Les Misérables

I dreamed a dream.

Les Misérables is a beautiful adaptation of the stage musical, the cast and direction are both astounding, each with their own amazing attributes that help this phenomenon be the masterpiece that it is.

Throughout the film, you are taken in and out of the various stories for the different characters, through their lives. It is done in such a way that all of these stories fit together beautifully, so that you can understand what is happening as the film progresses. The cast is well chosen, they all bring something different and something wonderful to their roles. Hugh Jackman excels as the convict Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway portrays the troubles of Fantine exquisitely, Russell Crowe surprisingly sings extremely well as soldier Javert. Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham-Carter, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks all sing and act wonderfully as they all hold their own opposite the bigger stars of the film.

What makes this film unique is that all of the singing is done live whilst filming, instead of being pre-recorded with the actors miming the words. This was a gamble by Director Tom Hooper, a gamble that paid off incredibly well. As it is a musical that requires a lot of emotion and expression, this technique worked incredibly well, because the audience can not only hear the emotion, but can see it as well.You believe the film more because of that added dose of emotion and realism. Along with the singing being effective, the direction of the film itself is incredibly brilliant. Through closely focusing on the actors faces whilst they sing, Tom Hooper captures their raw emotions so that the audience can connect with them more.

Overall, this film is a beautiful adaptation of the stage musical. It captures the drama, action and emotions needed to make it an effective film and a spellbinding musical.

Life of Pi 3D

"Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger."

Life of Pi is a beautiful mix of masterful direction, script, story and cast. It is an outstanding film that pulls you into the story so that you're so immersed that your eyes stay on the screen, eagerly awaiting the next scene to come.
The use of 3D in the film works incredibly well, as it is so subtle yet so powerful that it enhances the film that much more, enabling you to feel more emotion, see more beauty in the sets and skies, and so that you even feel like you are there with Pi on the boat, out in the ocean. This also works well with the use of CGI effects within the film, as there are a lot of them, it has to be done perfectly in order for the film to appear realistic. This is done with astounding precision. From the large array of beautiful colours in the skies, to the minute hairs that are on the tiger, the CGI effects work well, extremely well.

The story itself, is superb. At the beginning of the film, the story is relatively slow in showing us Pi's past and his childhood, yet as the film goes on, it works well as it helps the film in its meaning and why Pi acts the way that he does. Also, with it being at the beginning of the film, this means that we are not constantly interrupted whilst we are watching Pi's incredible story, letting it flow more fluently.

The cast is small, yet all involved played their part wonderfully, particularly Suraj Sharma, who portrays the young Pi. It is an intense film for any actor to work on, let alone doing it without any previous acting roles. Sharma manages to capture the variety of emotions that are essential in making this film work, his performance is incredibly effective, letting the audience not only see what he is going through, yet feeling it as well.

Overall, despite being slow to begin with, this is an incredible story, it is directed beautifully and boasts an amazing use of special effects and 3D. It truly is a masterpiece.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"Home is now behind you. The world is ahead."

The first instalment for The Hobbit trilogy is, to put it bluntly, a masterpiece. It is a great introduction to the story, leaving viewers anticipating the release of the next film.

The story cleverly begins with Bilbo reminiscing about his past as a young Hobbit through narration. This is a marvellous way of beginning the story, as it lets the viewers feel as if they are reading the book themselves. Then it leads us back to when he is a young Hobbit, played by Martin Freeman. From the first few moments of seeing the young Hobbit, right until the end of the film, Bilbo is played exquisitely by Freeman, he captures his nervous disposition and unwillingness in such a way that, as an audience, you do not only feel sorry for Bilbo, yet you wonder how he agreed to be apart of such a quest in the first place.

The quest in hand is to help the Dwarves claim back their home. The Dwarves are a comedic edge to the film, they are delightfully captured as they are written in J.R.R Tolkien's classic book through songs and laughter, finding light in most situations. As well as being comedic, the Dwarves also add different personalities that contrast greatly with Bilbo's. The Dwarves are ferocious fighters, with their leader being the most ferocious of all; Thorin Oakenshield, played wonderfully by Richard Armitage. Armitage gives Thorin the right amount of fire for the battle scenes, demonstrating fierce battle cries and strong fighting techniques, yet we also see the fragility of Thorin, and how he is still torn by his past. Through Armitage, we are also reminded of the stubbornness of Dwarves with some of his scenes with Gandalf the Grey, who is played by Sir Ian McKellan, re-living a 60-years-younger version of how he was in The Lord of The Rings. This is done incredibly well, as we can see and hear how wise, yet still slightly naive Gandalf actually is. Other characters, who are somewhat minor, for example; Galadriel, Gollum, Radagast The Brown and Lord Elrond are not to be forgotten, as they are all portrayed brilliantly by the actors that played them, each giving a unique edge to the film and to the story.

The direction for the film, by Peter Jackson, is done excellently, showing not only the beauty of the characters and their emotions, but it also shows the beauty of the landscapes and the sets that they venture to. From the bright white buildings of Rivendell to the dark caves of where Gollum resides we can see incredible details within the sets. The 3D is not much to boast about, however, as it does not enhance the film much further, apart from one or two scenes where there are small details that work well.

Overall, the film is a masterpiece to behold, beaming with an excellent cast, incredible graphics, a clever script and amazing scenery.  A brilliant start to a no doubt brilliant trilogy.

Skyfall

007 is back, and back with a bang. After the disappointment that surrounded and engulfed Daniel Craig's second outing as Bond in Quantum of Solace, the people at Pinewood Studies had to make a film that was full of action and filled with all of the charm and quirkiness that Bond is so famous for.

So, a high target for Skyfall to hit, even more so because of the blockbuster-filled year that has bombarded 2012 with films like Avengers Assemble and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. But, armed with the deadly Walther PPK, Skyfall hits the target straight through the centre of the bulls-eye. The film is not so amazing just because of James Bond, though. Skyfall is packed with new characters that help make the film the achievement that it is. Javier Bardem plays as Silva, a villain who is threatening to release the names of all of the under-cover MI6 Agents over the internet. Boring, you say? Boring, it is definitely not. Bardem's villain is a beautifully gruesome mixture of evil plans, eerie monologues, and a hidden deformity. The perfect mix for a Bond villain, and Javier Bardem plays the character so incredibly well that, in some scenes, he even steals the limelight from Bond himself. Judi Dench is back as M and, as usual, plays the part to a tee. Dench is superb as Bond's best girl, with a feisty attitude and quirky lines of sarcasm playing off of Craig's short and just-as-sarcastic remarks. An actress not to forget, is Eve (Naomie Harris), an MI6 agent working with Bond during the first film sequence in Turkey. Although she does not particularly stand out against the main character's, Harris holds her own and does not get lost, with smart lines and a sexy scene with the main man himself. Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw also do well with the scenes that they were in, with subtle and sleek lines that comfortably edge them away from being forgotten. A character who you forget and don't particularly care much for is Severine, (played by Berenice Marlohe) a sexy, mysterious woman without much storyline or purpose.

Skyfall is delightfully balanced between gun shots, large explosions and bare-knuckle fights, with the quiet, plot-unveiling scenes that were lost in Quantum of Solace. Sam Mendes has directed the film to a five star standard, with elegantly-shot fights and steadily shot tense, nail-biting scenes. The music throughout the film is brilliantly put together, also featuring the same-old Bond tune that we all know and love. The title song by Adele is also effective as it flows through you during the surreal opening credits sequence.

Overall, Skyfall is a credit to the Bond franchise, as it is an exciting thrill-ride of action, gadgets, guns and girls. A well-written script, featuring the sharp short lines of the old Bond films, but without them being camp and over-shot. Congratulations Mr, Bond, the 50 years of the franchise have been well celebrated with this film.

Looper

Looper is an amazing, cleverly-made masterpiece that puts a twist on time travel. The film is about a Looper called Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), 'loopers' are an elite group of assassins who kill people that are sent back from the future, but when Joe's older self (Bruce Willis) gets sent back, it is up to Joe to kill his future self. The film is an exciting mixture of action, yet is balanced well when the action is put on hold. From the moment that we see Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he has been transformed to look like Bruce Willis, and transformed he has. Understandably, his voice differs from Willis', which is to be expected, so generally the team behind the transformation have done an excellent job.

The casting for this film is exceedingly brilliant. I did, at first, feel that Bruce Willis may overshadow Joseph Gordon-Levitt, yet they are both so equally superb that they have the right balance between them to almost lead the film together. Emily Blunt, despite not being in the film as much as I had initially thought, also did an excellent job as her role of Sara, a single mother who lets Joe take refuge on her farm. All together, the cast work well and the different atmospheres and moods of the film are not only transpired from the music, but also from them.

The direction in the film is spellbinding, the film is put together in such a manner that upon leaving the cinema, you really do want to see it again. The flash-forward to show the transition from Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Bruce Willis is outstanding, giving the viewers an almost Inception-esque view on time travel, with twists and turns right until the last scenes.

Overall, the film is a flurry of excitement, great graphics, a stellar cast, and with it being beautifully directed with an excellent score to boot. The story and script are both well written and well put together, making the film an outstanding watch, leaving the viewer intrigued from the very beginning, all the way through until the end.

Dredd 3D

Negotiation's Over.

Dredd 3D is a violent, gruesome and grim film about a Judge in a futuristic city. I myself was relatively intrigued about the film coming to cinemas, but after having watched it, I can see that it was much better that I had imagined, it was a diamond among the rocks of films that have been out lately. The entire film is well set out, with a gripping set of events that have you watching the screen with wide-eyes and a lust for more. Your eyes are immediately glued to the screen, right from the moment that Dredd mutters the first words of the film.

 

Generally, films that come out in 3D are nothing special. Generally there is no point in them being in 3D at all. But Dredd is something different, I am personally glad that Dredd is out in 3D because it just pulls you in even more. Throughout the cinematic experience, the parts that stand out (particularly in 3D) are when the slo-mo drug is taken. The whole screen is filled with the glistening spots of red blood, or the shimmering droplets of water. You, as the viewer, feel that you too have taken a dose of the drug and are going at a slower speed rate, falling gracefully down to the bottom of the 200-storey block.

 

The cast is a mixed bag. Karl Urban is excellent as Dredd, as viewers we want him to succeed and we want to see what his gun will do next. Olivia Thirlby is warming as psychic wanna-be-judge Anderson who has come a long way from being that annoying friend on Juno. The only other cast member who stands out (which is no problem) is Lena Headey, who plays the exceedingly un-nerving Ma-Ma, who is a well known ring-leader of a clan. Neither Thirlby nor Headey come close to stealing the show from Urban, yet they are not people who you would believe the film would be better without.

 

Despite the film focusing on both Dredd and Anderson, we see Anderson develop through the film, she starts off as a failing rookie who won't be good enough and ends up as a kick-ass judge who gets things done. Dredd and Anderson thrive off of each other, Dredd showing how to get things done, but Anderson reminding him that there is a little bit more than just kicking ass. It sounds soppy, but really, it's not. This is the first film I have seen in a long time where there isn't some soppy love story involved with the main character and some secondary wanna-be, which, overall, enhances the fact that Dredd is a loner. He does what he does because he does it for the law. For the city.

 

Overall, Dredd 3D is a thrill-ride of blood, violence, kick-ass weaponry, and a great cast. It hits the spot for viewers who are waiting for a comic-book film that emanates edgy violence, with some quirky one-liners and a story that is well-written but not overpowering. I highly recommend seeing it, as it is an experience that won't be forgotten. For all of the good reasons.