Blue Jasmine!!!!

Blue Jasmine.

Now I'll admit I'm not a massive Woody Allen film fan, in fact this would be my first Allen film I have seen and it's on a big screen. With this in mind I will review the film as I see it as a stand alone film with no bells and whistles reverting back to Allen's past films as I have no knowledge on that at all. 

Landing in San Fransisco we first see Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) get off her plane from New York to go and live with her less fortunate sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in her cramped flat. Learning about how Jasmine has gone from riches to rags in a matter of months you see how her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) had done some dodgy business deals and had taken alot of peoples money.

Now for Jasmine life is hard as she tries to work out what she can do in life, interior design is one idea and she decides to go back to school to learn how to use a computer. With flashbacks to her previous life with Hal you see Jasmine is a more materialistic person who has everything she could ever ask for, jewellery, clothes, expensive cars, grand dinners and lots of money. 

With the tension rising between the two sisters they argue about how different their lives were and how similar there lives are now. For Jasmine it is hard as she has to adjust to a different way of living from now on and has to learn to compromise and take what is necessary to survive even if be it working reception at a dentist office. Both sisters go through the motions with finding love and happiness and always seem to be the ones who lose everything.

The comedy comes through in little one liners, from Jasmine "can you not shout my prozac hasn't kicked in yet" just little quips that make you chuckle. Jasmine's sheer stupidity as well is interesting to see as she had everything but did nothing but now she has nothing and has to do everything for herself again. 

For me it is a great short funny comedy which showcases what can happen in life when you have it all it can all be taken away in a heartbeat. I have to say this has to be Blanchett's career defining performance as she plays Jasmine perfectly, she laughs, she worries and she cries and you feel every single emotion with her. Considering this was my first ever full Allen film and at the cinema it was really enjoyable and no doubt I will no go educate myself and watch Annie Hall and Manhattan to see what the hypes about. 

But do believe the hype of this film as it is a great situation comedy with some really strong performances especially from Blanchett. For any Woody Allen film fans you will absolutely love this film as I know I did.

8/10.

Django Unchained!!!!

Django Unchained.

I'll admit that at times this review might be seen as biased as I am a massive Tarantino fan and always have been since I first saw Kill Bill 1 when it first came out. This film of course has plenty of Tarantino's traits, a great cast, some funny comedy, extreme violence and plenty of blood as well. 

So to start with the film starts with the scene shown in many trailers before the films release. As Django (Jamie Foxx) is walking along a dusty track in a dark wood with some fellow slaves and his two masters, Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) trundles along with his cabin to buy Django from them. As negotiations go wrong between Dr Schultz and the two masers and blood is shed Django and Dr Schultz make a pact and both ride off into the night.

The film itself follows of course the character of Django as he is saved and made a free man by Dr Schultz, in return Django must point out the Brittle brothers in which Schultz is looking for. As Schultz trains up Django to be a bounty hunter they travel around the different plantations and take out anyone that has a hit on their head. As the duo continue with their work they decide to go and find Django's wife Broomhilda von Schaft to save her from slavery and let Django and his wife live happily ever after. 

As the duo come across a plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) they both realise it is his plantation where Broomhilda is being held as a slave. With Candie being away from the plantation from time to time he has his own personal plantation assistant Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) take charge. As the trio converse over the buying of some Mandingo fighters what will happen?, will Django and Schultz get what they've gone for or will Candie find out their true intentions and have them killed?

The film itself is the most linear of Tarantino films as the storyline moves along at a steady pace and doesn't cut back to previous scenes or different characters. It sticks with Django and Dr King Schultz and stays with them right through to the end which is what makes this more accessible for people. The storyline is of revenge just like many other Tarantino films but that is to be expected though. Being set in the spaghetti western era where slavery is a common occurrence it allows for some violent scenes to take place in which Tarantino handles in a serious manner. A scene of two dogs attacking a runaway black slave, the whipping of Broomhilda and Mandingo fighting where two slaves fight to the death are all shocking but bring a more serious side to the film and show what slaves will have had to endure.

The performances are memorable, Christoph Waltz is great as he shows a side of wit and intelligence to his character of Dr. King Schultz. Leonardo DiCaprio's character of Calvin Candie is a great performance as it is the first time we see Leo take on the role of a truly evil and nasty person. He fits into the role well, showing some slight intelligence in one scene he can then jump to show a  more violent and sadistic side to his character. Samuel L. Jackson who plays Candie's right hand slave Stephen has to be the best character in the film mainly because of all the funny lines he has. He plays a inquisitive yet harsh man who has grown to rule over Candieland while his master is away and controls everything that happens at the plantation. 

Now some people will think I'm unhinged when I type this but trust me if you're as big a Tarantino fan as myself then you will understand what I am about to say. The gun fight scenes in which showcase all of the blood that splatters the walls to me was comedic genius as I laughed so much at these violent scenes. I say this with great respect and sincerity, the scenes are at times ridiculous with the amount of blood that comes out of the bodies but it does make you laugh. It wouldn't be a Tarantino film if their wasn't any form of blood being splattered up the walls and across the sets.. 

One downside to the film is the length, I myself didn't notice the time and I happily sat and watched the film without thinking of when it would finish. But for some people who find long films a little bit too much to bear then it is best to wait for a DVD release. Another thing I found was that I didn't particularly warm to Jamie Foxx's portrayal as Django, his one liners seem to be said half heartedly and with no passion. 

Overall it is another great addition to Tarantino's filmography and sees him return to top form as a writer and director. If anyone else was to do this film it wouldn't be received too well but because it's Tarantino we all accept it and love it for what it is. He can safely tick off another era on his list, maybe next he will try his hand at a sci-fi, superhero or romcom film..........who knows?

9.5/10.

Les Miserables!!!!

Les Miserables.

If there was one film I vowed last year I would avoid seeing it would have been Les Miserables mainly for the reason I particularly avoid musicals and any type of musical style film. I went into this film like a blank page, not knowing anything of the story of the film, I was open to everything and certainly kept an open mind as well.

From the very start of the film you see the sheer size of the production of the film as Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) along with other prisoners are seen hauling a massive sailing ship into port as Javert (Russell Crowe) looks down on the men. As Valjean changes his ways, becomes a model citizen and mayor of a small town and breaks his parole he vows to change his life for the better. Of course the ever present Javert is always around and still searching for Valjean. 

With Fantine (Anne Hathaway) thrown out of Valjean's factory she turns to prostitution where Hathaway tackles what is one of the films most iconic songs 'I Dreamed a Dream'. It has to be said that her vocal performance is one of pure perfection and she is able to lead you down a path of misery with a certain fragility ringing out in her voice. The pure emotion that comes out of her voice is mesmerising and it certainly had me welling up and on the verge of tears. 

What follows is of course a story of Valjean vowing to look after Fantine's daughter Cosette. With the inclusion of the Thenardier's (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) they bring a sense of fun and liveliness back to the film especially after the previous emotional scenes from Valjean and Fantine. 

Of course there has to be a story of love as delicate Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and strong Eponine (Samantha Barks) both fall in love with Marius (Eddie Redmayne). With Marius involved in the student uprising it sees Valjean take their side and fight the French army, cue plenty of gunfire and some big cannons. As the film progresses you see the aftermath of the rebellion, the result of the love triangle and of course the culmination of Valjean and Javert's cat and mouse relationship. 

If you were to strip the film down and take away the singing the film would suffer as some of the best emotional performances are poured out through song. The only downside being that of Seyfried's voice it can be at times a little bit too trilly and Russell Crowe's voice has a certain rock feel to it.

But credit goes to director Tom Hooper who decided for the actors to sing and record vocals live during the filming which brings out an authentic feel and shows off the true potential of the actors. Especially Hathaway and Jackman as they both shine and impress with strong vocal performances.

Overall I would say Les Miserables is truly an emotional, staggering film. The storyline that runs throughout the film has you emotionally up and down, the actors performances are stirring and mesmerising at the same time. Even if your like myself who avoids these types of films, once you become immersed in the storyline you will truly enjoy it.

9/10.