It's the start of April - SPRING, AT LAST! - so it's about time I posted My Month in Movie's for March. I didn't watch that many films last month but the ones that I did manage to watch, were some really top notch movies. Here's a lowdown of what I thought of a few of them...
Gravity
Gravity received rave reviews from both critics and the general public so, although I have no (literally, none whatsoever) interest in space or science, I thought I'd best give it a watch. S and I rented it from our local video shop and settled in for the night.
I was absolutely blown away by this movie. Seriously, I couldn't look away from the screen. Not only are the graphics outstanding, the acting is brilliant and - although in some parts there's very little dialogue (as a large part of the film contains only one character, the fantastic Sandra Bullock, whose character is just so believable) - it never feels as though it's lacking anything.
There's a lot of drama, a lot of suspense and so many moments where you're wondering 'oh my god, what's going to happen?!' I don't want to spoil the film by giving away much of the story-line but, if you haven't already seen it, you really must. (9/10)
Catching Fire
I loved the first Hunger Games movie and fell, ever so slightly massively, in love with Jennifer Lawrence in her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen, so I was super excited to catch the second installment. Unfortunately, we missed it in the cinema, so when it came out on DVD we rented it at the first chance we had.
Although I haven't read the books and get kind of confused about the politics behind the districts and the actual Hunger Games themselves, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was just the right amount of action and gore, but with so much sentiment and some really important messages on friendship, family and ethics. (7.5/10)
The Book Thief
My favourite film of March had to be The Book Thief. I'd just finished reading the book (you can read my review here) when I saw that the film was going to be released in my local cinema. As mentioned in my Sunday Summary this week, my friend Becca and I went to see it on Wednesday. She hadn't read it, but still loved it just as much - if not more! - than me.
For those of you who don't know the story, a young girl, Liesel (played by the incredibly talented Sophie Nélisse) is sent to live with foster parents in Germany during WW2. The film tells the story of her progression through her teenage years and all the tears, adventures and heartbreak that she experiences along the way.
I know that lots of people don't like to watch a film if they've already read the book but, for me, it's all part of the experience. You read it and visualise it using your own imagination, and then you sit down and watch someone else bring it to life. The film doesn't stray too far from the original story, but there are - of course - some "Hollywood moments" added in, and , unfortunately but understandably, some of the brilliant - but not crucial to the overall story - parts of the are book missed out. (9.5/10)
Apart from the above films, I also watched some other great movies; Filth which is a dark British comedy-drama (7.5/10), the ever-so-sh*t Bad Grandpa (3/10), the eery and gripping (and also starring the oh-so-beautiful Jake Gyllenhall and total DILF Hugh Jackman) Prisoners (8/10) and - at last - the cult-classic, smack-shooting Trainspotting (8/10).
