Film Reviews

So although I'd say my blog sways more to the beauty review side of things I am predominately a TV and film fan. It's what I study at college and it's what I enjoy most, along with writing. So I've decided to introduce you to a couple of my favourite movies I've seen recently. 

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

'A Marine Staff Sergeant who has just had his retirement approved goes back into the line of duty in order to assist a 2nd Lieutenant and his platoon as they fight to reclaim the city of Los Angeles from alien invaders.'

Battle: Los Angeles follows an American army as they fight to stop alien invaders from taking over the world. The film itself doesn't drectly follow Marine Staff Sergeant (as stated in the premise above) and shows off the crew as a whole and seeing their journey and the harsh realities and fatalities involves.

Now I am definitely not a fan of the war/sci-fi genre and find it quite boring and tedious to get through, however, as of lately with recent films arising such as Avatar, Skyline and District 9 I feel as though this genre has become more inviting as they now encourage more social orientated storylines. Battle: Los Angeles has a similar approach - with the Iraq War it is something I feel like watching can be related to. Whilst Aliens are less realistic they can certainly signify what the forces and troops are facing. It is a real insight into army life - although exaggerated into a Hollywood feature movie there are elements of loss and pain that can be explored in the real life situation itself.

This film really drew me in as a viewer and I felt myself growing to like each character and as their stories opened up I felt as though we'd learnt about a new part of them and I willed them to fight against the aliens and live. The ending itself was not what I expected but was a realistic interpretation and therefore it suited the film so well.

I believe this is an absolutely astounding film and I can understand its correlations and representation into the real life scenarios it follows. I'm very impressed and it has changed my mind completely about this genre. 

The Blind Side (2009)

'The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.'

Based on a true story this film follows a young homeless boy who moves in with a family and becomes a football player with help from the new friends he makes. My first reaction to this film was not that I had particularly been eager to watch it and waited to borrow it from a friend as it felt a little like it needed something more drawing in to make its plot seem feasible and exciting. 

 This film was beautiful. Straight away Michael became a character that you wanted to understand more without trying and seeing him and the family grow with each other and learn more about their lives was captivated in such a touching way that it felt like you were watching their emotions evolve and were enjoying the journey along with them. 

A lot of real life stories seem very much far stretched from reality and attempt to make the event itself seem more exciting in order to draw the viewer in. They did not need to add any real plot twists or exciting narratives as the characters were portrayed so uniquely and they twisted around each other and branched out in a way where no exaggeration was needed. This film was nothing less than amazing and I am now proud to say I have my very own copy and no longer need to borrow off my friend! 

Bridesmaids (2011)

'Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.'

This film follows Annie as her best friend gets married and she has trouble accepting her friend's new relationship with Helen and balancing an ex with a new man as well as showing the other Bridesmaids and their colourful lives.

From first glance I thought this was a chick-flick. Definitely not. This is a pure comedy. There are jokes at every corner and whereby most comedies seem to try and pull jokes from anywhere and end up over exerting what the real story is about the jokes in this film are relevant, crude, inappropriate and actually very very funny. They don't need to try hard as the gags and characters are very natural and it is full of sick humour that you can't help but be grossed out and laugh about. 

The characters themselves cannot be overlooked though. Although this is a light-hearted piece they work and merge perfectly together and I think the cast is a true example as to the talent available in comedy. Very rarely does a film come along whereby I find myself laughing at the majority of scenes and jokes created - it is a perfect example of female comedy that doesn't scrutinise or put down people but merely entertains. Brilliant!