Final Girl.

"Final Girl" is a psychological thriller about a young woman who is trained to hunt down and kill a sadistic group of boys. It kind of reminds me of the movie "Hanna" but a more bloody and strange production.

Now, there isn't much to "tell" because it's just a basic and predictable series of events that takes place.

Veronica- who is played by Abigail Breslin, is a beautiful young girl who is a recruited by a man, William after her parents had died. Being only a child at the time of the ordeal, Veronica was quite understanding to the fact that sometimes people must pass on. Pleased by this, William takes her under his wing in order to train her for a very important mission to come.

Years later, we see that Veronica has evolved into a blonde beauty; a feature she uses to lure her prey. But that isn't enough! She must be well rounded in all types of defence and possible encounters in order to get the job done. Although, she may seem tough, she has a sincere innocence about her that attracts attention but she only has eyes for the handsome William.

And no! He's not using her to do his dirty work, it just so happens that this is the way the game must be played.

Regardless of their huge age gap and William's emotional unavailability, Veronica sticks to the mission in hopes that once she is successful she'll win his heart.

So who exactly is she supposed to kill? And what is this so called game? Well, it's a group of sick teenage boys by the names of: Shane, Daniel, Nelson and Jameson.

For some strange reason these guys take pride in tricking beautiful blonde girls into going with them into the woods. Once the night's hunt is set, they chase her through the trees until her horrific death is met; all in the name of GOOD FUN. Veronica is so excited that she makes it her business to be the next girl they choose.

As I mentioned before the film is quite foreseeable but its cinematography is so clinical yet whimsical that I had to see how the hunt went down. It's sort of like a dark version of "Alice in Wonderland."

Therefore, because of the predictability, there is not much more to tell other than the fact that Jameson, who is the leader of the group couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Veronica. She is unlike anyone he's ever seen and he makes it his business to get her attention. He instructs her to look pretty because he has a lot in store for her; while completely unaware of the tricks she'll be bringing to the game herself.

The creepiest part of this movie is not the way in which the hunt goes down but rather the fact that there is no explanation for these young men's behavior. They are so freaking charming, it's ridiculous!!! 

And we the audience, is left with questions rather than answers that seem to be strangely satisfying.  

The Sisterhood of Night.

So, this movie was all kinds of weird but I liked that because it kept me in suspense; not the biting your nails off and almost having a scare attack suspense but rather the "What the helllll?" kind. This movie's trailer caught my attention while making my daily browse and I decided to find out what was up with the girls in this movie.

The plot of this story was pretty simple in my eyes. It's basically about a bunch of girls who have secret meetings in the woods at night. Hold on- I know this may sound kind of boring but what happens in the woods is actually quite interesting.

The main character in this story is "Mary Warden" a confident and charismatic loner who likes to mess with people; one girl in particular being "Emily Parris". These two have had a history of dislike for each other which lead to many conflicts at school. However, a series of events leads Mary to take a vow of silence in which she uses her time to create "The Sisterhood".  Mary ensures that she has all the power in this group and chooses members (girls) who she thinks are legible and trustworthy enough to join her. As the group grows, so does Emily's curiosity and she soon makes it her mission to be accepted into the Sisterhood.  

On the other hand, Mary tortures Emily by making it clear that she will never be a part of the group. 

Emily is outraged but tries continuously to uncover what goes on in the woods and when she catches a glimpse of what it could be, she decides to publish it for the rest of the world to know. 

Her so claimed "truths" begin to attract the media who want answers. Pretty soon everyone wants answers! Worried parents and teachers begin to take extreme measures to prevent these secret meetings along with trying to force the truth out of their daughter mouths. But this won't stop Mary and her band of sisters from protecting their secret. 

The town soon goes into a frenzy trying to uncover the secret. And, honestly who could blame them?

The main character Mary, really shone through to me. Georgie Henley, in my opinion usually plays characters with a dark side. And this film is no exception. It's almost as if she's playing her natural self which keeps you watching- so you could know what her next move will be. She is so calm, cool and collected that you never get bored. Trust me, you'll want to get to the end. 

The sacred bond that these girls have created is seen as the work of the devil by outsiders. Is it true? Or is it something you would have never expected?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Okay, so this movie has a soft spot in my heart and is one of my latest encounters. To me, this film is one for the photographers, the artists and the filmmakers. In other words folks this story was beautiful. Honestly, I don't think anyone could have played the role of "Walter Mitty" better than Ben Stiller- who by the way directed this as well. His humble awkwardness really shone through to create such a wonderful and likeable character.

Walter, is a man who spends his days daydreaming about things he could have done or better yet creating better versions of unpleasant situations in his head to past time. Now, it's isn't that Walter is a miserable, unhappy guy. He is actually quite content. He is stuck in this routine where he feels safe but never builds up the courage to step out of his bubble very often.

Walter works as the negative assets manager for a magazine called "Life".  He has a very close relationship with a photo journalist whose work is renowned and is used by the magazine for covers. Although they've never met, Sean O'Connell (the journalist who is played by Sean Penn) trusts Walter with his work. So, on an ordinary day Walter receives a package from Sean with some new negatives. He also sends him a wallet and a note which states that negative number 25 should be the magazines cover because it captures it's essence. 

But there's a problem- negative 25 is missing.

After being notified that the magazine's latest issue will be it's last, Walter is pressed for time to recover the missing negative. Walter's manager is on his back 24/7 about it- only he doesn't know that it's missing.  So with the help of his co-worker/crush Cheryl ( Kristen Wig) and the other pictures from the roll, Walter sets out on a quest to find Sean and retrieve the negative. And this in itself takes him on a journey he never expected which allows him to live for the very first time. 

Throughout his quest, Walter has only he negative on his mind but the true beauty of this film is the way in which his conservative and cowardice nature begins to unravel; allowing him to blossom  into a pretty bad-ass dude. 

The one thing that definitely holds your attention in this film is the cinematography. It is so gorgeous and riveting that your eyes refuse to leave the screen for a second. It holds your attention and allows you to recognize just how beautiful the world is. It basically makes you want to pack your bags and travel!

  

I refer to this brilliantly directed film as divine. I feel as if it feeds your soul and sends you the message that , "If you want to live, then live." The ending to this story is very important- I mean if you want to know what picture generates from negative 25. I guarantee that you will feel happy and baffled at the same time when this masterpiece concludes. 

If you don't smile at least once then you my friend, are the grinch!

Gimme Shelter.

Once again, I stumbled upon this fine piece of film on accident- honestly that's how I find most of my movies. Now, although, this piece of art was based on a true story, it wasn't what I expected.
Vanessa Hudgens has always been one of my favourite celebrities ever since the days of Disney. She has such an irresistible charm that lures you in when watching her on the screen which is exactly what she does in this story. The only difference is she isn't doing it in a pretty girl, innocent kind of way. Her charm oozes out of the rough and tough character that is "Agnes Bailey"

Better known as "Apple" this young woman finally makes the decision one day that she's had enough and it's time to break free from the shackles of a broken home. Like the majority of similarly themed movies, Apple's mother is a junkie who only keeps her around for welfare. But you can tell from Apple's instantly recognisable innocence that she knows her situation isn't life and she wants more. She needs it. 

So she sets out to find her father, the man who is supposed to help her because it is his duty. And after longs days and endless nights she finds him- in the pretty mansion with his family. But that doesn't stop her, she knows what she wants and God dammit! She's going to get it. After being reacquainted with her father, he decides to let her stay at his home after being missing for half her life. This doesn't fly well with the Mrs who is clearly scared of Apple. Nevertheless, she goes along with it to please her husband.    

     

Apple tries to fit in which proves to be difficult especially in a place where you feel unwanted. After a lot of trial and error situations she leaves, in search of something better while doing so with more weight on her shoulders than she intended. 

Days of surviving on the streets leads Apple into the presence of Catholic priest who wants to help her. But of course she is reluctant to let anyone in because she believes there is no point in pretending to understand someone like her. However, the more she pushes him away the more he stays which eventually lands into a shelter for young girls with the same issues as herself. 

Apple tries her hardest to give off a 'hard shell' in order to not get close to anyone at the shelter however, as we've established this never goes her way. She eventually bonds with the girls who she comes to consider her family. But Apple's trials aren't over yet as she is still bound to her mother who refuses to let go. 

Now equipped with the love of strangers, will Apple's life be want she always hoped and searched  for or will she return right back to where she started?