Monster's Ball

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After a family tragedy, a racist prison guard re-examines his attitude while falling in love with the African American wife of the last prisoner he executed.

Wow!
Such a powerful movie! Absolutely loved it. Didn't expect so much power and content to be in such a simple film. I truly recommend people watch it, it does have quite a lot of sexual content in it, but at the end of the day it's how mature you are about it. Halle Berry (Leticia Musgrove) was expectional! Totally deserved her oscar. I loved the plot, it's extremely emotional and depressing but it was realistic and that's what made this film so deep and fulfilling. This is the first time watching this movie and I must say I would love to watch it again, It's probably not everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed it. Billy Bob Thornton 's performance as Hank Grotowski was immense, reserved and patient. He was the gentleman that Leticia needed and to be honest despite the age difference I think they were perfect for each other. The plot is very intense, I didn't know who Heath Ledger played until the film was over (it took me a while). I was very pleased with the film overall despite the intense plot. 


What audience would you recommend this to?
16 and over

Rating
✯✯✯✯✯ (First 5 star rating) !!!

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An Education

A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.

Hmmm... a very interesting film. I will honestly say I'm still a bit confused. This film is set in the 1960's so it's a bit different to how younger women were like back then, you were either married or well educated. I found this movie confusing, I tried to understand her relationship with the older man but couldn't get my finger around it. I seriously thought he was a creep, and was waiting for something to happen. I thought it was just her age/maturity that got the better of her, but in the end it was him. *Here's me cutting the review short *: You meet new people, you go new places, you discover new things about yourself and realize it's not what you want, you've made a mistake and if your lucky enough you get a second chance. My overall experience with this film was challenging, trying to understand what society was like back in the 60's and trying to connect to the characters. Carey Mulligan's character 
Jenny, she seems bored, confused and at times certain about what she wants in life... just like me. 

What audience would you recommend this to?
Mature 


Rating:
✯✯✯/5

Something New

Kenya McQueen, an accountant finds love in the most unexpected place when she agrees to go on a blind date with Brian Kelly, a sexy and free-spirited landscaper.

Ahhhhh!!! I loved this movie sooo much! Bold, sexy, intelligent, unpredictable, predictable, fresh, funny! I could go on! To anyone reading this go ahead and watch it, it might not be your cup of tea but I promise it'll be worth your time. You could say this movie is a romantic comedy but it also introduces serious topics such as societal judgement, standards and a bit of racism (if that makes sense). The chemistry in this film between Simon Baker and Sanaa Lathan is so lovely, you can feel the connection from the beginning. The thing I love about this movie is the vivid topic visible to viewers when watching this movie, Interracial love! This movie definitely teaches audiences the importance that loving someone isn't about their skin colour or looks but about the connection, that unexplainable connection between two people. The plot is simple and very effective, I found myself smiling/laughing so much when watching this film, I'm positive this movie made my entire day! I hope it does the same for you because I absolutely loved it!

*Remember! Not all great films need long reviews*


What audience would you recommend this to?
Mature 


Rating✯✯✯✯/5

Place Beyond The Pines

A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.

Yeah so what... I watched this movie illegally. I couldn't help it, besides... it's R18 (which I don't see the point of). Nothing in this movie was R18 to be honest, bit of swearing but nothing sexual (surprisingly). I was expecting there to be more intimacy between Ryan Gosling who plays Luke and Eva Mendes who portrays Romina. I guess not all movies need to make statements of affection through a few rowdy sex scenes (well done Kiri, you learn something new everyday). The plot is not what I expected,  I thought something completely different from when I saw the trailer, this movie proved me wrong. The time and how events were stretched out across the movie really wowed me, the whole time I thought it was going to be about Luke, Romina and Bradley Cooper who plays Avery the rookie cop. But nooooo it's way different! I love Ryan's choice of characters he chooses to portray in his films, he practically beats the opinions of those who take him as the good looking, blond hair and blue eyed guy who likes to keep it safe. He pushes the boundaries and makes his performance empowering and memorable. Eva did a lovely job of showing her tits off in this film, but not in the way people think she intended to do. I mean in a way of empowering that she is a woman and she is who she is (while not giving a fuck). Her character was very realistic, she did a good job preparing herself for the role (great respect). I'm glad she chose to do this role, personally it showed me how this beauty from Miami was mistaken for her looks and not noticed for her emotional integrity and ability. Overall I'm very pleased to see such a bitter-sweet plot portrayed by people  who like to push the boundaries. I was upset that a specific character wasn't on for the rest of the movie, but I'm not going to ruin it for you or... is it too late? 

What audience would you recommend this to?
16 and over

Rating
✯✯✯and a half stars

Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife is about a man named Henry who since the death of his mother in a car crash as a little boy started time travelling. Henry can't help but time travel, most times it happens when he's in the middle of something. Henry Time Travels across different time periods of his life, reliving events mainly with his future wife (Claire).

I found this movie really interesting. I loved a lot of things about the film such as the different locations, the characters and the plot. Actually, straight after I finished watching it I was in a different surrounding. It felt like I was in America in these beautiful locations they were in. I love how movies do that to me! The plot was clever, I get that Henry can't stop time travelling but there are moments in the film where I'm just like "whaaat?". Rachel McAdams did a lovely job in this film, I've seen her in a lot of romance genre films and she does a perfect job e-v-e-r-y-time! I don't think she gets noticed enough for it. Eric Bana (very handsome by the way) also did a very nice performance. I knew he was Australian because his American accent was very strong in the film. I notice a lot of non American actor/actresses tend to over emphasise the American accent... (anyway moving on). The chemistry in this film was lovely, there were moments in this film where you feel a bit of tears in your eyes but they manage not to fall out, that was towards the end. It's sucks how he time travels in really important moments. I would hate if this kind of thing actually existed, thank god it doesn't. This movie is the kind where you just want to cuddle up in a blanket and drink a cup of hot chocolate while you wish the romance they have in the movie actually happened to you. Sadly there's only so much movies can do, but this movie does the job! I loved watching every minute of it and if you haven't watched it then WATCH IT. This movie teaches you about the importance of patience, time and love. 

What audience would you recommend this to?
Family movie

Ratings out of 5 stars:
✯✯✯✯✯

Rachel McAdams

Eric Bana

Rust and Bone

Put in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.

Suffering and compassion. Marion Cotillard plays Stephanie a killer whale trainer. Marion delivers another outstanding performance in this film. Here I am sitting wondering to myself why she didn't get nominated for an Oscar or supporting actress (I will never know why).Matthias Schoenaerts plays Alain, a father and a ex-boxer also performs a heart-wrenching job in this film. I love the chemistry between these two characters, it's quite confusing, they're always on and off and it's like does he care about her or not? The plot of this movie is really touching, it sends you this kind of "fuck what everyone else thinks" message. This movie has a friends with benefits topic but in the end it works out, as it would. There is a lot of triumph between these main characters, a lot of moments are very surreal, you take a lot in. Another reason I enjoyed the movie was a song that played in one of the scenes, it was really pumping and jamming I literally couldn't stop listening to it once I got home (I'll link the song at the bottom). Matthias character for me was sometimes really annoying because he seemed to portray the stereo type male in films that care about sex and not noticing the important things in life. But you seriously see how big his heart is when he meets Stephanie. Marion's character was a very strong armour type of women, I liked that about her character. She didn't let men get to her because of her physical disability. When I watched the trailer I thought it was about a lady who didn't find the right type of guy in her life and then this guy come's along and changes that. But hell I was completely surprised how different it actually was. I'm glad that they didn't reveal too much of the film in the trailer or else I think I would have gotten bored. Yes you could say this movie is about a woman who is lost, then finally a guy comes along and changes that but it's much more brutal and serious than that.The thing I'm trying to say is there is SO much more to this movie than what the trailer tells us. 

What audience would you recommend this to?
16 and over

Ratings out of 5:
✯✯✯✯

Song: I follow Rivers (Magicians Remix)

	Marion Cotillard
	Matthias Schoenaerts

Blue Valentine

A romantic drama about a couple who evolve over a span of time cross cutting to time periods in their relationship. (NO it's not a Back To The Future movie) far from it...

This movie is far different from what I imagined. It's like... wow. I thought I'd watch it because I've seen the trailer a few times and it never revealed anything so I was intrigued to see what it was about! The plot is really good and at the same time depressing. The movie is very realistic I must say, that's what I like about this movie. It's not bullshitting anyone like typical romance films do, it gets to the point and hits you hard. Another reason I wanted to watch this movie was because my boyfriend Ryan Gosling was in it (don't blame me) I love his movies and... HIM. Michelle Williams pushes the limits that the average actress wouldn't normally do, you'll see once you watch the movie (seriously). This movie does have A LOT of sexual scenes but really it's for those who are mature enough to handle it. I like how the movie shows different time periods in this relationship. I would say you should watch this movie because it puts you in a different perspective of people's relationships, even though its a movie I know it happens all the time in real life. It also teaches you a shit load too. I like this movie because it makes me happy, upset and then the tension is all over the place. The ending is terribly sad it's not what you would really expect, I guess that why it's called 'Blue Valentine'. This movie isn't just about love, it's about finding ways to stay in love, be in love and love. 

What audience would you recommend this to?
Morally 18 and over but also 16 and over, contains sexual content that may offend some people

✯✯✯✯ and a half stars / 5 stars

• 
  Ryan Gosling
  Dean
• 
  Michelle Williams