Water for Elephants

The Synopsis
Just as Jacob (Robert Pattinson)is about to take his exam to make him a registered Veterinarian he is told that both his parents have died in a car accident. Distraught and without a place to call home he leaves town and jumps on a circus train. The Ringmaster of the circus, August (Christoph Waltz) takes a liking to him and hires him as the Circus's vet. It is here that he meets August's wife, the beautiful Marlena (Reece Witherspoon) and learns the trials and joy that is life in the 1930's circus.

The Review
Four months ago I saw this trailer for a film called Water for Elephants and was immediately taken aback by the imagery. Two days later I bought the book and had finished it before the week was out. The book simply blew me away.

Since then I have been waiting rather impatiently for this film and finally tonight I got to watch it. Let me tell you now, if you're wondering over the next month what film you'd like to see... choose this one.

Let's get the obvious bit out of the way first. It almost doesn't need to be said because any hardcore RPatz fans will probably be set on seeing this anyway, but for all you who love him, you will not be disappointed. It is definitely something to help take the edge off the long wait till November for Breaking Dawn.

But I want to say this to those who aren't fans of his. This is not just a film for people to swoon over Robert Pattinson. Please do not be disheartened from seeing it for that reason. Yes, he's in it and yes, when he first came onto the screen there was an excited gasp from a large population of the female viewers in the cinema, but this film is so much more than that. It's beautiful and magical and shows both the glamourous and not so glamourous life of the 1930's Circus.

Reece Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz are both amazing in this film. Christoph Waltz played August so well, they couldn't have cast anyone better.

For those who are going in to see it having read the book. Never fear people, they are very true to the book! The only large change they have made is by making August the Ringmaster and getting rid of the book's Ringmaster (Uncle Al) altogether. I've got to admit though, for the film it made sense. There were some slight differences in the storyline nearer the end due to this change but they find their way back again and keep all the best parts from the book in the film.

It's very well done and captures the heart of the story beautifully. Please people, see this film, it's one to watch! Not to mention the Elephant (Rosie) in it is adorable.

Now I said previously in my review for Never let me go that I would be a lot more stingy with my five faces and only reward films with that marking if it touched me as much as that film had. This isn't on the same level but at the same time, the idea of giving it any less doesn't seem right. So for completely gorgeous reasons that made me smile inside and out I'm going to dust off my five faces and give it to this film. It's not perfect but then again, I don't think I'll ever find a film as amazing as Never let me go was so it would be unfair to tarnish this film for that reason alone.

Beastly

The Synopsis
Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is completely obsessed with looks, convinced that they will take him anywhere. But when he upsets the witch Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), she puts a spell on him, taking away his looks for what could be forever if he doesn't find someone to fall in love with him in just one year. Devastated, he moves away from the city, only allowing his housekeeper Zola (Lisa Gay Hamilton) and teacher Will (Neil Patrick Harris) to see him. He's convinced he will never break the spell until he meets Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) who gives him hope that perhaps he has more to offer than just his appearance.

The Review
Okay, this is a guilty one. The film won't be winning any oscars and there's nothing about it to go 'wow' about, but I have to admit, it was sweet.

I tip my hat to Neil Patrick Harris who proves once again that he can bring comedy to a scene beautifully. This I knew he would be able to do before I went to see the film.

What shocked me however was the performance I saw from Mary-Kate Olsen. She was just so... enchanting. She played the witch in this modern day version of Beauty and the Beast and boy did she play it well. I particularly loved the physical theatre that she gave the character. She bent her body around as she talked in an understated way that, as Film-Buddy-Kezia aptly commented "Commanded your attention to her whenever she was in a scene." She owned that part man. Well done Mary-Kate. Plus, you know, if she ever got tired one day, she could always have just thrown her sister in to play the part. Ah the advantages of identical twindom are endless.

There was one scene that was possibly the worst scene I've ever seen in the whole of my film watching life. It was clear that there were two halves to this film, the part that was before Lindy arrives at Beast Kyles house to live and the part after. It was also clear that there was a large transition to get the girl who had barely spoken to Kyle to decide to live there. This would have to be dealt with well to show the marked change.

The film makers I get the impression however, decided to forgo the idea of even attempting to do this well. Instead they decided to go with the option of cramming half an hours worth of transition into two minutes and have the people who perform these two minutes to be pretty much the worst actors in the world. I'm not kidding, it was probably the funniest scene in the whole film purely for how BAD it was.

That being said and overlooked because I was sheepishly enjoying it up to this point. I continued to sheepishly enjoy it, whilst knowing in the back of my mind that this probably wasn't really a good film. But you know what? I really don't think I care. I'm going to say I enjoyed it because I did and in all fairness I will be buying the DVD because it was sweet and I like a bit of feel-good sweet every now and again so I shall generously give it four faces from me... with the warning that this one you may not agree with.

Love and Other Drugs

The Synopsis
Jamie (Jake Gyllenhall) is a man with a low attention span and a charismatic personality. After he starts his new fad of being a drug salesman he meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway) a young woman with stage one Parkinson's and a complete fear of commitment. The film explores the couple as they both surprise themselves by falling in love and learning all the challenges and perks that come with it.

The review
Ladies, let me just get this off my chest before I get all profound and 'professional' in my reviewing. Jake Gyllenhall in this movie is STUPIDLY gorgeous. This was a fact that took me completely by surprise as, although being slightly aware that he wasn't exactly hard on the eye, I had never found him particularly that attractive. It freaks me out when I'm faced with a revelation such as this as I'm pretty much lost as to how I had never noticed before. I have seen a LOT of Jake's work and not even Brokeback Mountain had made me stop and take notice, which judging by the type of men I have been known to show interest in in the past should have been the film, if there was going to be any, that would have turned me to 'Team Jake.' Nonetheless, it was this film and he was truly beautiful and nail bitingly yummy in it all the way through. Enough said on that... onto the proper stuff.

I was once asked a few years ago whether I write stories that are plot based or character based. This was a concept that to me I had never thought about until asked but since have always looked at when watching a film or reading a book. When it comes to romance films, the plot line 9 times out of 10 can be predicted within the first ten minutes of the film. This film is no exception to that rule, but what makes this film good instead of ridiculously mundane is that it is 100% all about the characters. Both Maggie and Jamie are real and completely screwed up characters that are entirely relatable to the audience and Hathaway and Gyllenhall both give an outstanding performance throughout. As a film on the whole, yes there really isn't anything substantial to it but in amongst it all there are pockets of sheer dialogue beauty between the two of them as they project their own screwed up insecurities on the other in a way that only proves they are perfect for each other.

Scenes such as Jamie's panic attack and Maggie's bathtub speech are two of the highlights of the film. My hat is tipped off to the writers for those particular moments. The film was simply about two very real people and without relying on anything fantastic happening it focused on these people and who they were, which in this context was by far enough.

Pretty impressed tbh, a good four faces from me.