Brave, a review...

GUEST BLOG POST by Patrick O'Loughlin.

My boyfriend recently won tickets to see a preview of “Brave” at the Galway Film Festival this past Wednesday and brought me along. It’s been out in the States for the past few weeks but won’t hit Irish cinemas for another 3 so it was really cool to be in one of the first audiences in the country to see it.

“Brave” is Pixar’s 13^th feature film and the studio’s first period piece. Whatever I was expecting “Brave” to be, my expectations were way off. The foundation of the story is that Merida (Kelly McDonald) is a princess who is destined to become married to a suitor. Her pushy mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) is adamant that this has to happen. Merida is too much of a free spirit for her life to be so determined for her by those around her out of her and tries her hardest to change her destiny. That’s ALL I’m going to say, because to say anymore would ruin the bizarre chain of events that run throughout the rest of the film.

I guess what I was expecting from this film was something different from Pixar. I thought it was going to be a lot more serious than the studio’s previous films and while it does indeed try to do this, the absurdity which ensues kind of turns the film into something more formulaic. On one hand it feels like the old Disney films like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Robin Hood while on the other, it feels like something I’ve seen many times before (albeit in a fresh enough way). I don’t want to go into too much detail in case someone by chance actually manages to read this and hasn’t seen the film, but once you see it I think you’ll understand. Or maybe not. It’s just like, my opinion, man.

My intent is not to bash this film, however. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess I just can’t ignore some of its faults. The high points were the voice acting, the animation, the 3D (I saw this in Dolby Digital 3D) and how surprisingly deep it is in some parts. The cons were the somewhat out of place second half of the film with regards to the first half (which I did enjoy don’t get me wrong, it just felt kind of clunky and didn’t gel too well) and Merida’s 3 little brothers. They just flat out annoyed me.

All in all I do recommend this film quite highly. But if you’re going in expecting something drastically different from Pixar’s previous efforts, than you might be a little disappointed. Either way, I think you’re going to have a good time.

7/10

Patrick O'Loughlin is an aspiring screen writer. He has a passion for foreign languages, Sumo Sundays at Yo-Sushi and fluffy bunny rabbits. You can find more of his interests and insights on his blog, The Lights Still On.

Immortals Premiere in Dublin

Last Friday I was invited to the Irish Premiere of Immortals, Tarsem Singh's latest visually captivation release. But like Singh's other visual masterpieces, The Cell, and The Fall, the story is somewhat lacking, and has problems with pacing. All the action takes place in the final 30 minutes, and while the stunning sets, costumes, make up and effects will keep you entertained through out, the build up is quite slow.


Former Home & Away Aussie actress Isabell Lucus is captivating, and perfectly cast as Goddess Athena, while Twilight star Kellen Lutz, and Luke Evans provide the muscle in their roles as Gods Poseidon and Zeus.

The mortals are also convincing in their roles, Henry Cavill is the Hero Theseus, Mickey Rourke plays to his villainous strengths as the evil King Hyperion, and Frida Pinto rounds off the impressive ensemble as the Seer Phaedra.



Like I said earlier Tarsem's films are not know for their intricate plots, or he is not known for brilliant storytelling or fine direction. To me, Tarsem is an artist first, and a director second. Each and every scene in the movie could be paused and printed as a one of a kind masterpiece. The costumes are stunning, rich golds for the Gods, malicious head wear for Hyperion's army, and the locations look lush and epic.

While with most films of late, the 3D is completely unnecessary and at times distracting, and only every used to full effect in the film's final moments.

Overall though I enjoyed the movie a lot, for all if faults in the story, the action on screen is unlike anything you will have seen in a long time. While it may not stimulate your brain, it is certainly a feast for the eyes, and I left the cinema with many unforgeable images lodged in my mind.

3/5

Me and my mate Elaine getting ready for the film to begin.

afterwards we hit up Nandos for some of its world famous Peri Peri Chicken!

the next day while having a look around Grafton me and my boyfriend Pa went into Tower Records where Camille O'Sullivan was performing a live set at the back of the store. She sounds so incredible live, at first we thought it was a CD playing as we browsed around the story, only to see the woman herself on stage. She was performing as part of Movember's day of musical acts in Tower Records.

Before we heading back to Ennis we had time for a stop in YO Sushi! Im pretty sure that this place is Pa's favourite restaurant in the entire city, and I am becoming a Sushi converter too. The firecracker chicken and the deep fried squid are becoming my YO Sushi favourites.

before beginning the FIVE HOUR BUS TRIP home, I had just enough time to run into BT to start my Christmas shopping. A fantastic weekend in Dublin was definitely had by all.

DRN

(special thanks to MOVIES.IE for the Immortals tickets)

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X-Men. No Words. Just Stars.

I saw X-Men: First Class last night...

I have no intentions of writing a big long review about the film, all I'll say is JUST GO AN SEE IT!

I give it a million stars. out of five.

DRN

ShatMyself Island

Has anyone seen Martin Scorsese's latest film Shutter Island yet? I went in having heard nothing about the film, havn't even seen the trailer, all I'd seen was the poster and expected some sort of action film, with Leonardo DiCaprio running around blowing up things. I was very wrong. Listen to the above music. Its part of the film soundtrack. Imagine that for 2 and half hours. So it turns out that Shutter Island is not just a silly action film, but a very intense and equally scary psychological thriller that has had me on edge since I left the cinema yesterday.

Having said all that I adored the film, it is amazing piece of work. Everything comes together perfectly, the sets and locations are wonderfully chosen, the 1950's costumes could rival Man Men, and the special effects are very subtle and very rarely used in Scorsese's films, but they ad so much to the story.

Above I posted Krzysztof Penderecki's Symphony no.3 (IV. Passacaglia. Allegro Moderato) and that is a very clear indication to what the rest of the film's amazing soundtrack is like. The music is brilliant, almost like another character in the film. I should also let you know I saw the film with my buddy Conway, who is prone to anxiety and who had a hoodie over her head for half the film. She told me after that was the most intense music she'd ever heard in a film. DUN. DUN. DUN.

Michelle Williams is in the film too, and shes plays her role so perfectly. What was so great about the film is, it is so visually beautiful it counter acts the horror that is unfolding onscreen. I remember think "wow the colours in Michelle William's yellow print dress is amazing" while something terrible was happening. Same with scenes in the mental institution, the lighting and cinematography is just so fantastic that it lures you into a scene of false security then BAMB, Scorsese rips the floor out from under ya!

The film is really, really great. Just be aware of what type of film you are going to see, and just enjoy the ride.

9/10

DRN



(see isn't Michelle's dress nice)



(and there's a hot shower scene with Leo too)