Rebecca's Reel Review

"The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total misreading of the movie 'The Graduate'. The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parents' marriage she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and feel nothing." [500 Days of Summer]

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Woman Crush Wednesday- Women of Winterfell

It’s Woman Crush Wednesday #WCW and even if it’s not being followed as much, what better time than to spotlight some warrior women worthy of girl crushing for us girls to look up to ahead of the final season of Game of Thrones.

‘Women of Winterfell’ wasn’t just used to enhance the alliterative title, when it comes to #GoT, there are some inspiring female characters to draw from and especially in the Stark sisters.

Why Sansa Stark is a warrior woman

*plot spoilers for those out of the coma*

Sansa, one of the daughters of Ned Stark, is part of the direwolf House Stark. She is one who follows the typical female interests of sewing, wanting to marry someone worthy, to be ‘a wife’. A gentle young girl with good in her blood. Some feminists may actually resent what she stands for as she’s perfectly fitting the traditional gender role but when you see her foiling her sister from the same family, it raises the question, how much of it is expected of her or just in her interests like many females of the ‘time’. 

What should please feminists is how she deals with her life as it doesn’t end up the perfect way she thought it would. This girl goes through tragedy and that unravels many more for her where she could have given up, but maybe a testament to the strength of her family and House, she fights through. It may not be with swords like many in the series, but it’s arguably a tougher fight, having to mentally keep it together, find hope, deal with evil adversaries, having to literally ‘love’, praise and join her foes. Sansa for me is one of the best warriors because if people were honest and looking at many of the other characters, it’s hard to see how you could do what she did and not just lose all control. But you probably wouldn’t have survived very long. She knew what she had to do and even with uncertainty, she played the game so well to get back to her pack. 

The scenes when she reunites with her family, her sister Arya, her brothers, Jon Snow and Bran (minus Robb Stark and Ned Stark sadly) is one of the most satisfying as you’ve been through her journey, her awful struggle; yearning for her to keep on going hoping to get there even when it looked dire at points but it showed the wolf she is. The direwolf pack had the strength to find each other and had meaning. If you have that, then you can fight the good fight well. Sansa made some crucial, defining decisions that saved her family when she was able to save Jon Snow in the devastating battle by bringing in a support army, she got control of Little Finger who if left could have ruined a lot and just all through her journey, cleverly played the role with the Lannisters and survived to level things and to save her family.

And the other warrior woman of Winterfell is my favourite character, Sansa’s sister, Arya Stark. 

Why Arya Stark is a warrior woman

From the first moment of meeting her in the series, I fell in love with Arya. The girl I resonate with traits I love seeing in a girl. Sansa began as the typical girl that may annoy some but Arya was the mischievous, playful, clever and not giving a damn girl. She’s unafraid to get dirty, play with the boys and beat them. She thrives on that and knows there is value on being a part of the ‘man’s world’ and she picks up the sword. She’s just fearless and wants to show up and be a part of what boys can do and she shows this. She doesn’t let limits discourage or stop her. This is why she ends up being one of the best vengeful characters creating some of the MOST SATISFYING scenes too. 

I loved seeing her way of surviving having to also deal with the tragedy of losing her father, someone she looked up to, taught her and made her feel safe. You saw again, the strength of that Stark blood and the honour of her father to fight through and right those wrongs and giirl did she right those wrongs. She has the bloodthirst but she has it contained and importantly savoured for who deserves it. Her clever, quick-thinking got her through the wild and took her all the way back to her family. She and Sansa with both of their differing personalities came together bound by that blood and warrior womanhood they each had that is a testament to them as individual women also. 

Arya or Sansa for the throne? Or a joint sisterhood throne would make a killer team anyway. One of the most poignant scenes for me is of Arya and Sansa after reuniting and having worked together to take out Little Finger looking down at their territory praising each other on their plot. This scene shows who they are and how they admire one another, how they got to each other, their respect and understanding of family and their sisterhood whilst playfully snarking. Arya contently admits she could not be the lady of Winterfell like her sister could and tells Sansa, ‘I never could have survived what you survived’.

Sansa responds, ‘You would have. You’re the strongest person I know’.

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Game of Souls- are you a pawn in a demon’s game?

Photo credit: http://maggiemalone.wix.com/theatre

So thanks to a subscription to Showfilmfirst that I had completely forgotten about until they emailed me, they were offering complimentary tickets to see a show entitled Game of Souls. Intrigued, I read for the synopsis. ‘A satirical musical comedy where two demons meddle in the worlds of politics and show business through the medium of a Chess Game where celebrities are the pieces on the board.After meeting in a lesser part of Hell, two demons decide to play a game of chess using humans as pieces, during which, they try to alter the course of each pieces’ destiny. Using comedy and song, our humans, all of whom are high profile famous people, find themselves in awkward situations but is thanks to the meddling demons or do we have full control over our own destinies? Find out for yourselves by coming to see the kind of people you love to hate struggle with their own egos and temptations!’. Ohh this sounds really good, I actually want to see this o_O. Luckily on the day it was showing, Saturday 13th June, I checked back to see if I could grab some tickets available and sure enough I could, yes!

It was something different and took my +1 who was up for it and thought maybe they would not be that excited but hey it was something different, good to get out the house and it was free tickets. But as we got there and was sat in the more intimate of theatres of The Dancehouse in Manchester, it was making me think of the last time I went to a show like this, like a play or a theatre act and I couldn’t recall. So it was exciting, as you’re getting ready to see a live show, something different. The stage was minimalist which I liked with a setup of a chessboard design with just some blocks where the actors came on stage to stand on taking up their characters’ stances. Elevated in the background were the demons whose chessboard was awaiting them to casually discuss playing a game of souls using humans as literal pawns in their game of cunning meddling. These humans were of notoriety, one a famous pop star, one a high-profiled politician, one a chat show host, one a dangerously influencing media boss and one an Olympic medalist. So you can get the gist of the morals at hand here; how egotists are to be seen living by a demon’s puppet strings thus they seem to be more in tune with their inner demons, hence getting to their status in life. The performance links these characters together by the demons’ game, manipulating their pawns by intervening with their fate, raising the questions on how much do we decide our fate and does the demon inside of us make up for power?

It seems this show was wanting to comment on how power is intrinsically linked to evil and the dark side of us. When we think of power and powerful people, a darkness is conjured up as power holds often big decisions and ones that will probably implicitly result in being discourteous or unjust. The very fact of power is that for one or a group to have it, this means there is the Otherness, the ones that do not have it and so there is an inequality and unfairness. These characters were celebrities or powerful people basically, and in a world where we are fascinated with celebrities and where we relax with reading about the latest ‘scandal’ or listening to a funny anecdote by someone who is sitting on a TV show’s sofa who may have got their place by making a lot of money (whether praise-worthily or not), it was a clever show to highlight the trivialities of this situation and to realise how not so envious you are of them. It also is a great concept that is thought-provoking which is something I praise for in a film/show or any art form, and the idea of the demon inside of us and all things dark is something I obsess over (I did a dissertation on how monsters exist basically, but don’t be scared *demon voice laugh*). You also leave with a respect for this medium of art but at the same time a sense of guilt, as I feel we are more interested in going to see a film at the cinema, where it’s more local, more convenient or simply out of habit.

I love films and going out to the cinema but I loved this too but what made me go was the complimentary ticket and that is what I feel guilty about as it was a brilliant show. With all the CGI and visual cinematic effects that appeal, you feel the live show is being left in the dark gathering dust. This show was clever, poignant, entertaining and exciting to see and I forgot to mention humorous too as it was a musical comedy. People get put off by the ‘musical’ form or at least men seem to when you think of it but you have to give it credit, this show has been artfully produced from scratch (maybe influenced by other arts) from the musical arrangements, songs to fit in with a story that you can follow and engage with. It reminded me to see more shows and how we should all be doing, this was the first type of ‘film’ after all.

[superherofeed]

New ‘SPECTRE’ poster released!

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Coming soon!

[totalfilm]

First look at Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper in American Hustle

American Hustle has debuted a first pair of images online, featuring Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper sporting a pair of ‘70s makeovers…

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‘The Invention of Lying’ Review

The Invention of Lying DVD Review. UK Release: February 2010 Directed by:  Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson. Starring:  Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill. ★ ★ ★

This is the second Hollywood film showcasing Ricky Gervais’s talent as a leading man in the world of dramedy. In an astonishing way, Gervais has cracked America and Hollywood whilst only having done two films. But in a quintessential British way of not trying to be Americanized, Gervais rules both America and the UK with his British genius-like charm and comedic talent. He comes to comedy as a realist and that’s why he has become a breakthrough, bringing characters that are on blurred lines of comedic and tragic heroes and in this film he makes no exception with the character of Mark Bellison. As with The Office and Extras, Gervais brings to his films his comedic and satirical persona of characters like Brent and Millman, which only he can bring to the role. This separates Gervais from any other actor or comedian of what they can bring to the role, not only because he co-wrote and produced the film, but also because it can only be Gervais. When you watch the film, you can’t imagine anyone else portraying the pitiful and humorous Mark Bellison. As mentioned before, Invention Of Lying is a dramedy (a mixture of comedy and drama) which, to put in fashion context, is this year’s trend if you like. Comedies of the ‘Frat Pack’ with today’s leading comic men like: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn bring comedic films their edge by not being too cheesy and only being cheesy when needs be. ‘Cheesy’, however does not exist in Gervais’s comedic vocabulary and being a King of the dramedy genre, Gervais brings us Invention Of Lying. A film that conveys a message with a subtle comedic tone that can only be described as Gervais-esque. As the film begins, you start to empathise with Mark Bellison, Gervais’s character, and before long you understand Bellison can’t help but feel like a loser. The rhythm of life in this alternate reality of absolute honesty, where lying is non-existent (both in concept and not being an actual word), is dull and boring. You can see the message the film wants to get across and quite frankly when sitting down thinking of film ideas, undoubtedly you’re always going to come up with those what ifs? So when the question: what if there was no such thing of lying came up, a film with a heartfelt message had to be produced and fitted to comedy. And who to compose this orchestra of comedy, depth and character? A man who is no stranger to the dramedy art form, who thought of the idea, co-directed, produced and co-wrote, Gervais of course. As with a lot of films, empathy is almost tangible between the audience and the characters in these sorts of films, and that’s why they work. People want to go and see a film and be emotionally attached without it trying to be over the top. Gervais wasn’t expecting any knocks on the door from the Oscar bosses, he made a film he was passionate about and that people would love to be lost in, a world with no lying.   Whilst the film pans out with this emphasis on the extremity of dullness in a world with no lies, it plays with how life would be like with this concept. For example you see an advert for Pepsi on the side of a bus, where the slogan reads ‘When there’s no Coke.’ As you can see using this fantasy film concept allows us to see our world in a different light, where everything is just black and white. And so this concept of lying, even though denotes negativity and deception, can actually make life colourful. Gervais philosophically opens up the mind on this thought, as it is about the appropriateness of the lie and its complexities that need to be understood.

Set in this honest, abrupt world, Gervais’s character, Bellison, comes to a point in life where he just doesn't see the point anymore. This being because: he’s found out he’s lost his job, can’t afford his rent, is not respected in his job, his mum is in a care home and ultimately feeling like a complete loser. So one day, whilst going to draw out whatever he can find in his account, Bellison suddenly discovers he can lie, this happens as when being asked how much money he has in his account, Bellison finds himself being able to say ‘$800’, which is a lie. And of course being in a world where everything is, and where it is impossible to proclaim something that isn’t (lying), the woman hands him over $800 with no problem, blaming the computer for its mistake of not showing the correct amount. The way Bellison finds out that he can lie, could have been a bit more adventurous and is fair to say something you have to go with, but hey in the past century, we've gone with: vampires, witches and sky-scraping equivalent gorillas. After learning he can lie, Bellison goes on a journey of trying to get the girl he wants, helping out a few friends and controversially claiming he knows a ‘man in the sky’ (God). With Gervais being an atheist, you can see his philosophy degree and personal beliefs influencing which again makes for an individual performance. In making an historical statement of telling the world what ‘the man in the sky’s’ rules are, Bellison basically has to re-give, if you like, the ‘Ten Commandments’, making a poignant commentary on life and its moral system as he finds himself becoming a moral dictator. With heartfelt moments that can touch both genders alike, Invention Of Lying brings you that alternate reality with a philosophical statement that raises questions, something I cherish and appreciate in a film. So if you’re looking for a film to make you ponder about an interesting concept and grip you with Gervais’s enlightening and contrasting twist of comedy and drama, Invention Of Lying needs to be on your shelf.

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‘The Switch’ starring Jennifer Aniston & Jason Bateman

The Switch Review By Rebecca Nicholson

UK Release: September 2010 Directed by: Josh Gordon, Will Speck Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman ★★★ 

Known for her string of romantic comedies since leaving Friends, Jennifer Aniston stars in this drama meets comedy alongside Dramedy legend, Jason Bateman (Arrested Development). So when thinking of pairing two Rom-Com cultivators, Aniston and Bateman are the perfect match; it is worth going to see just for these stars alone.

When Kassie (Aniston) reaches a point in her life where all she wants is a child, she confides in her best friend Wally (Bateman) on her plans. In desperation, due to time and circumstances, Kassie realises life isn't a fairy tale and knowing she hasn't got Mr Right at the ready, sets out to look for a donor. The donor is the handsome and charming, Roland (Patrick Wilson), the perfect candidate. Wally typically doesn't show immediate support to his best friend’s choice of insemination, which is partly down to some undoubted feelings he has for her built over the years. Kassie realises he is looking out for her and Wally simultaneously realises she just wants a child more than anything; so testament to their friendship, Wally supports Kassie in the end with a little help from some alcohol at Kassie’s ‘insemination party’.

Unfortunately, alcohol also gives some unwanted help, by carrying Wally’s emotions through his bloodstream, he makes a life changing alteration. When in the bathroom at Kassie’s party, Wally accidentally spills Roland’s donation and switches it for his, all the while later he doesn't remember any of it happening.

Seven years down the line, after a break, Kassie returns to see Wally with her son Sebastian (Thomas Robinson). Entertainingly, similarities start to come to light between Sebastian and Wally during their time getting to know each other. Instinctively, as it were, Sebastian warms to Wally more than Roland, Sebastian’s ‘father’. With cracks starting to show, Wally turns to Leonard (Jeff Goldblum), his boss, to confide in. During this talk, Leonard unintentionally helps Wally to realise the dilemma he is in and what he has done seven years prior.

Anticipating circumstances of what owning up will do, Wally has a difficult decision to make. Does he keep quiet thus able to stay in this boy’s life after growing a warm bond, knowing he is his own flesh and blood or does he own up and risk losing his son and his only best friend who he has ever loved?

Conjoining sophisticated humour with a thought-provoking realistic dilemma, The Switch brings a tear to the eye with heartfelt scenes whilst filling the gaps with smiles needed in our lives. Performances by Jeff Goldblum alone steals the film’s comedic tone, broadening Goldblum’s repertoire which we are not used to seeing Goldblum do. Young actor, Thomas Robinson (Wally’s son) shines light on the talent amongst child actors; Robinson connects on screen with Bateman in an effortless portrayal of their characters’ natural chemistry. Then when returning back to the rhythm of the plot, Aniston and Bateman continue to perfect their roles with their comedic yet realistic interactions, giving insight into a modern-day relationship and its difficulties with heart-warming scenes. If you liked Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, you are in for a treat.