Janvier (January) Movies

January was quite a rainy month as you may be able to tell by the amount of movies that I saw. I do make sure to get my monies worth with the Unlimited Card (totally recommend by the way). Now it is time for another review post although it is only short and sweet. 

Birdman - 6/10. I started the cold month off by seeing Birdman which I was actually quite excited about as I have always been a fan of Michael Keatons movies and Edward Norton. It is about washed up actor (Riggan) who once played the part of Birdman (hence the name) who begins writing his own play and is performing on Broadway. However throughout the movie you can see that he is not a very stable man obviously has schizophrenia or something along those lines because he believes that this Birdman is talking to him. Ed Norton is hired for a part in his production and certainly causes some trouble! I did like the movie although it was a little slow and maybe just not for me. The music in it was good and the camera work was superb. However I feel the ending was shabby and the storyline wasn't as good as I had hoped but still great acting from Michael and Edward. I would recommend it as it was quite disturbing and it showed you the utter crises of one mans life. 

American Sniper - 10/10. This movie was fantastic and is my #1 for January. It is a great movie it has you gripped the whole way through and you really feel like you're experiencing what the characters are feeling (I was actually crying at some point). I do cry a lot at movies. The movie stars Bradley Cooper (yes that was the first reason I was interested in seeing it) whom looks great in this movie a lot bigger and is doing the accent very well. Bradley plays the part of Chris Kyle who was a military officer in Iraq who was known as the best sniper that there was because he had the most kills he actually got a nickname "Legend" which people call him throughout the movie. The movie shows you the struggle that soldiers have to endure when going out to fight and I don't just mean physically it is so emotionally deep. You can see how it affects his family and the way he acts when he returns from a tour. Each time he comes home it seems as if part of him has died he can't leave the war behind. His face becomes known in Iraq and the people out there begin to look for him identifying him by his tattoo. I didn't know it was a true story until the credits and the real photos. It is really quite emotional and gets you crying. When you leave the cinema you will have a lot to think about. 

Wild - 4/10. I only saw this movie purely because I wanted to see the camera work and scenery and I did get a lot of that. I am into travelling currently (although not hiking) and it was lovely to see all the scenery in this movie it made you want to do the hike yourself! The movie stars Reese Wetherspoon (Cheryl) who has had a lot bad luck. Her mother died from Cancer, her marraige failed, she took drugs and was sleeping around. She decided to take hold of her life and do something for her mother and so she decided to do the Pacific Crest Trail which takes around 3 months to hike. She takes the journey and you see along they way how she reflects on the things she has done wrong and how much the hike is improving her attitude towards life. By the end of the trail you can feel the weight that has been lifted off of her shoulders. The only reason I gave the movie such a low rating was because it was very long and slow, the scenery was great but that was all really. 

Taken 3 - 5/10. I was a big fan of the first movie which I thought was fantastic and then saw the second and it was good but thought it wasn't as good as the first and then they go and bring out ANOTHER. I do love Liam Neeson especially his deep husky voice but I feel this movie was a little far fetched and unrelated as the other two kind of went with each other. Liam Neeson was this time trying to catch the man that had murdered his ex wife who had framed him for the murder. The police are now after him and won't stop until they find him but they find out he has a lot of skills in all areas and can always outsmart them. I think it was time Brian Mills went into retirement! 

Mortdeci - 6/10. I do love a good bit of Johnny Depp I think he is a good actor and can play weird and wonderful very well. I was a little unsure about this movie but saw it anyway one weekend and thought it was actually quite funny, a few giggles every now again. Although the storyline was a bit of a flop. I would recommend seeing it for free and not actually going out to buy it yourself because it isn't worth the money. The best parts for me were the funny ones I actually wasn't interested in the storyline. It is about Mortdeci (Johnny Depp) is struggling with money and faces loosing all that he owns so decides to take on a mission to find a painting which is worth a lot of money and return it to the police. However whilst doing this he runs into many situations and has a wife who dislikes his moustache very much to handle! He is a very dim man who has a sidekick (well, bodygaurd) who protects him and helps him find this painting. 

Into The Woods - 3/10. Yawn yawn yawn. I wanted to see this movie because I am a fan of Meryl Streep and saw the trailer on the Graham Norton Show. All of the shows were sold out each weekend but we finally got into one which was full of children literally it was all sold out again so I wanted to see what the hype was about. I was very bored and disappointed. Maybe children may find the film good but I certainly did not. The music was terrible and not catchy all, the storyline was terrible it was a boring ending and it dragged on for way too long I felt like walking out. It is meant to be a movie that puts a modern twist on the fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and probably others. It is based mainly on a couple who cannot have children because they have been cursed by the witch (Meryl Streep) the witch says they can have the curse lifted if they collect the list of things that she requires from the woods so they go on their journey to find these items whilst mixing in with other fairy tails. Boring. 

A very eventful January it was. 

December Movie Reviews

This is a review for the movies that I saw in December. The last month of the year and I have to say the movies that came out were good but there was not many to watch.

Black Sea - 6/10. I gave this a 6 purely because this movie is not the type I would go to see anyway. I don't usually like any movies to do with the sea and boats because I find it so boring. I saw this because I had an empty Friday night with nothing to do. The movie was good though and probably the best boat one I have seen (apart from Titanic obviously!). It starred a toned Jude Law and he played the part of the submarine captain. It was a movie about one of Hitlers U boats which had millions of gold on it that nobody had claimed because it was in the Black Sea and was in the Russian area. 12 men (all experts in the submarine area) went to claim the gold. There was 6 British and 6 Russian. The movie showed the claustrophobia that they were feeling and had some very tense moments when you didn't know what was going to happen. It had emotional scenes where I actually shed a tear and some where I had to cover my eyes. All in all the movie was great for that type of movie and superb acting from Jude Law.

Horrible Bosses 2 - 8/10. I had only recently seen the first Horrible Bosses movie because I wanted to see this one when I saw the trailer. This one was much better than the first one and usually I never say that about movies but this one was great. The movie is about the three men starting their own bussiness together as friends with the invention of the Shower Buddy. Their idea then gets stolen by a wealthy business man Bert(Christoph Waltz) so they decide to get the  business/money back that they lost by kidnapping Bets son Rex.  I love all of the actors and felt they suited the parts they played perfectly. Jennifer Aniston looked stunning as usual as did Jason Batemen. I feel the three men (Jason Batemen, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) work incredibly well together and the jokes were very up to date and really funny. I was laughing throughout especially as they made references to the first movie and looked into the camera a few times. I would highly recommend this movie it was crude and funny. I loved it.

Dumb & Dumber 2 - 7/10. I loved the first movie when it first came out and am a big fan of Jim Carey so this was a must see when I heard a second one was going to be released. I have to admit it was quite funny but quite childish. Some of the jokes were predictable and they were all the same as the firs movie. None the less it was still funny. This movie is about Harry (Jeff Daniels) needing a new kidney so he needs somebody with the same blood type. He then finds out he has an 18 year old daughter from a fling many years ago. He goes on a road trip with Lloyd (Jim Carey) to find her and ask her for her kidney.

Exodus - 9/10. I usually never go for these types of movies due to the time frame it is set in I usually find them very boring and all the same. However this movie was the best I had seen this month and would recommend it to everybody! A fantastic performance from Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. They both suited the parts very well. The movie is about an Egyptian Prince called Moses (Christian Bale) and Ramses (Joel Edgerton) they are the closest of friends until a prophecy says something that causes trouble between the men. Ramses then becomes Pharaoh and Moses must stop him as he is causing a lot of death and suffering. Moses finds out he is actually Hebrew and not of the royal heritage. Him and his men come together to fight against Ramses. The movie is great and the effects are 10x better. I love that it is biblical and you cannot take your eyes away from the screen. A must watch!!

November Move Reviews

So it is a late post and the most boring as it is only about movies yet again as you already know I am a movie nerd. The cinema in November was great and had a lot of hopeful movies coming out. Yet again the unlimited card came in handy and I was able to use it four times this month.

Hunger Games - 8/10. This is the first half to the end book of the trilogy called Mockingjay. I have kept up with the Hunger Games since they first came out and I was excited for this one expecting good fight scenes and a lot of Peeta and Gale. I got what I wanted and saw a lot of them both. The storyline was great and sorry everybody but I have not read the books so it is all new for me. Katniss is stuck in District 13 trying to fight against the Capitol and to save Peeta. There was a lot of romance and sad scenes but all made you feel as if you were really there.

The Drop - 7/10. I thought this movie was great. I had never seen Tom Hardy in a movie before but heard a lot about him. I was impressed by his acting I thought he done his character perfectly and It was a gripping movie which kept me glued to the screen. It was about people dropping money into the bar and money goes missing which Tom Hardy has to get back. It is not as predictable as you think and there are shocks and surprises around every corner.

Nightcrawler - 6/10. I was quite excited about this movie I felt from the trailers it was going to be great but I was a little let down when I actually saw it. I do love Jake Gyllenhaal and think his acting is superb in all of his movies that I have seen to date. I do not doubt his acting in this at all he acted the character great and had me feeling what he felt. The only problem I had with it is that the trailer showed a different movie plot to what I thought it was and it wasn't all as thrilling as it was made out to be. It was actually a little dull and the story was dragged out for too long with not really much going on. You know that Louis (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a complete psycho within the first couple of minutes and can predict the movie straight away.

The Imitation Game - 8/10. I was against seeing this movie when it was recommended to me and I actually went with my fiance (Harry) as we have to compromise on the movies we see together he chose this one. When I came out of the screening I was actually in shock at how much I loved the movie and enjoyed it so much. I get more into the movie knowing it was a true story and all about Alan Turing who actually made this amazing machine. It was so interesting and had me questioning so many things. I feel the movie was a complete success with great acting from Benedict Cumberbatch.

Out of all of the above I would say the number one movie to see would be The Imitation Game as it is for the teenage and older generation with great acting and a great insight into what was really happening during that period of time.

October Movie Reviews

This post is a little late but I didn't have time to put it together due to the lack of time I have recently! So Harry and I decided to invest in the Unlimited Card which Cineworld offer for £16.40 a month and I was a little worried that it may not earn the money back that you spend but you do and I totally would recommend it. The movies above are all the movies seen in October (the first month I received the card) you can go to any Cineworld cinema and use your card as many times as you want. I could see three movies in one day if I wanted to. I am a huge film fan and this is the perfect thing to have it can even be bought as a gift for somebody.

All the movies were good but they all had their good and bad points:- 

The Equalizer - 4/10. This movie is about a man who tries to make situations equal for example if a man murdered a woman he would murder the man who did it. It is a nice storyline and makes you wish it was real but the only reason I gave this movie such a bad rating is that I thought it was pretty slow going and didn't start till the end really. I had expected a lot more from the trailers but it wasn't as good and the storyline was very predictable. It was nice to see Kevin Spacey in this movie and he played the character very well of a Russian man (I think). I would recommend if you are into the typical get revenge movies. 

Annabelle - 4/10. This movie is just a sequel to The Conjuring and is about a doll that has a spirit inside of it that haunts and torments people and this movie is where the story began. I was enjoying in the film to begin with although it started very slowly. The only good bits and entertaining parts were in the trailers. It was a typical haunting movie where people die and then you get a lovely happy ending but with the doll being passed onto somebody else. 

Maze Runner - 10/10. This movie was brilliant. I admit I was sceptical about seeing it as it seemed like a cliche Hunger Games but it was so much more than that and kept me drawn in for the whole movie. I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen and it was all very unexpected. I would highly recommend this movie to anybody especially younger kids it isn't violent although it can make you a bit teary eyed! 

71 - 6/10. I saw this movie because of my love for Jack O'Connell since his performance in This is England and Skins (Cook). I love his acting and all of his movies especially Starred Up. He is a typical London lad with an attitude and good looks. He acts great in this movie and does a great performance. It is about a young british soldier who gets left behind by his troops when the town begin the riot and he is trying to find his way back to camp however he is stuck on the streets of Belfast where he is literally being hunted like an animal. It was very intense and quite emotional, the graphics were great and touched your heart I cried at some parts and others I laughed. I would recommend it to somebody who loves a good british movie. 

Fury - 8/10. I usually hate movies about the War and not very fond of Brad Pitt (unpopular opinion alert). However, watching this movie showed me how good of an actor he truly is because he played this part perfectly. This movie was great and so emotional I had never cried so much over a war movie. It made me realise how hard it was during those times and made me feel like I was really part of it. Brad Pitt drives a tank that they have named Fury through Germany with five other soldiers and when one of his men dies a new man gets recruited where the movie focusses on the new man going from a typical office worker to a strong soldier. I would recommend to people of all ages (maybe not below 16 though as it is very bloody). The camera work is great and the effects are so lifelike. 

Horns - 7/10. I had decided to see this movie for Halloween and also after just finishing the Harry Potter franchise (amazing by the way) I had a love for Daniel Radcliffe and had to see him perform in another movie. I am also fond of Juno Temple (St Trinians and Atonement). This movie is great and even better if you are a fan of religion such as myself. I loved the element of the bible behind it and the devil. The movie was about a man who was accused of killing his girlfriend whom he had been with since a young boy and he grew horns which made other people confess their thoughts and secrets and they would do whatever he told them to do. The movie is set on a book written by Joe Hill.  This movie had a great soundtrack and I would recommend it to guys and girls because it is a slight romance but it has all twists and turns although still predictable. Although it is hard to tell whether the movie is a horror, a romance or a comedy it differentiates between the few. 

Anyway that brings me to the end of this post and hope I have given you the reviews you needed to encourage you to watch these films too! 

Twenty Candles

I have been pondering about writing my first blog post for a while now. I have been trying to make lists and spider diagrams trying to figure out what to say. I hate writing about myself and always find the description part of a website quite daunting. 

I am going to copy the usual blog posts because I cannot think of something for myself. 

Who am I 

My name is Amber Louise Gallagher. I am 20 years old now but feel about 30. I was born in Clapham (England) and now live in Kent. I have always jumped through fashion senses. Never really been in with the current trends but I am trying to (hense the blog). I currently dress in the fashion of vintage/pin up/rockabilly/mod. It is a mixture but I enjoy my style right now and feel deeply about it. I went to school did my exams and done my first year of A Levels but admittedly just could not be bothered which was a massive mistake but we have all made mistakes. I now work in a Law Firm in Canary Wharf as a Legal Secretary. Although I do want to progress into something more. 

I am a very avid user of social networking sites and have been for many years. I have been through them all Piczo, Bebo, Myspace, Facebook, Tumblr and now starting with this. I have other sites that I use to talk about movies and my bucket list which are IMDB and Bucketlist.org. 

The name of my blog is just something for now it isn't very creative but I had to start somewhere right? 

What my blog will be about 

I have wanted to start a blog for over a year now and follow many blogs religiously. My blog has not got a theme right now but I am sure it will grow its own over time. It will be about my journey and all of the things that I like to do. I have a bucket list that I want to try to complete with over 100 goals to complete. I am also a very nerdy woman who is a huge movie lover so I write about movies and keep track of all the ones that I have seen. A blog is perfect for me to keep my mind constantly growing and flourishing in the new things that I come across.