The Riot Club

This is one of those films where people either know every detail or haven't heard a thing about it. In fact I only heard about The Riot Club by chance, when I flicked channels and caught the tail end of a Sky Movies special. To be perfectly honest I stopped for one main reason, Sam Claflin. Like most 17 year old nerd-girls Sam Claflin's face alone is enough to stop me dead in my tracks and cause me to drool for a while but if you happen to be one of the minority who aren't familiar with the name alone you may know him as Finnick Odair from The Hunger Games series.
I'd like to say that my raging teenage hormones didn't get the best of me but I'm afraid they did when I then found out that the cast basically included every gorgeous young British actor that I had recently developed a fondness for. It's safe to say that in that moment I was sold on the charming beauty of the cast alone. Once I had listed the cast to a few of my friends it really wasn't a hard job to get a group together to go see it but as we sat in the cinema there was no way we were prepared for what we were about to see.
This is a film that cannot be likened to anything else I have ever seen. Never have I been so repulsed by a film and yet not be able to look away. What seemed to start out like your typical British comedy in the opening scene, by that I mean a posh man in a tactfully shot montage of naked women, booze and intellectual debates, turned into a horrifying classist rally climaxing in one spectacularly shot evening of violence and drunken debauchery.
Okay so I know that that last sentence sounds much like a pompous load of words strung together but there is truthfully no other way to describe the plot in all its intense bizarreness. It was honestly fascinating to be faced with ten wholly unlikable protagonists. The plot of The Riot Clubs gives the audience a brief insight into the lives of ten very wealthy male Oxford students and then puts them into a small middle class pub where they have the intention of getting absolutely shit-faced and causing a riot.
Having gone into the cinema knowing most of these actors in one lovable role or another, I was suddenly struggling to find even one soul amongst them that wasn't detestable. In the climax of the film, and their evening, Sam Claflin's character climbs up onto the table and pours out the most horrific classist speech which was so unbelievably believable that I struggled to look at him without feeling a sinking in my gut for some weeks after. With the group then rallied, in one spectacular shot (yes! It was all one long shot) the cast go hell for leather and tear apart the very interior of the pub and the final push comes when the owner walks in and asks them "What gives you the right?". Needless to say the owner does not escape the wrath of these railed up children and gets beaten like a human-shaped punching bag.
I've struggled to truly capture the enthralling nature of this film but I can undoubtedly say it's the British film industry at it's best. The Riot Club draws you in with it's dreamy cast, then makes you loath each and every one of them while you deal with the morality of the film itself. There are so many questions. Were all of the club to blame? Is sitting by and letting it happen just as bad as doing it? How do people get away with this just because they have money? Are these really the people we want running our country in future? Is our university system really allowing these things to go unspoken of?
If this hasn't been enough to persuade you to run down to your nearest HMV and  pick up a copy of the DVD and then I don't know what you are looking for. The Riot Club left me, not speechless but savagely excited and morally revolted and frankly I can only quote the film and leave you with the words: Oh. My. Wow.

 

 

Maleficent

Other than Angelina Jolie's unbelievable cheekbones there seems to be very little that people know about the plot of the film Maleficent. For those of you who aren't up to scratch on your Disney history, Maleficent is the villain originally voiced by Eleanor Audley in the 1959 animated version of Sleeping Beauty.
When the announcement of this film came out I have to admit I was dubious to say the least. Maleficent has always been my favourite Disney character (yes not villain but character) and it wasn't that I doubted Angelina Jolie's ability to create a villainous persona, but that I was concerned that returning to this classic tale would somehow shatter the childlike perspective with which I viewed the film.
Moreover, Maleficent has consistently been the one Disney villain that people either never knew the name of or couldn't pronounce the name of, therefore she was fairly under appreciated. But in the first 20 minutes of the film it felt as though they were really overworking her name by slipping it in at the end of every sentence.
However the actual production of the film was truly splendid and immersive. I am not someone who frequently wowed by the CGI advancements that one film could make but Disney really went all out by linking realty and fiction to create the imagery of magic.
Where I found issues was with the script. Although brilliantly written the intermittent dialogue of the narrator was really quite aggravating but as an (almost) adult watcher I was forced to remind myself that the film was in fact designed for an audience younger and less perceptive than myself.
So all in all the film was really quite brilliant, and although I feel that Maleficent being unjustifiable evil was good enough the whole cast of the film really focused on the details and seemed to have brought to life the world that was first created back in 1959. I would say that if the Disney team can please even this old Maleficent fan then it is well worth any of you heading off to the cinema to go see it.

Angies Logs

Hello, so to start off with I really should say sorry for my utter lack of posting lately, being in my final year of school exams have taken control! However I am back and I shall try to post as frequently as possible. Now over Christmas I was sent a request through Twitter asking me to watch and review an online web-series. This was something new to me and I was very excited to see what it was like.
Initially I was unsure what was happening or even what exactly it was that I was watching however within the space of the 2 and a half minute first episode I was hooked. The concept is short and sweet a young girl and her fluffy bear witness the first signs of an alien invasion. The second episode was equally as short but arguably doubly effective, young Angie has not (as with every great truth teller) been believed when telling her parents of the impending invasion. So she sneaks out to get a closer look and well the rest? You'll have to watch and see....
I think what is so promising about the future of this web-series is not only the brilliant graphics and catchy titles but particularly the marvellous wit that is written into the script and the consuming voice of the 8 year old Angie, so please if you have a spare three minutes just check out this link, you never know you might just enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/user/theinvaderswebseries/feed

With the promise of improving to five!

 

Cherrybomb

Now I know this film has been out since 2009 but its really worth a watch because I can guarantee 9/10 of you will appreciate it. With a cast of brilliant British actors who I predict will be seeing a lot more of soon and (to quote a Wikipedia warning) nudity, drinking, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars, Cherrybomb is an edgy film for older teens.
I loved being immersed in every level of the main characters, peeling back the layers on there what looked like ordinary life to see a bigger picture. Rupert Grint played your standard teenager with a loving family, a crush and a wildcard friend leading him astray. This seemingly predictable rogue chum was portrayed heart-wrenchingly by Robert Sheehan and dealt with tough family issues and constant drug use and really made the viewer wonder why we (people in general) do these things to ourselves. And finally watching Kimberley Nixon battle between friends and parents and eventually giving her sleazebag Dad the finger only to be faced with the sobering consequence was really a eye opening plot twist.
But honestly if you are not up for the emotional roller-coaster that comes with this film or don't want to be subjected to the hideous costumes they put Rupert Grint in then don't bother. However if you can bare with the tracksuits and the occasional slipping Irish accent then give it a try, what's the worst it can do?

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Upon reading this book I felt a tad dubious about watching this film as I found the first few chapters a struggle to get into. Don't get me wrong the book is good and well written but until the story really gets going it's pretty much like a constant cringe waiting for Clary to see the unrequited love of her friend Simon. So while watching the film it came as a great relief that although that factor was there, it was not constantly played on.
Despite some mixed reviews I think this film was good, although it truly is another teen fantasy romance. It really does show promise of progression into something with a level of intellectual demand than a film such as Twilight (which I hate a love/hate relationship with) and contains some really quite complex and intriguing plots twists. However I think the part I found most interesting was the attention to detail on costume, set and props. everything was so well done I occasionally found myself in that space where you forget your watching a movie.
So really I urge you don't dismiss this film just because it's a teenage love triangle and you all believe Twilight wrecked that (and let me remind you SHAKESPEARE DID IT FIRST and no one thinks he over played it). I would give this film my seal of approval any day and partially because of the wonderful number of young English actor within it, so go buy that cinema ticket and take a chance.

Hick

To make up for the greatness of my lateness on posting a review this week (sorry my internet went down) I am writing a bonus review for you all.
So this week’s second film to be reviewed is slightly out of date but still a brilliant teen film. Released in 2011 and based on a book, Hick is the story of feisty country girl Luli packing her bag with a notebook, clothes and a gun and heading off for Vegas. Despite the almost all round terrible reviews after its release, watching I really felt like it was something special and maybe not a relatable lead character for many adults. Luli is so far removed from her family and has no friends that we see within the film and that is something most NORMAL teens have felt at one time or another, so packing up and heading off is very understandable to me.
When watching the story unfold I was pleased to see that so many actors within it had come into the public eye in the past two years such as Chloe Grace Moretz, who as I earlier mentioned was in Kick-ass or Eddie Redmayne who was in Les Miserables and the stunning Blake Lively who was the 'O' in the drug-related film savages in 2013.
Hick created a beautiful mix of excitement, fear and sadness watching these three young character fall apart and hurt one another, from the starting moment when Luli steps in Eddie's cars to bleak moment on his bed, it's almost as if all along you've known it was coming but hoped to God there was some saving grace. I would happily argue any day that this film was wonderful and such a film lesson for Teen's who feel distanced from the world they are in, so give it a watch and see if you relate.

 

The Lone Ranger

Despite not knowing the story of The Lone Ranger, I must say I was utterly enthralled by the shear genius of the plot line and felt a great admiration for complex jokes that only an observant audience would get. I think it shows great strength in a writer when they can trust that their viewers will have listened close enough to pick up inside jokes and these writers had strength to spare. The entirety of the film was quick quips and an odd mix of sensible slapstick comedy, which was merge brilliantly with outstanding actors.
However my main complaints with this film was the similarities to its relative film Pirates of the Caribbean which was made by the same collaborative team. Personally I felt there were moments when (excuse the pun) they pushed the boat out to far, such as when the scrawny longed hair pirate put on a stolen bonnet and walked around with a parasol which was almost identical to Mackenzie Crook in the first Pirates film (and let's face it that joke only works if your employ the same actor). I would like to voice another complaint regarding beards.....MAKE A DECISION WHETHER THEY ARE TO LOOK REALLISTIC OR BIZARRE because in Lone Ranger they were driving me insane. Honestly hair and make up people I don't care whether you choose non-naturalistic or just normal beards but for God's sake don't mix and match, although I do understand this is a personal pet peeve and I will get back on track.
Overall I think that for any teen who like a western film or even the Pirates of the Caribbean series this film is ideal with an eccentric mix of actors and great wit, it was a two hours well spent!