storm were low. I wasn't overly bothered by seeing it. But it's only an hour and a half, so how bad could it be?!

There were things I really didn't like about it. It was overly cheesy in places. Too much 'cheese' is unnecessary. We follow the story and the characters so we can understand their feelings without it being such a cheesefest. Also the acting isn't especially good. I've see worse, but I have also seen a lot better. In particular there is a father who goes to rescue his sons. He manages to be completely void of any emotion during the whole film. There is also an ending which is ridiculous. People that clearly would have died live and it's just a bit silly.

Having said all of this, Into the Storm achieved its purpose for me of escaping for an hour and a half. Its an exciting storyline. Being about storms gives it a realistic element where you think (excuse my language) 'shit, this could happen'. They don't drag anything out too much and the film moves at a quick pace. You get caught up in it enough for it to not be a terrible film.

Essentially this isn't a film you will go and see twice, but for an hour and a half of entertainment it's not all bad.