Terror In The Family (1996)

 

Such a dull film it doesn't even deserve to be reviewed. Terrible!

The story is dull, predictable and rather unbelievable. The characters are such dull stereotypes that you don't care about any of them. The ending is so happy-ever-after that it makes the 'struggles' of the family just totally unbelievable.

Don't bother as it's terrible!!

Rating: 1/10

Film Review: Melancholia (2011)

"The earth is evil. We don't need to grieve for it."

Melancholia is Lars Von Trier's apocalyptic drama about a woman with severe depression. In part one, we see the wedding of Justine (Kirsten Dunst) to Michael (Alexander Skarsgard). She attempts to maintain a happy facade but really she is overwhelmed by the emptiness she feels. She tries to escape from her new husband and the wedding party as frequently as she can and ultimately ends up rejecting Michael's sexual advances and cheats on him. He leaves her. In part two, we see Justine's depression worsen which sees her looked after by her sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her husband, John (Keifer Sutherland). We also learn of a rogue planet, Melancholia that threatens to collide with the Earth, ending life.

The film is visually stunning. The opening super slow motion shots of various characters and planetary imagery is stunning, particularly of the horse and Justine in her wedding dress. We see the shots of the planets colliding so that we aren't distracted by not knowing whether the world will actually end. I think this is a fantastic way for us to focus purely on the emotions of the characters which is what really makes the film. The score is also amazing. It seems almost unusual to see a properly scored modern film but the impact of the music adds to the beautiful visuals.

The film is inspired by Von Trier's own experiences with depression. As a sufferer myself I can really relate to Justine. Kirsten Dunst's performance is amazing; one of the most accurate performances of the real effects and actions of a depressed person. It's really one of those films that you need to watch and experience, as mere words just won't have the same impact.

I came across a review which I felt really summed up my viewing experience:
 "For myself, all I could do was tremble. I knew that I loved the film – and that I never wanted to see it again. I still haven’t, but then I don’t need to. Just the memory of it feels like a scar, a scar to remind me of how wonderfully wounding cinema can be."

Amazing film that really hits very close to home for me.

Rating: 9/10

Film Review: The Hunger Games (2012)

"Welcome, and happy Hunger Games"

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopic world in the nation of Panem. The country is split into 12 districts, where people live in poverty and the capitol where the people live  a life of modern luxury. Every year the Hunger Games are held, partially to entertain the Capitol but also to punish the districts for past rebellions, and a male and female from each of the districts is chosen at random to compete to the death until there is only one left standing. When Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) is chosen her older sister Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers in her place. She is joined by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) who has also been selected.

I was skeptical about this film at first as I'd read an interview with the author of the books stating that she hadn't ripped off the concept of Battle Royale. I still strongly disagree that she'd never heard of the Battle Royale films and think that this is basically those films for the Twilight generation.

However, I did enjoy the film. The concept of the future society is fantastic and the costumes and locations, especially those in the Capitol are amazingly creative and modern. The characters of Katniss and Peeta are likeable and played well. I found both characters to be quite realistic for such a big film. However, I didn't like the fact that we barely found out the names of the other tributes, let alone and information about the other districts or their stories. I assume there is more detail in the book or more information is to follow in the next films. Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) are also worth a mention and hopefully will be present in the next films.

Overall, I did like the film and it was a lot better than I expected. However, I did feel that it was a poor man's Battle Royale that caters more to a Westernised audience. I would recommend watching it and will be watching the rest of the trilogy as and when.

Rating: 8/10