Copenhagen (2014) - Comedy/Drama

Rating: 8/10

Summary: William (Gethin Anthony), a childish and destructive twenty-something year old, goes to Copenhagen looking for his estranged father. There he meets young Effy (Frederikke Dahl Hansen) who tags along and helps him on his search, teaching both of them a lesson or two about life.

Copenhagen is a hilarious, emotional, and triumphant film that reflects both youth and growing up in a beautiful way. William is grown man who, frankly, doesn't know how to behave around adults, or how to be one himself. He is immature, cocky, and juvenile, and really has no idea what he's doing. Effy is young, but mature and quick to hide her age and convince people that her birthday is soon so her age

doesn't really matter. Contrasting the two character's Effy wants to grow up for too quickly, and William is trying so hard to remain young and carefree. By the end of the film the two characters learn important lessons from each other--Effy learns it's not good to grow up too quickly and cherishing your childhood is important, whereas William learns there comes a time when we all have to grow up and it's better to go with it rather than fight it.

Gethin Anthony was devilishly charming and free spirited, yet he annoyed the hell out of me at the same time. He somehow managed to remain attractive while I sat there loathing him and his foolish personality and antics. It almost made me uncomfortable to see a grown man acting like an overgrown

eight year old. I happened to notice though, that when he did act like a fool it was when William was put in situations where he felt uncomfortable or lonely in a way. It seemed that, like a child, he would rather get negative attention than no attention. Gethin played the role of William perfectly, allowing the loneliness being his youthful eyes to come out at just the right moment, just enough for me to see how scared that man really was of growing up and facing the world, and how lonely he truly was and how terrifying that seemed to him. The most impressive part William was his ability to at last grow up and let go of the child left in him. In the end he did the right thing for once and refused to destroy anything else in his life. Gethrin was magnetic on screen and his juvenile personality was hilarious, in all he did amazingly.

Frederikke Dahl Hansen did just as well playing the girl who so baldy wanted to grow up. Effy was so insecure about her age and what people would think that she lost herself as she waited to get older. Putting her beside William it was easy to see which one of the two was more grown-up, which was extremely saddening. It was sad to see a girl so desperate to be an adult so she could finally be with a man that wasn't even himself entirely an adult. In the end it was almost a relief to finally see her accepting herself and her age, and the fact that, yes, she would grow up, but it didn't have to be right away.

This film was hilarious, and emotional, and extremely entertaining. The location and setting was incredible and gives off an adventurous and youthful vibe that goes well with the characters and their personalities. The acting is impeccable and the soundtrack is just as good. I highly recommend this film, it is entirely worth a watch. Definitely not a family film, but maybe something to watch with friends, a significant other, or even by yourself if you're up to it. This is a definite B+ movie, and a must see.

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In Your Eyes (2014) - Indie/Romance

Rating: 8/10

Summary: Rebecca (Zoe Kazan) is a sheltered housewife in New Hampshire. Dylan (Michael Stahl-David) is an ex-convict in New Mexico. These two very different people share one thing; they can communicate with each other telepathically.

When the film first started I was a bit disheartened, the acting was poor and it felt forced. Although after the first three minutes I was pulled right back into the story. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of Rebecca and Dylan's lives. Rebecca is a little housewife, sheltered, and completely "kept in her place." While Dylan is a troubled ex-convict completely caught up in himself. As different as the characters may seem on the outside it turns out they are very similar, and when they are put together they create something incredible.

Zoe Kazan was superb, her quirky personality was perfect for the role of the bubbly yet shy housewife, but when it was time to get serious her performance was heart-rending. She made Rebecca go from lively to greatly afflicted in a matter of seconds. Zoe also made Rebecca relatable as a shy, self-

conscious woman, with a low self-esteem who is simply looking for some kind of greater meaning to herself and her life. Though she may not find it, Rebecca finds compassion and comfort in the person closest to her that also happens to know her the best and understands every aspect of her being.

Michael Stahl-David was perfectly charismatic and charming and was excellent the entire film. Through the dazzling charisma and dashing smile he showed the troubled bit of Dylan just enough for the audience to know there is more to the ex-con. The confident looking man turned out to be just as low on the self esteem spectrum as Rebecca. Michael was endearing and witty and helped bring more emotion to the film and kept me wanting more.

The characters and actors were amazing, but what made the film was the friendship between Rebecca and Dylan, not the romance. These are two people who, didn't know it then, knew each other their

whole lives. They felt each other's pain and understood each other in a way that is indescribable. We all have a friend like that (not in the same degree obviously. [unless you're telepathic, in which case right on.]) and it's easy to feel the happiness they feel when understanding the connection they have with each other. Though the romance was nice, and I was rooting for them the entire time, the friendship was the most beautiful and what made the film relatable and funny and engaging.

This film is a good one, I suggest watching it whenever you get the chance, I very much recommend it. It's something you can watch with friends, significant other, by yourself, with your dog, probably not family though because that might get a little weird (unless you're fine with watching sexy scenes with your family in which case, again, right on).

P.S: If you liked Her, you'll like this one.

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In Fear (2013) - Thriller

Rating: 5/10

Summary: Lucy (Alice Englert) and her new boyfriend Tom (Iain De Caestecker) are on their way to a music festival when they decide to take a detour and they find themselves being harassed by unknown persons.

Usually the problem with horror films is that they don't have enough of a scare factor, almost as if the actors are bored. In this case I think the actors were over enthusiastic making the film seem overdone in a way. The plot itself was not bad, in fact it had quite a bit of potential--even though it wasn't really that

original. It was the basic young-couple-gets-followed-and-harassed-they-make-dumb-decisions-and-it-turns-out-to-be-that-one-guy-that-was-doing-it-the-entire-time type of movie. Total scare factor was a zero because, basically, I could see everything coming; they leave the car alone--something happens to it, they decide to keep going instead of turning back--obviously someone is going to die, they pick up the only other person on the road--obviously he is the bad guy. It lacked suspense and mystery because it was totally predictable.

The acting wasn't that impressive either. Alice Englert seemed like she had the right idea it just wasn't precise enough. Instead of boring me to death she over did it to the point to where it was annoying, at times in the film she would get frustrated and start yelling or overreact to the tiniest things. Iain De

Caestecker was obnoxious throughout the entire film and there were some aspects of his character that I isn't understand. For example, why he didn't want to tell Lucy what happened at the bar before they left? Was it really so hard for him to explain to her that there had been a confrontation and he had to buy some guys a few beers? It honestly seemed like an irrational overreaction that was hard to really wrap my head around.

The only character I truly found interesting was Max, he was perfectly psychotic and it was so entertaining to watch him completely manipulate Lucy and Tom. In a matter of minutes he managed to turn them against each other, and for what reason; because he could. That is what made him the perfect

little villain, he simply took joy out of causing them pain, and confusion. He also somehow managed to remain in control the entire time. While the ending of the film may suggest otherwise; he got what he wanted. He had successfully finished what he said out to do without anyone really thinking about it or realizing it.

Overall the film was pretty bad, but not the worst. I suggest you watch it when you're bored or want to have a laugh with some friends (it's actually kind of funny the way everyone freaks out in the movie), bad acting and predictability is always pretty funny.

Watch In Fear Here

And While We Were Here (2013) - Romance

Rating: 6/10

Summary: Jane (Kate Bosworth) goes to Italy with her viola playing husband while he prepares to perform in an orchestra. While there she meets Caleb (Jamie Blackley) a young, spirited, carefree boy who opens Jane's eyes and mind, and helps her realize she is not living her life to the fullest.

And While We Were Here is a beautiful film, with the perfect setting for a romance such as this. It was a cheese ball romance film that made me feel like I gained twenty pounds because it was so sweet (sugar joke [insert laugh track here]), which was exactly the problem for me. I have never been a fan of

overly romantic films because they often make me cringe, I suppose if you like that sort of thing this movie is perfect for you (maybe you can watch this instead of The Notebook on valentines day). The magic and romanticism of Italy was expressed accurately in the most modest way, as the film did not go the stereotypical route when it came to locations. The cinematography also helped encompass the beauty of Italy and did not overdo the ooey-gooey romantic side of the country.

I was especially impressed with Jamie Blackley's performance. Jamie was heartbreakingly youthful, and crushingly naive and childish, he perfectly captured the essence of what it is like to be young, dumb, and in love, his line, "You make me feel calm," is a perfect example of his purity when it comes to emotional experience. He was innocent yet seductive, and lively, for the most part he shined thebrightest in this film. He played the role of Caleb with such ease and grace it was as if he was simply playing himself in the film.

As for Kate Bosworth, her performance was less than pleasant (I'm also not a fan of her), but I suppose she did quite well seeing as she was playing a completely unlikeable character. Jane was self-absorbed, manipulative, and confused the entirety of the film. she manipulated both her husband and Caleb in

order to find meaning in her life, bringing young Caleb down with her in the end. The most impressive part of Kate's performance was her ability to completely explode with emotion towards the end of the film. She displayed a great flurry of screams and fiery eyes that you could feel with watching the confrontation scene she has with her husband. Other that one scene she displayed almost no other emotion besides a monotonous excuse for neutral to match her love life I suppose.

The film was no awful but I was not impressed, or completely sold on Kate's performance. Jamie Blackley did incredibly and if it wasn't for him this film would not have bee entertaining what-so-ever. Perhaps, with another female lead it would have been much better. Overall, I say watch this film if you enjoy lovey dove gooey films and Jamie Blackley and his perfect eyebrows.

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Mr. Jones (2013) - Horror/Thriller/Found-Footage

Rating: 5/10

Summary: A filmmaker Scott (Jon Foster) and his photographer girlfriend Penny (Sarah Jones) move into a secluded town to work on their relationship. But, things change when they realize their neighbor is the famous "artist" Mr. Jones (Mark Steger). They then decide to change their focus and make a film about him, until things start getting strange.

I am a huge horror fan, unfortunately scary movies aren't so scary to, therefore I am extremely critical when it comes to horror films. Mr. Jones, like most others, wasn't too memorable to me. The only thing that made it exceptionally interesting was the plot and turn of events that took place at the end; where the antagonist wasn't at all that. Unfortunately, he ending was not made clear enough and became too hard to follow. Even after looking through various synopsis I still found it hard to understand the

ending. This is where the film lost me, have there been various Mr. Jones' and that is what Scott had become? And what was the significance of the sculptures affecting people in the way that they did? It was clear that they forced people to have terrifying nightmares, but other than that why had Mr. Jones sent them out into the world? This may just be me missing some points of the film, regardless it made the film difficult hard to follow as much as I did actually want to understand.

As for the acting; I was not impressed. As far as horror movies go, it didn't have the worst acting but the actors were not amazing performance wise. The problem, I think, lies with the story. The main characters Scott and Penny were hard to relate to and sympathize with because of their actions throughout the film, ex: Breaking into Mr. Jones' home, Scott stealing the baby sculpture that, and I'm

just taking a wild guess here, seemed like it was put there for a reason and really it seemed absurd for him to even think about taking it. Also the fact that Penny was not at all fazed by Mr. Jones when they were up close and personal. It seems hard to believe that someone would not be terrified of someone who has created such macabre pieces of "art," which to me often times looked like human remains. She did not even question the strange, quiet, and extremely creepy man who, also, took their car keys? For some reason that didn't seem at all suspicious to her.

Overall, I was not impressed with the film but it was fairly entertaining to watch. There are better horror films out their definitely, so I would only recommend this one if you have nothing to do and nothing else to watch. Maybe watch it late at night in the dark to make a little scarier, or if you're easily scared don't do that. I don't know I'm not your mother. As far as found-footage films go, the idea is original, interesting, and far more entertaining than paranormal activity.

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Falling Overnight (2011) - Drama

Rating 10/10 **Diamond of a film**

Summary: The day before Elliot (Parker Croft) has to have brain surgery to remove a tumor, he meets (Chloe). Together they spend an entire night going on little adventures until it is time for Elliot to tell Chloe the truth and they are left with the question, what now?

It is very rare to find a film that physically and emotionally moves you. Falling Overnight is one of those. Before I really go into it I would like to say, this movie may not be for everyone. It is a low budget Indie movie, which I happen to be a sucker for (most of the time those turn out to be my favorites). By the end of the film I had cried about three times. Throughout the movie I felt like someone was tugging at my heart strings and I kept getting pangs in my chest, at one point I even got

butterflies. I even started to realize I was smiling through some parts. When the movie ended my hands wouldn't stop shaking and every other film I watched that night didn't even seem worth it. It is extremely rare that a movie does this to me, the last time I was effected this greatly was when I saw Her when it came out at the beginning of 2013. I am 100% when I say, this movie is a diamond in the rough.

I'd like to begin with Emilia Zoryan. I have never seen her in anything before, so I didn't know what to expect from her. Let me just say, I could not be more pleased with a performance. Emilia emanated on screen. She shined and had the most enchanting and charming personality. She made Chloe real. Chloe was no longer a character she was a person who   was vivacious, and effervescent, she was genuine. Her acting was captivating and behind the

personality I still felt like there was more, some kind of backstory to this two dimensional character. Emilia's performance was so enticing she made it seem like her character was more complex than she actually was, and that is an incredible thing, she was given something and she ran with it. I don't think anyone could be Chloe except for Emilia Zoryan, it is impossible to imagine anyone else doing a better job.

Parker Croft also was impeccable and commendable. He made me love Elliot from the beginning, this sad, lonely, sick character who may possibly have hours to live. Though Parker plays Elliot as shy and laid back behind his eyes you can see panic and the fear of someone who doesn't know what is in his future. In fact, whenever the future is mentioned you see all happiness fade from his eyes, and he loses himself for a moment. It was almost like Parker was actually in Elliot's situation and was feeling what

he had to endure. And finally in one of his final scenes he loses his cool and performs one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen. His crying and emotion is genuine, it is not just someone trying to put on a good performance, it is someone actually feeling something. In that very scene he goes from being an actor to being an artist, a human being who is in pain. His performance was moving beyond words and one of the best, I think, in film.

The actors' ability to make the dialogue believable and real make the film as amazing as it is. While watching I had to think, "There's no way any of this is scripted," because it was so real. It made the film more authentic and honest to see two people on screen that seemed like they were

having an actual conversation that average everyday people would have upon meeting. The magic of the film comes from their interaction. They have an onscreen chemistry that is so strong you can't help but feel what they are feeling for yourself. Everything about this film is honest and sincere, when you watch Elliot and Chloe you're not just watching you are along for the ride and you are invested, and you fall in love as they do.

The soundtrack and cinematography are up to par with the actors and dialogue, and continue to add to the genuineness of the film. The director was careful to only add music in places where people were listening to music unless absolutely necessary in a limited amount of scenes. Even then the songs fit perfectly and are so touching it wouldn't matter where they were used, song choice was A+ when considering the soundtrack.

I highly recommend this

film to anyone and everyone. As of now it is the best film I have seen so far and definitely my #1. It is a true diamond and rarity, it evokes so much emotion that isn't just boohoo sad, it's a complex film that brings out complex emotions that are hard to imagine unless you truly feel them. Please watch this film it is so incredibly underrated, and deserves so much more credit that is actually has gotten. I promise you will not be disappointed.

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Coco Chanel (2009) - Drama/Romance

Rating: 8/10

Summary: The story of Gabriella "Coco" Chanel (Audrey Tautou) before her rise to fame as a fashion phenomena. 

I found this film after watching Amelie (which I highly recommend), I really wanted to watch another film staring Audrey Tautou because she is such a brilliant actress and she has so much personality.

After seeing her play the eccentric, bubbly, and adventurous Amelie, it was strange to see her playing such a stubborn, serious, and sarcastic fashionista like Coco Chanel. It was strange but she did a marvelous job.

Her attitude throughout the film was fascinating to watch, Audrey was oozing with personality which made the film so much more interesting to watch. Also an independent woman forcing her way to the top is always entertaining, especially when you know she will become one of the most successful and influential women to ever live. Her sharp tongue made for fast paced sarcasm and quick wit humor that made Coco a total badass woman that I'm

sure no man wanted to ever mess with.

It was also interesting to see such an independent woman who seemed so emotionless fall in love unwillingly. It was outside the realm of normal Romance/Dramas where people are so willing to fall, where as she tried her best to avoid it, to push her lover as far away as possible.

This film is so entertaining and quite funny, and extremely fascinating. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in bios, or fashion, or if you like quick wit humor, or foreign films, or Audrey Tautou. Actually I recommend it to anyone, it's a great film that I'm sure everyone will thoroughly enjoy. Altogether I give it a B+.

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Mr. Nobody (2009) - Romance

Rating: 10/10

Summary: Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto/Toby Regbo) is the last mortal man on earth, dying at the age of 102. He decides to reevaluate his life with a journalist deciding whether he made the right decisions in life.

I would like to start this by saying, I was extremely hesitant to begin watching this film, I don't know why but I really was just reluctant to do so. I had tried watching it once before and only got about two minutes in before I changed my mind. Honestly I should've watched it all the way through the first time

because, oh my god, this film is so wonderfully good. It's extremely confusing, and the end will blow your mind and cause you to have an existential crisis, I know I did.

Jared Leto was basically perfect, I am a huge Jared Leto fan, have been since 30 Seconds to Mars and Requiem For A Dream, so it came as no surprise that I loved him as Nemo Nobody. Coincidently, I am

also a Toby Regbo fan, so of course, I loved him as Nemo as well. I thought they both did brilliantly, especially Toby, he was perfectly emotional and sad and lovable. However the actors are not what made me love the film so much.

The storyline was complete and utter perfection, or should I say story lines. Now let me admit, I did have to read a few synopsis' before I really fully understood the movie and even then I had to go back and watch a few scenes before I fully understood it for myself. If you haven't seen the film, don't read this the rest of this, and also go watch it because it's really worth your while.

MAJOR SPOILER'S:

Now what I got from re-watching the film and reading about it was this: Nemo was living all of his

lives at once. When the journalist says, "You can't live two lives at once, they can't all be true," he was wrong and Nemo actually had lived all the lives. The film is basically discussing the principles of the chaos theory, mainly the butterfly effect and order/disorder chaos.

If you are not familiar with the chaos theory here it is: 

• The Butterfly Effect: This effect grants the power to cause a hurricane in China to a butterfly flapping its wings in New Mexico. It may take a very long time, but the connection is real. If the butterfly had not flapped its wings at just the right point in space/time, the hurricane would not have happened. A more rigorous way to express this is that small changes in the initial conditions lead to drastic changes in the results. Our lives are an ongoing demonstration of this principle. Who knows what the long-term effects of teaching millions of kids about chaos and fractals will be?
• Order / Disorder Chaos is not simply disorder. Chaos explores the transitions between order and disorder, which often occur in surprising ways.

Now chaos implies that everything is happening all at once, that simultaneously we aer living hundreds of thousands of different lives in different dimensions and universes all at once, and that is what Mr. Nobody is exploring. It also makes sense of Nemo and the narration he is doing for the documentary in the film, everything he is saying adds clarity to the film and what is going.

Ultimately, Nemo wasn't just a senile confused old man, he really did live all those lives he lived, only he was aware, but all his lives revolve around and change the moment he decides whether he wants to be with his mother or father, causing the first branch off of story lines (2 story lines). From there if he

goes with his father he will either be with one girl or the other, or he will go into a coma (4 story lines). If he goes with his mother he will ALWAYS  love Anna, but he either will or won't end up with her (6 Story lines). Nemo also promises to take one of the girls' ashes to Mars and so he does (7 story lines). Overall he was living seven different lives, and remembering them all.

This is what makes the film so incredible. There are seven different story lines going on, the entire time you are trying to decide which one is true, and you come to realize, they all were. Which begs the question, how many lives are we living right now? Do our lives break off into another storyline with every decision we make in some other universe?

Overall I highly recommend this film it is truly amazing in every way 10/10 HIGHLY recommend COMPLETE MUST WATCH.

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Stoker (2013) - Drama/Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 9/10

Summary: After India Stoker's (Mia Wasikowska) father dies in a mysterious car crash, her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) comes to live with her and her mother (Nicole Kidman). India begin's to fall for him and eventually his motives become clear.

I thought this film was incredible. The plot was outstandingly interesting although it was quite slow and confusing in the beginning. Throughout the entirety of the film I found my self almost jumping out of my sheets (instead of at the edge of my seat seeing as I was in bed wrapped in a blanket rather than sitting in a chair or couch), or with my jaw dropping because some scenes came as such a surprise to me. This film truly is a thriller and mystery.

Foremost, I am only familiar with Mia Wasikowska because of her appearance in Alice in Wonderland,

other than that I have not seen her in any other films. For me, she rose to the challenge of playing such a dark and almost mature role. Ultimately, she was brilliant throughout the entire film and did not disappoint what-so-ever. She added and interesting bit of personality to the character of India that made it seem like India was hiding something deep down inside her, and by the end of the film she embraced it and let it out. I can honestly say I don't think anyone could've portrayed India better than Mia did.

As for Nicole Kidman, I was not very fond of her character Evie though, as usual, she did an excellent job at playing the disturbed, and emotionally distraught mother. The role was not at all outside her realm or different from the roles she normally takes so I was not disappointed. She played a perfectly

unlikeable character, and made her, well, unlikeable. From the beginning she possessed a certain hatred towards India, she might have even resented her, which puts her on the side of the antagonist especially towards the end of the film. Overall she did a good job, and again I don't think anyone can play a role like that better than Nicole Kidman.

Matthew Goode did just as well as everyone else, though I am not familiar with him or any films he has previously been in. But like all the other mains in the film, he did not disappoint. He played a

perfectly charming psychopath throughout the film, and made Charlie seem attractive despite everything else that he did or said. I found myself hoping that he would achieve what he wanted and came to like him even.

As for cinematography, it was beautiful. I loved how certain details were taken into consideration and were made focus points throughout the whole film. For example India's shoes (SPOILER), which from the beginning of the film were a mystery until it is made clear that Charlie is the one who was the one sending them to her. Before it is even made clear to the audience, her shoes are a main focus and remain so the entire time. This film is endlessly fascinating and I'm sure if I were to watch it again I would pick up on certain small details that I didn't notice beforehand.

Overall Stoker is an excellent film. I would recommend it to anyone who has seen and likes Shutter Island or We Need to Talk About Kevin. It's ultimately deserving of a high rating 9/10 recommend to certain people A-.

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A Little Princess (1995) - Fantasy

Rating: 8/10

Summary: Sara (Liesel Matthews) moves out of her home in India and is sent to live in a boarding school while her father goes off to war. After a time he is unfortunately assumed dead, and all of Sara's worldly possessions are taken from her. She then becomes a servant to the demanding lady of the house Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron). Her only escape is in the stories she tells to the other servant girl Becky (Vanessa Lee Chester) as she hopes her father is not truly dead and he will one day return to her.

I would feel terrible actually giving a review of this film and judging the cinematography and acting because it is actually so touching. Now this film is meant to be a family and children's film so as far as being a complex and artistic film it doesn't meet the standards. But as an entertaining and sweet film it's spot on.

The story is sad, emotional, and heart warming, the most heartwarming of them all is the friendship between Sara and Becky. Becky is and African American servant who, lets face it, is treated like trash because of the fact that she is black. The truly powerful thing is how none of the children in this film

really understand why she is treated so badly and why they mustn't talk to her besides the fact that they are told that they can't. To me it shows that children are taught certain things like racism, sexism, homophobia etc. And like Sara children are taught to treat people with dignity, and that all little girls are princesses no matter the color of their skin, social status, or wealth. That's what makes this film

so incredible. It teaches, not just little girls, but everyone that they matter, that they can be whatever they want to be despite the circumstances. I think it's so important to teach that at a young age, and I believe all children should watch this at some point in their adolescence.

All in all this film is heart warming sweet and touching, it's definitely a must watch for ALL children, and it teaches many valuable lessons.

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