“She Died From Three Bullets”

Today was slightly less stressful than yesterday, and I managed to go to the cinema and watch Hanna. Before I start talking about the actual film, a quick side note. We went to a Vue cinema, and were slightly disturbed by the creepy night vision clips they had showing in the entrance. When I say clips, I mean CCTV footage of people in other screens. Now, don’t get me wrong, CCTV is fine, and it makes sense to have night vision on since cinema screens are so dark. Broadcasting it for all to see whilst queuing for films? A tiny bit odd. Do they do this in all Vue Cinemas? Keep it in the backstage areas please!

Back on topic… the film is amazing. On its own, the storyline is actually pretty good – but much of the brilliance has to be attributed to Saoirse Ronan. She is incredible! The story follows a 16 year old girl who is trained by her father to be the perfect killer as she travels across Africa and Europe on a mission. It has all the usual action bits, but it also has the added awkward teenage parts from a girl who has never interacted with anyone other than her father. Ronan plays the part so well, it is hard not to fall in love with her. I am yet to see her in anything else, but as a big fan of The Lovely Bones book I’ve definitely added the motion picture to my must watch list. The sad news is that she announced last week that she won’t be in The Hobbit, as has been rumoured since January. She conveys such emotion and innocence, Ronan was perfectly cast for this role. The film has a few other big names, Eric Bana (mmm) and Cate Blanchett (NOT Tilda Swinton, although with the same hair easily confusable I think…) are the main two, but don’t add a huge amount to the film. Cate Blanchett gets a bit teary-eyed in parts, but is then supposed to be believable as a cold hearted ass-kicking CIA agent who shoots people in the head and has a child killing streak not unlike King Herod. I’m not sure which side I prefer, and I understand that good and evil is never totally clear cut, but I think its slightly confused. Having said that, it doesn’t take anything away from the film, and as an all rounder, its pretty good. Honourable mentions need to go to Olivia Williams and Jessica Barden, the mother and daughter (respectively) from the family Hanna first interacts with on the outside world. Both Barden and Williams are hilarious as the typical middle class British family, and add a certain humanity to the film.

For the first time outside a musical, I am excited for the soundtrack. The Chemical Brothers have done a wonderful job, and I am looking forward to listening outside the context of the film, as I attempt to cram some last minute revision in. It has also added nicely to the Glastonbury anticipation, because I will now also get to hear it whilst drunk, in a field. Bliss. Today I was reminded that I get a whole week peace and quiet at home when I get back. The joys of half term. Before that, I have an exam to get through. Earlier comments on a previous post have now made me slightly concerned I am going to be ravaged by badgers as soon as I enter the sports hall.

What’s Your Favourite Scary Movie?

So, its been a while – the Easter break has officially kicked in, finally, and I’ve been a bit more occupied with summery things. On Monday I went to see Scream 4, or for those of us who would prefer the stylized version SCRE4M. It was amazing. I won’t include any spoilers (because I highly recommend that you see it) but my expectations were more than fulfilled.

If you didn’t like the first three, there isn’t much point – Wes Craven is a hero, and I’m so glad that they’ve stayed true to the rest of the franchise. Going from the first self aware scary movie, Scream 4 brings the whole thing almost full circle – a movie within a movie, and to quote Courtney Cox, “How meta can you get?” Courtney Cox and David Arquette both put in amazing performances, especially considering their recent split (which did not dilute the integrity of either of their roles – such professionalism!). Hayden Panettiere is another commendable presence in the film; I’m only a little disappointed she didn’t have a more prominent role. The disappointment for me was Emma Roberts. She plays the victim very well, and to begin with she was stomach-able, but towards the end of the film her character became totally unbelievable and just badly cast. I did, at one point, come very close to walking out in protest. I am, however, glad I stayed. Cox, Arquette and Neve Campbell managed to salvage the entire film, thankfully, and I am glad I stayed, because Campbell cracks out some one liners at the end that totally make the film.

I went to a gig on Friday night at the Beach in Yeovil, to see some friendly faces, and listen to some good music. A SKA gig at the Beach I hear you cry? I am so glad I went – hopefully they’ll be doing more of the same over the summer. The bands; Flippant Malarkism, The Junk and King Tuts Revenge, all bought lovely ska beats and musical tones to our ears. I don’t know much about music, but if something makes you want to dance, it’s a pretty good thing in my book. If you get the chance, definitely worth a watch.

As its Easter Sunday, there is a jug of pimms with my name on it, and I think we’re having a BBQ shortly, but I’ll be posting again soon. This one isn’t invited, but as promised, here is a picture of my lamb. Her name is Matilda, and she is getting big!