I didn't expect to like Crimson Peak as much as I did, but I honestly thought it was great. Guillermo del Toro's gothic romance is everything I expected it to be, but better. The film is incredibly creepy when it needs to be, with ghosts that are much scarier than they are in the trailer and genuinely leave you with your hair standing on end, and delightfully cheesy like a trashy romance novel, with overwhelmingly cheesy dialogue and the most idealistic and ridiculous sex scene I've ever watched in my life. The story is quite standard at the beginning, moving a bit too slowly for my liking, but it proceeds to spiral out of control in the best way possible, and gets really, really good towards the end. As well as that, it's an incredibly pretty film, with the most detailed and gorgeous set I've seen in a long time. Crimson Peak is cheesy and ridiculous and to be honest, that's what makes it great. 

Due to my sudden decision to indoctrinate my little sister by binge watching all the Harry Potter films, and my new-found love of the U.S. Office, the second half of July wasn't very productive in terms of watching new films. The films that I did watch however, range from a 90's classic, one of the front-runners of the 2015 Academy Awards and Pixar's latest gem, all of which had their own strengths and were overall enjoyable to watch.

Dir. Bryan Singer. 1995

To be honest, The Usual Suspects wasn't a film that initially interested me, but on account of the fact that the film is famous for its twist, and I already had Fight Club spoiled for me *sobs*, I decided I needed to watch it before someone ruined it for me. I had attempted to watch it three times previously and fell asleep each time. I finally succeeded in watching it the whole way through, and the story, albeit something I found difficult to follow at first, eventually grabbed me. I thought the twist was pretty predictable in the end, I had guessed it from the start, however I thought that it was brilliantly revealed. Overall, it was okay, I probably won't rush out to watch it again but I'm glad I finally saw it.

Dir. Damien Chazelle. 2014.

Upon watching Whiplash, I was slightly confused. It really wasn't what I expected it to be at all and I couldn't confirm whether I actually liked it or not, until someone I know described it as nothing more than a large performance piece, which is a good thing, and helped me realise how brilliant it actually is. I didn't really care for the story, the character of Andy, is a bit of a douche really, however it was definitely unique. What really blew me away was the absolutely amazing camerawork and editing, which was complemented by a soundtrack that really fit the overall mood and pacing of the film. I thought that the final scene was brilliant for these reasons alone. I really recommend that everyone watches this film just because it is a truly unique experience and is different from anything I've watched before.

Dir. Pete Docter. 2015.

I actually wrote a full review of Pixar's latest creation after I saw it last week, it can be read here!.

Dir. Pete Docter. 2015.

*slight spoilers ahead*

After months of waiting (and I mean months, I've been following this film since it was nothing but concept art), Pixar's latest film, Inside Out was finally released in Ireland last Friday. As a huge Pixar fan, as well as an animation buff, I immediately rushed out to see it, and even though I feel it could have explored certain aspects more, it really did not disappoint.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, Inside Out tells the story of Riley, an eleven year old girl, and the emotions that live inside her head. The most major point about this film is its startlingly unique story-line, which delves completely into aspects of philosophy and psychology. Riley's brain is an entire world in itself, including things such as long-term memory, imagination land and islands that are dedicated to aspects of her personality such as her family, her love of hockey and her honest nature. The entire concept behind the film is the main reason I wanted to see this film, never mind the huge cast! The film was unbelievably sweet, and its ideas on family, growing up and asking for help during bad times actually brought a tear to my eye, as most Pixar films tend to do. Its humour and writing was also very good as it was not only aimed at kids but also adults. The emotions continuously refer to Riley's age and how things couldn't possibly get worse, an enjoyable jab at the prospect of Riley eventually hitting puberty. The characters also all succeeded in standing on their own. Joy and Sadness were the obvious stars and acted as brilliant foils to one and other (albeit I found Sadness to be slightly irritating), but the other emotions, Anger, Fear and Disgust also stood out.

One thing that I wish they could have delved more into is the obvious fact that Riley was growing increasingly depressed. The characters hinted at it slightly, with the emotions exclaiming that Riley was incapable of feeling anything and was withdrawing from hobbies and loved ones, but all and all was skipped over quickly. I feel that such an interesting concept could have really gone into the idea of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, and looked into depicting the what happens inside your head when you experience these. I know it sounds a bit dark for a kids film, but Pixar once presented us with a commentary on mankind's materialism and impact on the environment, disguised as a love story between two robots, so I'm sure they could have made it work. It's not something that deeply impacts my overall feelings towards this film, just something I wish could have happened. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed watching Inside Out. It's brilliantly animated with memorable characters and a very original story.

4/5

2015. Dir. Alex Garland 

I'd been wanting to see "Ex Machina" for ages! After missing it in the cinema when it came out in Ireland, my interest was sparked once again after seeing all the hype it was gathering over in America. It's a really interesting film and is an interesting take on the subject matter of artificial intelligence and what exactly determines us as human beings. The sound design is absolutely phenomenal, it fit with the action so well. It's definitely one of the best scores that I've heard in a long while. There's some really nice shots  in the film as well. It appeared to have been mainly shot with a wide lens which allowed for some great shots of the Norwegian landscape and interior of the mansion. Not only that but the special effects were unreal. The way they made the character of Ava appear both human and robot, yet still believable, is phenomenal.

****

Adam and Paul
2004. Lenny Abrahamson
On account of the fact that Lenny Abrahamson actually presented my course's work at the film festival, I figured I could do with acquainting myself with more of his work since I had only seen "Frank". I found "Adam and Paul", a film surrounding two junkies in Dublin searching for a fix, to  be very interesting and thought-provoking. The story didn't particularly interest me at first but I was quickly drawn in, and the huge variety of characters presented were very well-written and memorable. The acting was brilliant. The characters of Adam and Paul are presented to us as pathetic, sniveling addicts, who still manage to maintain our sympathy, regardless of their actions.

****

First of all, as a warning to those of you who aren't exactly in love with musicals, and in fact, might really dislike them, this film is basically one long song. I know that they're divided into individual songs, but honestly with so little dialogue and and the fact that the majority of the songs sounded pretty similar, it was basically a giant song. This film is not for the faint of heart, you've got to enjoy constant singing, and I mean constant.

I thought the story moved pretty steadily and was pretty fast-paced. It's definitely not what I expected, I knew it would have dark undertones but it still took me by surprise. I think there might have been too many characters for proper character developmentr. Rapunzel, Prince Charming, his brother and Jack's mother were basically non-characters, especially Rapunzel. Due to her presence in the official film posters, I assumed she had a much bigger role but she basically says about two words. Besides this, I enjoyed the darker slant on traditional fairytales.

I was pleasantly surprised with the actors in Into The Woods. Meryl Streep, as per usual, was a goddess and can do no wrong. James Corden, an actor I was apprehensive about because he's more of a comedian, actually played the part of the Baker pretty well. I also thought Anna Kendrick was brilliant as Cinderella, Pitch Perfect really did nothing to showcase her singing talent. The actors who played Jack and Little Red Riding Hood were also quite good, however Red's voice did grate on my brain sometimes and I thought that Chris Pine's portrayal of the Prince was more sinister than charming at times. The deep growl he seemed to use every time he promised to find Cinderella was more unnerving than romantic.

The production design truly deserves a mention. The attention to detail is astounding and the designers really strayed from the typical layouts commonly seen in fairy tales, the interior of Rapunzel's tower was particularly stunning. The costumes were also really intricate, with once again Rapunzel's dress and the Witch's youthful appearance being my favourites. I personally think its only competition in the Oscars is The Grand Budapest Hotel in terms of Best Production Design.

All and all, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I wouldn't watch it all the time, the fact that it's basically a two hour song is a bit much for me to handle. However, it has a fast paced story which is actually comedic at times, and I'll admit, I'm listening to the soundtrack right now, it's addicting.

***