Chronicle (2012) - Film directed by Josh Trank

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An amazing and interesting film which depicts a more realistic story of teenagers acquiring super powers. In a time when films are becoming uncreative and repetitive it is refreshing to see one that obviously had a lot of rational thought put into it because many of the events that occur seem vastly more plausible and like what would actually happen.

The acting in this, particularly from Dane DeHaan, is pretty good despite the fact they are playing fairly standard characters. The characters develop throughout and you can see how the power they have attained changes them. You can also see them just having fun with their powers, which other films have done such as Spiderman, but the fact that it is three guys hanging out while suspended in the clouds makes this extraordinary situation appear normal.

This balance of the ordinary and the extraordinary is what Trank manages so well. He takes people you might know and gives them powers you could only dream of. During some of the film I did not know where the plot was going and the film almost seemed happy with the odd hiccup here and there, however the film took a sudden darker turn. Chronicle has a fairly pessimistic take on humans attaining superpowers but both the good and the bad that happens seems plausible and neither detracts from the reality of the film.

The only slightly annoying point is that the character who is affected the most by the powers is the stereotypical outcast. This is a necessary plot point because it means he is set up to break but it is also an over-worked angle. The idea that the abused or lonely are on a razor edge from crazy is somewhat insulting and these people can be the strongest mentally.

Overall a great film just with a slightly irksome character for me personally because I normally identify with the shyer characters and they always seem to end up in the worst situations.However the overused characters do not outweigh the creativity of the film and the huge amount of effort put into the story.

Catfish: The TV Show - TV series created for MTV

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Highly entertaining and thought provoking for a generation brought up online. Each episode follows a new person who is struggling to meet the person they are in love with despite only ever having communicated online, some have never even heard the other person's voice. It always surprises you because the big reveals of who the people are can be bizarre but also showing the person as truthful.

Firstly the two hosts, Nev and Max, are very nice people and seem to be very adept at communicating with people. They help all the people who ask the too with everything and seemingly care about the outcome greatly. Without such caring and present hosts the show would be poorer.

The programme itself can obviously be belittled because it is entertainment caused by the troubles in other people's lives. You can argue that it is not overly respectfully done as the camera never seems to be off the people involved, even when they step away into a different room they remain miked and there seem to be cameras everywhere.

Doing a little research on the show reveals obvious problems with all reality based programmes and that is that there is very little that is actually real. This is at once disappointing but also somewhat relieving because, as I said before, the personal nature of this stories makes them seem intrusive. You can complain about inauthenticity as much as you like but firstly everyone being shown have obviously signed contracts to allow themselves to appear and also you should never believe everything you see on TV.

I feel that Catfish's strength is in quick entertainment, causing shock and tears for some who watch, but is also a strong cautionary tale. It reaffirms ideas of the dangers online and explains some tell-tale signs to aid people who may be in a similar situation.

Howl's Moving Castle (1986) - Book by Diana Wynne Jones

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The book that sparked the famous Studio Ghibli movie was one of my childhood reads and after I realised that I knew the film version better than the original I thought that I had better reread it. Despite the same title the book and the film are actually very different stories, both equally good for their respective mediums.

The magical realm is created wonderfully as new magical characters or items are introduced slowly through the narrative. The fact that one of the strongest characters in the book is a fire demon name Calcifer shows how Diana Wynne Jones can deftly combine the normal with the extraordinary.
Diana's story is slightly different, following more characters and resolving things differently.
Personally I felt as though there were too many characters and in the final chapter was quite confused with who all the different people were. I think the writers of the film must have either felt the same way or decided that too many characters would cause the story to extend beyond the traditions 1.5-2 hours for children films. Either way their decision to remove a few unnecessary characters aided the story.

Only having read the first book, although there are 3 more, left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction because it ends quite abruptly. The final chapter contains everything and it becomes very rushed and simply ends. Another chapter or a epilogue, though quite extravagant for a children's book, would be helpful just to ease the reader out of the world.

Although it is a very quick and easy read for most adults and despite the flaws that I can pick in the book it is still a very worthwhile read because of the magnificent story, writing and characters which work together to create an entertaining book deserved of such a great film.

One Direction: This Is Us (2013) - Film directed by Morgan Spurlock

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I did not go into this film with a lot of expectation as I have never seen on of the films that follow a band around and certainly not a band that I am not overly interested in. After watching the film, hearing their songs and seeing them behind the scenes I hate to admit that I am converted.

The footage of their concerts was incredibly well filmed, showing interaction with the cameras as well as the crowd. The most impressive moments was when the pictures on the screen flew off and became part of the performance. Not watching this in 3D it wasn't as impressive as I' sure that was meant to be but it was still a creative touch. The most memorable use of these was when the boys became comic book characters.

Watching the boys mess around was sometimes annoying because they do seem slightly immature and you can see why so many young girls like them, however Spurlock does a good job of piecing together touching and more serious moments that allow you to get to know them better. Obviously you don't know how real all the moments are but they seem genuine and most of the boys come across as likeable.

All-in-all it is not a great film but it had creative touches, probably thanks to the youthful audience in mind and a creative team behind it. Furthermore it is not an overly annoying or 'we're so great' seeming film about a band which is what I expected.

The Cafe (2011- ) - TV series written by Ralf Little and Michelle Terry

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Unfortunately I missed the first series of this but my Mum brought me into the second one and it is brilliant. A very British comedy and without a sitcom style laughing audience some of the jokes might be missed by a few people as they are so subtle but if you are paying attention and understand British comedy it is hilarious. For those who don't get British humour then you can watch it for the eccentric and mildly crazy characters with very sweet story lines.

Very short series (only 6/7episode) which seems to be typical of British TV but the episodes are also quite short and this leaves the viewer quite unsatisfied after watching an episode but also after watching the whole series. I do not believe that this is the fault of the writers but rather due to a lack of time and funding and because of limited viewing numbers it doesn't seem as though the short episodes and series will end any time soon.

The remarkable thing, for me, about this series is that the cast is wonderful. They act brilliantly, well enough to prompt my Mum into praising the acting which is a rare event. Furthermore there is a variety from the normal to the completely crazy. This, again, is very typical of British TV if you have seen The Vicar of Dibley or Blackadder, etc. You genuinely care for the characters and their lives as they deal with problems that are far more realistic than almost any other TV show.

It is a shame that there isn't a larger audience for this because it is so lovely and gentle to watch, nowadays people want more fast paced lines and action. I don't know if this will have a third series but it deserves to and I cannot recommend this highly enough if you have a British sense of humour.

The Maze Runner (2009) - Book by James Dashner

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This book is often compared to The Hunger Games because it is about young people fighting for their lives in odd circumstances however it seems that only people who haven't read this book or don't fully understand it can make that connection because the two series are very different. Dashner creates a fascinating book that is filled with characters you want to read about, even if you don't always like them, and the twists in every chapter keep the reader turning pages from the very beginning. I think that this is the strongest of the three books however the other two can very much stand alone so I will review these three separately. 

The story revolves around a teenage boy named Thomas and his experiences in a large, dangerous and unexplained maze. Dashner writes this marvellously because as Thomas gets frustrated with his lack of understanding so too does the reader. We are as much in the dark as the characters and this means that there is a level of empathy shared between reader and character. Bcause there is an array of characters this also allows people to identify more closely with one or two of them and become even more emotionally tied to the characters, although I wouldn’t recommend getting too attached as Dashner can be quite ruthless with his characters’ fates.  Most of the characters are male, and this may isolate some female readers, but if you read the later books there are more female supports.

The world created is well crafted because it is so small, because the characters live in a small glade encased in a huge maze. You are drawn into the world because the Gladers, as they call themselves, invent their own words and customs that as Thomas gets used to so does the reader. It is a very refreshing idea that a group of boys stranded somewhere can actually create a fairly harmonious and functional society compared to the more classic Lord of the Flies perspective on things. 

One flaw in Dashner's book that was slightly debilitating to a reader is his description of certain aspects and most importantly his description of the grievers. He creates a new monster and names it a griever however the way this monster is described makes it almost impossible to imagine. The description indicates something repulsive because it seems to be a slug with weaponry, but it is still taxing to a reader to be expected to fear something when it is so complex to imagine.

With the film coming next year I am excited to see how the grievers turn out. The casting in my mind, is excellent and hopefully the book will be justly transmitted onto screen. The story is filled with fun and this balance of happy and sad is the makings of any great book series. Dashner created a terrible world but filled it with wonderful people and told a compelling story.

When the Wind Blows (1986)

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An amazing story which resonates strongly in this age where war and violence seems to be a constant theme on TV. The famous story, originally written by Raymond Briggs as a graphic novel, is creative and holds a very important message to the public as well as the government. This will possibly contain spoilers.

The characters, especially Jim, are so completely loveable that this story becomes even more heart-wrenching as you are constantly hoping that their luck will change. The fact that they are animated added to this further as their faces could be rounder and their actions more perfected. It could be argued that because they are animated can detached the audience somewhat to their story as it becomes less real; although this is a 'what-if' scenario so animation is perfect.

A slight annoyance with the animation is the fact it became overly fanciful at some points, to the detriment of the story. I have not read the graphic novel so I do not know how true to that the film is, but for me the random artistic interludes seemed slightly pointless.