The Lego Movie

So, you are expecting a flurry of badly built lego houses, half-red and half-blue because you never bought enough red bricks to complete it. You expect also, to see giant human hands appearing to move the vehicles and that annoying baby brother who drools over your favourite lego man. With the nostalgia that followed Toy Story, I was excited to experience the same with 'The Lego Movie', however, although there were parts that made me jump back to 10yrs ago (ok maybe 3yrs ago) sitting on the floor building castles and police stations, I was left a little underwhelmed by the film as a whole.

I have previously seen a stop-motion lego movie. Although that one was made by three GCSE media students but the idea got me thinking - wouldn't it be great to have a whole movie?! At the time I knew how long it had taken them to complete the production, so AN ENTIRE FEATURE LEGO MOVIE = MADNESS. The short film is definitely worth a watch. (I should point out that 'Tim' is supposed to be their media teaching assistant).



Back to the Lego Movie itself. The opening scene was a little bit of a shock to the system. It began with a general wide of both characters so that I wasn't entirely sure who was speaking and where my focus was supposed to stay. However, once I had adapted to the stop-motion 'look' I think I then began to fully immerse myself in the plot. I couldn't quite hold back my laughter when those tiny little plastic flames erupted out of our bad guy's suit.

The story unfolds that Emmet is a regular Lego figure, who is mistaken as the MasterBuilder when he falls down a hole at the construction site. He has nothing notable, no wider vision for society, no extraordinary power. He is quite content being among his 'friends' at work. However, taken under the wing of Wyldstyle, our kick-ass female anarchist he begins to believe in himself and together, with all the others builders, they fight the oppressive system of 'Lord Business', that contains them.

The second scene was among my favourites of the film. The concept was still new for us and the film-makers gave us much to laugh about. Taking a shower in tiny plastic buttons and lines of plastic books and everything you imagine a lego house to have. Rounded off with a tiny plastic mug attached to our tiny plastic protagonist's hand. Perfect right?

Although, I feel that the film-makers ran out of gimmicks far too early in the film. The first scene was jam-packed but after we had seen the Lego city once, the 'that's cool' impression wore off quite swiftly.

In fact, the story that followed was a little weak I thought. Once the comedy of Emmett using his head as a wheel for the getaway vehicle and the bad cop turning into good cop, had worn off, there wasn't much left in our predictable lego world. I suppose that's the trouble with being so familiar with the original toy, playing with Lego saw us all create similar stories and it just didn't seem to WOW me like it should.

ibnlive.in.com

Don't get me wrong, the design and building of each scene (both physically and CG), is something to applaud and I don't knock that for a moment. The plot however, wasn't one that stimulated me. Instead I found myself looking for nostalgia, rather than it flooding my every fibre (like Toy Story did). They did redeem themselves a little with the 'generic 80s space dude' joke though.

As we travel between Lego worlds, we are transported back to our childhood with mismatched colour schemes and the attack of the horrendous beast that is Hello Kitty. We are thrown into a place where superheroes, spacemen, cowboys and builders all exist within the same world. It's what we always dreamed of, but I think the style of animation was what disengaged me a little in that, I was not transported like those around me were. So sure, the gag of superglue kept me a little entertained as I conjured up memories of my former self, attempting to prise apart two pieces my brother had glued together. However, aside from these gags, I felt a little removed from the world I had always imagined.

Lord Business - wikia.com

The scene where we return to the 'human world' was a nice touch, I'll give them that. The father was similar to my brothers in that I was not allowed to touch their perfectly constructed worlds on fear of death - until of course they left the house when I invaded their cities with duplo and k-nex and brio and all those things they told me were forbidden from 'Lego City'. Mwahahah! The final part when the duplo arrives with the younger sister, was a moment that warmed me again, after I'd got a little bored of all the fighting.

forbes.com

Perhaps there are only so many times we can watch lego characters chasing other lego characters. Who knows? I seem to be one of the few people who didn't enjoy the film as much as I'd hoped. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am now forced to listen to my boyfriend sing 'Everything is Awesome' at my tragic, unemployed self. But seriously, if you want a trip to the cinema to remind you of things you used to (and probably still do) love then go and see it. If you want a good film with a plot that is engaging and unpredictable, then don't. It's an easy one either way.

12 Years A Slave

With award nominations coming in all over the shot and an avid interest in slavery, I knew that '12 Years A Slave' was going to be a great film for me. It wasn't just the story however, that kept me hooked. Some clever direction and some great cinematography, exceeded all my expectations of the film and actually, allowed me to like it for different reasons as to those I expected prior.

Solomon Northup is a violinist, a free man, who lives with his wife, son and daughter in New York. He is offered a job as a musician in a travelling circus troop by two white men. As he celebrates his acceptance of the role, he drinks until the early hours with the two men and wakes up only the next day, bound in chains in a cell. Overnight he has become a slave. He is smuggled onto a ship, sold at auction and shifted from slave owner to slave owner for twelve years. Twelve years of longing, despair and desolation. And yet, he did not give up trying, as the film transpires.

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One thing I noticed, was how director, Steve McQueen lingered on certain shots. For example, we are forced not only to witness the devastating circumstances that Solomon Northup finds himself thrown into, we are also forced to witness his wholehearted pain. The camera lingers on all shots that follow an emotional revelation, or the crushing of hope, or a shocking moment, so that we MUST sit and watch a man brush so closely with giving up, with hopelessness. We have nowhere else to watch and so as tears fill Chiwetel Ejiofor's eyes, as they stream down his face... they are finding their way down our cheeks too.

screenrant.com

I simply did not expect such an inspiring performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor. I cannot wait for his next film 'Half of A Yellow Sun' - a book I've had my eye on for some time now. He is an actor that does not need physicality to act well. His facial expressions alone are enough although, we soon see a man who held his back straight as a free man, to a man who hunches his shoulders as a slave. He tells a story through his eyes but although we need no more than this, he delves into his inner thoughts and portrays a man simply destroyed overnight.

collider.com

Another inspiring performance came from supporting actress Lupita Nyong'o - and if she does receive an award for Best Supporting Actress then I can't think of anyone who deserves it more - it would be a travesty. She too, portrays the utter brokenness of a woman so tragically well. The moment that wins it for me, was prior to the most horrific scene I've ever witnessed, when she returns from the nearby farm, with soap. She is so passionately disgusted with herself, with the way she looks, the way she smells. She no longer sits in fear of her master but throws her disgust towards him. She WILL be clean. When she begs Soloman to take pity on her and kill her, as she herself is not strong enough to commit suicide, we are thrown alongside her into the rivers of despair. The current is too strong for us to bear. Solomon refuses to help her, but that does not mean we do not shed a tear.

What follows, is as I said, one of the most horrifying things I have seen. Not just because it is graphic violence - but because I know that it actually happened. That a white man held his whip and laughed as he did this to his slaves. That he did this, then went inside to his sons and daughters and they laughed too, as others begged for their lives and wept for others. Perhaps picturing this made it worse for me. It was when Solomon raised the whip himself, that I was angry. I realised after a while that he accepted the whip so that he could hit her gently, to save her pain. The violence that follows was something I could scarcely open my eyes to. Solomon is forced to whip her harder, opening her skin deep causing blood to splatter across the ground as Patsey's eyes rolled back in pain. Again, I could not, CAN NOT, believe that humans are capable of doing this, to other humans. McQueen gives us all time to consider this, to witness the suffering, to question it, to be shocked by it. His camera shot is not moving away. It's clever work.

There were other performances that deserve a mention also. Paul Giamatti appears out of character as a heartless slave buyer who splits up a mother from her children. Benedict Cumberbatch's appearance as a kindly slave owner - an oxymoron if ever there was one - was a role that at least gave an inch of humanity back to history. Although, when he failed to help Solomon, knowing full well he was a free man, a violinist and that he did the right thing is standing up to his jealous and pubescent overseer (Paul Dano). Here, Solomon at least gained some strength and we thank Ford for that.

jsonline.com

Then, Michael Fassbender, meaner and more volatile than we've ever seen him. The moment that showed his ability for me, was when he approached Solomon in the middle of the night about his betrayal of letter-writing. We are afraid of what he will do, as his unpredictable and extreme nature have become so apparent to us. I found my heartbeat raising as I watched. Then came Brad Pitt as the travelling handyman, whom Solomon confided in and learned to trust. It is the ultimate test of his humanity, once we find out he does not agree with slavery, when Solomon tasks him with contacting his friends whom he knows will free him. After thinking about it long and hard, as Solomon stares deeply into the void of desperation, he agrees. And thank God he does.

moeatthemovies.com

The end of the film is almost something we'd stopped believing would happen - although the title of the film tells us it will. Steve McQueen's shots of lingering despair, outpours of emotion and pain and the crushing of hope every time it springs from the ground, leave us paralysed from optimism. When a carriage pulls up and a man steps out and calls out 'Solomon Northup' we almost expect him to walk away again. Instead, another man gets out of the carriage and Solomon recognises him immediately as his friend, running to him. The men take a hold of him, he climbs into the back of the car and Solomon is driven away to safety, as Patsey falls to the floor in despair of losing him. Bass had kept his promise, he had alerted his friends, and his friends had saved him.

The final scene is one, not anyone could keep a dry eye for. As Solomon meets his wife, two children AND a son-in-law and grandchild, we witness tears drop down the shoulders of his daughter as he holds her close. Not one of them asks what happened, they are all stunned into silence and emotion at the return of their father after 12 years without him.

So, as sentimental as you may expect a tale of slavery and freedom to be, it has it's moments that set it aside from other films alike. It forces you to think, to witness - it teaches you not to ignore. It also has some truly exceptional cinematography. Steve McQueen said that all of us should know about slavery. I believe he is right. Solomon Northup's tale, is true - but it is just the beginning. I don't recommend it to anyone with a nervous disposition or light stomach but to anyone who WANTS to see what rich Westerners did to slaves not so long ago - then I advise you have a watch.

A FREE MAN AND HIS FAMILY - urbanq8.com

SLAVES FOR SALE - davethenovelist.com

SLAVE OWNER FORD - telegraph.co.uk

IF A SLAVE DEFIES HIS 'MASTER' - coolercinema.blogspot.com

COTTON FARM - bfi.org.uk

TAKING ONE CHANCE AT FREEDOM - facebook.com/12yearsaslave

Anchorman 2

I was one of those people who missed out on Anchorman when it first became a hit in 2004. Everyone was talking about it and it claimed a huge following of people who, if Twitter existed then, would be exactly the die-hard fans who would break the internet.

When Anchorman 2 was advertised, thankfully, the internet did not break but I finally caved and bought Anchorman (2004) for myself. I thought it was ok, it was easy to watch over Christmas and Brick made my life. It does make it hard though, when I hate men like Ron Burgundy. His (and fellow cohorts) slightly misogynistic humour annoyed me. He certainly has his comedic moments, but Brick was my star.

So, I wasn't overly fussed about Anchorman 2 when it came out either. I went because I needed some comedy in my life and hoped that maybe the hype for the sequel, was a bandwagon I could easily jump on - and not nine years too late this time.

To no avail, Brick was once again my star. It didn't matter how many times I'd already seen the green-screen gag in the trailer, when Brick falls to the floor screaming 'Where are my legs, I have no legs Ron!'. It still made me laugh. Perhaps that was just appealing to me as I've recently been working with green-screen. The timing was also perfect.

The majority of the humour was at a good enough standard, not necessarily laugh-out-loud comedy but it kept me entertained. That was until the final scene when everything got hugely out of hand, with the introduction of too many news crews for the final showdown. I was ready for it to end - but on it went.

Jim Carrey, Will Smith, Kanye West, Liam Neeson, Kirsten Dunst, Sacha Baron Cohen, Nicole Kidman - the list of unnecessary faces continues beyond entertainment and instead just got well... boring.

Brick came to rescue once again though, with his timid romance, with the equally dim Chani (Kristen Wiig). The duo performed brilliantly in their comedic misunderstanding of life and everything in it. A particularly heart-warming moment was the date they spent together in the laundrette sipping on sodas and kissing "passionately".


So, to be honest, there isn't much more left to say. Steve Carrell and Kristen Wiig were the stars of the picture, even if they quite obviously were stifling laughter in some instances, probably due to a rather hectic shooting schedule for Wiig's other appearance in Walter Mitty, resulting in 'that'll do' take. It was good to finally sit through some comedy at the cinema, I just wish that the final showdown was kept shorter and that Ron Burgundy could have sorted out Jack Lime (sorry, Lame) a little sooner.

If you, like me, missed out on the first Anchorman bandwagon, then you won't be missing much by skipping the next one too. If something inside you however, feels inclined to follow up a viewing of the first film with the second, I suppose it won't be a completely wasted trip.

Nicky's Family - Documentary

I have been waiting to see this documentary for some time. Sir Nicholas Winton, known to some as 'The British Schindler', saved over 600 children from Nazi persecution in the years leading up to and during, the Second World War. He spent time at home in London and in Czechoslovakia compiling documents containing the names and photographs of these children and raising funds, in order to find them families in Britain who were willing to take them in, giving them the right to travel across Europe, to safe territory.

Kindertransport (www.ccj.ork.uk)

The documentary itself, is exemplary. Perhaps because we know it is a remarkable true story, or perhaps it was because I was sat among a full audience of people who live within minutes of Winton's Maidenhead residence. Whatever the reason I felt so touched, is truly testament to a brilliant man and his story.

Nicholas Winton (www.radio.cz)

The documentary follows Winton's life from his occupation as a stock-broker, about to embark on a ski-ing holiday in Switzerland when the phone rings. It is his ski pal, letting him know that he can no longer meet with him. Instead, he must go to Czechoslovakia to help those in need. With that, Winton changes his destination to Czechoslovakia. Here, his operation begins. He writes letters to foreign ministers, embassies, MPs, prime ministers, presidents and others in power to take pity on the Jewish children of Czechoslovakia and offer them sanctuary. At first, all refuse. Palestine, France, America - they have all closed their borders.

Finally, Winton manages to send 25 children on a plane to safety in Switzerland. This was the beginning. Britain then opened its doors and Winton steps up the pace. Over the years that followed he aided over 600 Jewish children in their escape from Nazi persecution.

With the arrival of the Second World War, Winton joined the RAF and continued his life as if nothing of consequence had taken place. It was not until 2008, when winton's wife found a scrapbook in their attic, containing all of the photos and documents of the children, that Winton shared the story of what he had done.

Here comes the part that gets me. After all his efforts, Winton was convinced it was 'just something I did', anyone would have done it. The point is, that they didn't. It seems Nicholas Winton's wife understood the true value of his efforts to save these children and sent the scrapbook to TV show 'That's Life' in 2008. The video below moved me in ways I cannot explain:


The children that Nicholas Winton saved have gone on to have families of their own. There are now over 5700 within what they call themselves, Nicky's family. It is incredibly moving to know that mothers and fathers, broke their own hearts with the immensely brave act of parting with their children, in the hope of a better future. There is a short clip, of a survivor surrounded by his family who describes that the rest of his family, perished within the gas chambers. He shares the realisation that, it would not have been until that point, at the time that mothers and fathers walked to their deaths, that they would truly realise the significance of the act they had done. They had sent their children away and that meant, that their children survived. It is the most heart-breaking yet, inspirational act that I can imagine.

There may have been some conflicting aspect ratios, as is the norm when dealing with archive reels, and some rather blue and red looking archive footage but the content is so good you forget to notice it beyond the first clip. The story so powerful - that you are fighting more to hold back tears than criticism at minor details.

The documentary closes with a premiere performance in Czechoslovakia dedicated to Nicholas Winton and 'The Winton Programme' that encourages people across the world, to help those who cannot help themselves. It has seen aid spread to Cambodia, to China, to the elderly, to the disabled and further. Nicholas Winton is now 104yrs old and still actively helping others, particularly within the elderly home he set up in hometown Maidenhead. He may be getting on in terms of age, but his legacy of helping others, is something that will be young for a very long time.

'If it is not obviously impossible - then there must be a way of doing it'
Nicholas Winton

If you do get the chance to see this fantastically inspiring documentary, then please do. We are not just an audience, we are part of the story. He passes the baton, to us.

I Neknominate You!

'Neknominations' have been taking youtube and society by storm. It's a trend that is deemed more important than exercising, or eating breakfast. It has become an internet sensation consisting of intelligent human beings consuming things like fish-heads, raw eggs and urine. Now I have nothing against entertainment but what I find utterly inconceivable is that videos like 'Neknominations' can escalate in mere minutes to hundreds of thousands of views - whilst videos like this one, go almost unnoticed. This is not a review, but it is something I feel strong enough to write about.

This is Russia, 2014. We have seen violence like this before. It begins with humiliation, it progresses to organised hate crimes carried out by groups, it becomes a believed ideology. It is absolutely disgusting that this is happening now, today. In OUR society. Have we not learned from atrocities of the past?


If it isn't a video of a dog running into a glass door or someone throwing up a milk-coloured rainbow, the world doesn't care.

As the video shows above, violence against LGBT communities in Russia is unprecedented, irrational and completely unacceptable. Those who we would turn to in a time of need, turn their backs upon 'gay' people in Russia. The police ignore it, the government encourage it and WE must act to prevent it. Sexuality is not something that can be, or needs to be cured. What DOES need to be cured is the absolutely repugnant belief in an ideology that sets out to harm these innocent people in ways we would not believe possible in modern society.

Many of my friends cannot watch the video above all of the way through. Seeing indirect clips of forced self-rape and inexpressible humiliation is too much for most of us to bear. Yet, in Russia today, there are those who are forced to endure it, with no repercussions for the perpetrators.

And just in case anyone reading this feels as though it is nothing to do with them - it is not YOUR problem to solve. I share this poem, written by Martin Niemoller following the Nazi rise to power in the early 1900s:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.

So yes, this may not be a review of a film, but it certainly expresses a need for us to review ourselves, and review society. This CANNOT GO ON. I urge you to share this video - in fact - I NEKNOMINATE YOU - To do all you can to make others aware of just HOW BAD things are and to help in any way possible to shame anyone who shares such an ideology, as the despicable human beings featured torturing innocents in this video.

Let's hijak the #neknominations twitter hashtag. All those on twitter please tweet the following: For #LGBT #humanrights in #Russia : I #neknominate you! ……http://watchinabitotheatrenstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/i-neknominate-you.html … … RT to shame the perpetrators and encourage swift action!

Who will you nominate to do the same?

Also catch the new UK documentary to be broadcast on the Channel 4 series Dispatches this week as it reveals the violent intimidation meted out to gay and lesbian people in Russia by hate groups Occupy Paedophilia and Parents of Russia.
'The Hunted', will be shown on Wednesday at 10pm and shows how gangs use the internet to lure potential victims to meetings, where they are forced to perform humiliating acts under the threat of violence.