Pointless (2009 - ) - TV series aired on BBC

* * * * *

This TV show has a ridiculously simple premise but one that is very difficult to explain. Each category has been asked to 100 people and then the 8 contestants are trying to answer the same questions in the most obscure way possible in the hopes that none of the 100 people have said it. The number of people in that 100 who have is the number of points the player gets. At the end of the round the person with the highest points leaves.

The questions are brilliant because they span categories from the Oscars to types of lettuce to Olympic athletes. Every episode you can learn more useless information and also find out how many people know certain facts (for instance 100/100 people could finish this movie title: _______ I Shrunk the Kids.) The diversity of the possible questions makes every episode different and interesting.

The two hosts, Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, are wonderful. They have good chemistry, because they are friends from before the show, and this makes everything appear more light-hearted. Furthermore they talk to the contestants in a friendly way and are able to bring out the best in them. Some times of game shows I find myself wanting the contestants to lose but I never have that feeling on Pointless.

This is perfect viewing for anyone who likes gentle TV shows, with a little suspense and a lot of useless knowledge.

The Great Gatsby (2013) - Film directed by Baz Luhrmann

* * * * 1/2

Amazing film. Beautiful cinematography, careful casting and a wonderfully modern but reminiscent sound track. The film is a sceptical and perfectly represents the grandeur and excess of Gatsby and his lifestyle. A quick disclaimer that I have only read to book once and have not studied it in school, as many people seem to have, so my interpretation is heavily based on the film.

The casting is brilliant because first and foremost everyone can act to a high standard. Secondly they all fit into the 1920s era effortlessly whereas some people who do period films appear too modern in their mannerisms. In particular Gatsby (DiCaprio), Daisy (Mulligan) and Jordan (Debicki) give particularly strong performances.

Throughout the film I was constantly in awe of how it looked. Luhrmann didn't just focus on the party scenes or Gatsby's house but instead made every frame of the film beautiful. The sets were especially breathtaking and almost always filled with flowers, lights or people to enhance their beauty.

I cannot talk about the story because they seem to have stayed relativity faithful to the original book and Toby Maguire for most of the film seems to just be reading from the book in his narration.Obviously there are differences because cinema and literature are genres that have to be handled differently, as are the audiences of the time of the book's publication and the film's release.

The creators of this film brought the best of the 1920s into the 21st century. The beautiful outfits, brilliant cast and amazing music all added to the aesthetics of the film. No detail was overlooked to make this one of the most spectacular films of recent times and demonstrative of a good use of CGI.

Criminal Minds (2005 - ) - TV series aired on Sky Living

* * * * 1/2

Not my normal genre of TV programme because the 'whodunit' genre is often incredibly repetitive from episode to episode and even series to series. Criminal Minds, although you always know that they will catch the bad guy in the end, prevent the feeling of the plot stagnating by moving the people around America and also focusing on strong characters, from the leads to the criminals.

The most clever
difference between this crime series is that the investigators are not confined to one city. In fact they have a private jet which can carry them all around America. This changes the dynamic of the story every episode and can keep some audiences interested as they can relate to some places they go to.

This diversity is reflected in almost every aspect of the show. The criminals are various and include men, women, even children. Obviously the methods and motive change too which is incredibly interesting because it is then analysed from a psychological perspective. The main characters are also different and they maintain a good balance of male and female influence, which is often rare.

Personally the biggest appeal is the psychological aspect of the stories. The  detectives' job is to analyse the minds of the criminal to help the police find them. Looking at the psychological elements of the criminal mind is intriguing because rarely do real-life stories report on the mentality of a criminal. Sometimes the criminal is even sympathised with for various reasons and this is another refreshing variation from the norm of simply presenting all criminality as thuggish and inexplicable behaviour.

Criminal Minds is the perfect mix of originality and well thought through writing to produce a more interesting take on a classic genre. The characters are also carefully written to give them extensive personalities and make watching them enjoyable.

Chronicle (2012) - Film directed by Josh Trank

* * * *

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

* * *

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

* * * *

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

* * *

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.