We Need to Talk About Kevin

Having read the book and instantly becoming a Lionel Shriver fanatic, I had high expectations. Though you must accept that there will be a few differences and many events will need to be missed out so my complaints on that aspect will not be heavy.

The beginning of the film showed a birds eye view of the tomato fight in Valencia which set the confused tone that the rest of the film continued with. This was very effective but, I thought, could be too confusing if you did not know the background of the character which is she owns a travel guide company so goes on long trips abroad. I feel that this could have been emphasised more as it caused a lot of tension between her and her husband. However, the film did make a few attempts to draw attention to this.

I understand that the time constraints of films make it impossible to involve every character, however, missing out Kevin’s loyal sidekick Lenny Pugh was a bit disappointing. Lenny allows an access to Kevin’s social awkwardness, not only at home, but in the school setting and that he is not only this way with Eva, his mother. Without Lenny, we also miss Kevin’s interaction with the police which shows his lack of respect for human life before the mass killing. I do admit I probably only miss Lenny because I knew he should have been there, so it did not distract too much.

I see why Tilda Swinton was chosen for Eva because of her angular, ‘Armenian’ looks and vacant stare. This worked incredibly well for the aftermath but maybe not great for the before. I mean as a character in her own right the film Eva was perfect and I loved her, but, comparing her to the book Eva, I think she should have a been a little more bouncy before the ‘Thursday’. However, it is unfair to compare her to the book’s Eva as she is merely based on her. Tilda did amazingly, was very convincing and her resemblance to Ezra Miller was surprising!

That now brings me on to Ezra Miller. Basically, he was brilliant. He was creepy yet not detached from an average teenage boy therefore bringing the event closer to home. He looked just how he was meant to be, dressed just how he was meant to dress and was just as sadistic as was expected. However, the contrast between fiendish, plotting Kevin and scared, defenceless Kevin at the end was excellently portrayed by Ezra Miller and I give him credit for doing such an amazing job.

One things that I thought really added to the creepy feel of the film was the use of food. None of the food looked appetising. Kevin’s playing with it and general distaste for it spread to the audience. Though it made me feel uncomfortable, it made me uncomfortable in a good way, in a way that worked for the film.

Though I obviously prefer the book, the film was amazing in its own right and you need to watch it. And you need to read the book! This one is definitely very juicy.

Picture from: http://redmistreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/We-Need-To-Talk-About-Kevin-Poster-1.jpg

Real Steel

Hugh Jackman being one of my favourite actors, I had to see Real Steel. I was sceptical, to say the least, about a near-future setting where fighting robots were a source of mass entertainment. However, it was executed surprisingly well. Director Shawn Levy’s decision to portray the future’s landscape as the same (or even more eco-friendly) as it is now was refreshing as it set a friendly tone. Therefore, the separation between legal and ‘underground’ robot fighting was even more noticeable. Levy’s decision to have a different setting than expected was what made Real Steel different from every other ‘robots in the near-future’ based film.

Obviously, Hugh Jackman was amazing, but I am biased. His character wasn’t altogether likeable, however, you will end up rooting for him! It’s inevitable. As for his son, played by Dakota Goyo, he seemed almost to be trying too hard. Of course, he was cute and produced some heart felt smiles, but I just wasn’t completely taken with him. The character I really liked, surprisingly, was Jackman’s childhood friend, Bailey. Evangeline Lilly was very convincing as ‘that girl who likes boxing’ and her and Jackman’s partnership worked really well. However, my favourite member of the cast was the underdog robot, Atom. The expected rise to glory may seem clichéd but I found myself entranced and nervous in the final fight scene (though it was totally obvious what was going to happen!).

Overall, it was a surprising success and I would definitely recommend it! It was positively juicy.

Picture from: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1078443008/tt0433035

Crazy, Stupid, Love

I know I’ve neglected my blog for the past few weeks but in all fairness I’ve been rather busy. However, to make up for it you are in for a triple whammy!

Seeing as I do not feel qualified to talk about ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’, as I didn’t completely understand it, I’m going to talk about ‘Crazy, Stupid Love’. Though it is a romcom, it’s not the usual ‘couple meet but don’t initially like each other but after a while they start to fall in love (usually after a drunken night together)’. This is a romcom that is just a little bit different.

The casting was perfect. I have always been a massive fan of Steve Carell and I am glad to say that he did not disappoint. He is a perfect mixture of hilarious, awkward and absolutely pathetic! Julianne Moore worked well with Carell as a couple and Kevin Bacon was his usual creepy self. Ryan Gosling, as well as being 100% gorgeous, was, surprisingly, funny in a very unique way. Finally, the most refreshing addition to the cast was Emma Stone who fit the role very well.

What made this romcom different was that it acknowledged and unashamedly accepted the fact that it was a romcom. When Carell is left by Moore standing in the pouring rain he even exclaims ‘how cliché’. When watching this film you need to just accept what it is and, more importantly, enjoy it for what it is. Obviously, as a female, I am slightly bias toward loving the romcom and therefore was born to love this film. However, I’m not going as far to say that this was a must see by any stretch of the imagination. I am simply pointing out the positives rather than dwell on the negatives.

As well as the main story line there are many hilarious sub plots to add to the impossibility of the whole situation. What made this film for me was the way in which all of these story lines finally came together.

However, I shall leave it at that as (you may have noticed) I am not one to divulge too much. This includes the fact that I’m not a reviewer who feels the need to simply retell the story line. I will just say that if you have a chance to watch it then do! This one isn’t quite juicy but with a few tweaks would have been there.

Picture from: http://thedowntownbrownie.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/crazy-stupid-love1.jpg