Movie Review: Les Miserables

When I was 15 I went to Europe on a school trip.  Writing that sentence is somewhat surreal, I mean honestly, a school trip to Europe?  But it did happen and I was supremely lucky to be a part of it.  We spent 2 weeks on the "literary tour" in Paris, then Oxford and finally London.  During the trip we visited numerous museums and art galleries and saw a play or musical nearly every day.  It was an amazing experience which really gave me the travel bug in a way that I'm not sure travelling with my parents would have.  There was an illusion of freedom (after all we were tightly chaperoned by teachers the whole time) that was exhilarating for a group of 15 and 16 year old girls.

That said, we did all get homesick, probably helped by the fact that a shocking cold did the rounds of the group.  I was one of the last to get it and I remember one day when I just couldn't get up, watching everyone else go off on their adventure while I lay sick in a boarding school room.  My homesickness was exacerbated when suddenly in our last week my family stopped answering the phone when I called them.  No matter what time I tried, if I tried the landline or the mobile no one answered.  As it transpired they had gone to the Blue Mountains where they unexpectedly had no phone coverage.

So you now have context, a group of teenage girls, heady with the excitement of being far from home, emotional with homesickness, many still recovering from a shocking cold - a potent emotional mix.  Now add in the West End version of Les Miserables.  Oh yes, we cried our little eyes out.  By the final song I could barely breathe with the emotion of it all.  That night and that musical are seared into my consciousness, so much that every now and then I will find myself humming a song from it.

When the movie version was announced I was rather hesitant about it.  Could it possibly live up to my memories?  Would Hollywood stars be able to sing those difficult magnificent songs?  Could the filming live up to what has to be one of the most spectacularly staged productions ever?  The reviews I read were mixed, but despite all of this I was determined to see it so on Saturday Mum and I went and hid from the heat and saw the movie.

I was blown away.  Seriously, I thought it was magnificent.  I may not have been the crying wreck I was the first time I saw it but I do know the story and more importantly was not a a homesick teenager.  The performances were wonderful and I think the fact that actors sang live is one of the things that made it so brilliant.  As I type the Golden Globes are being handed out and Les Mis is deservedly receiving many of them.

If you don't like musicals, there is no getting away from the fact that it is 2.5 hours of people singing, which is why we left S and my Dad at home.  But if you do like musicals then I'm pretty sure you will love it too.

Have you seen Les Miserables? What did you think?

The Hunger Games - The Movie

I would not describe myself as a fashionista, however I am prepared to make a bold prediction - braids will be big this season.  Judging from the girls (and women) coming in to see the movie version of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen's choice of hairstyle is setting a trend.

I loved The Hunger Games, I got the first one over Christmas and devoured all three books.  I loved reading something so compelling that I struggled to stop reading at night.  They were books that had me hanging on to every word and then thinking about them long after I had finished reading.

It is always with some trepidation that I approach the movie of a book I've loved.  The transition from page to screen is not an easy one.  Novels contain such depth that condensing them into a few hours of screen time is fraught with danger.  And then Margaret and David, my go to movie reviewers, gave it a terrible review.

However I was not deterred. This morning I headed along to the movies with a couple of friends.  I was ready to be disappointed, but hopeful that it would be great.

I really enjoyed the film.  If you haven't read the book, following some aspects like the back story of Katniss' family will be difficult.  Minor details were changed, for no real reason as far as I can see and various aspects of Katniss' inner struggles were not even close to being portrayed.  But overall it was faithful to the story.  The actors were great, the costuming brilliant.  The vision of the Capitol and the Peacekeepers putting down the people are definitely set to lead into the next two movies and it is clear that the film makers took inspiration both from Roman gladiatorial battles and Nazi propaganda material.  The fight scenes were somewhat blurred and slightly difficult to follow, but I think that was mainly done to covey what was happening whilst maintaining the M rating. 

I think it would be an enjoyable movie even if you hadn't read the book, but having read it, the understanding you bring makes it a great movie.  I think anyone who loved the book would not be disappointed.  It certainly lived up to expectation for me.

The King's Speech

I love a good movie and I've just seen a brilliant one. I know I'm by no means the first to rave about "The King's Speech" but it really is as fantastic as everyone is claiming it to be. As a friend said to me, the major elements of the story aren't really that surprising, it is history after all, but the story behind those events, of a man struggling with himself to be the king he wanted to be is compelling.

And the performances, well they are sublime. There is a lot of Oscar buzz about this movie and it really deserves it. Everyone is just pitch perfect, even the kids. Huge kudos as well to the director and cinematographer, as it looks beautiful and the use of camera angles to illustrate the the Kings feelings of intimidation when confronted by a microphone or a gathered crowd are brilliantly done.

This is one movie most definitely worth the price of the ticket.