Recapping The Movies I've Watched In 2017 So Far

I feel like 2017 has been the year of movies for me. Not in the sense that every movie I’ve watched has been outstanding but rather, I’ve watched an immense amount, for someone who only watched She’s The Man in 2012 and have not seen a single Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movie. Basically, I’m not a huge movie buff - I don’t rush to watch movies unless I feel like it’s necessary and I’m not fussed on whether I do get around to it or not. I guess the biggest difference this year is that the friends that I’ve been hanging out with all love watching movies, and it’s become a social thing for me. Almost like a movie club! 

So without further ado let’s get into the first half of the year recap. 

Movies that I’ve watched

Most, if not all of these, are pretty mainstream movies with heaps of hype around them. 

Best Movies

Logan

I’m going to admit it, I’ve barely seen any of the other Wolverine movies, but Logan was amazing in that I didn’t have to know much about the other two to watch this one. It was such an emotional journey, played out spectacularly by Hugh Jackman and Dafne Keen. The plot was detailed enough, without dragging out moments, and I loved that it conveyed themes around equality, discrimination, love and family. 

Beauty and the Beast

I’m a Disney fan and this pretty much exceeded my expectations of it. I always go into adaptations quite apprehensive, but I throughly enjoyed this. Full review here. 

Worst Movie

The Great Wall 

Don’t even ask me why I watched it. From the plot to the script, it was all so cheesy and barely made any sense. Do not waste your time. 

Most Surprising

Passengers

I watched this at the beginning of the year, after looking at what was on and not seeing anything else my friends and I would’ve liked to see. Surprise, surprise, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Maybe it’s because I didn’t expect too much, but I loved the design of the spaceship and the world building, the flawed characters and yes, even the sappy plot line. It was an enjoyable movie and would be great for a night in. 

Most Disappointing

Split

Okay, let’s just get this straight. “Split” was one of those movies that I pictured what would happen in my mind and hope it would blow my mind. Instead, it left me confused and unsatisfied, veering from psychological thriller to having supernatural elements. I was hoping for darker elements that would leave me questioning the entire plot but really, all I'm questioning is why they decided to do what they did. 

Transformers: The Last Night

Let’s be real, I expected this to be a disappointed. I don’t even know why I thought this would be better than it was. I mean I liked the transformation of the cars. I liked the humour. I liked the fighting. But everything else was way, waaaaay too cheesy. Optimus Prime had so many monologue moments, I thought I was watching a Shakespearean play. 

Thoughts on other movies

Wonder Woman

Gal Gadot was badass and beautiful. I’m not a huge DC fan nor do I know much about the history around Wonder Woman, so I felt like the context was strange. Nevertheless, it was an amazing movie celebrating a female superhero so I’m all about it. 

Spider Man: Homecoming

Can you tell I really like superhero movies? I really appreciated this re-make of Spider Man, because it explored Peter’s younger years and how he struggles to balance his teen years with his secret missions. It’s so realistic and relatable, from the peer pressure to thinking that he can tackle everything in the world because he has powers. It was definitely different to other superhero movies, but once I got past the lack of action - there is action, just not the same amount as per usual - I found I really enjoyed it for the message it portrayed. 

Kong: Skull Island 

I'm in two minds about this. I liked it. It had a good back story to Kong, his demeanour and personality and how, as humans, we tend to take things for granted and assume that every land is ours for the taking. The island was incredible and so rich in creativity, and I loved that they filmed part of it in Ha Long Bay. On the other hand, it wasn't as engaging or captivating as I wanted it to be, so there were times I zoned out or felt like it was dragged on.

Bottom Line - go see Logan, Spiderman, Beauty and the Beast and Wonder Woman because they were all incredible and had so much to take away from. 

What Movies Have You Guys Seen This Year?

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Beauty and The Beast Was A Beauty To Watch

Source: Disney UK

Review

I had high expectations for this version of Beauty and the Beast, despite knowing it could go quite wrong. Thankfully, ever so thankfully, I fell in love with it and now know it will be one of those movies I will watch over and over again and won’t be bored.

The live action of Beauty and the Beast stays quite closely to its animation counterpart. Surprisingly, most scenes had the actors/actresses mimic the actions of the animated characters, which I thought it was clever touch of detail and I much appreciated.

Source: Disney UK

I loved Emma Watson in the part of Belle. She displayed the courageous and steadfast nature of Belle, and it was just so believable to see her as the character. Watson isn’t an amazing singer, but her voice blended sweetly with the songs and was supported well by the rest of the cast. She was beautiful in this role and the chemistry between Dan Stevens and herself were great to watch. 

The romance between the two has always somewhat been controversial. A lot of debate regarding Stockholm Syndrome and Beauty and The Beast has arisen since the animation, but the movie portrays the importance of choice and self-will, which I really liked. The one aspect this live action does better than the animation is conveying the relationship progress between Belle and the Beast. There is a lot more banter between the two, with the two making jokes and sharing their love for their different interests. It made the romance more realistic and believable - you can’t help but root for them. 

Source: Disney UK

There are certain scenes that are added and some songs that are changed, but it doesn’t take away from the story and wasn’t something drastic that I felt like wasn’t necessary. Josh Gad as Lefou was a standout character for me, with his voice and humour. I also like that they adapted his character to include diversity - despite the controversy around his role. Favourite musical number would have to be Belle for its rich sound and the strength in the singing from everyone in the song. Be My Guest was probably the most satisfying to watch on screen, with the extravagant CGI effects, that made the song all that more fun. 

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, seriously go and watch it. It was amazing and I have been repeating the soundtrack for the past 2 weeks since watching it. 

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Me, Earl and the Dying Girl Was Visually More Appealing

Title: Me, Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publication Date: March 1st, 2012
Release Date: July 1st, 2015
Add to Goodreads | Buy from The Book Depository

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

Review

Characters

1. Movie Greg is more likeable than book Greg
The representation of movie Greg is somewhat accurate to book Greg but his personality is a lot more likeable and relatable in the movie. I could empathise with his insecurities and struggles and appreciated the friendship he tried to build with Rachel. In the book, Greg's reaction and actions to the situation he has to encounter is a lot more realistic though. I could definitely understand why he felt the way he did even though he did come across as a lot more mean and selfish.

2. Earl is my favourite character!
Earl has a lot more character depth than anyone else in the book, and his backstory makes him a lot more realistic. Movie Earl is a lot more involved in the story than book Earl - his friendship with Greg is a lot more obvious and I could see that he cared for him. His story is a lot more fleshed out as well, which meant that I could see some type of character arc. He was real and straight to the point, what I liked about him.

Plot

1. Shared the same meaning
Both the movie and the book conveyed the same meaning around friendship, trust, life and death etc. It was a bittersweet feeling but I did find myself just a bit sadder whilst watching the movie.

2. Realistic plot progression and story arc
I think that's what I liked most about the storyline. The fact that it developed at a good, realistic pace and there wasn't forced troupes that can make the plot a cliche/stereotype. I think the book did this a bit better than the movie because the movie had a time constraint to deliver everything they had to. I'm glad the movie incorporated most of the book plot, with a few tweaks, but didn't change my enjoyment for it.

Overall

I would say I liked the movie more because I appreciated being able to watch the story visually play out in front of me. They both had different plot developments, which I enjoyed, but it was easier to process the story whilst watching and was a lot more impactful in the short time frame.

Book Rating

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Zootopia Bounces Into My List of Favourite Animations

Title: Zootopia
Produced By: Walt Disney Animated Classics
Release Date: March 4th, 2016
Rating: PG (Mild themes and threat, some scenes may scare young children)
 Zootopia Disney Page | IMDB Page

The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything.

But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery. 

Review

I rarely do movie reviews that aren't related to a book, but after seeing Zootopia I definitely wanted to share my thoughts about it to you guys!

Produced by Walt Disney's Animated Classics, Zootopia has fast become one of my favourite animated Disney films. What makes Zootopia so amazing is the cleverness of it. The design of the setting, the different nature of the animals, even the intricacy of the plot line meant that I was fully engaged in the story and gained so much from it.

The city of Zootopia is well thought out and creatively structured, featuring various climates to fit the range of animals' needs. It's actually a beautifully animated place and the details make it almost realistic. The animals themselves are hilariously portrayed, although most of them do play out a certain stereotype that does become challenged as the story progresses. It encompasses a fast paced action story with a strong moral behind the plot to produce an amazing movie that I really enjoyed. Also keep an eye out for the humour that I found so funny, especially when they refer to modern day TV shows, movies and even clothing stores.

The thing I loved most about Zootopia was its desire to generate change. Judy bounces into a world where she has to deal with all the prejudices that come with being a certain animal. This reflects the world we're living in and how, despite the many races, genders, sexuality, that can be found in society, there is always going to be some type of discrimination that will occur. Instead, in Zootopia Judy finds that she can be the voice to change. There are obvious obstacles but she manages to really unite all the animals in the city to really accept each other and the skills they have.

For a children's movie, Zootopia really tries to break the boundaries to convey the message of diversity, acceptance and perseverance. In reality, the change that Judy brought to Zootopia is more of an ideal that certainly won't be reflected in our society as fast as we would like for it to happen. But the movie does end with her talking about creating change, even if it's just one person, because that's one more person pushing for change to happen.

Even if you don't deep dive into the movie like I did, it is an amazing movie that is light enough to laugh at and enjoy whilst still carrying across messages that will make you think.

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