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Film Review - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Last Friday, The Hobbit saw it's final outing in the form of The Battle of the Five Armies (which I will affectionately shorten to "Five Armies" for obvious reasons). It's been touted as "the defining chapter" and sees Peter Jackson's 6-films-2-trilogies-Many-hours saga finally come to a close; my Hobbit reviews have become an annual thing so I'm sad this will be my last one. Amazingly, the film is the shortest of them all, and picked up where Desolation of Smaug finished, with Smaug wreaking havoc across Laketown. How does it fare compared to the other 5? Did they save the best for last? Was it worth splitting one children's book into 3 epic length films? Keep reading - or stop reading if you haven't already seen it.

After a spontaneous cinema trip on Sunday, I've since had time to digest all 141 minutes. (Bear in mind I've never read Tolkein's The Hobbit, too.) There's much to digest and think about. The Hobbit is the closing chapter, with the character Thorin Oakenshield (a brilliant Richard Armitage) risking war thanks to his growing greed. He begins to go crazy searching for the Arkenstone - so much so that you half-expect him to start growling, "my precioussss". Pair this with a surprisingly sensible burglar hobbit, and you get some very sincere cinematic scenes.

As promised, you also get battles. From five armies, to be exact. Everyone's fighting over the riches under the mountain, and the spectacular battle scenes between dwarf/elf/man and orc offer something we didn't get to see in the first two Hobbit films. You're treated to more kiwi-Middle Earth stunning scenery and moments of humour, and of love. The Legolas-Tauriel-Kili triangle made me cringe at times, and I'm still not sure what die-hard Tolkein fans will make of this (and two characters) being completely invented for the films but it does add that extra element to the film. These films are all about the numerous stories intertwining seamlessly, and to be fair, Five Armies does do it well.

What is particularly great for Lord of the Rings fans is the sneak peek into Jackson filling the gaps and setting the scene for Fellowship of the Ring. How does Legolas meet Aragorn? Why is Galadriel in the woods? What happened to Saruman? There are special moments to make your inner fangirl/boy want to watch the original trilogy all over again. (I have the movies ready on a NowTV tab as I type...)

You get the action, you get closure, and you get a beautifully-told story along the way. However, Five Armies is not perfect. I had several problems with the script, which I tried ignoring until I burst out in a fit of giggles at a scene that was definitely not designed for laughter. I also found that I still had no clue who half the dwarves were, and that the character development was nowhere near the level in LOTR. The actual storyline is less memorable than previous films, but I wonder if this goes back to the fact that The Hobbit has been split into three and not two, or even one. (One seems out of the question unless you want to watch a 6 hour film, however two is a valid argument...)

However, despite all this, Jackson still presents a good, satisfying film and end to a good trilogy. It was an entertaining film, and I personally don't think any other director would have accomplished such a fine job. I also disagree with the friend I went to see it with whose first response was "that was...rubbish" (sorry Josh!). The general consensus and "room for improvement" feedback I've heard so far goes back to the actual plot of Tolkein's The Hobbit, and in some cases, lack of plot. But there's no point debating whether or not it should have been a duology and not a trilogy. Whether we like it or not, we have three films - all to a high standard. I for one can't complain about that!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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Sam Smith - Gig Review

in the lonely hour

The past 24 months have been very good to Sam Smith. After shooting onto the music scene with Latch (with Disclosure) and Naughty Boy's La La La, he has since gone on to become our favourite British male singer-songwriter with an insanely smoooooth voice. Like silk and honey and velvet and kittens and other nice things we can compare his voice to. I went along to his London gig at the Eventim Apollo earlier this month (shout-out to Paul who is cool and bought tickets long before "OMG I lurve Sam Smith!" became a thing.) and it was mesmerising.

First up was American singer Tori Kelly as the support act who delivered her entire set by herself with a guitar. She has a crazy range and is definitely one of my ones-to-watch in the near future. (Dare I say she reminded me of an early Taylor Swift. Boy I'm starting to sound a bit like Louis Walsh on X Factor.) You might not have heard of Tori yet, but she first made her name on YouTube and has featured on Professor Green's Lullaby. Her voice sounds pure and distinctive with hair-raising potential - watch this space.

Not long after, the audience (mostly comprised of screaming girls and a few parents who seemed pretty chuffed to be there too) started screaming which could only mean Sam Smith had taken to the stage - he did it in style with a cloud of smoke. The staging was relatively simple, with the band on tiered levels behind him, and bright lights changing colours throughout the evening. No wild dancers, weird special effects or props - so "Sam Smith". This meant you could comfortably enjoy the vocal spectacle from even the very back of the room. No pushing and shoving to get to the front, and no mad dad dancing (which I surprisingly experienced at a Nick Mulvey concert not long ago). All in all, a superb start.

Sam hit the high notes flawlessly and effortlessly whilst sharing a few personal anecdotes along the way (Make It To Me is a love letter to his future love). Seeing as he's a storyteller through the songs he writes, it was definitely a nice window into his world and the sometimes heartbreaking inspiration behind his songs.

Pretty much all the album tracks were covered, including a stripped down Latch and very warmly-received Money On My Mind. Soul vibes and bluesy chords - thanks to the band -packed a very big punch, and by the last ten minutes I was wishing Sam was my best friend so he could sing to me all the time. The emotion and raw power in his voice is undeniable. I won't draw any Adele comparisons, but I will say that Sam is an artist where his voice is the only thing needed to do the talking. Finally, the big finale was an incredible Stay With Me - complete with phone light swaying and all.

Considering Sam Smith is a Big Deal and one of Britain's greatest musical exports, I wouldn't be surprised if he soon embarks on an arena tour. The Apollo is a large-ish venue, but the intimacy of the songs and the way he performed them meant that we all shared in a personal retelling of his stories. His vocals are more impressive live than on the album - which is an impressive feat in itself. Sam Smith, thank you for a lovely evening.

Monday, November 24, 2014
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Film Premiere and Review - Interstellar

anne hathaway

Interstellar. I'm really not quite sure how to begin. Christopher Nolan's latest effort took 169 minutes to blow my mind, minute by minute. Never before has my brain been so challenged from the comfort of my cinema seat (yup, even more so than Inception and Shutter Island). But it is, by far, the most epic film I have seen in a long time.

I attended the European Premiere of Interstellar at the BFI IMAX, which meant rubbing shoulders with Stephen Hawking. There was also a very impressive model of the featured spaceship. Walking through the doors, I didn't know what to expect. I avoided reading detailed reviews beforehand but knew three things:

It happens in space
It's a long film
Ratings are currently through the roof (9.5 on IMDB as I write this)

So, off to a good start! (Before you really start, however, do not read on if you know you want to watch Interstellar with blank expectations.)

It's easiest to introduce the characters first. Matthew McConaughey gives a stellar performance as Cooper, a father who's thrown in the deep end when he has a tough decision to make (understatement of the century) between leaving behind his two children, and attempting to save the world quite literally. He's an explorer deep down but a father too, and that's where the emotion begins to fill the core of the film. I've noticed other reviewers have commented heavily on the familial element, and for me, Matthew does a fantastic job of carrying it. Another key character is Murph (named after Murphy's law; you'll see the relevance), the smart daughter who is much more than the cute onscreen token child (played by the highly capable Mackenzie Foy and later Jessica Chastain). The rest of the ensemble cast are utterly convincing, with a few surprise cameos and familiar Nolan Faces such as Michael Caine (well we couldn't have one without him!?) and Anne Hathaway, whose character is cool albeit slightly annoying.

The film takes place in a kind-of-dystopian planet Earth, though not too far in the future. In a world that resembles the inhabitable environment of Wall-E, we find NASA's final attempt at locating another home for the human race by using a wormhole. So it goes from natural disaster film to space epic. With the characters' stories on Earth running in tense parallel. The thing that differs is that it's not a fantasy space film like Star Wars - it's meant to be our world as we know it (kind of), and it invites you to use all the logic in your brain. The wormhole can connect widely separated regions of spacetime. Enter all the sciencey stuff...

For someone who is not the most scientific of the bunch - even if I do have an A* in GCSE Physics - concepts are explained so don't panic. With paper diagrams too, no less. The film explores relativity of time; add that to the family complex and you've got a desperate race against time. But not just any "time" - it's the kind where my inner Doctor Who fan says "timey wimey stuff" at me until I pretend to understand. But you've definitely got enough time to get your head around it! Interstellar was made with Kip Thorne, a theoretical physicist acting as scientific advisor. Sure, there are moments where I thought, "really!?" but there's enough to make you accept things as they are and accept new "knowledge" as they discover it.

The film is thought-provoking and ambitious. Original. Personal. Bold and visually stunning. The script is subtle and it slips in little snippets of humour but you learn to appreciate it's not there to make you laugh. Granted, I cried a bit/a lot, but that's another story. It's grand, too. Another universe? No problem. The CGI is splendid and seamless, and some of the space views remind you of last year's Gravity, and then some. The spine-tingling music, juxtaposed with shock silence, was a success thanks to Hans Zimmer (who else did you expect?). Basically, it's not really rocket science to gather that I was more than impressed by the film. And of course, it's a Christopher Nolan film so you can expect that things aren't always straightforward; he's the master of the unexpected and I absolutely will not go into further detail. Watch. The. Film.

Like Inception, it's a film you have to watch from start to finish to fully understand what on earth's going on - if you pardon the pun. For me, what made it what it was, were the intelligent spacetime elements combined with an ultimately simple but heartfelt story - a father separated from his family. Sure, the script isn't perfect, and it's a tad cheesy and there may or may not be scientific objections, but it's fiction. Nolan and co. grab you in from the start and don't let go until long after the film when you've analysed it and reanalysed it over and over again.

The bottom line is: watch it.

(It's out of this world. Too far?)

Thursday, October 30, 2014
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Greek Adventures: Photos from Crete

crete

Saturday, October 11, 2014
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Film Premiere and Review - What We Did On Our Holiday

ben miller

What We Did On Our Holiday was billed as British comedy at its best, and I watched this creation from the Outnumbered creators with high expectations. What We Did... definitely did not disappoint. Why? Well, let's dig in.

I attended the world premiere in Leicester Square, and sharing the cinema screen with screen legends like Billy Connolly and Clive Anderson was a bit daunting to begin with. My inner fangirl will tell you that me and David Tennant shared many a moment of lingering eye contact (he was my childhood crush after all), but in reality it was more awkward eye contact with the now-very-tall Daniel Roche, aka Ben from Outnumbered, and accidentally obstructing Ben Miller on the red carpet. Inside the cinema, it was great having a full cinema of laughter (the unashamed laughter of screen greats and screen enthusiasts like myself!)

as it is a very, very, very funny film.

Laughter is not all you can expect, however. I am very cautious not to give away too much about What We Did..., for reasons you will surely find out upon watching the film yourself. It follows the story of Doug and Abi McLeod and their three children travelling to the beautiful Scottish Highlands. The story of a dysfunctional family is explored within the first five minutes of screen time and as time goes on, you discover more and more secrets and lies and troubles and rivalries that many families may be able to identify with. Yes, there are clever quips and hilarious scenes which will make you cry (yes, cry) with laughter, but there's also a lot of serious issues. The underlying theme, I found, is the questioning of the idea that 'grown-ups' are the sensible ones and the kids are the silly ones. What if the roles were reversed? What if it all changes with a holiday?

David Tennant and Rosamund Pike do a great job as the parents - the woman of the moment is definitely Pike, who is making headlines with her upcoming performance in Gone Girl. Billy Connolly is also hilarious as the kooky grandfather with his inner child and the cheeky spark in his eye. Ben Miller and Celia Imrie play their characters well; look out for a particular YouTube viral moment courtesy of Imrie... However, many critics will agree that the stars of the show are the kids, who reminded me so strongly of young Karen from Outnumbered. (Speaking of whom, a very grown-up looking Ramona Marquez was in my row sporting a funky black and blonde hair-do. I digress...) Although they are slightly, dare I say it, annoying at times, they are truly great performers with a raw honesty you simply cannot find with all child actors.

What We Did... is not only clever in script, but also in the way it deals with everything it deals with. Sure, it is definitely not perfect and I still struggle to sum up the "gist" of the film, and there are many elements that would make strong TV and therefore feels somewhat experimental in a 90-odd minute film...but it could not possibly take away from the fact that it was a very enjoyable film. It's crazy and insane and a brainturner (if that is a word), and predictable at times. Yet it still manages to deal with real family issues in a different way which will make you simultaneously chuckle whilst internally yelling "what on earth!?". Things are frank and surprisingly dark, but then again, life is frank. Families are not perfect - even if David Tennant is your father. I mentioned at the start that it has been billed as a comedy, but it also has many elements of a drama. It'll make you think, rethink, laugh, cry, cry of laughter and every bizarre emotion inbetween. Which makes it kinda great, if you think about it.

A few snaps from the premiere...