Little Women

Little women (2019)

Cast: Saoirse Ronan (Jo March), Emma Watson (Meg March), Florence Pugh (Amy March), Timothée Chalamet (Laurie)

IMDB: 8.2

    This movie is the 2019 adaptation of the book 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott. In the opening scene, we see a quote by the writer herself that indicates she has had a gloomy life and 'Little Women' in a way is her way of escaping that reality. It is evident in the movie that happiness is the desired element in everyone's lives and that is exactly what's delivered to us. The main character Jo March is a writer and she lives in a colourful household with the rest of her siblings and her mother. They are all striking girls at a time where girls are only meant to marry well and otherwise they're considered foolish. The movie revolves around the girls' lives, ambitions, struggles and how they're perceived by men and other women while emphasising their uniqueness. It is about how women are strong, interesting, striking beings and they can accomplish things, be strong and love, not when they have to, but when they really do.

    Personal Thoughts: This movie was something special, hence my decision to come back to actually putting a bit of effort into this blog. It inspired me to wake up and write something about it which is a hard thing to do for me these days. I do love feminism as a theme and came across many different ways of approaching the topic. Little Women does this in a very cosy and lovely way that shows how sisters have a special bond and how each of them has ambitions that are considered unrealistic by others but supported by each other. I personally loved the fact that the girls had a world of their own and it attracted others without even trying which is shown in the scenes where Laurie, his tutor and his grandfather often look at the girls admiringly when they're being all lively and care-free. Another thing I would like to touch upon is how love is approached in the movie which was very real in a way. I was one of the people who expected (and really wanted) Laurie and Jo to end up together because their friendship was something special and it was evident how he cared about her and even though it wasn't too clear if she cared about him in the same way, I guess I hoped she would. I think this is how most people feel about these two characters perhaps because it is portrayed so well how Laurie is in love / heartbroken but all these aside, it is also admirable how he gets over it as well. However, if we look into the scenes, it's all about friendship and it is still something admirable to have, maybe even more admirable than romantic love which does fit the theme of the movie. On a side note, even though I liked the movie a lot, I did feel like it was a bit out of the blue when Jo was suddenly into Friedrich and Laurie was into Amy which only feels like an attempt to make a happy ending for all. It is realistic in a way though so I'm not too against it either. It's just that sometimes the book might explain it all whereas since the movie is a compressed version of the book some events have to be shown rather shortly so as a viewer we don't prefer how some things end up being and these two relationships were one of those things in the movie for me. Overall, it's realistic, heartwarming, funny and Timothée Chalamet looks super good so it gets a 9/10 from me.

Update: I read the book and it barely mentions any romance so the movie took a few liberties in that sense

P.S: I feel like Timothée Chalamet is made to be the soft boy in love in every movie with slight alterations in the character but he just does it so well that I don't even care. Also not to be a complete fangirl here but the scene where they were in a meadow was just so good I get how it's nominated for best picture (I'm putting it below)

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Zootopia

Zootopia: 2016

IMDB: 8.1

Voice cast: Shakira (as Gazelle), Ginnifer Goodwin (as Juddy Hopps)

It's a comedy animation movie. The story is about a bunny wanting to be a cop in the future but the society she lives in stereotypes her and expect her to be a farmer like all the other bunnies. The place called Zootopia is known to be the city of freedom where everyone can be anything so she becomes a cop unlike what everyone else thought. When she starts working in Zootopia, still nobody believes in her so they give her easy jobs. While she's on duty, trying to solve a missing animal case to prove herself to everyone, she meets Nick, a fox, and threatens him to cooperate with her to solve the case. While they're investigating, they start to become good friends unlike what society expects.

Personal Thoughts: It was one of the best animations I've watched lately. I used to like Bolt and Little Red Riding Hood a lot but now I like Zootopia too. It was really sweet and funny. I watched it with my friends so we laughed every few seconds. (the sloth scene was the best). Nick's the coolest fox ever. It was genuinely really cute and funny. Also, the ending is totally shocking, I think it's definitely a movie you should watch if you're looking for a cute, funny animation.


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Cherrybomb

Cherry bomb: 2009

IMDB: 6

Cast: Kimberley Nixon (as Michelle), Robert Sheehan (as Luke), Rupert Grint (as Malachy)

The movie is about the life of a group of teenagers. The flow of the movie is a bit slow. There are a lot of party scenes. These three teenagers, Malachy, Luke and Michelle, don't really know what to do with their lives. They're all living lives they don't want. All of them have different problems. When Luke and Malachy met Michelle they both liked her and this became a bigger problem at the end of the movie. It affected their friendship. In the end, they understood in a hard way that their friendship was more important than all the other things.

Personal Thoughts: The movie kind of reminded me of "Palo Alto" These movies are not so much entertaining but you still like to watch them. At least I do. After all, I still liked it. The soundtracks and the scenes were good. I liked the random party scenes. Also, Robert Sheehan was great as always. He suits the free, crazy teenager characters. I thought his character Luke was so much like his character Nathan in "Misfits". I was a bit excited to see Rupert Grint but I didn't really like his character Malachy. I don't think Kimberley Nixon was the best choice for the bad girl. She looks and dresses like a good girl. Being bad doesn't look good on her. I wish it was someone like Kaya Scodelario. (Can you tell I like Skins?) In the end, the message was good but I wish they had focused on the friendship more than their relationship with Michelle. They practically drifted apart the moment they saw her. In some scenes, Luke said Michelle was separating them but Malachy was ready to leave Luke alone to go after a girl he doesn't even know. In the last scene, Luke said Malachy would do the same for him but I didn't really believe it. That's the main reason I didn't like Malachy I guess. I also didn't like that two cool guys were trying to prove themselves to a girl that isn't even worth it. But I guess that's close to reality in some cases, although I never had two guys fighting over me. The accents were a bit hard to understand since my first language is not English and I like to watch movies without subtitles. Unlike what everyone says, I'm glad I watched it. I don't show it much but I liked it. It's the kind of movie to watch when it's raining outside. I think it's because the UK always reminds me of rainy weather and the scenes were dark since the kids were partying all night.

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Me, Earl and the Dying Girl

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl: 2015

IMDB: 7.8

Cast: Thomas Mann (as Greg), R.J. Tyler (as Earl), Olivi Cooke (as Rachel)

First of all it's not a regular cancer movie. It's positive through the beginning to the end. Greg doesn't belong to a group because he's afraid that he won't be loved so he doesn't attach to anyone besides Earl. Later on, her mother insists on him talking to the dying girl across the street. That's how they met. It was awkward in the first few hours because they were just hanging out because she was dying but then, with the help of some pillows, they started to become so much more than just awkward strangers to each other. It's not certain if Greg likes him different then friendship or not so you're free to think what you like. Greg's one passion is to make movies with Earl. Rachel wants to watch all of them before she dies. There's no hint that if she's going to die though. you should find out yourself. (Ps: don't read my personal thoughts before you watch. I tend to give soo much spoilers)

Personal Thoughts: One of the sweetest movies I've ever watched. One of my friend recommended it and I first thought It would be another version of "the fault in our stars". Not that I hated that movie. It just became so ordinary and I don't like looking at illnesses as "ordinary". So I don't usually watch those kinds of movies. Luckily I liked the movie so much. Firs of all, Greg's inner thoughts are so much  relatable. He's always scared to get hurt and not be loved. He always underrates himself. Rachel doesn't like that. About their relationship, they're the cutest friends ever. If they were a couple, I wouldn't feel the same way about them. Their relationship is so pure, innocent and loving. They're both different. I call these people "detailist". It basically means, they like details and the small stuff they notice makes them happy. For example, Graig's passion for making movies. I especially noticed it in the movie he made for Rachel. He added so much little details in it and they just looked beautiful as a whole. He also didn't  miss to add the pillows into it. See, detailist people don't forget those details even in conversations and they become something beautiful and big eventually. I liked the Earl character. Earl is just so cool and funny. He hangs out with Rachel and Greg and they all fit each other so much. Another character I loved was Graig's father. He has a funny personality. he resembles so much of my own father. They both like to talk about random philosophical stuff out of no where. I generally like those kinds of people. Lastly, Rachel. She's cute, cool and sad on the inside. She hides her fear of death till the last minute. It was great that she was such a good friend to Graig. In the last scene, there's an interesting message. You never completely know someone. You keep getting to know them even after they're dead. For example he didn't know Rachel liked to cut the books and make shapes out of them. Rachel was so much more actually. She drew squirrels all around her room. They were like a hint to follow. It was really interesting. Another scene I really liked was when Earl, Rachel and Graig were hanging out, eating ice cream on the stairs of somewhere. It was a simple scene but they were all happy. Rachel remembered that small moment they lived and made that moment by cutting the inside of a book. I like how it carries an importance to her. Not any moment but that one. The message of the movie was about friendship. The last thing that Rachel did was to apply collage for Graig. She wrote a recommendation letter for him before she died and it was really sweet. 

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Love, Rosie

Love, Rosie: 2014

IMDB: 7.2

Cast: Lily Colins (as Rosie Dunn), Sam Claflin (as Alex Stewart)

Love Rosie is about the friendship of two best friends. They like each other since day one but none of them tells the other anything. They go to prom with different people, get married to different people... But in their hearts, they always have each other even if they don't know. It's the really sweet story of the lives of those two person.


Personal Thoughts: I watched the movie twice. One for the first time and other because I was bored and it's a really good movie. I can guarantee you, you won't get bored. Lily Colins has the ultimate eyebrows and she's really cute in this one. I loved their British accents. The story was beautiful from the beginning to the end. It's a common thing that happens in a lot of teenager's life. That's why it's so relatable. My favourite scene was where Alex wrote Rosie a letter about his feelings about her and Rosie seeing it later, realising everything. She was so hopeful but then she saw Bethany in his apartment and heard they were getting married. It pretty much explained the whole situation. There's always something on their way. But it's the thing that makes the story interesting. I liked that the movie starts from where they were children and ends when they were adults. Over the period of their life, their ways separate constantly but still, they never leave each other. After watching it, I wished to have a friendship like their's. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Girl, interrupted

Girl, interrupted: 1999

IMDB: 7.3

Cast: Angelina Jolie (as Lisa Rowe), Wiona Ryder (as Susanna Kaysen)

It's a biographical movie of Susanna Kaysen. She has an illness that makes her hallucinate. They've put her into a hospital after she accidentally tried to kill herself. In the hospital, she has experienced lots of weird and heartbreaking things. At first, she had a hard time blending in. After that, she met Lisa, who has power on everyone because of her cruelness. No one likes to argue with her. Susanna starts to like Lisa, and when Lisa proposes to run away, she said yes. The death of someone they both knew, brings her back to reality. After that, Susanna never thought of killing herself. On the other hand, Lisa's reaction was completely different from Susanna's. She took the dead girl's money, in fact, she made her kill herself. Susanna knew she had to stay away from Lisa even if she likes her. She got better over time and went back home. It's about her experiences there as a "crazy" person and then as a "normal" person. When she went back home she still didn't know what the difference was. She learned that even if the world is ordinary and full of shit, she has the chance to live there.

Personal Thoughts: I liked the movie. It was a bit long so watch it if you have time or try to watch it on separate days. The thing that made the movie more interesting was Lisa's aggressive personality and Susanna's poetic way of thinking. They were completely different but somehow they've managed to be friends. Angelina Jolie was so much different from her latest movies. I've never seen her like this but it was a good performance. Lisa does whatever she wants because she has no hope of getting herself out of the hospital.  In one scene she said "I'll miss you" to Susanna when she was getting out of the hospital. Susanna was hopeful compared to Lisa. She said she doesn't have to miss her because she believed Lisa was going to get out of there too. Another thing about Lisa is that she gained her power by being cruel and using other people's weaknesses, but under that layer, I believe she actually can be a good person. Lisa's power over people is so obvious that when she blows smoke to an old woman's face, she doesn't even say a thing but when Susanna does the same thing just to see if she'll react, she does react. They all have some bad stuff that they've been through. For example, Daisy's dad molesting her and Polly burning her face and never liking herself after that. Susanna doesn't have a specific problem. I think she just doesn't like her life and feels like she doesn't fit in. She feels like her family and everyone else is just being fake and not actually living. I'm glad that I've seen this movie. The performances were fantastic and it was a pretty different movie than what I would normally watch. However, I would like to stress that it has pretty dark themes in it so watch it if you're not sensitive to those kinds of things.

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