Review//Begin Again

"You're only as strong as your next move"

Begin Again by John Carney is a lovely, feel-good film with an indie-vibe perfect for summer. The film follows a disgraced music producer Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo) and a young singer songwriter Gretta (Keira Knightley) through a chance encounter and their subsequent collaboration to bring their music into the world and prove their talents to Distressed Records. Along the way they explore New York, make new friends and heal old wounds in a fun, light watch. 

The plot was quite predictable and from early on in the film you could tell the path that it would be going down so there were very few surprises really. This might serve as a bit of a warning if you prefer fast-paced films because this film is quite slow paced and steeped in 'realism' style filming wrapped in a good deal of idealist bubble wrap (everything is a little too easy if you get my gist). 

This doesn't mean the film is bad though! It's satisfying to sit back and watch everything turn out as you expected, hoped and wanted it to, without any of the drama or complications of a big blockbuster or real life. Gretta and Dan come up with the idea to record songs in locations across New York with a group of talented (and in some cases, desperate) musicians and this creates some great humour, smiles and really interesting cinematography. The locations picked out are inventive and were filmed well, highlighting the simplicity of the music as they start of in an alley and work their way through iconic and beautiful landscapes. 

Keira Knightley did a fantastic job of playing the independent and stubborn young singer-songwriter; Gretta. I found her acting to be incredibly realistic and the on-screen chemistry between Gretta and Dan was spot on. Their relationship was exactly what I wanted from the film and I'm so so so pleased that John Carney decided to take it down the route he did because I think it would have ruined the film to have had it any different. It was interesting to see them both in roles that I hadn't seen them in before and it was a really fresh change from what I'm used to expecting of them. James Corden was lovable, sweet, the perfect friend and a much needed dash of humour in the low points of the film. Adam Levine portrayed the egotistical rock star boyfriend, Dave Kohl, well. By that I mean I intensely disliked the man. Especially his beard. 

I didn't like the music much at first but it grew on me and as I write this I'm listening to 'Coming Up Roses' which is my favourite song from the film. I found the lyrics to some of the songs to be quite simplistic and that felt a little uncomfortable since the whole film was based around how amazing this girl was at song writing but although it doesn't particularly fit my personal tastes I can see that the lyrics reflected the simplicity of Gretta's style. 

I'd recommend this film if you like indie-style music and films and especially if you're in need of a bit of a pick me up that isn't as clichéd as a cheesy rom-com. Though there is romance in the film I feel that the focus is on the music and the friendships that blossom between the group as they connect over their love of music. I like this focus because it's a much needed change from the typical romances in cinema and it was perfect for showing the strength and independence of Gretta as she works on her career and remains steadfastly true to herself through it all. 

I'd probably give this film a 3/4 stars out of 5. It was good, it was light and a lovely story about not selling yourself out, but I'm not sure how appropriate it is for the big screen. 

Kimmy 

PS. Keira Knightley looks amazing. I have never seen anyone pull of boyfriend jeans and capris as well as her and I have serious jealousy about it. 

Review// Despicable Me 2

As an older sister I babysit my siblings a lot in the school holidays and sometimes in an attempt to get us all out of the house I take them to the cinema to watch what it has to offer in the way of a cheesy animation.

After a very intense battle of rock, paper, scissors between my two siblings it was finally decided we should watch Despicable Me 2.

Ex-super-villain-turned-father Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is approached by the head of the Anti-Villain-League for help after a top-secret laboratory hidden in the Arctic Circle is stolen by a giant flying magnet. The laboratory was developing a serum to turn normal and cutesy creatures into rabid invincible monsters and the AVL fear what this mysterious new super-villain plans to do with it. Gru, along with his bumbling but endearing partner Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) must go undercover to sniff out the criminal mastermind. But with a list of potential suspects, Margo's new 'friend' Eduardo and relationship problems of his own will Gru be able to catch the villain?

This was an incredibly cute film and what I would call a light watch, a very easy plot with not too much concentration needed- perfect for family audiences. The main characters are well developed and even the fringe characters are well formed, such as the self-imposed cupid: Jillian, desperate to set Gru up with a date.

The main characters are hilarious and each bring something individual to the film, demanding the sympathy and attention of the audience. Gru is a strong protagonist with some hilarious one-liners and a sweet relationship with his three adorable adopted girls. Lucy Wilde is hilarious in a kooky but surprisingly strong way for a supporting character for example, in the beginning of the film she abducts Gru from his home using her trusty "Liiiiiiipsitck Taaaazer!" (As my siblings now scream on an average of three times a minute). The minions are very lovable and brought a lot of comedy to the film resulting in a lot of giggles from adults and children alike in the cinema.

A giggle-worthy good versus evil film with a host of fun characters and a sweet message on the importance of family, I would recommend this film as a light watch to family audiences and fans of the first film.

As a family film I would give this film a 4.5 out of 5, so time to crack out the popcorn, no?