#MusicMonday: La La Land (Soundtrack)

I went to see La La Land on opening day with a friend, having a day off and listening to the hype made me eager to see it. 

I did as instructed by some reviews that I had seen and didn't listen to the full soundtrack before going to watch it, what I had heard had been tidbits on trailers.  I wanted the movie to be a whole immersive experience. 

The movie was great, I had maybe listened to too many people calling it exceptional and praising it. I didn't have the reaction I expected it didn't reach its full potential.  

Whilst it still remains a beautiful film, a simple story with real characters (and fools who dream) and is just pleasant to watch. A lazy Sunday spent with this film would be ideal. 

Though not filled to the brim with songs like I had expected the soundtrack is beautifully constructed with emotional scores and well crafted lyrics.  

My personal favourite the "Audition (fools who dream)" song is an honest ballad of the highs and lows of pursuing your dreams. 

"City of Stars" is the song that will get lodged in your head and weeks after you will find yourself humming it.... that may also have something to do with the fact that I keep listening to the soundtrack, but Immediately after watching the film, me and my friend both kept finding ourselves humming it.  

So enjoy both movie and soundtrack, its genuinely one of the most pleasing movie experiences I've had recently. 

Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars

It's taken me some time to make complete coherent thoughts on one of my favourite books that recently got transferred in to the big screen... The Fault in Our Stars. 

                                          

I first read the book last year.  It became my bus read on my journeys to college because of that I found myself crying over this book in public (also being the first time a book has made me cry). John Green had written a witty, interesting, devastating, empowering book. And I was then encouraged to read more of his works (Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherine's).  For anyone who follows John Green on Twitter, Instagram, tumblr or watches the VlogBrothers will know he is this films biggest supporter and rightly so. For the first time the people and world he has created is being made into a film and if your not allowed to be excited about that then I don't know what your allowed to be excited about. He is not shy to praise both cast and crew on there excellent jobs, and they did do excellent jobs then did a very honest adaptation of a well loved book. I can't wait to read more from this man. 

         

Hazel Grace Lancaster is brought to life by Shailene Woodley and I had complete faith that she would do this character justice after previously seeing her in The Descendents  and Divergent. She did not fail to live up to expectations. Hazel is not just a girl who is battling cancer she is falling in love for the first time with a boy who adores her. Shailene Woodley acts impeccably as we watch her character deal with love and disappointment with wit and heartbreak. 

        

Ansel Elgort is not someone I had ever heard of before the casting of the fault in our stars had been announced. Then he appeared in divergent as Caleb Prior who is a very different character to Augustus Walters so I was unsure on what to expect. But from his introduction to his end he embodied Augustus Walters in the perfect combination if Arrogance, cockiness and vulnerability. 

         

Before The Fault in Our Stars I had seen Nat Wolff in a small role in in New Year's Eve, nothing substantial enough to guess how is portrayal of Issac was going to be. But he made me cry the most in his eulogy for Augustus. Issac is also a hard role to transfer on to the screen due to the fact he and Augustus don't get much screen time together but they have been friends the longest and this has to come across to the audience. Nat and Ansel perfectly portrayed this in the time they had together. 

         

Hazels mother Emily Lancaster is played by the fabulous Laura Dern who everybody should know from Jurassic Park (and Jurassic park 3, she's also done a lot of other stuff). In Laura Derns performance we get a brilliant portrayal of the adults perspective of the situation at hand. 

       

The entire supporting cast gave an authentic performance and everything (setting, costume, soundtrack) added to the beauty of the film. 

I was lucky enough to see this movie in an advanced screening surrounded by fans who had read the book and had waited with baited breath for the movie release (and maybe a few people who were dragged along by said fans). This is a great way to see the impact this film can have on people.  As someone who is not a crier when it comes to movies ect I did expect to shed a few tears after doing so at the book I did not expect the tears to coming streaming out. Nor did I expect to hear uncontrollable sobs echo from different areas in the theatre. 

                                       

This a movie that the cast and crew should be highly proud of Josh Boone did a incredible job directing. And I highly recommend everyone to go and get wrapped up in the world of Augustus Walters and Hazel Grace Lancaster. 

Movie Review: Maleficent

So I went to see maleficent and here's what I thought. 

Angelina Jolie was literally the best casting choice the film could of made she was flawless. All her acting choices worked only to enhance the experience. Her facial expressions were so on point. Make up and costume on her flowed to change with the character, but never seemed out of place at any point. She also had the best mix of humour, vulnerability and I am a fierce fairy don't fucking mess with me. 

Elle Fanning expelled the right amount of energy and naïveté for Aurora.

I wasn't incredibly impressed with the choice of Sharlto Copley for King Stefan and instead thing Robert Carlyle may have been a better fit for this role. 

Sam Riley as Diaval was incredible and I loved that they humanised the raven character. He was so well played. I began wanting him and Aurora to get together as he genuinely cared for her so much and as much as I also didn't want that because this is my favourite fairy tale from my childhood and it seems wrong that she wouldn't get together with prince Phillip. But  in the end I am glad he stayed with Maleficent they made a good team. 

Imelda Staunton as Knotgrass, Juno Temple as Thistlewit and Lesley Manville as Flittle were all good choices they managed to embody the characters in the little screen time there characters had. And though vital to the story as they are the ones I trusted with auroras care until she's 16 and 1 day they seemed a little redundant in this film at times. And there scenes felt repetitive. 

The cinematography in this film was stunning and any scene involving Maleficent never failed to be visually enchanting. I went to see this film in 3d something I rarely do as 3d does not excite me and did it enhance the movie going experience, I don't know. But the special effects used to make this world would have been astounding in either I believe as it was done to a great standard. 

Maleficent's back story made her actions understandable. She had been wronged and acted rash hurting someone she would come to love thinking she was hurting someone who had fooled her into loving him. But the real villain of the story was King Stefan who had know long hurt someone he was supposed to care about out of greed. 

The movie did have bad moments in time the script was lacking. Several scenes that heavily involved extras were a little hard to watch. Sharlto Copley's accent was cringe worthy. But all together a much better effort than that of Snow White and the Huntsman. 

And once again Disney has restored my faith in them with continuing on from Frozen that true love does not have to come in the form of romance and certainly not from the "true love" of a man Aurora had only had a brief meeting with before the curse came true. And instead true love was someone who had watched over and cared for her whole life.