Valentine's Day

This is a lovely film- funny, sentimental and full of A-listers. A great film to see with the girls or your boyfriend. Obviously Valentine’s Day has been and gone but that doesn’t mean the film is out of date. It will be good to watch all year round.

The film looks at relationships and the complications of love in several different scenarios throughout Los Angeles. All the stories link up in some way or another and it is clever how it all ties together. There are many different plot lines within the film but it isn’t difficult to keep up.

The most prominent characters are Reed (Ashton Kutcher) and Julia (Jennifer Garner), who are best friends. Reed has just asked Morley (Jessica Alba) to marry him but she is unsure. Julia thinks she has found the perfect man in Harrison (Patrick Dempsey) until Reed uncovers who he truly is. Julia’s friend, publicist Kara (Jessica Biel) hates Valentine’s Day because she is single but all this changes when she meets sports reporter Kelvin (Jamie Foxx).

That is the most prominent inter-linked plot but there are a few separate plots which are just as worthy of screen time. For example, Holden (Bradley Cooper) strikes up a friendship with Army Captain Kate (Julia Roberts) on a flight into LA. Not much comes of this part but it provides a break from the other plots. I really like it though because it shows how friendly strangers can still be and not everyone has an agenda. Kate’s ending is really sentimental and I wouldn’t be surprised if people shed a few tears.

None of the scenarios would be really good if they took up the whole film, but combining together with other stories makes them great. I personally found the singer Taylor Swift’s character incredibly annoying. She was trying too hard to be funny and she can’t really act. I was laughing at her rather than with her. Besides that, I love every plot and my favourite character was Edison (Bryce Robinson), an elementary school boy who is in love with his teacher. He is adorable and takes matters into his own hands when Reed loses his flowers.

The main draw of the film is the cast because there are just so many people involved- you recognise someone in every scene I am sure (unless you aren’t into films!). You may also spot Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner among others. Besides that, the script is funny and feel-good. It will make you smile at the very least but I personally think at times you will be laughing out loud. There are couple of times when it gets a bit too sweet and soppy but it isn’t too full-on and the comedy usually picks up the mood again pretty swiftly. All in all, I think every girl should see this film if they haven’t already.

Daybreakers (15)

This is not your standard vampire film. If you expect it to be glossy, jumpy and a human-kill-vampire or human-fancies-vampire affair, then you will be very much mistaken. This is dark, different and quite disgusting in places.

In Daybreakers, vampires are the superior race and humans are merely used as a food resource. They have taken over the universe and despite their military’s hunting efforts; their food supply is running low. This is where vampire Edward (Ethan Hawke) comes in. He is a haematologist for a giant corporation and has been experimenting on vampires to try and find a substitute for blood. The vampires are turning on each other in a fight for food, which also causes mutations. Unlike the majority, Edward hates being a vampire and never drinks human blood and with the help of humans, he manages to find a cure- a way to turn back human. However, the corporation to do not want a cure because they want to remain the dominant, strong race. And so Edward chooses to team up with humans to fit against the vampires, to bring down the corporation and prevent innocent humans being hunted.

This film is very bleak because it makes you imagine a world where monsters rule. The mood is mainly grey, the main character is rather sombre but luckily, the film gets a breath of fresh air when we meet the humans, Audrey and Elvis, who still have an optimistic take on life. It is not a film you go to enjoy but it is very interesting to watch because it is more original than most vampire films. One minor detail I had an issue with was the fact this vampire was called Edward, which kept reminding me of Edward Cullen from Twilight. They should have picked a different name but I suppose they didn’t think Twilighters would be watching this.

I wouldn’t exactly call this a horror- it is more of a supernatural drama with some gory scenes in places. It is not very jumpy and it does not have the atmosphere of a horror because the majority of the vampires act like human beings living their daily lives so they don’t seem scary. The vampires kill the humans like it is a chore because it is necessary for them to survive. The gory parts are rather disgusting, so be warned. The gore is a bit over the top especially for a film where you wouldn’t expect it to be that bad. You see limbs getting pulled off, vampires chewing their own flesh and the list goes on. Some of these scenes are not very realistic either.

I would say this film is unexpectedly pretty good. From the beginning, you think it will be quite depressing, bleak and dreary because it takes a while for it to get going, but if you stick it out until the end, I’m sure you will be satisfied with it. You probably won’t enjoy it, but it will be something to think about.