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We need to talk about 13 Reasons Why.

13 Reasons Why (2017): Receiving a 9.1 on imdb and bucketloads of media attention, this new Netflix release has earned a place on everyone's ‘to-watch list’ as it seems like we all want to know what the big deal is about a show that retraces the steps of a suicidal 17 year old.

Quick, Non Spoliery Synopsis by Yours Truly:

A 17 year old girl; Hannah Baker organises the circulation of 13 self-recorded tapes before slitting her arms and killing herself in her family bathtub. These tapes make their way through 10 of her friends, ex’s and enemies, each identifying the particular person and their wrongdoing in order, before reaching her shy crush Clay’s doorstep. Her rules say that he must listen to all of the tapes detailing why she killed herself and pass them on to the person who follows him. WIth each tape revealing intimate secrets about Hannah and Clay’s classmates, we follow him in his struggle to understand who this girl really was when she was alive, how she was treated by those she trusted and most importantly; why Hannah Baker killed herself.

Having just binged the whole 13 episodes over two disgustingly wet and cold days with my sister, i think I have a pretty good idea about what goes down.

I hope you’re ready because I’m about to tell you what I think of this story as a teenager in this modern world. And since there are 13 sides to every story I want to tell mine.

I want to be honest here and start off by saying in an almost critical way, that there were a lot of things about this show that I didn’t like at all. I’m not saying that I was forced to watch all 13 episodes against my will, I just think that sometimes there are only a few things that TV shows need to keep you coming back.

Unanswered questions are one of those things, so so many questions which I personally need to have answered by a show, before it slowly drives me insane and I have to look up a spoiler synopsis..

But who wants to cheat TV shows when you may as well just watch them? Hell, if i can sit through 7 years of the Pretty Little Liars mystery, then I had faith that I could sit through 13 episodes, and I did. My main questions centred around the tapes, specifically; what on earth did Clay do to make him partly ‘responsible’ for Hannah’s death?

So many things to question and discuss but really where to begin?

Let’s put ‘7 things that really grind my gears’(1 for each of the tapes of course) into a list and see how I go before this become a sad, sad rant.

*Disclaimer* I did actually enjoy the show overall so please keep this in mind with what you see below

1: When Clay begins to irk me, the other characters and the entire human species Portrayed by Dylan Minnette, (who believe it or not, has played a character named Clay before, WTF) Clay Jensen is a socially awkward yet well liked student who can hold a place on the school’s honour board yet cannot hold a conversation with a girl. His cringey yet endearing nature promotes him as a lovable protagonist, an innocent light in the darkness of an extremely tough situation. I found myself quite often taking his side in the show and totally rooting for his character.

Despite this, Clay’s loyalty and love for Hannah often poses as quite irritating and almost unrealistic (even if he was a sensitive guy) considering the way she treats him. Throughout the whole debacle, so many accuse Hannah of being dramatic, selfish and attention seeking. Clay however. seems to believe 95% of the time that she was some perfect being who could do no wrong in the world, that the responsibility for killing herself could not have been her own. Of course I am aware of looking at someone through rose coloured glasses when youre keen on them but, to put it bluntly; you’d think that might change when they die.

2: The fact that Clay has like zero close friends yet everyone seems to like him

Everyone who has ever been to high school knows that you need a solid few close friends to bounce back on, who you can trust. There is often a reason therefore that people don’t have any, usually the fact that nobody likes them. This just causes the whole plot idea to make no sense, because everyone at the school seemed to really like Clay. With the exception of Tony who he rarely sees anyway, Clay never had anyone to hang out with before or after school or even at lunchtime, unless of course it was someone he had a ‘school project’ with.

3: The ‘jock crowd’

So most of the jock crowd, who of course run the school, are in the basketball team and are therefore given a leeway that most students aren’t. It makes complete sense for them to stick together, just as they do in every other US teen drama. Their group dynamic however has a small cult vibe to it  that is simply unsettling. These guys do everything together, support each other in fights, follow each other on their dates and supposedly tell each other everything. For some reason this group also includes the dorky class president and resident sadboi with unmatching hair and eyebrows. Now I’m not disputing that this couldnt happen irl because everyone has the right to befriend whoever they want, it just seems to me that these personalities together would clash. We all know they are together at the ‘present time’ because of the tapes, but for previous times, im just not buying it. Perhaps the writers couldn’t be bothered creating separate groups for each of those targeted on the tapes and introducing more characters into the 13 episodes created.

4: Is there no other girls at Liberty High?????

The jock crowd as specified above hold the place as the most sought after students in the High School yet it seems as though the only girls that exist to them are Hannah and Jessica. What happened to the entire cheer squad or the whole student body? Are these 2 new girls so amazing that no other girl could be considered an option? It seems almost like some game of musical chairs, except the chairs are the boys and Jessica and Hannah end up on a different lap every time the music stops.

5: WHo the fuck does Courtney think she is?

If you got through all 13 episodes without dedicating a split second of anger towards Courtney Crimsen then bravo my friend because this character literally drove me up the wall. Props to actress Michele Ang I suppose because this bitch fired me up real bad. Ever heard of the phrase ‘Dead men tell no tales’ well clearly Courtney disagrees, 100% hell bent on convincing everyone that Hannah was lying in the tapes so that she could continue living in denial of her sexual preference. Continually pushing Hannah onto the dirt road to get hit by whatever was coming her way there is zero surprise that she made her way onto the tapes, the selfish bitch that she is. (Speaking of Courtney) Netflix also needs to be a bit more careful about their wardrobe choices in such a recent Riverdale episode and season release of this show perhaps?

6: Zach DID NOTHING WRONG

Poor, sweet Zach. A whole episode and tape side that started with just one heated conversation in the cafeteria- where he juST wanted to go on a date with Hannah??? Of course at this point Hannah was not in a good place, so any small prank becomes a national disaster- but how was he to know before she gave him the letter of explanation. A letter which, considering his home and friend situation, he could not go to anyone for help with, especially if he feared that it would be telling Hannah’s secret. Zach really just reacted how 90% of teenagers would; he froze, he didnt know how to act, so he did nothing.

This is what got me about like half of the characters on the tapes, most of them just acted out of fear and didnt know what else to do, yet Hannah seemed to expect so much more from them. Which brings me to my final bullet point on the list;

7: Hannah fucking Baker

Where do I even start? It’s a really touchy subject to address; her character really annoyed me-I guess she really annoyed herself as well, considering her fate. Hannah at the end of the series is completely lost, she’s got so much on her shoulders and believes that there is no other way to turn. But Hannah at the beginning, I couldnt stand her. She had so much going for her yet she let every single obstacle get her down, none of her friends were good enough, all of the boys offended her, every tiny issue became a national disaster. I can’t help but think that if she hadn’t cared so much perhaps she might have found a way to work through her struggles without turning to the last resort. But i get it, this isnt a show about getting through problems and happy endings, it’s all about worse case scenarios. This is why Hannah does and says what she does, so that the situations can be both relatable and believable- for if Hannah gets torn up about high school rumours, then sexual assault and car accidents would be unbearable without professional help. I understand this now as I look at the plot as a whole, but during, oh hell that girl needed a slap into reality. Just watch it, you’ll understand.

Don’t get me wrong though, there were also a lot of things that I liked about 13 reasons why.

-I loved the cassette tapes; a timeless way of recording and listening to anything, a much appreciated throwback in such a modern show

-I loved Tony who I think we can all agree does not look 17 but I’m not complaining, so sweet and such a good friend/person (and i loved his car of course)

-I loved how sweet and loving Clay was. As an eternally single pringle, my heart leapt for his cute crushing, even if it did become tiring

-I loved the almost vintage feel to the cinematography, the colours and shots almost dulled to the tone

-I loved how the concept of rape was not only addressed, but focused on as well as the idea of consent. Whilst these scenes may have been almost uncomfortable, they were necessary and extremely powerful.

-I loved how the show centered around outsiders, the quiet and socially awkward, the unusual characters and their interaction with the well known highschool stereotypes.

-Most of all, I loved how the show displayed how suicide destroys so many more than the person who died. Friends and family may never recover, forever question what they could have done differently, some also led to further suicides. 

It’s a hard topic but I am so glad that it is being talked about, even if there are disagreements because at least it is now out in the open. I personally believe that suicide is an incredibly selfish act which I understand that many people could disagree with.  I get it, I’ve never stepped into shoes like that and that’s fine, but i know for sure that if anyone in my life chose to end theirs then it would absolutely destroy me- just as the strongly portrayed characters were torn apart. 

Let me know what you think.

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MOVIE GUSH: La La Land (2016)

LA LA LAND (2016): Dir. by Damien Chazelle Lead Actors: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone My Rating: 9.5/10 Best Audience: Lovers of film, music theatre, jazz, romance, drama and dreams.

This film was visually and musically beautiful. Somehow managing to take a simultaneously modern and vintage tone throughout, the emotional plot driven by beautifully scored themes and songs and phenomenal acting delivers so much more than surface aesthetics to the audience. As this grand feature was so suddenly acclaimed by critics and award winning, you can imagine my hesitation to even type a single word of my following blubber. The above entitled ‘gush’ rather than review is where i value my opinions of this artform because honestly, hearing a 19 y/o media student review a movie such as this would be like taking medical advice from a Grey’s Anatomy fan.

The entire film progresses in a way that shows a fight between the reality of the modern world and the dreams of yesteryear. Be it the downfall of jazz, the homage to traditional cinema or the struggle of our characters in the stretch to achieve their goals, there are always elements of old and new fighting to overpower the other.

The Original Hollywood Experience: The striking factor of this film jumps to me as the constant nudges to visuals, music, clothing and storyline of classically romantic films of the 40′s and 50′s whilst remaining in an incredibly modern setting and maintaining a familiarity with the audience.

Right from the opening sequence we are greeted with the unfamiliarity of bright vintage clothing and song in the modern world of a city traffic jam through the original cinemascope dimensions.The camera work (shot on real film) of incredibly long and continued shots visited throughout the film place further emphasis on the number of hours put into each scenes production. The transitions and techniques as well reflect past hollywood greatness from lengthened cross fades and long, uncut distance shots to silhouette characters in animated fantasy skies.

The same idea goes for sets as it is clear the producers wanted to rely on post production as little as possible, choosing to shoot either on location (getting the perfect timing for particular lighting) or with painted backdrops like traditional cinema. I personally find it so incredibly charming when a set is purposefully unrealistic, particularly in fantasies or false montages (seen at the conclusion of the film) where it is not at all necessary to look realistic in any way. It can deliver the necessary aesthetics in a classic feel without the need to cringe at poorly achieved cgi.

The Musical Numbers: Jazz was something I entered the cinema quite unfamiliar with. As something quite unusual for a modern score, it became to me, completely charming and unique. Whilst we certainly did not walk into another showtune-y storytelling (which i have much of a weakness for) we definitely did not walk into a poor excuse for a musical.

The simple themes scattered through the plot crossed an almost sombre yet smooth and calming tone when low tempo- conveying almost every emotion clearly to the audience. The beautiful ‘City of Stars’ portrayed through Gosling’s deep, husky voice complemented by Stone’s light harmonies was heaven to the ears, a song so stunning and earning of it’s Golden Globe that it cannot compare to the rest of the score with one exception. The Audition (Fools Who Dream) plays at the climaxed crossroads of the film where Stone closely and stunningly portrays all of the hurt and heartbreak involved with dreaming big, as Mia and Sebastian so greatly did. The ballad (as i must describe it) stands as the strongest song in the film, where City of Stars on the other hand takes the cake for its beauty in both performance and creation.

The opening scene however had me slightly stumbling. Whilst I was thrilled by the fantastic shots, dances and colours of a traffic jam rave for ‘Another Day of Sun’, i simply spent the entire scene trying to figure out what on earth all of the people were singing. The diction, i mean really, what diction? Perhaps the music was slightly overpowering or in a difficult key, but for a professionally filmed musical I just feel like i shouldn't have to be straining to understand what words are being sung. I mean I can only imagine the money, time and effort put into the creation of this scene (on a real freeway ramp might I add) and it just slightly disappoints me that my attention was taken away from all visuals just to sort out some audio.

All of the other songs however, whilst there were not too many, were on fleek. The pumping up ‘Someone in the Crowd’ both empowers and ponders the idea of fame and networking in Hollywood using awesomely lengthy (almost shaky cam) shots through flatmates’ small apartment. I can only imagine how long they wouldve taken to perfect and it was greatly acknowledged and appreciated.

The Acting: Astounding, both Emma and Ryan using their experience in emotionally challenging roles and previously built chemistry with each other are phenomenal. Whilst Ryan is the ‘bigger name’ of the two, Emma clearly outshines in her role as Mia, the talented yet struggling actress with great dreams. Not to say that Ryan isn’t deserving of his golden globe, as he too protrays the true passion, love, hope and struggle of a Hollywood dreamer, even learning to beautifully play the jazzy piano for the role.  It just turns out that the real protagonist of the story is the beautiful Mia, where the romantic interest is Gosling’s Sebastian who comes to realise that his real dream would so easily be fulfilled by Mia, Jazz bar or no Jazz bar.

One thing I really loved about the characters plots is that unlike most classic romances or musicals, it does not conclude with happiness, rather a saddening regretful and even sombre tone. And whilst my hopeless romantic sister held disappointment in the concluded plot, I was happy for once that the central couple of a romance for once did not end up together.

All in all, this film crosses borders of time, music, plot and scenery- a fresh ode to traditional hollywood and jazz glamour that today’s generation (myself included) didn’t even know they needed until now. A story of struggles, romance and most importantly dreaming that inspires me to dig deeper into stunning cinema classics where you can almost feel the blood, sweat and tears put into their creation- a sensation often experienced in the theatre and with the rare goldmine film such as La La Land.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Passengers (2016)

PASSENGERS (2016): dir. by Mortem Tyldum Lead Actors: Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence My Rating: 7.610 Best Audience: Teen to adult audience with at least a small interest in the sci-fi/post-apocalyptic genre. Great Date Movie Idea!

Quick, Non Spoliery Synopsis by Yours Truly: 

A mixed pot of romance, action and sci-fi, the film Passengers finds a space ship malfunctioning 90 years before it is to reach its destination, awaking Jim Preston from his suspended slumber much earlier than his 5000 companions. It is here where Jim, portrayed by Chris Pratt must sacrifice his morals, love and even safety for the future of the ship and all of those on board, as once you have woken up in the middle of a 120 year journey, there’s no going back to sleep.

Nitty-Gritty Review Time 

*Definitely CAN’T guarantee no spoilers in this zone and below so God’s Speed my friends*

Did I enjoy this film?

Yes, on a basic level. The visuals were great, acting on point, the romance and action most thrilling…. However the storyline itself….? Honestly, the more I delve into the plot, the more points begin to jump out and irk me.

The Concept

I feel like nowadays everyone is at least familiar with the idea of leaving Earth for an alternative inhabitable planet in the future before we all start living on top of one another. Therefore for the ready-minded citizen, the idea and technologies of the story don’t seem too complex to understand.  Here we have a space ship of the future throwing itself lightyears from Earth which transforms itself from 120 years of suspended human animation to the equivalent of a luxurious cruise for the final 4 months of travel. And the period where the ENTIRE ship is sleeping? total ghost town.

Characters

Now Jim Preston is portrayed by Chris Pratt who although billed second to Jennifer Lawrence, stands as the protagonist of this film. Jim is shown from the beginning as a practical, engineeringly skilled man in search of a new life away from Earth. With simple morals and desires, he reminds me of nothing but an Aussie tradie searching for a quiet life and an attractive lass to settle down with after work each day. Jim lives for the lifestyle in which the ship and new planet promotes to potential investors in the seemingly ginormous capitalised organisation. He is therefore left nearly hopeless at his awakening 90 years prior to arrival. Pratt, undertaking a largely serious role on comparison to his past stints with Parks and Recreation and Guardians of the Galaxy, overall shines as our alpha-male frontman determined to fix the malfunctioning ship and save the 5000 lives on board. Opposite Chris, Jennifer Lawrence is Aurora, conveniently sharing a name with Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ who is awoken by Jim in his desperate need for human (particularly female) contact on the lonely ship. Jen, who we’ve now seen in a variety of roles is quite familiar with the futuristic ‘save the world’ setting in which she shines. And whilst she is not purely Jim’s helpless love interest, for once Jen takes a backseat as the almost supporting character role in the heroic tale. As a born-bred hunger games fan I find myself almost biased in my praise for Lawrence as an actor as her versatility in character, style, personality and raw emotion is next to limitless. I mean. she didnt get those Oscars for just throwing a costume on and showing up on set. Despite these talents though, you never see her overpowering Pratt, who strongly holds his own in this movie which, although from the sci-fi genre, truly paves a future for him in more serious upcoming roles.

Chris and Jens chemistry as a couple was pure fireworks. Some say you only need put 2 attractive people in a room together to really build the basic sparks of your fire but i completely disagree. Chemistry comes from deep within, a connection to ones own emotions as well as their characters and the ability to intertwine them with others. I believe that it is a true art form, a dedication to an actors work which should never be brushed off with something as basic as ‘looks’. The 2 frontliners who have many an experience with onscreen romance completely nailed the almost insecurity that comes from being one of only two people awake on an enormous vessel as well as the dependence that they develop on each other. brava.

The Set and Visuals

I think we can all agree that nothing’s worse sometimes than some bad CGI, which i saw nothing of in this film. Many of the scenes presumably filmed on green screen appeared crafted by Gods as the clean, sleek and fresh architecture of the future remained as such for the entirety of the film. From the Hibernation pods to the bedrooms and public spaces of the ship, the smooth modern touch of curves, mezzanines, illuminations and extremely basic colour schemes really took me into the future, joined by the new technologies of the plot. These aesthetic visuals recall images of brand new houses or cars, yet to be touched by the wear of humans and really emphasise the ‘new life’ that the many Passengers would soon be experiencing.

The Plot

I was on a mixed platter with the writing of this film. The physical script was great, funny, intelligent and hardly cringe. The futuristic technolgies and outerspace caastrophes always delivered asthe developed romance between the 2 lone passaengers did. But sometimes i just wasnt fully there with them.

As much as I hate to break it down like the ghost of english teachers past, every story must have a beginning, middle and end and every character must have objectives and actions to reason why exactly they do everything which is written. I feel like Passengers had a strong beginning and middle, a clear path and direction from where Jim wakes up and everything is explained to when he and Aurora fall in love and she discovers the classic character betrayal (predictable af right?). The middle to end however is where it gets uber messy. Jim’s objective in life is defined at a fresh start on the new planet where he is needed and he can build and grow. Aurora’s is quite different, putting her writing career first and travelling only to be able to write about her experiences and be appreciated back on Earth. These are clear and whilst not set in stone, need to be remembered.

As we near the end of the plot where Jim and Aurora whilst not on good terms must fight to save the ship, it is clear that their objectives seem to go out the window. All writers love a good heroic act and happy ending i know, but with audience predictability and confusability at its finest, sometimes it best to be realistic with the plot. After both characters commit heroic acts to save the lives of those on board and coincidentally save each others lives they simply just decide to grow old together on the space ship, righto. And I know its supposed to be cute and romantic and happy and im sorry but it’s just not believable, it is to me, the writer’s easy way out to an ‘enjoyable’ movie.

And just when you thought I was finished I would also like to tack on a small plot hole I found in the story. As the lovebirds develop their relationship, we see them running round participating in the complimentary activities of the ship from basketball to dance off’s. They also showed the ships passing of a nearby star where the couple marvels at its beauty as the ship voiceover announces its passing. But technically guys, they were all supposed to be asleep in their pods when they passed this particular phenomena so why on earth would it be programmed into the voiceovers in the first place? I understand that their being awake activated a lot of the services but there is really no need to prepare to view a star that nobody is going to be awake to see #plotholeeees.

In Summary:

Despite my finalising with plotholes and slight writing criticisms, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching Passengers. As a not too common sci fi watcher (beside the occasional doctor who binge) I found the films technologies to be easy to follow and understand and praised the art directions and set & costume designers for their simplistically elegant designs. Further praise also to the great acting from Jen and Chris who I will continue to place my faith in with future epics.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016)

Dir. by: David Yates Lead Actors: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterson, Colin Farrell My Rating: solid 9/10 Best Audience: Anyone anywhere with any interest in the magical universe of Harry Potter whatsoever (kids to teens to millennials to adults of all ages)

Quick, Non Spoilery Synopsis by Yours Truly: This film follows British wizard; Newt Scamander in his travels to post-war New York with a suitcase full of magical creatures. Existing in the same magical universe of the famous ‘Harry Potter’ series, Scamander is known to fans as the author of the textbook ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’. The story takes the audience back to before the book was written, where a young, bright eyed man steps off a ship to the unfamiliar wizarding world as it exists in New York, and the creatures that remain hidden in this new realm.

Nitty-Gritty Review Time

*Definitely CAN’T guarantee no spoilers in this zone and below so God’s Speed my friends*

Did I enjoy this film? F*cking indeed I did. Out of concern for disappointment, I bypassed my usual pre-movie hype up. Trailers unwatched, research incomplete and reviews avoided, I was blind walking in and then blinded walking out. The magical tingles were there from the first Warner Brothers symbol with a tinkle of that familiar intro tune we all know so well and followed throughout until the final shot of our new favourite muggle (or No-maM) Jacob. As a whole, the film was quite dark with much resemblance to the later Potter films. Whilst some may voice concern on this decision, I found that it eased the transition between films quite well. Had they decided on a brighter, more exciting and vibrant tone, I think that the potterverse would find themselves in a monstrous (hehe) shambles of bittersweet indecisiveness regarding this new saga.

Setting: 1926 New York takes a wild turn from our familiar late 90’s London, allowing us to turn a fresh page on a majority of our beloved Potterverse. Some things however, will never change between time periods- that being spells, fancy wizarding ministries, Hogwarts and of course the ageless Albus Dumbledore, all with exciting appearances and mentions in the plot. The story takes place at a point already somewhat known from Dumbledore’s timeline; the reign of Grindelwald’s catastrophic plans to pin the muggle and wizarding worlds against each other ‘For the Greater Good’ following the separation of their close friendship. With strong anti-witch propaganda in place, the 20’s prove a dangerous time for witches and wizards in America, causing a major concern for the Magical Congress (ministry) to remain hidden and detached from the non-magical (No-Mag) world. We find as the plot progresses that New York takes a stricter front on both magical creatures and No-Mag’s in their close city landscape compared to London as all No-Mag/magical relationship ties must be severed and any glimse of magic must be obliviated. They also choose to punish differently as their ‘Azkaban’ take the form of the death penalty. Seem familiar? Post-war New York takes on the Potter darkness beautifully, as they teeter towards the industrial revolution and war vets struggle to find joy in their return to dead end jobs and poor families while the wealthy and powerful continue to remain so. It is drearily cold in highlighting of the island’s slow struggle towards the development into its future, bright city that never sleeps.

Plot: The beautiful thing about this plot in comparison to the Potter series is that there was no detailed novel for the storyline to live up to. I’ll be the first slacker to admit that I never got around to delving into Rowling’s release of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ textbook itself however I know that much of Scamander’s character himself would have been revealed and structured in how Jo physically structured his writing style. How he came about his discoveries however was previously open to interpretation and so exciting to see finally brought to life. This action packed fantas adventure brought me smiles, laughs, thrills, fears and nearly tears! One stunning thing I noticed about the film was how Rowling still connected the screenplay to the original educational purpose of the textbook. The thrilling fantasy adventure genre allowed us to learn about the creatures through Scamander’s struggles and interactions with them in the story, as well as his explanations of them to his New Yorker acquaintances. As the story teaches us about creatures however, it also teaches us about the history of New York, as the ‘fantasy’ story show historical accuracy in the no-mag world. Witch hunting, children bribery, bureaucracy and therefore financial struggle were very real in the 20’s, especially for those like Jacob who had recently fought in the war. The storyline as a whole flowed so very smoothly where numerous interwoven plotlines transitioned together alongside Scamander’s creature-ful shenanigans with the Magical Congress of the USA (MACUSA) and the story of a sheltered and magically condensed young wizard (similar to Dumbledore’s own sister) was simultaneously told. The teamed-up central 4 characters; Scamander himself, No-mag Jacob Kowalski and New Yorker witches Porpentina (Tina) Goldstein and her sister Queenie were all central to the portrayal of Newt’s unplanned adventure. Their bonds upon the films conclusion hint to tighten beyond friendship as their experiences brought both Newt and Tina and Jacob and Queenie together in more ways than one. As usual with fantasties however, my chick-flicky side yearned for the many romantic hints to be extend between our character pairings. Despite this, I was grateful for the small nod that was given toward them and I anxiously await their development in the coming films.

Characters: Newt Scamander was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in a fashion that I was very intrigued by. The character, whom has only been hinted to through his writings, was much more quirkily introverted and publicly shy than I was expecting from such an adventure film. From the way he physically held himself and walked nearly crooked and hunched over, to his hesitance of speech, the quiet, outsider Hufflepuff was a delightful change of scenery from the extroverted Gryffindors we are so used to. Eddie, with big shoes to fill in the spotlight of Rowling, outshone any of my expectations as a smart, sweet, lovable pommy wizard stuck in the middle of a bunch of loud Americans, likely praying for a quiet cup of tea in his suitcase. The cute, awkward giggles certainly did bubble to the surface upon the mention of any romance for Scamander. I personally found this so endearing and even imagined him at Hogwarts as the cute animal nerd who trembled with nerves at the idea of speaking to girls as more than friends. It becomes clear to me now that perhaps a man with a suitcase full of beautiful creatures that he cares for would not appear to have much of a need for human interactions, and could be quite satisfied growing old with a shack full of nifflers and grindelows should his lifes travels take him there.

Jacob Kowalski, portrayed by Dan Fogler is the extremely loveable No-Mag who finds himself entangled in Newt’s crazy adventure through some confusion of luggage. The seeming similarity between their two suitcases could not be more different from the inside. Stairs leading to a magically landscaped property with multitudes of phenomenal creatures may not always envision a simple baker’s sample of his future goods. Jacob’s wrong (or should i say right) placement at the wrong time leads to an unexpected and forbidden partner and friend-ship with a sweet, quirky wizard. Foglers portrayal of hilarious cluelessness and sudden fascination and love of magic makes the New Yorker No-Mag laws just tragic to process as his impending obliviation looms closer.

Tina Goldstein portrayed by Katherine Waterston was the powerful, independent woman of my dreams. An ex-auror clawing for a chance back in the big game she was determined, smart and beautiful, almost like a taller, less bossy Hermione in a way. Waterston’s Tina, like Newt took a solo road to her position in 1926, a time where most women seen in serious jobs were taken as more driven and even masculine at times. Despite this, her strong ‘Auror’ façade hides that underneath, she shows a timider, caring outsider persona that fades to the background of a room, particularly if Queenie is there to take the spotlight.

Queenie Goldstein was played by Alison Sudol, a sweet legimens with powers to read others minds. The younger sister of TIna, she takes quite a liking to Jacob, the equally as sweet No-Mag and surprises the audiences with her cunning quick thinking and utilisation of her powers despite her menial position in the ministry. Her powers also make her an excellent people reader, leading to her being the first to question Newt on his past romantic escapades. At first glance, Sudol appeared to me a younger clone of Idina Mezel, but as she continued to grow on me, her character bloomed into something of her own, charming self.

Finally, I want to have a short word about Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp. Both faces i was pleasantly surprised to see appear in this film as i clearly hadn’t done my research. Miller played Credence, a troubled teenager adopted by an anti-witch protestor. He, whilst first assumed to be a squib, turns out to be a wizard whose magic has been strongly repressed by his adoptive mother and circumstances. Miller, clearly experienced with the ‘teen with issues’ role- plays the ‘quiet and timid’ turned explosive facade to a tee and i wouldn’t expect any less. And Johnny Depp, finally an older face to the infamous name @jamiecampellbower looks like future you is doing pretty well in the looks department. A shock to the system in the final reveal but as I look back at the casting i think it’s about time that Depp got involved in only the biggest film franchise in Britain. I mean he’s worked with all of the famous HP actors before, all practically crawling over him in Sweeney Todd, Bellatrix Lestrange herself is practically attached to him at the hip! So yes, overall quite satisfied with his sudden involvement in the franchise and very keen to see where he takes us.

Visuals/cinematography: With such an enormous budget, it’s no surprise that the CGI and visuals are beyond awesome. I mean seriously this film has “Fantastic Beasts” in its title and anyone would be seriously disappointed if these creatures were a dime less than that. And of course, as usual with CGI, there will always be some discrepancies with anyone trying to physically touch or interact with said creatures. The animals themselves though- phenomenal; Nifflers, Lethifolds, Augurey, Bowtruckles, Crup and Ashwinder, as well as the Occamy and Obscurials. Not to mention their habitats: Newts small little briefcase of wonders holding forests, deserts and snowscapes galore! Whilst not extremely realistic- hey its magic! I was satisfied.

Next, the 20’s  ‘New York’ setting, clearly a studio (well duh) but hey, nothing like dark, grotty streets surrounding the still beautiful Central park that screams the ‘City of Lights’ huh? All of the spells were on fleek as usual and the Harry Potter feel was real, maybe because it was made by the same studios, production team and directors? Like i said, nothing like a big budget of CGI and sets as well as big fancy cameras that make the sexiest visuals on my local big screen, Media student stands: very impressed.

Summary of the feels: Overall as you can probably tell, this film blew me out of the park. Call me biased for having a childhood based around the very same wizarding world if you may, but my untrusting heart of sequel series was healed and my mind was opened to the world of Newt and his creatures, his team, his world and I was happy there. Super happy. And super keen for the sequel, bring on November 2018!

[bloggy-hell]

MOVIE REVIEW: Nerve (2016)

Velcome to my vlog (thats blog with a romanian accent) look I’m not really sure what I’m doing here but movies are a thing that I enjoy talking about as much as myself so let’s go.

NERVE (2016): dir. by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost Lead Actors: Emma Roberts and Dave Franco (drool) My Rating: 8.4/10 Best Audience: Predominantly young adult, which is probably why I liked it so much but teens, adults and families would likely enjoy it. Great Date Movie Idea!

Quick, Non Spoliery Synopsis by Yours Truly: Based on the book by Jeanne Ryan, Nerve follows the story of Venus (or Vee) who is a Senior at Staten Island High School that photographs school sports, her football playing crush J.P in particular. (think Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spiderman zooming in on Gwen Stacey’s face style). Her best friend is Sydney, the head cheerleader and labelled the more ‘outgoing and confident' of the 2, who becomes a famous ‘player’ on the online game ‘Nerve’. In Nerve, you can be a Watcher or a Player as the trailer tells us. A majority are watchers, who pay to watch the players do dares. The watchers choose the dares and the players must accept and film themselves completing them to win money. If they fail or don’t accept, they drop out of the game and the last remaining players compete in the final. Following a run in with Sydney and a question of guts, Vee chooses to become a player on Nerve with a long night of dares and challenges ahead.

The theatrical trailer points us in a direction of crazy tasks filled up in an online reality for Vee, Sydney and the other players of New York. But when it comes down to it, the real question is; would YOU be a Watcher or a Player?

Nitty-Gritty Review Time 

*Definitely CAN’T guarantee no spoilers in this zone and below so God’s Speed my friends*

Setting: Present day New York, oh how my heart screams to be there. The movie is set approximately 50% in Staten Island (which my google research suggests is a ferry ride south from the Big Apple) and 50% in the city itself. I definitely believe that present time setting always makes a smoother process for understanding plot lines and ideas, as I find we can easily imagine a game such as Nerve arising in today’s society. With familiar and relatable places and objects in time (such as smartphones), we as the audience can focus on enjoying the film rather that attempting to decifer it like we do in futuristic or scifi movies (S/O to Transformers, still have no fucking clue what that cube is).

The Concept:

I won’t speak too much about this because the idea sprouted from the book that therefore deserves to be interpreted in it’s own context (did get the book on Sunday so there is potential for that soon) but I will say this: From the first moment that I saw the trailer for this movie I thought that I was a copied idea. The idea in question I had already seen on film rather with a ‘Horror” Genre in the movie “13 Sins”. Whilst it’s not a blockbuster the movie follows a boring poor man who receives money for completing tasks that are texted to him on his ancient nokia flip phone. This film is largely gory and the sins are thought of less as a ‘fun game’ and more of a desperate and bloody fight. There are however many more differences between the movies such as the involvement of watchers and deeper plotlines than the game itself in Nerve (the movie that I honestly prefer out of the two.) Once I have read the novel which will likely be within the next few weeks, I will also do a writeup on the book to film translation and maybe follow it up with a number of my classic favourites. (Hello? Harry Potter and Hunger Games are just sitting on my shelf waiting to re-establish themselves in my mind)

The Technology: The strong use of internet in the film had me gobsmacked. Something that you think would only be possible in a scifi film; a game that cannot be shut down from a server that cannot be traced appears in a present day setting because PSA: it’s fucking possible and so mysterious yet so bloody scary. I really think that the directors drew on this idea, coming from Catfish, Schulman and Joost knew that there are good and bad sides of both technology and the internet, depending on the eyes of the beholder really.

Another great thing about these directors is that there is a real Catfish-y element to the game. Nerve accessed and abused Vee’s online identity to truly personalise her Player experience. Anything she had ever put online was there for the taking of the watchers to manipulate into dares. This really shows how dependent and trusting today’s society is of technology, in a way that we really shouldn’t be. A message from the Catfish perhaps, for if we can access our whole lives online (our banking, our doctors, our personal detail) then there is a chance that a lot of others can access them too which is way too real for me. 

Moving on to the real reason I even created this section of review; THE PHONES. Finally a movie has dictated how incredibly attached we are to our bloody smartphones in 2016. We see that all watchers and players must be practically connected at all times to participate in Nerve which (minus the dares and likely adding a few pokemon) is finally an accurate representation of phone use in everyday life. I’m glad that this film highlighted heavy phone use while carrying the story (mind you, it was a strong part of the plot) but look I’m all about movies feeling real and that did it for me.

The final issue symbolically that was also addressed was the obsession with self image and promotion, particularly when they characters speak about how many watchers Sydney may have compared to Vee. Goshhh i want to slowly drain all my blood from one of my toes its like Facebook and Instagram likes all over again but so relevant! Sydney is the number one culprit, the insecure friend who needs watchers, compliments and to degrade her best friend to feel good about herself because she thinks that approval from others is a representation of her worth. There are so many Sydneys out there and hello this is a wakeup call for you my friends, you are wasting your time. Another reason the presently set movies just tickle me pink: address. today’s. issues. Become even more relatable, make bloggy-hell more fucking pleased.

Characters/Casting The female lead Vee, is played by Emma Roberts. I’ve never loved or hated Emma as an actress honestly however this role charmed me into kicking her up a number of spots on my actress list. (Which doesn’t exist by the way but might one day) I think that Vee was a really relatable character which is what you need for a protagonist who, whilst making some very very shitty decisions, became quite admirable. A smart character, she chose to be player to prove to herself that she could it and nobody else. She didn’t need anyone else’s approval besides her own which contrasted really well with her troubled and insecure friends. I loved how she wore sneakers the whole film, not some ridiculous heels and how her hair was not always perfect because sometimes after you run around New York all night, you actually do get a few strays.

Dave Franco played Ian, another player in Nerve who *spoiler alert* gets asked to team up with Vee by the watchers after coincidently competing a number of dares together. Ian, who’s name we find out is actually Sam at the very end of the film didn’t get that much of an insight as a character unfortunately apart from it being discovered that he was a previous player of nerve. An obviously attractive romantic interest to add some more plot to the film, Vee and Ian mesh well as partners in crime and lesbihonest romantically as well (oh pleeeeease let me gush over the post motorbike speeding pash pleeeeeeease) Always great to play a bad (yet still good) boy, he is always a perfect casting choice in my mind.

Finally here I would like to talk about the relationships of the film which (please don’t hate me) kindaaa let me down.Now I love a good chick flick style romance as much as the next 19 year old and trust me, i enjoyed the romance in the movie, i really did, but I’m sorry it’s just SO PREDICTABLE. Well kinda. *Massive spoiler character rant* So of course we have the best male friend who, yep you guessed it, is totally in love with the protagonist. We then have the stuck up ‘best friend’ who will have a massive falling out with the lead in the pre-climax of the movie, oh yep check. Token Asian friend with at least one quirky fashion accessory- this selection, enormous glasses. Followed by the token black girl with mad computer skills (at least THAT wasnt the asian)  Bad-ish cute boy with motorbike who lead is forced to work together with, ding ding and  finally, the evil guy who everyone hates that turns out good in the end. Not to forget the single, struggling mum still getting over a recent trauma to make the lead feel guilty for every decision they make for themselves.  I think the only thing that would have made these relationship more predictable would be if Vee ended up with her best friend and Ian took out Syndey OR if mbf (male best friend) took out the quirky Asian chick so everyone was happy.

Production So it has been nearly a week since i saw the film and my memory is getting a little rusty but I just have a few comments about the filming and production. 1. LOVED the colours. I for one die every time i see a sexy, colorful cityscape and died numerous times during the film. The neon lights used in both the ‘game element’ and real life were youthful, exciting and nothing but beneficial to the overall enjoyment and aesthetics. 2. The game interface was awesome! It was clear that Nerve had to be an actual app on their smartphones but it’s actual intelligence and look, hell even the entry video to the game as vintage yet funky and just to die for. 3. Ahhh persepctive filming i love youuuu, And we got so much! What Vee sees, what Ian sees, just a general onlooker, through their phone (where WE become the watchers and my absolute personal favourite (don’t ask me why, I’m just a loser) from the smart TV as a fishbowl lens look of the watchers reactions- namely those at the party. Just. Plain. Awesome.

SUMMARY:

Overall, if you can’t already tell, I really really enjoyed the film Nerve. We had the romance, we had the cool game, we had the current scary technology, we had action, self discovery, everything! And I just feel amazing when I can recommend date movies which I 300% do for this one, I went with 3 guys and 3 girls and not one person disliked it. Honestly, I’m not really sure why I do film reviews because I usually enjoy all of the movies I watch, I think however, as I develop as a media student and a more analytical person, my taste may slowly start to fall apart (blows sad party whistle), Another thing that would’ve improve the storyline is if it was me pashing Dave Franco but you can’t always get what you want kids which is why I would take predicable characters any day if I could watch awesome movies like Nerve for the rest of my life.