Film Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

13.12.17

Shifa won tickets to watch STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI at @reelcinemas at Dubai Marina Mall.

Shifa isn’t here at the moment, so Mum and I went!! We reached pretty early, so we got our tickets and sat outside the cinema on the fancy sofa. (This Reel Cinemas felt even more fancy than Dubai Mall). And while we waited, 2 other movie-goers (the lady’s sister was a representative of Reel Cinemas, so they got special passes) were give lightsaber toys. Oh. My. Goodness. I want to say I was happy for them, but I was also extremely envious 😭😭.

So, afterwards, when it was time, we got free popcorn, a drink and water (locked and loaded for the movie!). We got to our seats and we were thrilled to find out that our seats were semi-reclining and veryyyy comfy. 

And after that, it was just waiting for the clock to strike 12 for the movie to start. But first of all, can we talk about how INCREDIBLE the Dolby Screen was. The demonstration had me absolutely floored! First, the range of sound. Next, the clarity of image. And lastly, the colour. Oh. My. Word. This had me reeling (haha, a little unintentional pun there). But seriously, a really, really great screen to watch great movies on. 

Now, on to the movie:

{Synopsis:

Having taken her first steps into the Jedi world, Rey joins Luke Skywalker on an adventure with Leia, Finn and Poe that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past.}

(Source: IMdB- http://m.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/)

Well, what can I say. It’s

STAR

FRIKKIN

WARS.

Incredible cast. Incredible cinematography. ALL THOSE FEELS. 

My man, POE FRIGGIN DAMERON. And my little Finnegan! And my WONDERFUL, LOVELY, BADASS SMOL BEAN, REY!!

And omggggg. BB8. AND CHEWIE. AND LEIA. AND LUKE. AND C3PO. And basically just everyone. 

Kylo Ren’s scenes were really great; powerful. One scene in particular was like “oh, *expletive*”. However, I’m still a bit confused about him. Is he conflicted? Or is he really evil? Or is he just a big cry baby.

Also, I felt like Captain Phasma needed a lot more scenes.

There are some fantastic plot points (that will be developed in the next installment, I hope) and some interesting new characters- Rose!!- also, there were quite a few jokes, which are not necessarily bad, but a little different.

A great movie, but am I terrible if I say this wasn’t as exciting as Episode VII- The Force Awakens? It felt more like a foundation stone for the next installment. 

Side note:

Can I just dress like Rey all day, everyday? That girl got some mad fashion sense 🤙🏽

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to Reel Cinemas and the partners for bringing Star Wars: The Last Jedi to Dubai’s screens! 🙌🏽🙌🏽❤️

Film Review: Justice League

13.11.17

VOX Cinemas held a Justice League Fan-Art competition, giving people the opportunity to win tickets to the premiere of Justice League 😱, and they were so incredibly kind and picked us! 🤩✨

They had a 360 degree photo booth and some cool competitions in the other cinema hall! And they had some goodies for us in the cinema, which were pretty awesome 🙌🏽

{Synopsis:

Months after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and inspired by Superman’s sacrifice for humanity, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince unite a team consisting of Barry Allen, Victor Stone and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons, who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth, while the world reflects on Superman's death.}

(Source: Wikipedia)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill

Run-time: 2 hours

We enjoyed the movie quite a bit: it was a good amuse bouchée because it makes you curious to see the individual films of each (new) character; we thought they integrated some of the characters that we would come to know better in a very smooth manner. Furthermore, really loved the team dynamics- looking forward to seeing more of the trinity in action in the coming films! ❤

Also, CHILDHOOD FEELS. 

We mightn’t say it was the best superhero movie of the year, but it was definitely a step up from BvS!

✨Highlights of Justice League:✨

-Subtle SuperWonder

-Wonder Woman and Aquaman teaming up!

-Barry geeking out

And

-The Bat fangirling 😂

But... coming to a few not-so-good points of the film. Firstly, the tone of the film was not properly established- like it didn’t feel DC-enough to us. We also felt that some of the jokes were not as well timed as they could’ve been. Furthermore, Batman didn’t have to praise Superman at the cost of his self. True, what he did was wrong and he felt quite guilty about it, but at the same time, dude, stop being so... not confident? Also, Barry was shown only as a nerdy person, but we wished they would’ve played up the intelligence part a bit more. Lastly, it felt like Aquaman could’ve done cooler stunts like washing away the bad guys with a massive tidal wave! 🌊. But they’re probably saving that for the Aquaman movie. 

All-in-all, maybe a bit flawed (because we’re probably over-thinkers), it was a really good watch! We would recommend you to go and watch it.

Film Review: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

19.09.17

The premiere of Kingsman: The Golden Circle was hosted by the BEST, VOX Cinemas! ❤️. The movie was shown in the biggest screen, Virgin Radio MAX! 😱

Also, they was giving out some (awesome) free prizes! iPhones and Opera Tickets from Du! Products from The Art of Shaving 😍. All you had to do was share a secret with the audience. Of course, I too chicken to do that. But! Let me just say, I think Virgin's Brent Black really likes me- because I really like him- because after 9 people divulged their secrets (and 3 of them won iPhones), he selected 5 people from the audience to win tickets to the Opera! He walked right up to the row mum and I were sitting in.... and selected a person from the back 😭. Then, he started walking again, and I thought all hope was lost. But in a surreal moment, he tapped me and said "you. Look like a lady who would enjoy the Opera". Yes, YES, YES! Thank you, Brent Black 😭❤️❤️

And without further rambling on my part, the (short) review for Kingsman: The Golden Circle:

{Synopsis: When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, the Kingsman's journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US. These two elite secret organizations must band together to defeat a common enemy.}

(Source: IMdB- http://m.imdb.com/title/tt4649466/)

Starring: Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Pedro Pascal

Run-time: 2h 21m

The movie was fast paced and bloody classy from the first moment. I felt that it stayed true to the style of the previous: humorous, (comic-ly) gruesome, lots of damn good fighting, ((an American big bad)) and a whole lot of well tailored suits 😍 (those suits, man. Those gloriously well-tailored suits.). It was interesting how an ethical dilemma and a legal problem were tackled by different people and their motivations for doing so. It kind of makes you wonder what you would've done, had you been in a position of power. 

Furthermore, I loved how there were scenes that were a nod to the previous movie. I just loved those. Especially scenes involving Harry Hart. My feels were through the roof. Also, Agent Whisky was too cool. Too cool, man. His style, his skill- mum always wanted to learn the lasso, so she was also quite taken with Agent Whisky.  

I know it's highly impractical and highly clichè, but I was holding out hope for Roxy and Eggsy, but now....

Finally, although I thought the movie was really great, I feel like there was a bit too much going on? I can't really extplain what I mean, but it felt a bit crowded. Also, Halle Berry's and Channing Tatum's characters need more screen time.

But I'm definitely super excited for the next instalment of Kingsmen.  

Perhaps, this is the end of the beginning. 

Once again, a MASSIVE thank you to VOX Cinemas, Du, The Art of Shaving & Empire Movies for hosting this premiere 😍✨