Movie Review: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a 2020 comedy movie about a fictional act in the Eurovision Song Contest. It was meant to be released to coincide with the 2020 Contest, but as it was cancelled, was released a month later on Netflix instead. It stars Will Ferrell as the Icelandic musician Lars, and Rachel McAdams as his friend Sigrit, who have formed the band Fire Saga. Their lifelong dream is to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest, and they finally get the chance. Will they win? Will Lars finally gain the respect of his father? Will some terrible yet hilarious disaster ensue? And will Lars and Sigrit's unrequited love finally be realised?

To be perfectly honest, the comedy of Will Ferrell is not to my taste, and I've never seen one of his movies all the way through before. However, I was pleased to find out that he's been a fan of Eurovision since 1999 (nearly as long as me!) when he was introduced to it by his Swedish wife. The movie was crafted with a genuine love of the Contest, and is packed full of references and easter eggs for the devoted fan to dig into. At the end I felt relieved that I didn't hate the movie -- in fact, I loved it!

The storyline partially echoes that of "A Song for Europe", an episode of Father Ted in which he is chosen to represent Ireland because they don't want to win, and his song "My Lovely Horse" is the worst of the bunch. Ireland won the contest 4 times in the 1990s and it was a huge financial strain. Many of the smaller countries do have the issue of how they can afford to host the contest if they win, and Iceland really was left almost bankrupt after a banking scandal in 2008. And yes, over 50% of Icelandic people really do entertain the existence of the Huldufólk, the elves that help Sigrit in the movie.

Speaking of Sigrit, I really warmed to her character. Her genuineness and love of her home country and town cause her to resist those who urge her to be more ambitious and leave Lars behind. I loved her everyday hairstyle and outfits. And it was so cute that she knits, and when she was angry, she knitted a jumper with a frowny face on it.

The movie was filmed in Iceland and Glasgow, with some scenes shot at the actual Eurovision venue in Tel-Aviv, Israel, while it was set up for the 2019 contest. Some scenes were filmed in the real life Icelandic town of Húsavík, Lars and Sigrit's hometown in the movie -- which actually has 2,300 inhabitants, not the 15,000 of the movie. The beauty of the landscapes and cityscapes, not to mention the shots of a real Eurovision stage (with real Eurovision fans as the audience!) give the film a visual authenticity.

The songs, of course, are what could really make or break the movie. Lars and Sigrit have written many songs of various quality, but when they play live in the local pub, all the audience wants to hear is "Jaja Ding Dong", the town's local folk/love song. It's a cute mixture of sing-along folk song and innuendo. Several songs are heard during the contest itself, and all of them reference real Eurovision songs to some extent or another. Some are clear parodies, but others are more than worthy of adding to a serious playlist. The most fun song, and one of the best scenes in the movie, is the Song-A-Long at Alexander's party. There are cameos from so many past participants in the contest that my head was swimming, and it brought back so many memories, I have to admit, I was crying afterwards. Yeah, I'm that kind of dork!

I was worried that Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga was just going to be Americans having a cruel dig at a culture they're not familiar with. On the contrary, it's a romp through the quirks and beloved moments of the Contest, a delight for fans, though for anyone not familiar with the Contest, it will be baffling. While re-listening to the final song "Húsavík", sung by Swedish singer (and Junior Eurovision contestant) Molly Sandén, I had all the feels that I do when watching the competition itself. And I think that's what makes The Story of Fire Saga work.

Would I watch it again? Abso-freakin-lutely!!




Note: All factual details are sourced from the linked Wikipedia pages.

Movie Review: Unicorn Store

As always, I try to avoid spoilers,
but you may want to see the movie first before reading this review!

Unicorn Store is a 2017 independent movie starring and directed by Brie Larson. Kit (Brie Larson) is an art student who has failed art school and finds herself living in her parents' basement. Her childlike style with rainbow-coloured clothes and self-made beaded necklaces is out of step with everyone around her. Her parents (Joan Cusack and Bradley Whitford), despite being youth counsellors, have the effect of making her feel even worse. Depressed by this stereotypical example of failing at life, she joins a temp agency and gets a job at a marketing firm. Clearly, she doesn't belong there.

One day at work she receives a mysterious and exciting invitation to visit 'The Store'. At the store, the salesperson (Samuel L. Jackson) tells her that if she can prove herself by creating the right habitat for it to live in, then she can purchase a unicorn. Kit immediately sets to work to build a stable in her backyard, with the help of hardware store clerk Virgil (Mamoudou Athie). Meanwhile, at work she's tasked with creating an advertising campaign for a vacuum cleaner, while being low-key harrassed by her boss, and putting up with hostile colleagues.

The big question is -- is Kit having a mental breakdown, or do unicorns really exist?

Unicorn Store is full of contrasts. The drab, monotone atmosphere of the office is the antithesis of Kit's bright, colourful art and her excitement at the prospect of owning a unicorn. Her blossoming friendship with Virgil is so different from that with her parents, who unwittingly neglect her while living for the troubled youths who attend their camp. The movie is whimsical and fun, and I loved it. I have to admit, I saw a lot of myself in Kit -- whose creativity is rejected and is searching for meaning in life. I was clutching at my blanket in anticipation of how it would end, but thankfully it was satisfying. Unicorn Store teaches us that we should be ourselves, and we'll find a place to fit in if we follow our hearts.

Would I watch it again? Yes, several times!

Review: Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit

Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit is a 2018 documentary produced by Netflix. This feature-length documentary follows a year on the Canadian cat show circuit. Kim and her cat Bobby, a sleek and playful white Turkish Angora, are competitive and used to winning. There's a new contender on the circuit, though: Shirley and her cat Oh La La. A long-haired Red Persian, Oh La La causes a sensation wherever she goes. While it's hard to see any personality under that mountain of fluff, her impeccably groomed coat impresses every judge.

To properly compete in cat shows, owners must travel all over Canada and attend every show, big and small, in order to collect enough points for the end-of-year tally. There are various categories to win in, but the most coveted is Best in Breed. Often, no-one knows until the last show of the year which cat will win. Different owners take different attitudes to the competition, with some like Kim obsessively adding up the points each cat earns to compare them to her own (she has 3 cats in competition that year), while others just want to show off their precious babies and don't care if they win or not.

The principles and procedure of the showing and judging is explained, along with the measures required to care for the cats. There's the regular routine of travel, display and judging, but incidents also happen. Cats will be cats, and there are scratches and furballs at times.

The documentary also takes the time to highlight the stories of several other showers. One competitor is a young woman with autism, who finds the atmosphere of the cat show a helpful way to communicate with others. Another is a dedicated and caring breeder whose kittens are with owners all over the world. Another has a large gaggle of cats and a very spiritual attitude towards them. There is also an interview with two of the judges, a husband and wife couple.

One of the most interesting (and cute!) parts of the documentary was seeing Shirley wash, dry and brush Oh La La with specialised equipment. She must be washed once a week and brushed daily. All of the judges know how hard it is to maintain a long-haired cat, though whether that translates to a higher ranking is questionable, and causes no end of consternation to Kim and her short-haired cats.

The race to the top was quite exciting to watch. Who will win Best in Breed and receive the accolades of the Canadian cat world? After the final ribbons are doled out, all is forgiven, and the competitors reconvene at the annual Cat Fanciers Banquet, where friendships are re-confirmed, and plans made for next year.

Catwalk is a quirky and fun documentary, recommended for any cat lover and anyone who's curious about the inner workings of cat shows and above all, why someone would compete in a cat show.

Would I watch it again? Yes!

Movie Review: Outlaw King

Outlaw King is a 2018 Netflix movie set in the early 1300s, telling the true story of Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine), a Scottish nobleman. Scotland is a weary and poverty-stricken nation after eight years of fighting the English, whose king Edward I took advantage of a leadership dispute to invade the country and tax them heavily.

After the death of William Wallace (whom you may remember from the movie Braveheart), the people are stirred by anger, and Robert takes advantage of this wave of outrage to gather soldiers together to fight the English invasion. A rash and impulsive decision threatens to undo everything he has done, and leads him to quickly seek to have himself crowned King of Scotland. The English retaliation against this is swift and brutal. Led by the king's son, sadistic Prince Edward, the English forces move to crush any opposition and punish Robert by capturing his family. The rest of the plot will be known by students of history, and for anyone else, I want to avoid spoiling the ending.

The casting of Chris Pine (best known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboots) was an interesting choice in my opinion. Pine has been made up with greying hair and a beard, making him look much older than he is, and is almost unrecognisable. At the start of the movie's events, Robert the Bruce was only 30 years old, so possibly looked younger than his movie counterpart. Perhaps this was done to make him seem more authoritative? Then there's the accent. American actors are often put in roles playing non-American characters and the accent can sometimes be an issue, but I think Pine's Scottish accent was very well done.

The movie isn't shy in showing the brutal realities of mediaeval life: the mud, how peasants are treated, people being hung, drawn and quartered, and horses being impaled in battle. If you don't want to see any of this, then this isn't the movie for you! If you want to see a no-holds-barred account of history, Outlaw King does this well.

It's true, critics have pointed out several historical inaccuracies in the movie. No historical movie is one-hundred percent accurate (if there are any, let me know!) and stories need to be appealing to their audience. Robert and his wife had already been married for two years before the events of the movie, but we wouldn't have felt so much empathy for them if we hadn't seen how they met. Fire arrows weren't used in Europe at that time, but we wouldn't have been able to see normal arrows in the dark during the night time battle and, I have to admit, they looked pretty awesome!
(More historical inaccuracies are listed on the Wikipedia page for the movie.)

At times there were visual metaphors more suited to an arthouse movie -- an upturned apple cart, a rainbow. These were jarring and made me wonder if the movie was trying to be something other than what it is. Then it swung the other way with 'that' scene. I have no problem with nudity in movies if it's warranted, but these days it seems almost expected for Chris Pine to be nude at some point in every movie that he's in. If people aren't talking about the movie for the blood and guts, or the accents, they're talking about it for that.

Overall though, I thought it was a decent movie, with gorgeous highland landscapes contrasted with the not-so-gorgeous narrative of Scottish mediaeval society.

Would I watch it again? Yes!

Movie Review: Paddington

Paddington is a 2014 movie based on the beloved series of children's books by Michael Bond.

After a natural disaster, Paddington decides to move from his homeland of 'Darkest Peru' to London, seeking out an explorer who once promised his family a warm welcome if they ever visited. Not realising that the city is a very different place to the one the explorer described all those years ago, Paddington expects to quickly find someone who will provide him with a home. After waiting at Paddington Station all day, he runs into the Brown family, who have different opinions on whether to help him. They end up taking him back to their townhouse, and agree to help him on his quest to find the explorer and his true home.

Meanwhile, the bad guy (Nicole Kidman) wants to kidnap Paddington and use him for her own nefarious purposes. As she's an employee of the Natural History Museum, there are some beautiful shots of both the exterior and interior of the building. The city of London provides the backdrop to the whole film, and it's a magical place. In fact, the look of the whole film is delightful, from the gorgeously quirky house of the Brown family, to Mrs. Brown's outfits, to Paddington's beehive-shaped childhood home.

There are many funny moments, with the kind of English humour that I enjoy, as well as Paddington's bumbling mistakes. His partial knowledge and misunderstandings lead to some very funny scenes -- he can read but doesn't know what to do with a toothbrush. The scene in the Geographer's Guild is also delightful: with a steampunk-inspired tube system to deliver documents from the archives. If only my work was more like that!

The movie is live-action with CGI Paddington, and I believe the scenes set in 'Darkest Peru' are also CGI. I was highly impressed with the integration, and didn't notice a single jarring moment where Paddington didn't seem real. His voice is done very well by Ben Whishaw -- neither too whiny, too childish nor too growly. While the four actors who play the Brown family were unfamiliar to me, many of the supporting actors were familiar from the Harry Potter series (the number of British actors who weren't in that series of films must be quite small!), which gave the film a cosy feel. The soundtrack is also excellent, with a funky street band and snippets of James Brown and Lionel Ritchie.

Overall, I thought Paddington was a delightful film. I never cry in movies, but I found tears welling up at the ending (tears of happiness, if that's not too much of a spoiler!). There is a sequel and apparently a third film is being made.

Would I see it again? Yes, definitely!

Movie Review: Bright

As always, I try to avoid spoilers for new movies,
but you may not want to read this post until you've seen it!

Bright is a 2017 movie made for Netflix, starring Will Smith, Joel Edgerton and Noomi Rapace. The movie is set in a world very much like our own, except it is inhabited by elves, orcs, fairies and various other fantasy creatures. The different races have settled into stereotypical lives, with elves living in gated communities and holding most positions of power, and orcs living in ghettos and doing menial jobs. Humans are somewhere in the middle, trying to navigate this complicated society.

Daryl Ward (Will Smith) is an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. He is paired with Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), the country's first orcish policeman. Ward is distrustful of Jakoby, having already been shot once while on duty with him, and knowing of the orcish race's reputation for being loyal to their own clans above anything else.

One night they respond to a disturbance at an apartment block which turns out to be a stronghold for a renegade group called Shield of Light. Most of the inhabitants have been killed in an unusual and brutal way. The only survivor is an elf named Tikka (Noomi Rapace), who has a magic wand stolen from another elf. In this world, magic exists, but can only be manipulated with magic wands, which are very rare artefacts. Only one individual in a million can wield a magic wand: these people are called Brights. Anyone else who tries to touch it will die. There are many desperate enough to try though, and very soon Ward and Jakoby find themselves confronted with gangsters, both human and orc, a gang of elves called the Inferni who need the wand to resurrect the Dark Lord (no, not that Dark Lord, a different one!), and even fellow police officers who plot to take the wand from them. Knowing how dangerous the wand would be in the wrong hands, Ward, Jakoby and Tikka embark on a flight for their lives.

I felt this movie had potential, but it fell short. The world it's set in is fascinating -- one in which the creatures of fantasy live alongside humans. The story, however, is not much different to the average buddy cop shoot-em-up, with social commentary. Not only that, but social commentary that becomes more and more awkward and inappropriate as the movie goes on. The place of orcs in society was explained satisfactorily, but it would have been nice to see more of the other races, and of how society is different for them being there. Apparently there are 9 races, but we only see 5 at most (if you count fairies, which seem to have intelligence on par with cockroaches. I did spot a dragon though, which was pretty cool.)

The story became confusing, as the Shield of Light group were not properly explained, and gave way to the Inferni and various other groups as it went along. Yet other concepts like the magic wand were over-explained repetitively. And in a world where a magic wand can do anything, erasing any consequences, you tend to stop caring. Even the fight scenes with awesome-looking evil elves, when we finally get to them, aren't all that satisfying.

On the other hand, I particularly liked the opening sequence, which showed street art and graffitti depicting the basics of the different races and their attitudes towards each other without having to go into exposition. The most intriguing part of Bright for me was the character of Nick Jakoby, whose character unfolds to be so much more than the stupid, incompetent oaf that everyone takes him for.

Apparently there will be a sequel.


Would I watch it again? Not really, except to jog my memory before the sequel. (Yes, I do want to see the sequel, but only to see if it improves on the original.)

Movie Review: Horns

Horns is a 2013 Canadian-American urban fantasy-horror movie based on a novel by Joe Hill.

Ig (Daniel Radcliffe) is going through a living hell. His girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple) has been murdered, and everyone in the small town he has lived in all his life thinks he did it. His family don't conceal their suspicions, and he is constantly followed around by TV news crews hoping to record his confession.

One day, Ig wakes up to find a set of devilish horns growing on his forehead. These horns seem to confer a strange superpower on him. Everyone he runs into loses any inhibitions, confesses all their deepest secrets to him, and does whatever he suggests. This results in a series of bizarre occurences, some tragic, some hilarious.

Ig soon realises that his horns have an advantage -- to find out who killed Merrin and clear his name, all he needs to do is track down the culprit, and they will automatically confess. Of course, things aren't that simple. Meanwhile, the story of Ig's relationship with Merrin is slowly revealed through flashbacks. Gradually, Ig embraces his new persona as a modern-day demon, befriending an army of snakes who seem to do his bidding, and carrying a pitchfork around wherever he goes.

It was the first non-Harry-Potter movie that I had seen Daniel Radcliffe in, and I have to admit, I was worried that he'd suffer from being "the famous Harry Potter". (I forget what this phenomenon is actually called: does anyone know?) This is when, no matter what character the actor plays, you can never forget that it's just them playing a character, or can never forget a character they played before. Thankfully, this phenomenon disappeared after about 15 minutes as I was watching Horns, and I was able to fully engage with the character of Ig. Perhaps the fact that he had an American (or Canadian?) accent in this role helped, too.

The concept behind Horns is a bizarre one, not seen in many Hollywood movies. I really enjoyed it though, and couldn't wait to see how it would play out. To me, it seemed more the kind of concept and storyline you would see in a manga or anime. In fact, I think with the addition of a bit more backstory and both funny and sad incidents, it could potentially make a very good 12-episode manga.

The backdrop is that of a beautiful Canadian mountain town, and the cool soundtrack features David Bowie and Marilyn Manson. The film seems to become more and more rushed towards the ending, with some over-the-top incidents and horror scenes that were a bit out of step with the rest of the movie. Despite that (and being someone who hates horror movies), I would recommend it. I would like to watch it again too, as I suspect it has some deeper symbolism that might be missed from a single viewing.

Would I watch it again? YES!!

Movie Review : Wonder Woman

Spoiler Alert!
Like always, I try not to give away the ending of the movie,
but you may not want to read my review until you have seen it.

Wonder Woman (2017) tells the origin story of Wonder Woman, AKA Diana (Gal Gadot), formed from clay by her Amazon mother and given supernatural powers by the Greek gods. She grows up on the island paradise of Themyscira, protected by a barrier which keeps the corruption of the world out. The Amazons still train for a war that may never come, and Diana begs her mother to be allowed to learn to fight as well. The Amazons soon discover that she has powers beyond any of them.

One day, Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashlands his plane just off the island and Diana rescues him. He reveals that war is raging in the world outside, and Diana believes it is her destiny to find the god of war Ares and kill him, therefore ending all war. She leaves the island, taking the weapons given to the Amazons by the gods: a sword capable of killing Ares, a lasso which compels truth from anyone bound in it, and a pair of armbands which can repel bullets.

Captain Trevor agrees to take Diana into the war zone, first having travelled to London to deliver a notebook which contains formulas for a deadly gas that the Germans have been developing. Diana's naivety is on show as she angrily tries to convince the British high command to end the war immediately. Failing at this, she renews her mission to go to the front, find Ares and kill him. Captain Trevor, wishing to go to Germany to stop the gas from being released, recruits a small band of misfits to accompany them.

I don't normally like superhero movies, but I enjoyed this one very much. Seeing strong women fighting and winning against men is such a rare thing in movies that it was very exciting to watch. Diana is portrayed as a complex character -- strong and angry, yet also naive and gentle. Her efforts to stop war with love and compassion are portrayed in a way that is heroic, not cheesy. It was refreshingly different from so many other movies where the aim is to fight out the war until the 'good guys' win. I found that I liked her superhero outfit much more than I thought I would: it was less stereotypical and more reminiscent of Ancient Greek battle gear. Chris Pine as Captain Trevor provides some nice man-candy to look at, and it was interesting that the gender roles weren't simplistically reversed. His character was more than just a one-dimensional love interest and was more balanced -- he followed Diana and helped her, but also performed his own heroic deeds.

The minor characters were all quirky, and funny and tragic by turns. Captain Trevor's secretary Etta Candy is a larger-bodied woman with a sarcastic wit. The three companions who accompany the pair into the war zone are Charlie, a fighter who can no longer shoot straight due to alcoholism and PTSD, Chief, a Native American who fled from persecution in his native land, and Sameer, a failed actor turned conman. I found all of their stories interesting and compelling.

The villains were more one-dimensional, but I guess that's to be expected from a superhero movie. General Ludendorff was a power-hungry megalomaniac, looking to gain approval from his superiors by using the gas created by Dr. Isabel Maru (also known as "Doctor Poison"), a mysterious and obsessive figure whose face is partially obscured by a mask. I found Dr. Maru an intriguing figure and wished I could have found out more about her.

The main action is set against the backdrop of World War I, and the movie is not afraid to show the tragedies and struggles of war. This helped to accentuate Diana's feelings of anguish and desire to help humankind. The scenes set in the French village of Veld, with elderly people dancing and Charlie playing the piano, were very poignant. While some reviewers complained that there was not enough action in the movie, I found it pleasing that there were slower parts which enabled me to appreciate other aspects, like the relationships between the characters and the pathos of war. And this list of things that happened in just one kindergarten after the children had watched the movie brought tears to my eyes.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Wonder Woman as a refreshingly different take on the superhero genre. Much more importantly though, the movie provides a strong, compassionate and likeable female role model for children to look up to.

Would I watch it again? YES!!!

Movie Review: La La Land

As always, I will try not to give spoilers,
although you may want to see the movie before reading my review!

La La Land is a 2016 movie in the musical genre, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and set in Hollywood. The title refers both to the nickname for Hollywood, and to a person who has unrealistic expectations: "living in La La Land". The story begins with Mia Dolan (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress who works as barista in the Warner studios coffee shop. She regularly sees famous actors and is exposed to life on set, but despite being a competent actress, all of her own auditions are disastrous. One day she runs into Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a musician passionate about jazz, but unable to find a satisfying job in a world where jazz music is no longer fashionable.

This first third of the movie is the typical "girl meets boy and they hate each other at first but reluctantly realise that they love each other" story. To accompany this, the style of presentation is very stylised -- everything is bright and colourful, there are regular dance sequences, and the characters only wear primary-coloured outfits; the colour seemed to differ dependent on their mood.

However, thankfully the movie is much deeper than that. Mia and Sebastian move in together, while both working towards their dreams. Both are on the brink of success, but both need to travel to different parts of the world, and it seems their relationship may not survive. This portion of the movie is portrayed in a much more realistic way, with soulful jazz music, a darker mood, and the struggles of real life intervening. I noticed that the characters wear non-primary colours like purple, and different coloured separates, which I think is supposed to represent the complexity of their feelings.

I found the ending unsatisfying and difficult to accept at first. After some thought though, I came to see it as bittersweet. It was realistic and I cannot fault that it was mature. In a way, it almost contrasted with way the story was told as a stylised fantasy. Normally I don't like musicals very much, but I do like jazz music, so I found it enjoyable to watch. Neither of the actors had particularly strong voices, and I think they were chosen for their star cachet rather than their musical talent. Although I did read that Ryan Gosling learned to play the piano for the role, which is quite impressive. I also liked that the "famous actors" who Mia and Sebastian see on their walks around the studio are played by no-one recognisable, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the two main characters.

Overall, what began as yet another cheesy romance movie revealed itself to be something deeper and more meaningful. It reflected the messiness of real life: the need to compromise in order to achieve your dreams. For this, I liked it much more than I thought I would.

Would I watch it again? Yes!

Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

SPOILER ALERT!: I have tried not to give away too much of the story in my review, but nevertheless, but if you have not seen the movie yet, you may wish to wait before reading this post.

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a movie set in the universe of Harry Potter. It is loosely based on J. K. Rowling's book of the same name. In the Harry Potter universe, the book is a non-fiction school textbook, a guide to magical creatures. The movie is the story of the book's author Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), and one of his many adventures.

The movie is set in New York in 1926. Newt Scamander has just arrived from England to find that wizards do things rather differently in the U.S.A. Muggles are called 'Non-Maj', and there is a law against having any contact with them except strictly for business. Newt has with him a Tardis-like suitcase full of magical creatures, some of which escape. In trying to catch them, he reveals himself to a Non-Maj and is caught by an investigator (Tina, played by Katherine Waterston) from the American version of the Ministry of Magic: MACUSA. At the same time, darker events are happening, for which his creatures are blamed.

Before the movie, very little was known about Newt Scamander's character beyond his profession as a magizoologist. More devoted fans might know that he was a Hufflepuff at Hogwart's. Eddie Redmayne was absolutely perfect as the devoted animal-keeper. Forthright, socially awkward, yet brave and curious, he embodied the ideals of a Hufflepuff and the eccentricities of a wizard.

The female characters were also satisfying. Tina Goldstein, the demoted ex-auror had a complex history and a quiet yet strong demeanor. Her sister Queenie could have been told as yet another blonde bimbo, but her character also had depth. The pathos of Queenie's beauty and sometimes-uncontrollable Legillimency (ability to read minds) was quite moving.

The story is set against a background of fear and oppression. A dark force strong enough to destroy buildings is ravaging the city. An extremist group called the New Salem Philanthropic Society are campaigning to expose and eradicate witches and wizards. Despite the audience being half young children the day I went, I would say this is not a movie for little ones. There are themes of death, abuse and oppression. Some of the imagery, especially that of the political rally and the New Salemer's speeches, was quite chilling.

Despite all this, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ends on a positive note. There is a satisfying amount of duelling and disapparating, and the animals both small and large were fascinating to discover. There are several nods to Hogwart's and the Harry Potter era, such as echoes of the music in the score, and Newt's yellow and grey-striped scarf. Any concerns about the movie feeling 'samey' however, are dismissed immediately.

The ending ties back into the main history of events that occurred in Europe, and I have a feeling there will be at least one more movie on the theme. I certainly want to know more.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them receives a definite thumbs-up from me!

Movie Review: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is the latest film by New Zealand director Taika Waititi. The screenplay is based on the novel Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. I thoroughly enjoyed Waititi's last film, What We Do in the Shadows, and in fact it was my favourite movie of the year last year, so I was looking forward to seeing his latest one.

Ricky Baker is a 13-year-old with a reputation for being a juvenile delinquent. He has never known his parents and has only lived in a series of foster homes. As he is dropped off at a remote farm in the bush, he is warned that if this latest foster placement doesn't work out, he will be sent to a juvenile prison. The farm belongs to Bella, a kind-hearted Maori woman, and Hector, a gruff bushman with a shady past. After a few false starts, Ricky settles in happily at the farm.

After a tragic series of events, Ricky and Hector find themselves forced to camp out in the bush for 6 weeks. When they try to return to civilisation, they discover that Hector has been accused of kidnapping Ricky, and a reward has been offered for his capture. The two go on the run with their dogs, chased by the police, a crazed child welfare officer and a group of hunters. Ricky becomes somewhat of a folk hero, and finds just as many people willing to help him as catch him.

Moments of poignancy and sadness are interspersed with a series of increasingly over-the-top chase scenes. The eventual ending sees all of the characters (the ones we like, anyway) finding happiness in a quiet, not sickly-sweet kind of way.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople has the same offbeat comedic sense as Waititi's previous films. I found it dragged a little as the action became more farcical, but the strong characters more than made up for this. Julian Dennison's portrayal of Ricky is brilliant -- the cliched rebellious teen just looking for somewhere to belong is made individual by his quirky character traits. Sam Neill as the other half of this odd couple plays subtle comedy as well as he always does. The only criticism I have is that the comedic and tragic scenes seemed to alternate with a predictable regularity. Several scenes which have not much to do with the overall plot expose the movies' being based on a novel, though I found they helped me to empathise with the characters.

I noticed references to several other New Zealand films, and I'm sure there are plenty more that I missed. The stunning New Zealand scenery contrasting with the slightly cheesy 80s-inspired soundtrack provided another level of comic absurdity. The 'Ricky Baker' birthday song was adorable and I found myself singing it for days afterwards. I was relieved that the cinematography avoided the stereotypical mountainous scenery we saw in Lord of the Rings and focused instead on New Zealand's forest and desert landscapes. Another lovely touch was the division of scenes into chapters with the titles appearing in a quirky font on the screen.

The film is not suitable for younger children as it depicts survival situations, scenes with guns and some violence involving animals. It is not a pure comedy as the television advertisements make out, but is much deeper and I think would be enjoyed by both adults and teens.

Would I watch again? Yes!

Movie Review: Footloose

I saw Footloose for the first time a few days ago. It was on TV, and I said to Husband, "you know, I've never seen that," and he said, "What? You've never seen it??" So it was decided that we watch it. Afterwards I thought, why not write a review from a first-time watcher's point of view? In fact, there are so many movies that when I told people I'd never seen them, their response was, "What?? You've never seen that??". Perhaps I should start a series!

Footloose is a 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon (Ren) and Lori Singer (Ariel). The other most notable stars are John Lithgow as the preacher, Dianne Wiest as his wife and Sarah Jessica Parker as one of Ariel's friends. The plot is this: Ren and his mother and step-father move from Chicago to a small backwater town. Ren only has the normal issues of a teenager in his situation, yet most of the inhabitants of the town assume that he's no good, accusing him of everything from sleeping around to dealing drugs. To the girls of the town though, he's a novelty and he attracts the eye of the most popular girl, Ariel. A wildchild, she is also the daughter of the town's preacher. When it is revealed that her older brother died five years previously in a car accident, the reason for her wild behaviour and her father's overprotection becomes clear.

When Ren begins to enquire about the traditional senior dance, he finds out there is a ban in place on public dancing and playing of rock music. He is understandably horrified at this old-fashioned restriction. I would have thought this plot point improbable, however the movie is based on a true story, and apparently similar bans have been in place in several small towns in the U.S. Ren makes it his mission to overturn the ban, or at least allow the seniors of the town to hold a dance in another location. Meanwhile, some of the less co-ordinated senior boys start to practice their dancing skills. The montage showing this is a lot of fun to watch. The ending is very sweet and uplifting. I especially liked the scene between the preacher and his wife, where she reminds him that they were once young too.

Footloose is not only a fun party movie, but shows how difficult life was/is for teenagers in small-town America. The themes and issues of teenage life are treated typically of a 1980s movie, for example assuming that the teens have sex lives, instead of showing them agonising over whether or not to go ahead. I also think it would be a good fashion reference for 1980s country-inspired and formal wear.

Would I watch again?: Yes!

I made up a list of other movies that fall into the 'can't believe I haven't seen that' category, in various genres (including some Australian classics). I haven't included any horror movies as I don't like them, so no-one would probably be surprised if I haven't seen them! Here's the list:

＊ Terminator I
＊ The Godfather series
＊ Pulp Fiction
＊ Inception
＊ Psycho
＊ The Big Lebowski
＊ The Silence of the Lambs
＊ The Lion King
＊ King Fu Panda
＊ Beauty and the Beast
＊ Toy Story 2 and 3
＊ Titanic
＊ My Big Fat Greek Wedding
＊ Mary and Max
＊ Picnic at Hanging Rock
＊ Bad Boy Bubby