Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
You might have read my review of The Force Awakens last year (but most likely not), in which I stated I'm not a huge Star Wars fan. It's not that I don't like it, I just haven't seen the orignals and haven't gotten into it. I much preferred this film to last years, even though this film didn't get as much hype. I thought the story was much better and they weren't trying as hard to reach out to their old audience, it felt more natural and just flowed so much better. The plot was enjoyable and even though I don't know much Star Wars knowledge, it had a good variety for old and new fans. The only thing I disliked was most of the cast. I'm not sure if it was the actors themselves or just the two deminsional vibe off most of the characters. It was very hard to like the main protagonist Jyn or any of the other main characters, except the usual funny robot new to the film K-2SO and Mads Mikkelson's character. I don't think I'd watch it again but it is a good action film with a little bit for everyone in it at the same time.
A Monster Calls
This film actually stars the same main actress as Rogue One, Felicity Jones, I'm not the biggest fan of her but I did enjoy her in this. This film is something I could picture myself writing or imagining up. It's centered around a young boy, Connor O'Malley, played by Louis McDougal, who preformed a beautiful performance, who struggles dealing with his mothers illness so he creates a monster who tells him stories which are comforting and help him deal. This film is visually stunning, the film contains parts of animation done in water colour while the monster tells his stories and they have such vibrant and beautiful works in the scenes. Other than the visuals and the artwork, the film is very heartwarming and emotional which tugs on every emotion and heart string. It was a lot sadder than I originally thought it would be but it's also very adorable at the same time, I would recommend this to anyone.
Sully: Miracle on the Hudson
If you're not sure what this film is about, it's about a real life event you may remember from 2009, when a plane landed in the river Hudson with all passengers and crew surviving. You can read about it here, as I thought it was so interesting after watching the film that I read multiple articles on it, although you mightn't be as interested as me. The film focuses on the crash and trial of the pilot Sully, after the events. If you're not a big fan of flying, you might want to stay away from this, as some scenes had me so tense and anxious, even though I know everyone survived. It's an emotional roller coaster throughout and you really feel like you know the captian by the end of it, it also has it's humorous moments to break the anxiety. If you like more thriller films with high tension give this a watch, it's a little more like a documentary than an actual film but it's very intriguing and also informative.
Moana
This is yet another Disney film I feel like has gone under the radar. If you haven't seen this and it's still on in a cinema near you, definitely go to see it. It's such a feel good film. It's set in Polynesia with Moana, who is to be the village chief and not allowed to leave the Island in which she inhabits due to her duty and family, yet she longs to be out on the ocean and explore. Yet there is a darker element to the film, and Moana is chosen to go on a journey with the Demi-God Maui to save the Island from destruction. The thing that makes this film better is the music within it. In classic Disney Princess style Moana has her own solo songs with other amazing songs created for the film. It has everything you'd expect from a Disney film, which in my eyes is perfect, and Moana definitely fights against the usual female/princess stereotype that Disney used to produce which I really like. I feel like they're always adapting and heading in the right direction with their morals, movies and characters. It's very emotional, funny and beautiful. I would highly recommend.
La La Land
This is my favourite film I've seen in a long time. Also it must be a pretty good film to be nominated for 11 Oscars. This is probably the first non animated musical I've seen in the theaters and it just warmed my heart so much. First of all the visuals in this film are stunning, there's a strong use of vivid colours, and all the actors clothes are perfectly designed and themed to fit the settings. The music was beautiful, with a really beautiful blend of slow ballads and high energy action dance acts. Also not to mention Ryan Goslings beautiful piano playing, which he learned for the film. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are perfect together, and have great on screen chemistry. The way the film is shot in single takes is also so intriguing and the story line was heart warming and heart breaking simultaneously, there were lots of tears. I've been singing the songs from this and Moana for the past month. I knew instantly I was going to love this film, even if you're not into musicals you should check it out for the music and visuals.
Passengers
This was one of my least favourite films I've seen recently. The film is set in space, where people are frozen on board a spaceship to wake up on an other planet in hundreds of years time to live there instead of earth. Yet the ship runs into turbulence which contributes to one pod opening before reaching the planet. This character played by Chris Pratt lives alone on the ship until he wakes up Aurora, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who I wasn't really a big fan of in this film. The film is a little bit boring in places but also a little tense. I didn't really like the pair together and probably would've liked the film with a different cast. I normally like sci-fi and space films but this film felt very confined and limited. It was a good concept but I felt like it was too long and too uninteresting at times, especially in the middle.
