The Hunger Games Trilogy: Catching Fire

Recently released, and ridiculously well reviewed, the film sequel to Suzanne Collin's dystopian teen novel 'The Hunger Games' came bursting onto our screens in a violent flash of black, gold and orange, in the explosive new 'Catching Fire'. 

Given the unquestionable success of it's predecessor, 'Catching Fire' had so much to live up to; and so many high expectations to fulfill. It needed to be brilliant, and brutal; heartbreaking and horrifying, electric and ecstatic...and it was. 

From the very first scene you are thrown straight back into the lives of District 12 as if you'd never left, and far from being a slow burner, it draws you in almost instantly to Katniss' present; a very different Katniss from the one we left behind. Traumatized, she's both opened and closed herself off. She fears her bow, and herself, but is a much more vulnerable and co-dependent character now, unashamed of her emotions in front of her family, struggling to keep up the pretense in front of the cameras of the Capitol. Jennifer Lawrence plays a stunning portrayal of this, giving Katniss such a real feeling, a non-fictional touch, that it makes her story even more absorbing and touching, in the melting and hardening of her heart. Props in particular go to her performance in the scenes from District 11; in the breathtaking deliverance of the universe she is now nailed to, and the battle she goes through to keep herself alive within it. 

Her co-stars, as well, should be applauded, as both boys, Josh Hutcherson, (Peeta), and Liam Hemsworth (Gale), play such gritty, emotional roles so beautifully, whether it be in Gale's torture, and his anger, or in Peeta's pain, and the gentleness he uncovers from it. A spotlight really is shone on this particular aspect of Peeta, as whilst Katniss may draw a few stolen kisses from Gale, it is easy to see these are kisses of home and of District 12, where kisses are good enough to answer unanswerable questions, it is Peeta who takes both, who takes the kisses as false, and pulls the words of everywhere out from inside her hardened soul. Hutcherson is given an incredibly endearing role in this, and whilst this may characterization was a little sickly-sweet in 'The Hunger Games', it is almost as if we are seeing it through Katniss' eyes, in that she too found it overwhelming and irritating, this endless goodness, but now, against the background of anger and fear, it's the only thing holding her together. 

A slight problem I did find, in the adaptation, was the notable under-use of the supporting characters. Whilst this is understandable, given that so much of the film was dependent on the relationship of the three main icons, it was a little disappointing that such ingenious characters, like Beetee and Wiress, were given such little screentime, and such shallow characterization. From reading the books, obviously, we appreciate their importance within the story, but for a movie-only viewer, they're portrayed a little useless, really. This is also true of Finnick, and Mags, as their back stories, which are so crucial to the audience's understanding of them as characters is significantly lacking, meaning we get quite a distorted view of them, and could prompt a slight dis attachment from them in comparison to the love of other characters. This could all, of course, be an intelligent symbolic move on behalf of the screen-writers, in the parallels between the context of the book, in that the horrific truth of the games is trivialized compared to the love story, and the publication of the film, where fans care more about the Gale-Katniss-Peeta love triangle than the struggles of the Arena, and the rebellions of the Districts. 

However, one of my ultimate favourite things about this film would have to be it's cinematic glory. Whether it's watched in a cinema, on a tablet, TV or laptop, it is impossible to miss the absolute beauty, and color of the scenes in the movie. From the Mockingjay dress, and the howler monkey cove, to the lightening tree, and the snow covered District 12, every image is breathtaking, and it's almost impossible to take in everything all at once. And, without giving away any spoilers, the grand finale is possible one of the most stunning cinematic shots I have ever seen, in any film ever. 

In it's casting, it's costume, it's cinematography and, most importantly, in it's relation to the books (10 out of 10 for that), 'Catching Fire' is jaw-droppingly good, and no matter who you ship, who you hate, who you love, and who you root for, you will not be disappointed.  

Doctor Who: Day of the Doctor

The Day of the Doctor. The 50th anniversary of the longest running science-fiction television show in history.
This is an episode fans have been waiting for 50 long years to see; the culmination of 13 doctors, 2 re-births, 1200 years, 11 TARDIS', 77,0000 viewers, one star-dipped cast; all building up to the single greatest episode in BBC's long history.
And it was ok.
The episode starts in a typical fashion, with 11 and Clara reuniting to answer a summons from an important historical figure and travelling off across the universe to find out what they want. And then we're introduced to the War Doctor. And then Rose comes back. And then Queen Elizabeth I comes out of the TARDIS riding on the back of a horse with the Tenth Doctor. And then a big timey-wimey hole opens up in the middle of the universe and they all somehow fall into an unpredicted Zygon take-over in the middle of sixteenth century Tudor England.
Story wise, yes, it was good. And it was, by far, one of the most entertaining and exciting episodes of Doctor Who to date. But it didn't make sense. Essentially, the premise of the episode is that the supposed 'War Doctor' is in fact the eighth Doctor, played by the legendary John Hurt, on the eve of committing one of the worst crimes in science-fiction history: the genocide of his own people. So, in an 'Ebeneezer Scrooge'-style twist, he is sent forwards in time to experience the consequences of his decision by none other than the interface of the killing machine itself; in the form of old companion, Rose Tyler.
And this is where it gets confusing. A great deal of the episode is centered around the interaction of the three Doctors, (Hurt, Tennant and Smith) and the glorious things they achieve together, using the memories and calculations of their previous incarnations, and whilst this is an incredibly clever idea, it does have it's major flaws. Now, as a beloved fan of the Rose/Ten companionship, I, and many other fans with me, were sincerely disappointed that, in having lost and found each other and lost each other again so many times, in this one final episode, they did not interact once. In fact, the episode goes so far as to put them in the same room, up against the same wall, and yet he cannot see her, speak to her, or even become aware of her existence beside him, due to the fact that she is, essentially, inside the War Doctor's mind. But yet, considering this, and considering the fact that both Ten and Eleven can vividly remember meeting their previous selves in this meeting, and can remember being taken to see themselves on the eve of this decision, it would surely suggest that they remember a Rose-shaped interface being the one to take them there as well? No? And even when Hurt exclaims 'Thank you Bad Wolf Girl!' and reveals her existence to the two Doctors, we are only a given a brief  'did you just say Bad Wolf Girl?' from Ten, which is then ignored without explanation. So again, whilst an intelligent idea, perhaps a little too advanced to be 100% plot-hole proof.
On top of this, we had the use of Queen Elizabeth I, played by Gavin and Stacey star, Joanna Page, whose role, whilst witty and well cast, unfortunately retained the standard characterization method used by all royally-written characters of Doctor Who (see Queen Victoria, Liz, and countless other's, all of whom have fallen victim to the lazy writing of Steven Moffat).
And finally, the feel of the episode. Whilst this may just be my personal take on the series, I just feel, in general, that Doctor Who has lost so much of it's original allure, and the sacrality it boasted in the first few series, under the writing of fan favourite, Russell T Davies. It's gotten too confusing, too complicated, and to go into it having missed only one episode the week before you could wind up finding half of the history dug up, wiped out and re-written by the egotistical authors who think it's 'time for a new approach to the show'.
The role of the Doctor used to be a beautiful thing. It used to be what children grew up aspiring to be. 'The Doctor' was the height of acting standard. It was the most commemorated casting in television.
And now... so what? People don't care anymore. No one knows what's happening, who's playing who, who lived and who died, who the companion is, which aliens to love and to hate. In today's TV land, people care more about who dropped an egg in The Great British Bake Off than who the Twelfth Doctor's going to be.
So, in conclusion, whilst it was nice to see some of the old favourites return, from David Tenant to Tom Baker, overall, both the episode, and the series, have lost their magic, and it's going to take something big to bring it back.

Paper Towns (John Green)

Having heard nothing but endlessly mixed reviews of John Green's second Best-Seller novel, Paper Towns, and of course, having read two of his other novels, I went into this book with an open mind, if erring slightly on the side of caution.
However, having just finished the book, I came out of it again understanding perfectly why the reviews were so mixed. To start with, we are introduced to main characters Q and Margo through a flashback into their childhood together, and the stilted memory of finding the corpse of a suicide victim in their local park. But far from traumatizing the 9 year old protagonists, it seems only to spark an unhealthy obsession in the drama of mystery in quirky, flighty Margo, and becomes nothing more than a recreational memory in child of a therapist Quentin. The next time we meet them, however, things are a little bit different.
Now, one of my favourite elements in this book would have to be the timeline of Q's life, in the months leading up to his High School graduation. For me personally, being in my final year of school, a lot of his thoughts and feelings about the sudden changes in his life are expressed perfectly, and his journey throughout the plot is deeply relatable. A line in particular which really struck an emotional chord with me personally as the expression that Q could 'feel my lungs were drowning in perverse nostalgia', as speaking from experience, leaving a place, any place, feels exactly like this.
Another admirable element to the book would be the side characters, in Q's best friends, Ben and Radar, simply for their actual realism as people. Unlike so many of John Green's characters, neither of these boys are particularly philosophical, or emotionally ponderous in the majority of their outbursts, and actually have normal, non-analytical conversations about innuendos and video games. They feel a lot like real people thrown into an extremist fictional story, which makes their role in the book even more significant. In a view of the book as a whole, the moral behind it would be, essentially, to fight against the addiction of fictional creations; to keep reality around you, and to shake your head at the romanticism of loss. Ben and Radar understand this perfectly. They are very much characters of the real world, where life goes on, and people come and go, Q, on the other hand, is not.
The two central characters here, are very, very John Green. What I mean by this is that the, albeit beautifully written and emotionally charged, protagonists seem to have fallen into the unfortunate trappings of unoriginal parallels with their fictional siblings. For example, Q, in Paper Towns, is a simple, mentally stable and slightly nerdy and unpopular, normal teenage boy; whilst love interest Margo is less so, being adorably unhinged and kooky, as well as clever and thoughtful, overflowing with weird little habits and quirks which no boy can possibly resist. Unfortunately, these descriptions could also be that of, let's say, Will Grayson and Jane from 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson', or perhaps Pudge and Alaska from 'Looking for Alaska'. The three books could arguably be read as a set, each with a similar ending, and each with a distinct lack of the originality famed in Green's latest book 'The Fault in Our Stars'. Hazel and Augustus seem to have taken a different path to their predecessors, in that their personalities are equally balanced, and it is in fact their bodies, and lives which serve as their character flaws, and it is perhaps that which makes TFIOS so popular in comparison to the rest.
To sum up; don't disregard this book. Don't read it looking for the worlds most original love story. But don't brush aside as the least, either. Read it alone. Read the first two, and wait a while. Read it first, and then read the other two. In my opinion, it is neither better, nor worse, nor more interesting, nor less so than the other famed Green novels, but nether the less, this does not, in any shape, form or fashion, stop it from being a damned good read.

Sky One's Dracula: Episode 1

Based on the age-old story of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', and promising a sparkling, elegant new take on the novel, Sky One's Dracula slinks onto screen in a crawl of poor casting, lazy setting and dull storylines.

The episode starts with the umpteenth resurrection of the long drained Count Dracula, throwing us straight in at the deep end, blood, guts and more; taking the gnarled, dry bones of the character, and of the novel, and fleshing them out into Johnathon Rhys Myers' cool and concise interpretation, the reinvented promise of things to come. Myers is predictably seductive in this, draping himself across luxurious ballrooms and bustiers, dragging his teeth from neck to neck, and showing us the extravagance of his acting, in all its rich depth and flavour. In the vampiric sense, think less Edward Cullen here; more Interview with the Vampire's Lestat; cool yet clumsy in his emotion. There are wobbles and jolts in Dracula's character; he is most definetly not the stone wall of a man we'd come to expect from a man of Myers portrayal, making him one of the more complex characters of the episode. 

Myers' supporting cast, however, don't quite have the sleek seduction as their leading man; Jonathon Harker is played sweetly and prudish enough to match his handwritten self, intelligent and innocent Mina is clear straight from the start, yet Katie McGrath's character of Lucy was a rather disappointing watch, in all honesty. Whilst I am a steadfast fan of McGrath's work, her portrayals of characters, whether they be ancient sorceress' hiding out in Camelot's dirtiest hovels, or high society wannabes; they appears to be no clear definition between these roles, and it's awkwardly easy to pick up on the same character traits, voices and motives in almost all of them, making it a slightly predictable and under-complicated watch. Even the character of Lucy seems to have been taken a little too far; without actually reading the book, you could assume Lucy was flirty, and impure in her actions regarding her suitors, and this seems to have been the line taken and run with by the writers, creating a completely fictional persona for the once apologetic and genuinely respectful original female character. It seems disloyal to Stoker's work to impose this characterisation upon the girl, as well as lazily cast, in giving McGrath such a typical role. 

Another fault found would've been the setting and geography of the episode; confusing in it's attempted English-isms. Dracula appears to be the only 'American' character within the show, walking amongst the smoky, cobbled streets of Victorian England, yet almost everything else feels strangely American as well. It appears to be an England trying too hard to be English, yet still retaining that Sky One USA feel to it. It's definetly lacking the polish and finesse of a BBC production.

Even the storyline lacked interest. Given that the book focuses so heavily on the storylines of Lucy, Mina and Jonathon, it was disappointing that they played such unimportant roles here; with Dracula's tedious fuel with a rival electricity company taking center stage in what should've been the ultimate vampire seduction. It could've been the plotline of an old age sitcom, and still would've made sense. 

Honestly, however, I was not expecting better. I may be hideously biased in my criticisms of the American production here, being brought up on the slick-shot BBC dramas of the time, but in my experience, Sky's Dracula could be lost in a blur of poorly shot, and failed horror dramas, to no great loss or devastation. 

Bad Teacher (2011)

School of Rock meets Bad Education, it's the rom-com-school-flick-raucously inappropriate not-quite-family movie of the century. Following the absolutely horrible, and completely brilliant Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz), leaving and returning to the school she hates to teach for one more year after her relationship *cough* gold-digging plan *cough* breaks down, as she's forced to resort to desperate measures in the chance of getting some brand new boobs, and hopefully, a brand new moneybags, I mean, man in the process.

Whilst, much like School of Rock, so much of the attention is based on the terrible teaching skills, but unlike School of Rock, there really isn't that much focus on the children. There's the generic spoiled brat, emotional love-struck sweetheart, the nerdy one, the chubby one...very much the typical format, but luckily this didn't actually impact on the film at all. They almost managed to avoid something which is personal hatred of mine, and include too young children in too adult jokes. It doesn't work; it's uncomfortable, and you can almost hear the audience wondering in their head if the child actually understands the joke they're awkwardly blurting out, yet this was artfully dodged, for which I am grateful. 

The supporting characters were, at best,...complex. There's no one defining characteristic for any of them, and many of them change their personality during the course of the film, but in the deeper, philosophical terms, this mirrors much of our real personalities (ever changing and developing), so can, of course be forgiven. Timberlake plays an interesting role here, in that he's both lovable, and incredibly annoying, and from the trailer, we're given the impression that it's his looks which draw Diaz to him, yet she generally seems rather tee-d off with him for most of the film, and it's a little difficult trying to understand what her motives are for targeting him. Another muddled personality type belongs to that of Jason Segel's character, gym teacher Russell, who despite first trying out for the role of geeky and obsessed with the hot new teacher, *think Mr Church and Miss Postern from Big School, Brits* somewhere in the middle becomes a man almost as bad as our grungy protagonist and starts pulling out the mockery and marijuana out from the depths of his gym bag. 

The ladies of the cast seem to have managed to side-step this problem, grilling themselves to stick to the individual roles of psychotic and zany red head 'Miss Squirrel', the obvious antagonist of the film; though from a moral point of view, she really should've been the hero here; and anxious, lonely and desperately trying to make friends with the cool girl, 'Lynn'. Other side characters include '17 Again' and 'I Love You, Man' star Thomas Lennon, and 'iCarly' teen-star Noah Munck. 

The humour in this film, whilst not the most sophisticated, is actually very well done, and there are so many scenes where you have to sit back and just think over again the genius you've just watched. For a woman of so little ambition, Elizabeth is a fountain of undiscovered cunning, and is, predictably, the smartest of the lot of them. Her language is absolutely terrible, but it's so fitting for the character you barely even notice it, though it may not be something you watch with the kids. 

Overall, it's a funny and easy watch, with no errors too large it becomes unbearable, and no heroics too big it replaces the legends. 8 out 10.

'Insidious: Chapter 2'

Released only weeks ago, Insidious 2 has become such a grossly talked about film, with such mixed reviews, it seemed almost criminal not to go and see the sequel of one of the few horror films that actually had me shaking. And generally, I was disappointed.
The story itself picks up just 12 hours after the finale of it's prequel, with the tired and traumatised housewife Renai sat in a police holding cell, trying to explain the unexplainable feats of the nights before, and how there came to be a stone cold dead woman sat in the middle of her living room floor. The family, not living with Josh's mother, spend the first third of the film trying to return to normal before discovering that normality is an unattainable concept, especially with the very same demon returning for their families, in a head-shakingly predictable new vessel.
Overall, the story line is good. The ghoulish villains have an intriguing back story,  the jump scares were rolling in by the plenty, there was a not-quite-shocking-but-still-quite-surprising twist thrown in halfway through, and from beginning to middle, I was interested. Yet, from middle to end, I simply lost focus. The story from that point on became too scattered, too predictable and too plagiarised, it felt like any old horror film; falling chandeliers, spooky, dusty houses, slamming doors and lazy writing. The conclusion to the story was unpleasantly poor as well, seemingly summing up years of trauma in a few short scenes, none of which were performed to any great acting standard, I might add.
The cast itself is reasonably resonant, with the same characters, plus one, resuming pretty much the same roles as in the previous film. Worried wife Renai (Rose Byrne), frustrated father Josh (Patrick Wilson), kindly spiritualist, nerdy ghost busters and children who kick ghostly-butt and whisper creepy warnings through their baby monitors. The new addition to the cast, Carl, played by 'The Hunger Games' Steve Coulter, takes the form of an old friend of the recently deceased Elise, effectively takes the place of resident spiritual contactor, yet actually has a very two dimensional personality in contrast to some of the other characters; far too many of whom had so much screen time, yet spent so little of it actually acting. Another character whose time on screen should've been increased ever so slightly would've been the ghostly demon itself, who, whilst having it's marginally disturbing private and personal life explained away, doesn't really do that much ghostly murdering. Yes, the grim looking 'mother of death' does make a couple of chairs flap about, and whilst she does strum out some terrible piano chords once in a while, she does a surprisingly small amount of damage in the 'real world', and serves only a marginally larger purpose in the 'spirit world'.
One of the complaints I had of the last film was, to be blunt, the flinch-worthy and horribly hammy special effects concluding the second half, yet these appeared to have kept to a minimum in 'Chapter 2', for which I was incredibly grateful. The actual 'scary' moments of the film... well, yes, they were scary, but it was a rather short-fused fear, and were slightly disjointed in comparison to the rest of the film, in all it's dry stretch. I also found that, in comparison to the drawn-out tension of the previous film, the directors decided to drop in some lighter moments of comic relief, typically in the characters of Specs and Tucker; yet these moments were so awkwardly punctuated, stuck in between scenes which might've been scary, or emotional, it just felt unpolished and badly edited. If you're looking for a film to make you jump out of your seat, a real white-knuckle horror...this is really not going to be that film.

'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs' (2009)

As the long awaited sequel rapidly approaches I felt it was finally time to sit down and watch animated foodie film 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs', in all it's moreish and meaty goodness. And I absolutely loved it.
The story starts with adorable young Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) a wide eyed dreamer from the grey and grungy town of Swallow Falls (located under the A in Atlantic on the map) who has spent his life trying to invent a contraption to make life just that little bit better; whether it be spray on shoes, monkey translators or even a machine to change condensed water into food...with the latter causing all the problems. With his town falling into a sardine-filled depression, and his father trying to pigeon hole him into work at his tackle shop, Flint realises that both he and his village desperately need some excitement, need something to change and fast to keep them all moving, and so invents the 'FLDSMDFR'. But, as with every invention walking its way out of Flint's underground lab...there's always one major flaw in his underappreciated genius. So, when Flint tries set up his magical machine at the unveiling of the new hand-me-down sardine-based theme park, he is suddenly interrupted, and the machine flies out of control halfway through construction, destroying the park, shaming his father, and turning both the town, and pretty visiting weather girl Sam against him in a matter of minutes. However, what Flint doesn't anticipate is that when the machine shoots up into the ether...the consequences of Flint's actions begin to rain down on all of them...though perhaps not in the way that he expects.
Now, onto the analysis. This film was brilliant for three very different reasons, with the first being the absolutely perfect characterisation of all characters and cast members involved, from stunning and secretly geeky Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), interning at her local weather station in the hope of fulfilling her dreams of becoming a real reporter, to suspicious and shorts-wearing police officer Earl, voiced by none other than the incredible Mr T, with his aggressively endless commentary of love for his young son Cal. Flint himself is obviously wonderful, of course, if slightly predictable in his perpetual awkwardness and his 'underwhelming hero does good, but it goes bad, but then they fix it again' story line. Despite this, he is still a very watchable, and relatable main character.
                 However, the absolute star of this film, for me personally, would have to be the large and unobtrusive father of Flint, a bemused and long suffering man with a magnificent monobrow and the constant confusion of being a teenage parent, who can never quite say what he feels in regards to his son. With his wife having died ten years previously, comfort and encourage for his hyperactive and gangly son will usually appear in the form of fishing metaphors, which Flint has never quite caught the tail of (no pun intended), all of which make for a complex and heart-rendering between the two, something the film handles incredibly well, creating an ending which is very, very relatable for teenagers and their parents all around the world. Another favourite of mine would have to be Flint's best friend and pet monkey 'Steve' (Neil Patrick Harris), the guinea pig of the 'monkey translator headband' whose one word utterances are absolutely perfect in both the lighter and darker scenes of the film.
                The second prong of my analysis would have to be in the graphic effects of the film, in the towns slick and sheer transformation from dull and dented fishing town to tourist hot spot and foodie heaven. The visuals here are absolutely stunning, from the shining jello mansion, the cheese dip street pools, to the beautifully imagined food cloud framing the town, shimmering and glowing in a way that looks practically artistic. It makes for such an enjoyable and intriguing watch, with even the smallest of details making you gasp in awe.
And finally, my ultimate favourite element of the film; the food. As a person who has always found, with a childish sense of glee, food puns to be the absolute height of humour, the grub-related dialogue in many scenes had me howling, whilst the actual images of the food continued to make me absolutely starving as the film progressed. Tip: do not watch this film on an empty stomach. Or with an empty fridge for that matter. The entire plot of the food wars was brilliantly explained as well, leaving no gaping plot holes, and no dodgy summaries to answer the general questions of 'how' and 'why' in regards to a giant cloud of raining food.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed each and every aspect of this film, from the much appreciated low-key romance sub-plot to the lovable heroes journey through fame and back, and I literally cannot wait for the the next part! Bring it on!

Atlantis: The new Merlin?

Created by producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps, the new series of 'Atlantis' was revealed last night on BBC 1, taking the spot of legendary magical drama 'Merlin', produced by the very same men.
Essentially, in almost Alice in Wonderland-esque parallel, the premise of the programme is a young man named Jason who accidently travels to the Lost City of Atlantis in the search for his father who was lost at sea a few weeks previously. It is there that he will meet his great destiny, his friends, his love interests, and most importantly, his home, something which he'd never quite found in the 'ordinary world'.

Now, even from the summary, it is easy to see the similarities between this, and other 'off world-y' dramas, from Merlin, to Gladiator, even to Harry Potter, in his naive understanding of a world he's been thrown into, yet has a great power in this world all the same. The City of Atlantis can be likened to an early Roman city, in it's dress, it's people, it's design, and even it's monarchy, with the great King Minos dubiously ruling the people into fear and hatred, ensuring his passionate beliefs in the Gods are spread throughout his lands. And from there, it is quite obvious that Jason does not fit in quite like the others.
Unlike Harry Potter, however, our hero isn't quite the embodiment of magic and mystery, and is very much a 21st century boy in a 3rd century world. The clothes don't suit him, he's useless with a sword, and he questions every little decision or tradition made by the people, and this is possibly why he does make such a good main character. Although it takes him a shockingly short amount of time to settle into his new life as citizen of Atlantis, willingly giving up everything he had of the world he'd lived in for 18 years of his life, there is so much happening in the first episode that an hour of deep characterisation on 'but how shall I live without my mobile phone?' seems unnecessary.

It should be said that we are still told very little about Jason's character, however. We don't know if he had any friends, or a girlfriend, any family, if he went to school, back in the real world, as the only person we meet is a colleague of his father's, who helps him in his search. This is an unfortunate negative in the episode, though, of course there is still plenty of time to explore this in further episodes. Another thing hopefully to be explored in the continuation of the series is originality, as possibility the biggest downside to the writing here is it's almost plagiarized story lines and dialogue. The parallels to 'Merlin' are literally endless; both central characters arrive in the world they will spend the rest of their lives, and instantly begin causing problems. The both start brawls in the marketplace, both upset figures of authority, and both end up stumbling into the place they will soon call their new home, with an older figure to care for them, a love interest of a higher class, and a best friend to 'banter' with as they go about trying to save the world. As an avid fan of Merlin, it was almost embarrassingly easy to spot the similarities in the two, especially in the relationship between Jason and new best friend Pythagoras (yes, the triangle guy from all those coma-inducing Maths lessons you don't remember), played by Robert Emms, previously known by his work in War Horse alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Unlike Merlin and Arthur, their relationship is much less of a slow burner, and a lot more instantaneous, with Jason literally falling into Pythagoras' lap and rolling around on the floor with him for a while, before going on to risk his life for him later on in the episode. As ever, this relationship is clearly going to be the one to focus on, with the BBC sprouting yet another timeless bromance for audiences to get their teeth into, yet, they still haven't learned their lesson when it comes to love interests.

Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, is the unlucky lady this time around, taking an immediate interest in Jason when he accompanies Pythagoras to Minos' courtroom halfway through the episode. Played by Aiysha Hart, the princess is obviously beautiful, and whilst there is some mild staring between the two characters, the chemistry is sadly lacking, and the girl herself actually appeared to be just a reincarnated season 1 Morgana Pendragon, defying her parents brutality, befriending the plebs, doing good work behind the King's back, although it is yet to be seen whether she too will take the dark and deadly route, and become the enemy of her very own family.

A character who is clearly going to become a favourite of the series has to be Mark Addy, playing a version of Hercules you wouldn't typically expect, with his portly figure and perpetual drunken state, he appears to be Pythagoras' grumpy landlord, who joins the two boys on their adventures around the city. A figure of light comic relief, he fits into the dynamic of the lads well, though it'll be interesting to see if he can get his teeth into the more gritty, emotional story lines, and if his cowardice, which was predominantly comic in this episode, will cause problems for them all later on in the series.

Overall, the episode was an enjoyable watch, if slightly on the simplistic, predictable side, and the characters themselves were very well cast, my personal favourite being adorably nerdy Pythagoras, and whilst it's likely that I will watch next week, the writers are definitely going to have to step up their game to keep me hooked for the entire series.

Sliding Doors (1998)

The proper 90’s classic, Sliding Doors is the ultimate British American film of the paranormal suburbia. The story features Helen, a young woman with a cheating boyfriend and a sudden case of unemployment, on the day she misses the tube after being fired from her job. However, this film is a little different from the typical heroine downfall and romantic interest life changer; except it’s not. Technically, it’s two films. Helen’s life is split in two the second she trips down the stairs of the London Underground. In one scenario, she is intercepted by a child, and misses her designated tube, and in another she catches the doors, and takes the first tube home.

A young Gwyneth Paltrow stars as the unlucky yet wonderfully sarcastic Helen, with John Hannah as the chatty and Scottish man James, whom she meets in both lives, yet keeps in only one. Paltrow is brilliant in this, playing two parts of the same woman, two lives, two hairstyles even, and though it is done with what is arguably an incredibly dodgy half-British accent, the overall effect of Helen is fantastically done. The stretch of the acting is done well too, with even the tiniest characteristics of Helen being modified and remembered as she goes through both lives, and the changes that happen to her along the way.John Hannah is such a warm and lovable character, in this as well, creating a signature trope of wit and quirk, with the famed line ‘no one expects the Spanish inquisition’, stolen from Monty Python but used perfectly for his relationship with Helen.  Though, perhaps, even he has his secrets…   

The overall feel of the film is very easy to relax into and enjoy, yet it continues to have the twists and surprises of a well done rom-com, in the mystery of the miserable cheating boyfriend, or the journey of James’ and Helen’s developing relationship. The brilliance of the alternate universe is cleverly done too, as it rams home the message that even tiny, insignificant moments can change your life, though it’s debatable for Helen which life has changed for the worst.

In conclusion, for a film with adorable quirky British-isms and a cast of stars from before they were stars, this is a perfect weekend watch, and whilst it might not be the most thrilling or exciting of films, it’s certainly not lacking in easy humour and romance. 

Southcliffe Part 1

Well advertised on almost all Channel 4 side shows, Southcliffe has promised to be up there with the great thriller dramas, leveling up to the brilliantly popular ITV Broadchurch and Luther, and many of us went into it expecting luminous characters, heart rendering story lines and ingenuous plot devices, all of them building up the grand finale of the second part. Unfortunately, this was not delivered.

Whilst the show does boast a variety of characters, from family man and news reporter David Whitehead (Rory Kinnear), to traumatic and grieving Christopher (Joe Dempsie), returning, alongside many others from Afghanistan, and they do play their parts well, the characters themselves all seem relatively 2 dimensional and a little bland. The Afghan traumas are a little overused in TV drama productions, and many of the PTSD portrayals are unoriginal and lacking in depth. The mental health side of the show seems unrealistic as well, with nearly everyone in the village of Southcliffe having some sort of traumatic past, or mental disorder. This makes for a disappointingly depressing viewing, in the way that we are shown no elements of happiness, and the few smiles on the show are increasingly fake.

Another problem I found with the programme is that it was very difficult to pick out a solid central story line, as from the beginning the focus is on so many different people at once, and all of them having quite different lives, the village being the only thing they share. We are, at first, led to believe that the focus is to be on burdening psychotic Stephen and his dementia-ridden grandmother,which then switches to the news reporter's supposed stalking of his ex-wife and child, and then back again to Chris' grief after losing his friend to severe injuries and his privately medicated shell shock.

This, however, is not the biggest disappointment. Whilst Sean Harris, playing ex-war veteran and now psychotic carer Stephen does play a haunting and desperately in need of help man, many of his interactions with the other characters in the show are missed due to a massive case of mumbling. I personally found that so many of his lines, which must have been so carefully written out by the show's writers were impossible to understand and therefore created a lot of confusion in regards to the events happening within the plot.

Meanwhile, the premise of the show; the actual shooting of the victims in the village, is only featured at the start of the the programme, in contrast to the other character's back stories. Therefore, overall, whilst the drama had large amounts of promise, it sadly did not reach it's full potential, and we can only hope that the next part of the series will be a little more fast paced, and a little more exciting than the first.

Mulan

Released in 1998, the story of the young woman who saved her father's life, and pretty much the whole of China, Disney's Mulan is arguably the greatest animated film to come out of the woodwork in the history of the industry. 

And...here's why.

For starters, unlike so many other Disney 'princesses', Mulan isn't typically pretty. Sure, she gets dressed up, and made up, and turned into a glorified geisha, but it could be argued that it's then, and only then, that she messes up, and shows her long sleeved, sweeping skirted flaws to China's most prized matchmaker, who then foreshadows the entire film by shouting at our heroine 'you will never bring honour to your family!' But, of course, she does, and does so brilliantly, without using painted lips, big blue eyes and overly ribboned dresses in the process. This speaks volume about the film in general, as it reveals to the naive and underfed audiences that you don't need to be pretty to be a hero. She isn't unattractive by far, but she might well have been for the lack of difference it would have made. 

In fact, it may have even helped her in her own role in the film, as striding into an army base looking convincingly like a young man was, of course, crucial to the plot, so had she been coyly feminine and petite, she would've been thrown out in disgust; therefore proving that good looks won't get you everywhere, and bad looks can sometimes get you anywhere. 

The gender equality elements to the animation, as well, are specifically brilliant, as yes, it's jaw-dropping that one 16 year old woman can save China, but with three other men dressed as women as well?  And would they have been able to save China without the role of women in China at the time? No. And would Mulan have been able to save the Emperor without them? No she would not. And throughout this entire fight sequence, one song is being sung ‘I’ll make a man out of you’. 

However, ‘man’ is not used in a gender associated sense here, it’s literally used to describe someone’s changing from a male to a stronger male, as well as a change from a female to a stronger female. So we have men, dressed as women, and saving the world, and becoming stronger ‘men’ for it. 

It’s not a feminist film, it’s an equalitist film. Men and women fight well. Men can be strong dressed as women, women can be strong dressed as men. Small dragons can be as powerful as giant spirits. Women can bring pride to their families, both through marriage, and through fighting an army. Neither one is any less important than the other, they’re both just as crucial in making a good person. 

The 'love story' in Mulan is interesting as well, as arguably there are two. The love Shang feels for Mulan once he discovers who she truly is, and the love he already felt for Ping without even knowing so. With it being a Disney film, all homosexual references are, of course, satanic, but it would be ignorant to assume that Shang's feelings for Mulan only began when he discovered she was a woman. As men, the pair have a fascinating relationship, from the unequal beginnings as teacher and failing student, to mutual respect, and compassion for one another. However, this relationship is predictably cut short before it can develop further by Mulan's unveiling as a female due to an injury at her side, something which she gained saving Shang. Upon discovering this, though, Shang is furious, and is even vicious towards her, just because her sex was not the one he believed it to be. It seemed to me as though he missed the illusion of Ping more than he enjoyed the revelation of Mulan, and doesn't that just speak volumes about his characterisation as a 'straight' soldier? 

All in all, though, the love story is only a very small element to the film, with other beautifully lit characters taking center stage in the heroics. A favourite of mine, personally, would be substitute friend, parent, guardian and 'sassy' gay best friend Mushu, who as well as being the comedic spark in the film, also has his own sub-plot similar to Mulan's, one of self discovery and worth, and of simply being proud of himself for once. Another jeweled character for me would be Mulan's father, as he portrays a beautiful weary parent, as well as trying to be the man his country needed him to be, despite his crippling flaws and injuries preventing him from being so. This is a man who would willingly cast aside his life, just to make his family proud of him, and for him to gain some worth in the world, and it's easy to believe Mulan was drawing inspiration from him in her own personal quest to do the same.

To conclude, Mulan is possibly my all time favourite Disney film, and as well as having a multitude of elegant metaphors and social portrayals, it is also thoroughly enjoyable to watch, is also followed by a surprisingly good sequel: Mulan 2, making the franchise an all round success. 

Teen Wolf: Episode 1

There seems to be an unwritten rule about the pilot episodes of TV shows; in that they must all be shockingly awful, the acting grating, and the dialogue flimsy. Bad special effects and mediocre plot lines go hand in hand with what seems like the overwhelming rush to introduce every single character all at once, in the hope that at least one might be interesting enough to keep the viewers hooked, in the hope that it might get even that tiny bit better. Even the sacred BBC’s Sherlock had that one dodgy pilot episode which was never shown, but simply added onto the DVD for laughs.

Don’t get me wrong, Teen Wolf makes no exception to this rule, but on the scale of terrible pilot episodes…it wasn’t horrific. The overall concept of the show isn’t fantastic, with teenage angst and traumatic werewolf gore being two of the most overdone genres in fiction, and some of the stereotypical high school character archetypes have been rammed in, but there were some surprisingly comedic moments, with the two main characters, Scott and Stiles, lightening almost the entire episode in their unoriginal, yet unexpected humour isms.

The plot of the episode was relatively straightforward, and incredibly easy to follow, with the destination between good characters and bad being made fairly obvious from the get go, and the typically damsel in distress figure being surprisingly likeable…for now, anyway. The relationships between the characters are clearly going to be the strong point of the show, from the friendship of the boys, and the darker, twisted relationships between Scott and the werewolves. Romantic relationships seem to have been dulled a little against the general werewolf theme, but they are there nevertheless, with Scott’s romantic interest only seemingly being introduced for the purposes of the plot twist at the very end of the episode, something which is sloppy writing at best.

The technical elements to the show were also generally good, and I was pleasantly surprised by the soundtrack, with the original score being used just as fittingly as the popular tracks, both recognisable and uplifting at parts. The special effects, whilst at the start of the episode could be considered a little hammy definitely improved in time for the big transformation scene. Werewolf transformation scenes seem to be defined along a scale from ‘bad’ to, well, Twilight, however Teen Wolf seemed to take it in a different direction, using less of the fake fur, and more of the cleverly dipped camera shots to create the effect of the wolf. The camera work in the episode is, admittedly, impressive, something which perhaps sets it aside from many of the other supernatural shows, with their overly dramatic zooms, and lagging speed shots.

Overall, with any pilot, there’s room for improvement, and hopefully some character development at least, but as a whole, it wasn’t bad, and has definitely peaked my interest enough to stick around for the next episode. 

Amazing Grace

The film Amazing Grace portrayed William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffurd) as the dashing hero, and told the story of his triumph over the slave trade. Although the film was very moving and engaging, it was also very biased whilst leaving out great chunks of information. For instance, Phyllis Weakly, a former black slave who, like Olaudah Eqiano, published a book about slavery and sold it, but Weakly wasn’t even mentioned.

Money was a great issue too, but no one seemed particularly bothered that the abolition of slavery would come at a price, quite literally. It appears that Wilberforce never even considered this.

William Pitt, a former prime minister and friend of Wilberforce was included but we are told that he turned away from the project, leaving William alone.

Some facts were solid truth though e.g. Wilberforce's’ wife Barbara was a friend of her husbands’ cousin but it also portrays John Newton writing the song ‘Amazing Grace’ and his significance to the abolition of slavery.

The film may have been wrong or inaccurate in the descriptions of the slaves themselves. It scarcely mentions the rebellions aboard slave ships or the fact that Captains and Plantation owners were terrified of an attack or revolt. Perhaps the film researchers had a lot more information on Wilberforce but his supposedly solo-attempt at completing an extremely long petition was in fact composed by Thomas Clarkson, with no mention of any help from William.

Despite this Amazing Grace is a brilliant film with a lot of events based on reality. But if the audience knew nothing about the abolition, they would’ve been led to believe that the slave trade ended there and then, all thanks to William Wilberforce.

This information would be wrong. The slave trade was only abolished in England and even the British could still own slaves and put  them to work. The complete abolition was around 1838, with thanks to Wilberforce and Clarkson, Pitt, the Quakers, Newton, Granville and William Sharp, plus so many other brilliant people, making the world that little bit better.

Nanny McPhee

‘When you need me, but do not want me, I must stay. When you want me, but no longer need me, I must go’.

Set in a time period that no one’s quite sure of, and filmed in a house that would make even the tallest of bungalows weep, we start our cinematic adventure half asleep, and lulled into serenity by the soothing, dulcet tune of Colin Firth, welcoming us into the world of The Sound Of Music Gone Wrong.

This film is one of those films that takes the word ‘Juxtaposition’, considers it for a while, but eventually throws it out of the comparative window, claiming it to be far too simple. It’s got a  beautifully jaunty rhythm to it, colourful and fantastic in it’s construction, but as fairy tales go, it has to be one of the dark ones. Death surrounds the scenes like a veil, whether it be in the teapot on the chair of their father’s dead wife; or the many heart stopping and incredulous tricks performed by worryingly young and doubtedly sane siblings.

Nanny McPhee has the unique charm of taking quite a dark and twisted fairy-tale, of evil stepmothers, witches, widows and fears and layering it up with food fights, and children and fun. In particular Thomas Sangster, playing eldest Brown boy, Simon is cast into such a relatable role, as both the leader of the pack, and the one who needs the most leading. He’s the typical stubborn, moody adolescent, but he’s clever too, and he’s changeable, something which obviously inspires the other children enormously. The family dynamics are clearly the heart of the story, and it’s refreshing to see Colin Firth play such a comfortable fatherly role, taking all his Eton mannerisms and turning them into paternal flaws, and faults.

Emma Thomas starring as title character Nanny McPhee is interesting choice, but nether less a good one. Nanny McPhee as a role is terrifying, and brilliant and so heartbreakingly melancholy that it takes you until the end of the film to realise who the story was actually about. It’s easy to become absorbed in the humour and the comfort of the happy family ending, but in the end, it’s her story really. It’s Nanny McPhee showing us her finest work. We see this children well mannered and well behaved, and know that that is how she always saw them, as children that were already fixed, however unwillingly. It’s a heart-breaking thought that, in the end, she doesn’t get to be wanted, she doesn’t get to be loved like Evangeline, or like Papa, and she doesn’t become one of the family until she’s already moved on and left.

There are so many morals to this story that, when thought about, it is the  equivalent of two years social teachings condensed into two hours of fiction. Respect your parents, blood is thicker than water, money isn’t everything, do as you’re told….But the one moral I found the most interesting, personally, isn’t really a moral at all. At the start of the film, we are shown Nanny McPhee to be, for lack of other words, ugly, and a little bit frightening with her protruding tooth, bulbous nose and hairy warts, but with every lesson the children learn, she becomes that little more beautiful, until at the end of the story, she’s just as pretty as the bride she stands next to.  In terms of morals, this, for all intensive purposes,  gives us the impression that the more nice things we do, the more beautiful we become, and given that the children seem to warm to their Nanny with every wart she loses; that being attractive will make people like us. Of course, for adults, this is an obvious metaphor for inner beauty, and the attractiveness of a soul, but for children, I find that this can be ever so misleading.

In conclusion, however shallow the humour, and however pretty the actors, this film is incredibly structured, with so many inspiring teachings for children, and even some lewd innuendos for the adults. The rule about working with children and animals doesn’t seem to apply here, as every single part is spot on and perfected, and it is definitely well worth a watch.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA

Gordon Ramsay. Famous Michelin Star chef, turned TV star and restaurant developer. And full time potty mouth, judging by his attitudes on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

The structure of the show is simple: Gordon visits a failing restaurant, eats a terrible meal, tells everyone what they're doing wrong, argues with the owner, someone cries, Gordon shouts, restaurant gets a brand new makeover and the customers come flying in again. However, whilst this is the general plot of every single episode in the series; individually, they're actually incredibly enjoyable. 

Like most reality television programmes, the staff Gordon goes to meet are bursting with character and are very easy to critise, whether it be a xenophobic widow, stubbornly fighting from her kitchen's corner or a delusional Italian, skimping on the salmon and charging at the Chef, and at times they will drive the audience to insanity. The good kind of insanity though; the healthy rage that can only be stemmed from watching a fully grown man spit in a celebrity chef's face and being too many countries away to deal with it. 

Many of the episodes are purely frustrating, but this doesn't stop them from being infuriatingly addictive, and they seem to get more shocking as the series goes on. Disgusting kitchens, horrified customers and uncooked food must all be seen and sorted by Gordon, who in turn seems even more frustrated than us. One of the more surprising elements of the episodes, however, are when he stops being the loud mouthed chef, and becomes a friend to the owners instead. Usually once the tears have flown from the broken hearted, and penniless waitress' face, Chef Ramsay becomes more Jeremy Kyle than anything else, and does his best to fix up the staff and the shredded families involved in running the establishments, instead of simply taking over and doing it all himself.

He does do a reasonable amount of cooking in the show; though unfortunately, most of it is done off camera, and the meals are simply laid out on the nearest table on the morning of the restaurant's 're-launch' to be studied and copied by the other chefs. The major revamp of the places themselves are out of his control as well, and usually the entire eatery is made-over in a little under 12 hours. A little unrealistic by anyone's standard.

One of my personal favourite elements to the show is the sheer volume of crumbling restaurants in America, as the series spans over 4 seasons, each having it's own variety of revolting and revolutionary failures. The only downside is, we don't get to find out if Ramsay's changes actually work. Many of the episodes end minutes after the re-launch is over, showing us just one night of his good work, before he leaves to visit another state, and if I were to criticise the show at all; it would be this. Show us what happened next, Gordon. We need to know!

Toy Story 3

Our story starts with a 17 year old Andy leaving for college, and leaving behind him his home, his family and of course, his beloved toys. The toys, however, aren't ready to leave him. After being stuck in a trunk, alone and un-played with for far too many years, they must await their destiny; are they going to college, the attic, the donations box, or, worst of all, are they being thrown away as junk? Before Andy can make his choice however, the decision is made for him, and home begins to shrink behind them with every box packed.

Every scene is a new chapter to the story and with each new twist, the idea of a happy ending is pulled further from them. In some scenes, it's not a case of love or loss; it's a case of life or death for our heroes, (one scene in particular has to be applauded for it's ability to reduce solid, emotionally stable adults into nervous wrecks, literally gripping their seats with fear...and for a supposed 'child's film', that is quite an achievement.)

The general stereotype of toys is warped into a twisted version of our lives, where humans are monsters, are incapable of love, and as the plot unravels, the audience is drawn into the conclusion that in the end, the plastic toys turn out to be more alive than we are. Ever loyal Woody especially becomes so human in his quest to return to Andy, even leaving his friends behind in the process, that when he finds a sweeter life than the one that he's trying to run back to, he barely takes a minutes hesitation in choosing between them. To consider this from a more controversial point of view though, perhaps Woody wasn't acting more human. He was acting more toy, and shaming every single one of us in the process.

The older audience will see the heartbreak all of the toys go through, and will continously be reaching out to the screen, to take a paw or hand in theirs and save their childhood from slipping away with the rolling credits at the end of the film. For the younger viewers, this film will do nothing but inspire them to gather up their own toys, hold on tight, and begin their own adventures with their make-believe families, before it's all too late. Whilst this film is slightly darker than expected, a lot of the deeper references will be lost on younger children, and will serve to amuse the elder ones. 

Sitting in the dark cave of a cinema or living room, this wondrously emotional film can shock you, and absorb you, make you laugh, make you cry, and will definetly bring out the child in all of us. It will definitely keep you guessing. Will Buzz win over Jessie? Does Barbie's new boyfriend Ken have a dark secret? How much darkness can a day care center hold? And will all the toys get their happy ending? 

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity. A handheld camera movie on the most traumatic few weeks of one young couple's life in their suspected haunted house.
Admittedly, the summary sounds awful, and in all honesty, the entire premise of the film sounds ridiculous as well, no matter how many people may tell you 'oh no, it's really good! Honestly!' And whilst I sincerely doubt that hearing the same sentiment from me will make any exception to this...watch it. Really. Watch it.
The film begins, in a way, after the actual haunting has begun, with the camera being set up predominantly in the couple's bedroom at night, to record any further paranormal events or signs of demonic activity in their home, as well as being used to film brief daytime episodes in relation to the spirit as well. Whilst in most cases shaky low quality camera films aren't the favourite for late night horrors, 'Clover-field' being referenced here quite predictably, the camera is laid still for most of the film, and the few times it is moved, the quality does not decrease, making for increasingly tolerable viewing. Surprisingly, the two main characters actually fall into the same category.
Director, Oren Peli, had decided to make the characters and the film as naturalistic as possible, therefore letting the actors and cast members having virtually no characteristics at all, aside from their own. Katie, played by Katie Featherstone, and Micah, played by Micah Sloat were given no script at all, and practically all their reactions were their own, from the generic crying and screaming, to the heart-warming comfort and subconscious familiarity between them, were created from actors who had had no previous contact before shooting the film. However, they performed their roles so effortlessly, it was virtually impossible to tell.
The plot itself is a bit of a slow starter, with the first third of the film focused around Katie's background with the spirit, and the psychic she brings in to help them deal with this. The psychic, in the end, has a rather pointless role, aside from providing the audience with further lore on demons and ghosts, however for a movie buff like myself, it was hardly brand new information. But once it starts, it really starts.
From the first innocuous door slamming, my heart thudded, and it became increasingly tempting to cover my eyes as the green tinted nights progressed. Possibly one of the most brilliant elements of this film would be the simplistic invisibility of the demon. We never see it's face, and in fact, all it seems to do is startle the couple by performing the simplest, yet scariest of acts around their own home. Creaking stairs, jarring television signals, thumping noises, even open attic doors. Everything we've flinched at, home alone, of an evening.
In contrast to a lot of typical horror films, the SFX gore and fake blood are absent, as well as the juddering eerie music, and laughable special effects creatures, bringing the film a lot closer to home than most; making it almost uncomfortable relatable and intimidating. Another highlight of the film would've been the reactions themselves, with the overwhelming fear and complete lack of faux heroics making it that bit more realistic and believable for the audience, revealing to us the way that most of us would act if put in the same positions as the characters portrayed.
One of the very slight weaknesses of the film would've been it's slightly predictable ending, with the steady naturalistic feel breaking briefly into the stereotypical horror set up, and the plot edging a little too closely to that of 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' to be classed as original. However, to conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed being terrified out of my wits by this film, and would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a genuine scare, and a breath of fresh air from the murky depths of the horror scene.

'Diaries of a Broken Mind'

BBC 3's season of mental health is brought to a head with the brilliantly designed 'Diaries of a Broken Mind', a handheld documentary of the lives of 25 real young people, all suffering from some form of mental illness.

                      Upon doing the research for the programme, I discovered that, at first, they were considering using the name 'My Mad Diary' as the title of the show, and was initially put off. In a show constructed to divert society's eye away from the stigma of 'madness' and 'insanity' and the isolation sufferers of mental health illness's face, using the adjective of 'mad' to describe each and every volunteer in the show is incredibly contradictory. It could also face problems in attracting the wrong audience, with some people settling down and expecting to watch a show of lunatics and psychopaths wreaking havoc for fun. 

                      However, once the title was improved, I was more inclined to watch. And it was definitely worth it. The show kicks off by using the young people themselves to explain their own mental health problems to you, without the aid of doctors, psychiatrists or counsellors, something which I applauded for two reasons; one being that where the professionals will typically use the highest quality medical jargon the second the camera is switched on, in the hope of impressing the audience; the sufferers themselves were actually given a chance to explain their illness' the way they see them, and how they affect them personally. The second reason is that, in another programme of the season, the budget cuts and bad performances of the medical health units in the NHS are explored, proving to the audience that simply 'getting some help' for mental illness really isn't as easy as it sounds. In one young woman's condition on 'Diaries...' she visited her GP and asked for some help with anxiety, and was refused treatment, as the waiting list for CBT was over four months long, and was left to suffer alone.

                   The young people themselves have also been very well casted, showing themselves to be as diverse as their illness', further breaking through the stigmas and stereotypes of mental illness. The volunteers ranged from teen anorexics to early twenties schizophrenics, with all of them presented as 'normal' young adults in their videos. The overall message of the programme seems to be not just a refresher course of mental illness' for those who are sorely lacking in information about them, but also to prove the point that mental health problems can affect anyone, yet when they do, it doesn't have to make them 'mental' or 'crazy'; and that what they have is simply an 'illness' which can be treated, and does not make them any different from you or I.

                  Throughout the show, the young people are asked some very generic questions about their mental health issues, such as 'when did you first discover your mental health problems?' and 'would you get rid of it, if you could?' but one of the questions I found the most shocking, for me personally, was 'do you take medication?' as the resounding yes from nearly all of the young people was completely unexpected. For many of us, medication for mental health problems is seen as quite a last resort, and are only familiar with 'anti-depressants' in the scale of treatment for mental health. However, they succeed in proving us wrong as many of them produce a wide variety of pills and procedures, all designed to help heal their 'broken minds', and even more worryingly so, many of them have been on them for years, some starting at a scarily young age.

                  Of course, we are shown clips of weeks when a few of the young people try to come off their medication, and how violently it can affect them in themselves, providing some of the more emotional scenes of the show. Whilst there is nothing too upsetting, or violent shown, both for our benefit and theirs, the moments where the sufferers lose control and are hit by the reality of their illness are often hard to watch, especially from an outsider's point of view. In my opinion, however, without these scenes, the documentary would be a sham, and would be doing mental health sufferers across the country a severe injustice, as well as creating yet another false image of mental illness, at the other end of the scale this time, and still getting it wrong. 

                 There are other factors, of course, which help to make the show an interesting watch, not just an interesting one, including a slight overuse of jump-cut editing, set against a modern and fitting soundtrack, with music from Jessie Ware and Rudimental documenting the sufferer's lives. This too helps to include the sense of normality and familiarity mental illness has been lacking so far, without going so far as to insult their audiences by pointing this out. 

                Personally, from both an insiders and outsiders point of view, I found 'Diaries of a Broken Mind' to be not only an insightful documentary, but a relatable one as well, reaching out to those who suffer from mental health problems, and those who don't; with one beautifully simply message to sum the whole show up:                                                                  'You are not alone.'

The Other Boleyn Girl

Released in 2008,Justin Chadwick's 'The Other Boleyn Girl' has become acclaimed as one of the most seductive historical dramas, becoming the sexier older sister of Pride and Prejudice, and, coming from such an incredibly 'camera friendly' cast, this is not surprising. Based on the novel by popular period author Phillipa Gregory, this film, considering it's less than blockbuster background, is a surprising triumph in the world of book adaptations. Historically based films are typically said to be less of a hit than those of action or rom-com, simply because their audiences are generally smaller, with most of the viewers failing to understand the content, having not studied it at school, however 'The Other Boleyn Girl' on the other hand, feels nothing like a historical film at all.
Yes, a basic knowledge of the marriage between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII is necessary, but everything else, I found, simply came as a glorious cinematic surprise. Filmed against a series of beautiful locations, the star studded cast is given a plethora of plot lines to get their teeth into, starting with both famed Boleyn sisters; Mary being played by the beautiful Scarlett Johansonn, and Natalie Portman staring as Anne herself, following all the trouble they wreak within Henry VIII's kingdom.
The storyline is a little complex, (most historic timelines usually are), with King Henry (Eric Bana) seemingly playing both girls for very different reasons, however, fear not; this is not a film about the glory and gluttony of historical men, this is very much a female orientated film. Whilst husbands and fathers do play their roles, the girls are definitely running the show, and the depths of their relationship are explored and re-explored as their individual positions in their own family become jarringly tense.
Two of the more overlooked characters in this film, for me, would've been the observantly charming servant Stafford, played by Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne, and brother to Mary and Anne, George (One Day's Jim Sturgess), both of whom played such identifiable and undeniably sweet men, yet spent such little time on camera it was slightly disappointing. Another side-lined figure would've been Benedict Cumberbatch's character of Mary's first husband William Carey, a man who had a rather heartbreaking role, yet his ending was unexplained and I personally found myself wondering what happened to him in the end, as in the film he was simply brushed to one side.
Despite this, however, the film as a whole was endlessly beautiful, from the costumes and design to the elegantly circular ending. Admittedly, I went into it, having just been sorely disappointed by the early historical drama of 'King Arthur', expecting the worst, and was very pleasantly surprised. I was very impressed with this film, and would definitely like to see it again. Someone send me the DVD please!

Gary Ross' 'Pleasantville'

How ‘Pleasant’ is your life? Full of AIDS, boys, geeks, TV and empty futures?

Welcome to the world of David and Jennifer (Tobey

Mcguire and Reese Witherspoon), teen twins living in the late 1990’s.

A coming of age film, at the heart of racism and cultural difference in comparison with the modern world of the 20^th century.

Whilst one dresses up, and the other slobs down, a collision in plans for the TV causes a sudden halt in everyday life.

A ring at the door, innocent TV repair man, freaky remote and ‘BAM!’ the world of black and white re-runs is suddenly close at hand.

  Pleasantville, a television programme based in the 1950’s full of routine smiles, and perfect lives.

I bet you’ve never quite watched a re-run like it!

Startled, as anyone would be, to find themselves walking down clear streets, and knowing almost everyone, David and Jen must become Bud and Mary Sue, until they find a way to ‘turn the TV off!’

Dating is a hidden topic, shadowed as an unnecessary adventure and limited in its explorations.

The horror of all horrors to rebellious Jen, who throws the rule book out the window the minute she grabs a boy.

Rumours spread like wildfire, but wildfire is an unknown concept to any Pleasantville fire-fighter, only used to rescuing cats from trees!

As they gradually slip into their roles as close brother and sister, helpful son and daughter and well rounded students, some of the strengths of the film shine through, such as the subtle racial influence and humorous inputs to make you really think about the unnoticed elements in ordinary TV shows.

A scene which displays these factors is Mary-Sue's first date, where she dashes to the bathroom, in desperation, and discovers nothing but a tile floor as no one ever goes to the bathroom in old sitcoms.

Some of the few weaknesses in this film were its unanswered endings and, considering it was rated a ‘pg13’, some of the scenes were a bit too graphic for younger audiences. Another would be the collapse of a defined genre for the film, as it seems to be badly combined between comic teen fun, social commentary and twisted sci-fi, making the morals of the film a little hard to understand. The final being a minor continuity error spotted, with Witherspoon's character 'Muffin' being called 'Mary-Sue' from an undefined point and with unexplained reason.

However, the original plot must be noted, as well as the varying character traits from both David and Jen, making the film an interesting watch, if slightly irritating at parts.