EFFIE GRAY
Effie Gray (Dakota Fanning) was only 19 when she married historian, John Ruskin (Greg Wise), who was 10 years her senior. She follows her beloved husband to Venice to work on his book, unfortunately for her she is left alone to dwell on her thoughts , making her feel so lonely. 5 years on, John has a protégé in place in the form of John Everett Millias (Tom Sturridge). With a lack of love and an empty sex life Effie looks elsewhere to feel wanted. Effie embarks on a life changing journey to become one of the first women in history to seek a divorce.
Based on a true story, it’s beautifully shot but its slow and sluggish and if you were hoping for a bit of tear jerker you may be extremely disappointed. However, it’s well acted and Emma Thompson certainly makes this a piece worth a watch.
See if you liked: Celia, Becoming Jane.
ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY
Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) is experiencing the most terrible and horrible day of his young life-a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one.
Coming from Disney you will probably know already what to expect, It’s full of slapstick comedy who’s main audience target is young children, which it will appeal to. Thankfully it isn’t too long so you won’t have to suffer too much if your kids drag you along. Predictable throughout, it has no thrills.
See if you liked: Dairy of a Wimpy Kid, Daddy Day Camp
THE MAZE RUNNER
When Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.
It may not be the same storyline but this has the Hunger Games written all over it, obviously the film makers have said lets tap into a formula that works and jump on that band wagon to bring in the big bucks. Full of tension and heavy CGI graphics you won’t want this to end leaving you gagging for the sequel to hurry up and hit our screens.
See if you liked: The Hunger Games, The Giver
‘71
England, 1971. New recruit Private Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is deployed to Northern Ireland with the rest of his regiment to help police the rising tensions between the Protestant Loyalist’s and the Catholic Nationalists. With no time to settle into their new home in a bleak abandoned school the platoon are sent on their first assignment, to aid the RUC in a house search. With the extreme heavy handiness the RUC deals out the situation soon spirals out of control. Gary soon finds himself abandoned by his unit following the riot. Unable to tell friend from foe, and increasingly wary of his own comrades, the raw recruit must survive the night alone and find his way to safety through a disorientating, alien and deadly landscape.
For full review: http://www.flavourmag.co.uk/71-movie/
MY PICK OF THE WEEK: ‘71
