Brave ☆☆☆☆½

I was going to see this film at the cinema but it was on during the summer (children) and it is that bit more obvious you are going to the movies on your own if during a holiday period. Not that I care about seeing films alone, its just embarrassing when you used to work at the cinema in question and some persons in there still run away from you because a) they are incredibly sad people and b) you were a bit of a cow to them....but thats another story no one needs to know.

Also with regards to Brave a few people had told me it was incredibly disappointing and about the only interesting thing was the hair...ok so props to the animators the hair is EXTRAORDINARY (Merida's red locks look almost exactly like my own curly frizzy mess of a hairdo, except not blond). However the hair is absolutely not a scene stealer in my own, humble opinion.

Merida, then, is a princess in a Scottish tribe whose father and mother have arranged for suitors to come from the three other tribes in the Kingdom to become her husband...Merida is not so happy about this. She is an independent, strong willed, warrior child who is as good at archery as a certain Katniss Everdeen.
Merida has three younger brothers (triplets) who are the usual trouble makers but adorable with it, and also sport some rather spectacular curly red hair.

And this was all I knew plot-wise before seeing the film so that is all I'm going to tell you, I think the not-knowing where the film is going is actually something refreshing for movie-goers - all too often the trailer tells you everything and spoils it.

So then, why did I enjoy the film so much even though my friends did not?

Firstly the animation is beautiful: the scenery of the highlands, the tribesmen and women in their celtic garb, and the way they can animate hair and fur so it moves in the wind still makes me smile from ear to ear.

Second the stereotypes. Weird that I am classing this as a positive but, as person of Scots heritage (as in I have living relatives who are Scottish including my mother) I can confirm that, in my family at the very least, we conform to the stereotypes in this film. We are loud, enjoy a drink or five, are incredibly thrifty (we're not cheap we're careful) and are reasonably happy to have an argument. I thought the way these stereotypes were portrayed reflected well the Celtic orgins of the Scottish people, living in hard lands and having to fight for survival...but also poking fun at the same time in a good-hearted way. You cannot be offended by the portrayal of Scottish people in this film and if you are, well then I sincerely hope you get a life sometime soon.

However what I really loved in this film was the family dynamic it portrayed. Merida is a strong willed daughter fighting against a mother who wants her to be perfect princess. Her father is indulgent and encourages her humour and her fighting, and her brothers are adorable scamps who cause chaos wherever they go.

Disney isn't famous for its mother-daughter exploration, especially not in princess movies:

• The Little Mermaid (Ariel): single father strong willed daughter
• Beauty and the Beast (Belle): single father strong willed daughter
• Aladdin (Jasmine): single father strong willed daughter (I sense a theme)
• Sleeping Beauty (Aurora): parents alive but taken away and raised by fairies until 16
• Snow White: single father evil stepmother
• Cinderella: single father evil stepmother
• Tangled (Rapunzel): parents alive but stolen and raised by evil woman until 18
• The Princess and the Frog (Tiana): single mother

Now don't comment on here asking about Mulan or Pocahontas, they don't count.

Brave is the first Disney princess movie to focus on the bond between mother and daughter (yes Tiana is raised by her mother but it is her father who inspires her). Merida and her mother are allowed to have a confrontational and true to life teenage daughter and parent relationship. They fight, they misunderstand each other, and then, with a little help, come around to what each other was really trying to say in the first place.

This isn't UP or Wall-E, you won't find the horse is able to communicate in ways other than the usual horsey methods of stamping feet or whinneying, and you won't be rolling off your seat laughing.
What you will get from this film is a beautiful portrayal of life for a teenage girl set against the stunning highlands, expected to marry and to be a lady when all she wants is to shoot arrows and be a girl for a bit longer.

I would say for those who haven't seen the film is to set expectations low (often films are ruined by our own preconceptions), don't anticipate a comedy when really it is a drama, and do not take offense at the stereotypes on behalf of anyone you know who is a Scot - they need a thump if they find it offensive. And lastly enjoy the accents - there is something special about the Celtic lilt.

I really did enjoy Brave, and I hope you do too.

Also, keeping with Pixar tradition, John Ratzenberger gets a voice part too :)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ☆☆☆☆

With all the fantastic and exciting new films out this year I must admit this one fell to the back of my brain. Not because I wasn't excited, no siree I squealed when it was first announced, commenced further squealing upon finding out some of the casting (Armitage, Cumberbatch & Turner caused the majority of pig-like noises) but then time passed and the Avengers happened...it slipped my mind somewhat.

It has also been a VERY long time since I have read The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, too long in fact. I was somewhat concerned that it was going to become three movies but after seeing this first one - hey, make it thirty so long as you don't kill off my very favourite characters that you will kill off because Tolkein did. Ahem.

For those unfamiliar with the story don't worry I'm not about to spoil plotlines or character deaths, but you should know that there is going to be a review of one of these films with me quite literally just typing "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". In two years time if anyone still reads this blog/I still write it and this doesn't happen, I will give you my last Rolo.

So briefly then in case people have been living in a box of bad literature:

The Hobbit is the tale of one Bilbo Baggins, a quiet sort of Hobbit who lives alone and doesn't take with any kind of nonesense or shenanigans thank you very much. He loves food (as all good Hobbits do) and is partial to a good smoke. Then one day a wizard stops by his house in the Shire, name of Gandalf, and Bilbo's life is never the same again.
He is pushed into an adventure he didn't ask for with Dwarfs he never thought he would like, thirteen of them, on a quest to get back the Dwarfs' home and treasure which was taken by the Dragon, Smaug. The quest involves fighting with Orcs, talking with Elves and Wizards, battling with Goblins, and the unveiling of how Bilbo came upon the One Ring.

Thus begins Bilbo's story, more of which will be revealed in later films, but for now this is all that needs to be known.

I really enjoyed this film. It was spectacular in its scenery, extraordinary in its battle sequences, and really well cast and acted. It does not get a fifth star because sometimes I felt like I was watching LOTR again in the music or the scene that was being portrayed, especially those scenes with the characters we have already met before. Nevertheless the huge amount of Dwarf action means it is nothing less than 'Brilliant' to my eyes.

Another of my minor qualms is that the sweeping shots, especially at the beginning, made my eyes go fuzzy - and I was watching this in 2D because that extra dimension gives me a headache that makes me sick. So it was probably just my particularly screwy eyeballs that meant I didn't enjoy the cinematic moments as much as I should.

But aside from that, fantastic film. Especially the Dwarfs. Did I mention that already? LOVE the Dwarfs!

Still can't remember all their names...Bombur Bifor Oin Gloin Thorin Fili Kili...yep thats all I can do from memory. The Dwarfs were the characters who really stuck in my head after reading The Hobbit and I'm pleased to say they've had the same effect from the movie.

Richard Armitage (Spooks, Robin Hood) leads the warriors with quiet grace and authority, he really suited that beard! Fili and Kili are the young (and very good looking) Dwarfs who are a bit like Merry and Pippin from LOTR, a double act but brave and willing to fight. They are played by New Zealander Dean O'Gorman (The Almighty Johnsons) and Irishman Aidan Turner (Being Human). Another Irishman is James Nesbitt who has the best moustache of them all, yes even better than Fili's braided one. Nesbitt gets to keep his accent, as do some of the Scots, but most are English. I long for a New Zealand accent in these films, I can't imagine Tolkein would object.

Speaking of NZ accents Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) gets more lines in this movie as an Elf in Rivendell, it took me a while to spot him actually but when I twigged it made me smile a LOT. I never did spot Peter Jackson though, mind you I still haven't noticed him in the second or third LOTR.

As for The Hobbit himself, Mr Bilbo Baggins, Martin Freeman does a fine job. Though I find Freeman does have a certain way of acting (I guess as all actors do, apart from chameleons like Meryl Streep) it really suits this portrayal of Bilbo, because he is this funny little man who doesn't like his world being upset but grows as the story does. Freeman showed moments of a steely glint and that was perfect for me.

There is a lot of humour in this film, the teasing of Bilbo, the general talk of the Dwarfs, the singing and the playing about in Bag End was a real joy to watch. The Hobbit wasn't designed for serious adults in the way that Lord of the Rings was, there wasn't much social commentary happening (except perhaps about the perils of greed) so humour really befits the tale and the actors involved.

This is a very long movie, running at almost three hours it is important to go to the toilet before hand and to not drink too much during the film. I actually didn't feel the length because the film did not drag, internally I was wondering where they were going to end it having heard it was a cliffhanger, but they chose an optimal point to leave off the story.

The benefit of the length of the film and the fact it is in three parts is that almost nothing is left out. You get more than The Hobbit because Jackson & co have been able to draw on the rich histories surrounding Middle Earth, but also I've heard that they have embellished some characters to build them up more for the audience, making them more important in the likelihood that their end will seem all the more tragic or deserved.

I am looking forward to part two enormously, but more so I look forward to getting the DVDs and having all the crazy extras to watch - Barry Humphries I'm sure will feature in these.