#1 - ATTACK THE BLOCK
Stars - Nick Frost, John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Luke Treadaway, Simon Howard
Director - Joe Cornish
Memorable Quote - 'This is too much madness to explain in one text'
Review - What bills itself as a silly sci-fi comedy about teenagers in a London gang taking on an alien invasion single-handedly is actually a subtle and intelligent social commentary. The main cast seem to be a group of hard-edged black teens, mugging a woman in the first scene and brandishing knives, baseball bats, samurai swords and guns. As they develop throughout the movie we see them for what they really are: scared kids, struggling to survive in an environment that has let them down, turning to a life of crime in order to eat... the presence of the Brewis character, who lives with his parents, drives his Dad's car, and doesn't even pay rent, only reinforces this message. I've seen enough commentary from various internet sources - of people really not understanding the fact that real people aren't clean-cut heroes and that sometimes, yes, you do bad things but perhaps there's a reason and perhaps you can realise it was wrong and never do it again - that I'm going to move on now to the actual filming. The aliens were very well done, the script was flawless, everything felt genuine and real (I think I've met a few of the characters in real life), and even though the plot was simplistic I enjoyed it thoroughly. Reminds me of La Horde but a lot more light-hearted. 5/5
#2 - THE HUNGER GAMES
Stars - Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Wes Bentley, Stanley Tucci, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson
Director - Gary Ross
Memorable Quote - 'May the odds be ever in your favour.'
Review - I kind of went into this movie expecting not to like. And, unexpectedly... I did. I liked it a lot. I wasn't completely sure when I left the cinema, but by the time I got home I was sure I liked it. It grew on me, in a way that I suspect is responsible for the popularity of both the film and the books themselves. It had enough of an impact on me that I actually decided to buy the book, and I'm a die-hard Twilight hater, so I had written it off as more of the same. The actors are good, the effects are good, I love the fact that Katniss is a strong female character... I wish the films had told me a bit more, because I didn't always feel sure that I knew what the characters were thinking. I really commend the fact that there was so much of the runtime dedicated to the pre-Games part, as it was so essential for character development - even in that space of time I could barely keep track of five or six tributes, so with a shorter time it would have been horrendous. Fair play to it - the hype may, for once, actually have been justified. Also, I love Woody Harrelson. 4/5
#3 - FOOTLOOSE (2011)
Stars - Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andy McDowell, Ray McKinnon, Miles Teller
Director - Craig Brewer
Memorable Quote - 'You can stick a quarter in that girl's backpocket and tell whether or not it's heads or tails.'
Review - Now, I haven't seen the original, and I'm having a pretty hard time trying to imagine Kevin Bacon in this role, so you'll have to excuse me for no comparisons. That said, this movie is actually laughably bad. I enjoyed it, but not in the way I think I was supposed to. Also I'm possibly getting too old for things like this, as in the bus race scene my only reaction was to get annoyed and say, "What a waste, it must have cost them a fortune to buy all those toys and do the buses up! Now all their hard work is ruined!". Anyway, this film tries way too hard, and there are so many problems with it that I can't even begin to list them all. It actually views like a really extended showreel dedicated to make you think "Boy, that Kenny Wormald sure can dance!" 1.5/5
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