12 Years a Slave - Movie Review

Director: Steve McQueen
Writer: John Ridley
Producers: Brad Pitt, Anthony Katagas, Arnon Milchan, William Pohlad, Steve McQueen, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o

Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, 12 years a slave was a compelling, eye-opening, spectacular film showing us the appalling ways that African Americans were treated as slaves. It was true and had no limitations in showing the horrendous ways these people were tortured.

Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York, is captured and sold into slavery. The film shows the conditions in which these slaves lived and it showed the unforgivable ways in which they were treated.

I have wanted to see this movie for a while and I am so glad I finally have. The emotions portrayed in this film and the brutality of the way people have been treated was horrendous, I can not describe it. The film was done so well and did not hold back to show these conditions, making it not only extremely eye-opening but tear-jerking as well.

Chiwetel Ejiofor did an amazing job as Solomon Northup. He was amazing and portrayed this character extremely well, as all the actors in the film have done.

I just want to give a shout out to Steve McQueen, the director of this film. It was truly one, if not the, most amazing movie I have ever seen. I strongly believe that a film needs a good director to be great and this film was beyond great.

I warn you that this film is very brutal and shocking, but it is worth seeing. It will open up your eyes to how fortunate we are and it is a must see! It is violent at many parts and the horrendous treatment of these slaves may scare and disturb people, but you must see it. It was the most amazing film.

My Rating:
10/10

Click here to watch the trailer for 12 Years a Slave on YouTube.

Requests?

Hi everyone! With the weekend coming up, I figured I'd take some requests. If anyone has any movies they want me to watch and review, just comment below! I look forward to seeing your requests!

Wild Child - Movie Review

Director: Nick Moore
Writer: Lucy Dahl
Producer: Diana Phillips, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Stars: Emma Roberts, Alex Pettyfer, Natasha Richardson

So, it's an older movie but tonight my sister and I had a girl's night and watched the movie Wild Child. I figured, even though it is not recent, that I would review it. Wild Child is about a spoiled troublemaker, Poppy Moore - from Beverly Hills. When she takes things too far at home, her father ships her of to Abbey-Mount, a boarding school in England. Things are not as fabulous at this school as they are at home - no cell phones, good shops or internet connection! Soon, Poppy and her four room mates create a scheme to get Poppy expelled; one major scandal they have planned is 'snogging' the headmistress's charming son, Freddy. At first this seems like an amazing scheme, but it may not turn out so amazing once she gets close to these girls and Freddy.

Lets be honest, this movie is not Oscar winning material. It is a chick flick, intended for fifteen year old girls. Aiming at this target audience, it did its job. It was a bit predictable, but I did find it funny at many points and honestly I liked it. Maybe it's because I'm a fifteen year old girl.

I would say the acting was good for the film and Emma Roberts did a good job in portraying the Beverly Hills brat. The rest of the characters were good too. Again, nothing spectacular.  The film did its job in making a funny rom-com intended for teen girls.

Even though this was a simple movie and kind of cheesy, I did find it very cute and in the end, the message of the film was (although predictable) insightful and I found that I could connect to it.

If you are looking for a good chick flick for a girl's night in and are somewhere in your teens, this is a good choice. If you do not fit this description, don't say I didn't warn you.

My Rating:
6/10

Click here to watch the trailer for Wild Child on YouTube.

Carrie (2013) - Movie Review

Director: Kimberly Peirce
Writer: Lawrence D. Cohen, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Stephen King (novel)
Producer: Kevin Misher
Stars: Chloë Mortez, Julianne Moore, Gabriella Wilde

Carrie, the third film remake of the Stephen King novel, is a film about a misunderstood, outsider who struggles socially. Carrie, lives with her extremely religious mother and the viewers really feel bad about the way she is treated by her classmates, as well as her struggles with her home life. Soon, Carrie discovers that she has a great power which she can use as revenge for all the years of humiliation and torture.

I actually saw Carrie because of the fact that the movie I was going to see in theatres was sold out. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but went into it with an open mind. I was excited to hopefully see something frightening and suspenseful.

This movie started off and got right into the action. There was some extreme bullying within the first ten minutes of the film. It instantly captured my attention and I was eager to see how this film turned out.

As Carrie discovers her powers, the intensity builds and builds. Carrie is discovering the power that she can have, at the same time that she continues to be tormented by her classmates at school and through social media.

I thought that Chloë Mortez did a fantastic job with portraying the misunderstood Carrie. I really believed her, despite having seen her in multiple other films, especially ones that were much less intense (such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Hugo etc.). In addition, Julianne Moore did an amazing job as the overly religious and troubled mother of Carrie. I was honestly very scared of her.

I never saw the 1976 version of Carrie, but after reading other reviews, I read that it was nearly identical. So, if you have seen other versions, I am assuming you should not go into this movie expecting something completely new and surprising. Though, having not seen the other versions, it was not what I expected. I expected something completely terrifying and I found it was not. This does not mean I did not like it. I liked it for its suspense and I found it interesting and captivating. So, I liked this film for that. Do not go in expecting something completely different from the other film adaptions or something very scary, but you can expect a film that is pretty good.

My Rating:
7/10

Click here to watch the trailer for Carrie on YouTube.