December 2016: Watched, Read, Loved

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Happy 2017 everyone! I pretty much disappeared from the blog in December. I needed a break. I often am way too harsh on myself about blogging – wanting desperately to post five times a week. It is important to remind myself though that blogging is supposed to be fun and for times where I actually have the time. So I gave it a bit of a break and I am back feeling all refreshed!

It was also quite a sad December globally with the deaths of George Michael and Carrie Fisher. It seemed like 2016 kept knocking everyone down and I am really glad it ended. Let’s hope for a peaceful and fantastic 2017.

Series Watched:

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Vampire Diaries Season 5: I am currently stalling with this season. It is a pretty rotten season and by far the worst of all the seasons so far. I need to finish it up but definitely not feeling all the bullshit of the season.

Alias season 1 and 2: EEK! I am having so much fun! It is so much fun! I can’t wait to review this.

Movies Watched:

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Rogue One: A Star Wars movie. It was good, great excitement and all. I did like The Force Awakens better though.

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Memento: This was my second last blindspot for 2016. It is mind tingling and interesting, well directed and acted. Definitely worthy of watching, despite me taking ages to get it done!

Annie: I put this on for my mother to watch. It was okay – very singy and full of children but not overly offensive. It’s definitely a film that parents can watch with their children without wanting to cry because it is so boring.

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Twilight: I had such a weak moment! Want to review them all at some stage again.

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Scream 1, 2 and 3: this was so much fun. I’m planning to do the fourth one soon. Great entertainment!

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A Nightmare on Elm Street: Same here. I am having way too much fun with these old school thrillers.

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies:  second time watching this and I loved it way too much.

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The DUFF: I am racking up the watches on this film. I showed it to my mom and my bestie on separate occasions and they both really enjoyed it. Why so much hate against this film? I know it is completely different from the book, but the additions worked really well.

The Departed: The Departed is a film my bestie has told me to watch or be disowned. So I watched it with her just to make sure she had the evidence and everything 😀 did I like it? Yeah. Excellent performances and directing all around. I got a bit exhausted with the length of it, and that is about the only thing I didn’t like.

Me Before You (2016): after reading the thought provoking book I was quite amped for the film. I pushed it back when the reviews didn’t garner the most promising reviews I pushed it back. Bestie and I watched it on our visit, and it was okay. Not really bad, but Me Before You doesn’t carry as much emotional baggage as the book does.

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Cruel Intentions: What a deranged film. I enjoyed it, but wow, deranged. Not something to watch with your parents, if you weren’t already aware.

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Ocean’s Eleven:  I really liked this! Heist films done right is a treat for the soul man. Clooney and Pitt together? There can’t be a better idea out there.

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Seven:  I got to see a young Brad Pitt as the excitable and young cop and Morgan Freeman as the intelligent, calm cop. It’s quite dark and deals with a demented serial killer. It had a dark and depressing atmosphere.

Books Read:

Dawson’s Creek – this is a compilation of short stories based on the series. I’d love to watch the series at some stage, but the book isn’t worth reviewing.

The Collaborator – Margaret Leroy – I can’t wait to post this! I really loved the book, and was so unhappy when I finished it.

The Martian – Andy Weir. The Martian was my favorite film of 2015, and I really wanted to get my hands on the novel. However, I’m struggling at this stage to get through it as it contains some unnecessary jargon in my opinion.

What were you up to in December? Tell me!

Movie Review: Star Wars: Rogue One (2016) – NO SPOILERS –

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Plot: The Rebel Alliance makes a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.

Rating: 7/10

I actually don’t have an awful lot to say about this. Can I say I really liked that I was in a cinema full of fanboys, and while the excitement was palpable they quieted down and watched the film without any raucous noise? Definite plus! It was also the first time I visited The Mall of Africa – I’d been dodging it since it opened because the people went there in droves and if you know me you know I don’t like the droves. Despite the heavy traffic getting in, that Mall is gorgeous and I’m definitely returning after the festive season to just walk around and get a feel of the place.

What was good about Rogue One? The cast. Mads Mikkelson definitely deserves a mention. He’s been on the circuit for a bit and is slowly making the transgression into mainstream films, something he’s dipped his toe into a few times but has traveled under the radar mostly. I might not have gone super fangirl about him in Dr. Strange, but I really do like the man and his role in Rogue One worked very well for him.

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Someone really rich at Disney had the idea to put Felicity Jones and Diego Luna together on screen as Jyn Erso and Captain Cassian Andor. It Felicity Jones certainly carries the look of all the Star Wars girls – pretty and pure and innocent. It must be what the fan boys like, because there is definitely a similarity between her, Portman and Rey. I did like her however. Jones’ is a great actress and any role where the female is sharp, smart, loyal and brave is worth watching. I enjoyed Diego Luna after a bit. He got into his role eventually and became comfortable onscreen. He shares undeniable chemistry with Felicity Jones, which made the duo a great success.

The look. No doubt about it, the technology is now what Lucas always wished it would be. The different worlds are so unique it is quite mind blowing believing that this is truly a brain child of one man – such a visionary. The film looks great – typical Star Wars.

The humor was light and carefully woven into the story so that it didn’t drown it out. Most quips are given by Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) – the blind man with an uncanny ability to see around him. I liked Chirrut quite a lot, he had funny moments and was all around cool. (I can say that for pretty much everyone in this film).

What didn’t I liked? I feel that it lacked some heart and felt a bit forced. The world doesn’t need a Star Wars movie every single year, they just need really good ones every couple of years. I was a major fan of the Star Wars one last year, and still feel that it is the better film of the two. There are two things I thought could have been done a tad differently – that ending (won’t mention because it is truly a massive spoler) and the fact that the film went completely Constantine – sorry for the comparison – and despite the heavy chemistry and cute moments not one kissing scene. This definitely isn’t a romance film and I’m not wanting it to be one, but can I just say that it wouldn’t have hurt this film.

Anyway. I wasn’t blown over and I enjoyed The Force Awakens much more. It isn’t a bad film, and my fanboy brother-in-law and his friends really loved it, so I guess that says something. This is probably one of the last films |I will see in cinema for 2016, and it really wasn’t a bad way to bow out!