The Edge of Seventeen

My first review of 2017! I can’t believe that the first week of this year has already flown by. I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant to see this movie, only because I’m not always the biggest fan of coming of age or romance films. But as my close friend is really into films like this and I’ve made her sit through countless horror/thriller films I figured I owed her one. So here we go.

Set in American suburbia, The Edge of Seventeen revolves around the life of Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), a high school student who has felt as though she was an outcast her entire life, owing to her unorthodox and sometimes brash personality. Dodging awkward advances from her classmate Erwin (Hayden Szeto) and secretly crushing on school bad boy Nick (Alexander Calvert), her only saving grace is her best and only friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), who she met in primary school. Things begin to get complicated when, after a party night at her house, Nadine awakes to find Krista in bed with her older brother Darien (Blake Jenner), whom she has always felt inferior to because of his popularity and charm. Feeling as though she is going to lose her best friend to her brother as well as the burden of her overprotective and misunderstanding mother, Nadine begins to confide in her high school teacher Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson). As her life slowly begins to unravel, Nadine begins to wonder: can anything in life really be perfect, or will high school never end?

The positives: Above all else, the acting in this movie is one of its biggest selling points. Standouts have definitely got to be Woody Harrelson as the sarcastic teacher who really gives zero shits (but c’mon, we all saw that coming from the trailer) and Hayden Szeto who brings the perfect amount of awkward and charming to the character of Erwin. Hailee Stienfelds’ Nadine was also a really refreshing twist on the coming of age protagonist, moving away from the usual passive and introverted main character to someone who is overdramatic, selfish and frankly, a loudmouth, having spent her life in her brother’s shadow. But in terms of the story, one of the best running themes in this film has to be the reminder that not everything is always what it seems, and that life can throw things at you without warning. The storyline was interesting and made me care about the characters and their relationships to one another, so I can definitely say the movie was genuinely entertaining.

The negatives: I wish I could say that this movie hit the nail on the head in its entirety, but once again pacing begins to have a really big impact on this film. The amount of different locations, different plot points and character development happening at the same time make it begin to feel a bit crowded after a while. As an audience member I felt at times that certain parts of the story deserved more attention. As well as this, a lot of people have been comparing this film to ones such as Clueless (1995) and Mean Girls (2004): this is nowhere near that territory in my opinion. If you were into films such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (2005) (and I may have revealed just how old I am with that last one) this will be for you. But be warned, while this film has a feel good vibe at the end, it’s not always as chipper as the trailers might like you to think, so if you’re gonna take your 10 year old to see it, maybe think again?

In the end, this film is fun, relatable and will definitely become a classic. Its witty writing and entertaining plot will make it worth your money if you’re into these kind of films, and also remind you of the times when you were young and stupid and made mistakes that seemed as though they’d last a lifetime (if you’re old like me that is). Although its not perfect, its certainly worth a watch.

Begin Again

Mark Ruffalo's character Dan makes an interesting point about the place music has in our lives. He says that music gives the banality of everyday life more energy. I feel as though this is overall theme of John Carney's Begin Again, to make life more vivid and enjoyable, and he has constructed a beautiful movie to convey those thoughts.

Dan (Ruffalo) is a down on his luck record producer. He has been moving from failure to failure and it's pretty safe to say that he is an alcoholic. Everything changes when he meets Gretta (Keira Knightley), a young singer-songwriter who has come to New York. After listening to her perform he knows that he wants to make an album with her.

This movie is a love letter to music. It really shows the power it has to lift you up when you're down or bring people together. All the music is perfectly co-written by Gregg Alexander (of the 90s band and one of my favourites the New Radicals) and is performed well by the cast.

Ruffalo gives a fantastic performance as Dan and I think he plays the role of dishevelled guy a little too well. Likewise, Knightley is fantastic and displays an amazing vocal talent. Supporting roles from Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld and Cee Lo Green are enjoyable.

Carney knows how to craft a movie both when it comes to the script and direction. The film is filled with light and poignant moments with a fair few pop culture references thrown in. He does a decent job at making shots that are evocative, but the real joy came for me with the editing. The use of jump cuts was great and makes some of the scenes pop, especially when they were recording songs in the streets of New York.

Verdict: A feel good movie that is perfect if you love music.

3 Days To Kill

3 Days To Kill is my favourite kind of action film. It's not too over the top and almost has the sensibilities of an independent film. Indeed it's writer and producer Luc Besson is known for making some of the more popular action films, such as Leon and Taken. But this film is more reminiscent of 2010's From Paris With Love, which I think gave John Travolta a second second chance at a career. Likewise, 3 Days To Kill might reinvigorate Kevin Costner.

In the early to mid-90s, Costner was the go-to leading man. That was until he was in both Waterworld (1995) and The Postman (1997). After those two films, he rarely got big parts in blockbusters, but I think this performance might change that. Costner plays Ethan Renner, an experienced CIA agent, who recently discovers that he has terminal brain cancer and is given three months to live. Renner returns to Paris in order to reunite with his estranged daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld).

Following Ethan is elite CIA agent Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), who offers Ethan an experimental drug to help his cancer in return for hunting down an arms trafficker who only Ethan can identify. Ethan has to choose between living what's left of his life with his family or a chance at a longer life.

When I saw McG's name in the credits I felt somewhat unsure about this film. For those unaware of who McG is, left me fill you in. He is a much maligned Hollywood director whose main credits include the Charlie's Angels movies and Terminator Salvation. He also has a stupid name. So you can understand when I say I felt scared to see him attached to a Luc Besson movie, because he doesn't understand subtlety.

Boy was I wrong. The movie flows perfectly (a main part of the director's job) and he really understood how to play up the comedic moments. And this film is filled aplenty with those. The combination of Besson's writing and McG's direction are actually pretty dynamic.

Both Amber Heard and Hailee Steinfeld carry themselves well in the movie. We don't see much of Heard throughout, but when we do, they are some pretty memorable scenes for her femme fatale character. Steinfeld is growing to become a competent young actor and has come a long way since her breakout role in True Grit.

Verdict: A funny, smart action film that might prove to bring Kevin Costner to a new audience.