Back in March I wrote a post about things I would like to do more of this year and I’ve basically done none of the things I said I wanted to do apart from watching movies by myself. I have always struggled to watch films alone; I get awfully distracted and can’t ever shake the feeling that I’m wasting my time and could be doing something much more productive, like blogging, decluttering or exercising. Which I know is a ridiculous mindset because we all need down time and give our thinking minds a break but it’s in my nature to always want to be on, on, on all the hecking damn time. However, I have managed to have a word with myself, sit myself down and watch some movies recently (and not feel bad about it – yay!) So here are my mini-reviews of some things!
Love, Simon (2018) – 5/5 🌟
I’m sure you all know what Love, Simon is about by now but super quick if you don’t: A high school boy named Simon (imagine that) starts chatting online to an anonymous boy at his school who is gay, like him. Simon’s family and friends don’t know and he’s fallen for the charming anon who calls himself “Blue”.
Love, Simon was quite frankly, one of the most lovely films I’ve seen in a bloody long time. It has an amazing cast (if you liked 13 Reasons Why then you’ll be pleased to see Katherine Langford, who plays quite a big part and Miles Heizer) and definitely keeps you guessing. It had me stumped as to who Blue was to the point where I couldn’t think of a single person it could be. It’s funny, emotional – really emotional – and just an all round bloody perfect film.
Black Panther (2018) – 5/5 🌟
I left it far too long to see Black Panther and I’m kicking myself for it. I’ll straight up say that I’m not hugely into superhero movies. They’re not on my radar of “must watch” and I just don’t really enjoy them as much as other genres. But Black Panther always piqued my interest and my goodness, from the cast, to the graphics, to the storyline – it was outstanding.
Again, you probably know what it’s about but: T’Challa returns to Wakanda after the death of his father to take his place as King. But when he’s faced with a threat, his role as King and as Black Panther is challenged as this new threat to the kingdom might be a bit closer to home than he thinks. Black Panther was visually, a masterpiece. It was beautiful. And Michael B Jordan. I’ll say no more.
Wonder (2017) – 5/5 🌟
Wonder made me cry and cry and cry and cry and cry. If you want uplifting, this is the film for you. Wonder is about a young boy called August who has severe facial deformities. Spending most of his life living in his favourite Space helmet, his parents decide it’s time for him to go to an actual school and stop being home school. Having to navigate the world of school, bullies, making friends and being different, Wonder follows the whole family during this important time in all their lives.
Above all else, Wonder is a story of love and it really shows in all the relationships in the movie. Between August and his parents, August and his Sister, his Sister and her old best friend – the relationships are endless and there’s always a story to tell. It’s an incredibly emotional movie with incredible messages which will really touch your heart on a whole other level.
Cargo (2017) – 3/5 🌟
This has been on my Netflix radar for ages and I’m always quite drawn to Zombie-esque type films. Anything where humans turn into flesh eating monsters with a bit of gore and some sort of mass pandemic always goes down well with me (despite The Walking Dead boring me to tears) so I really wanted to watch Cargo plus I love Martin Freeman, I mean who doesn’t.
Cargo is set in a post-apocalyptic type world where there has in fact, been a mass pandemic and it’s a fight for survival. The main character, Andy (Martin Freeman baby) has to navigate the expanse of rural Australia to find a home for his infant daughter, before it’s too dangerous for her to stay with him. I’d probably rate Cargo a 3/5 because it’s a pretty slow burner. Which isn’t always bad but for my inpatient nature, I like something a bit faster paced. Martin was fabulous, as always and the “Zombie’s” in this one were a little different, which was good but a little disturbing.
Brain on Fire (2016) – 4/5 🌟
Brain on Fire is about a 20-something Woman who is just starting her career as an up and coming journalist in New York. Her life and everything in it is absolutely fine until one day she starts to experience fatigue and seizures. Which gradually get worse to the point where she’s hearing voices, becoming paranoid, frantic and aggressive and eventually, catatonic. And no tests reveal there’s anything wrong with her until one doctor’s last minute observation might help.
This was a really fascinating film as it’s based off a real story and the woman who actually experienced what she called her “month of madness”. It was frightening seeing this young girl completely lose herself to the point where all she can do it sit in a hospital bed and stare at the wall. Knowing this is all true made it even more scary but it was eye-opening. As a film, I really enjoyed it. I though Chloe Grace Moretz played Susannah brilliantly and it’s well worth a watch if you’re fascinated by medical type things!