Book v Film: All The Bright Places

“The thing I realize is, that it’s not what you take, it’s what you leave.”

Based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Niven and directed by Brett Haley, All The Bright Places follows two high school students – Theodore Finch (Justice Smith) and Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) – who meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school. At first, it’s unclear who saves whom, but when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

Film Review: Maleficent

Rating:

The latest dark fairytale re-imagining, directed by Robert Stromberg, explores the untold story of Disney‘s most iconic villain, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), from the classic story Sleeping Beauty, which is in turn based on the French novel La Belle Au Bois Dormant by Charles Perrault. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the magical moors over which she presides, Maleficent places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s (Sharlto Copley) newborn infant Aurora (Elle Fanning), cursing that before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a sleep-like death. But as Maleficent watches the child grow, Maleficent realises that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land.

Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, Elle Fanning and Kodi Smit-McPhee to Star in ‘Young Ones’

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

The cast for Jake Platrow’s upcoming futuristic thriller Young Ones is shaping up quite nicely, as Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, Elle Fanning, and Kodi Smit-McPhee join the ensemble this week.

Centring on a 14-year-old boy who is forced to use his wits to survive, Young Ones is set in a violent near-future where water has become the most precious—and fastest-dwindling—resource on the planet.

First Trailer for Ginger & Rosa

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

The first trailer for Sally Potter’s Ginger & Rosa has been released this month, promising a number of stunning performances, especially from the film’s leads Elle Fanning (Super 8) and Alice Egbert (8).

The film centres on the title characters Ginger (Fanning) and Rosa (Englert) as they grow up in London in the early 1960s. Their adolescent interests in boys and hairstyles quickly become marginalized with the advent of the Cuban Missile Crisis looming over their heads. With the threat of nuclear holocaust escalating, their lifelong and insuperable friendship is shattered by the clash of desire and the determination to survive.

A Present From ‘We Bought A Zoo’

(Written for HeyUGuys)

Eagerly ready for Christmas, We Bought A Zoo has wrapped us up a zebra in a big green bow in a new poster for Cameron Crowe‘s exotic animal-filled drama this week.

From the director of Jerry Maguire, We Bought A Zoo is based on a memoir by Benjamin Mee about how he and his family – played by Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning – used their life savings to buy Dartmoor Zoological Park in the English countryside.

From seeing Matt Damon as a father figure in last month’s Contagion, I think we can expect something really moving from his portrayal in this heart-warming story. But We Bought A Zoo is also a comedy, so it will be interesting to see how he and Johanson work that in too.

Film Review: Super 8

(Published on Rushes Online Film Magazine, and read this in In Retrospect – Issue 1)

From the incredible combination that is director and writer J. J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, Super 8 is a sci-fi adventure about a young group of friends who witness a mysterious train crash. Resulting in a number of strange happenings around town, the group take it upon themselves to investigate into the creepy phenomenon. Here, their friendships are put to the test as bonds are developed and a romance blossoms. Whilst you may expect a scary creature-feature, Super 8 is all PG and it’s these relationships that are the focus of the story.