Film Review: What We Did On Our Holiday - Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin

26th September 2014 (UK)
Director: Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin
Screenplay: Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin

**** - 4 Stars


What We Did On Our Holiday directed and written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin is a beautiful story set from a kids point of view. When a family (with recently separated parents) go to stay in Scotland for the weekend with their granddad (dying of cancer) for his birthday, he passes away suddenly.

Thinking that if they tell the adults, they'll just fight, the three children decide to give their grand father a traditional Viking funeral by setting his body on fire and letting it drift out to sea on a raft.

The family struggles more and more as media and press from all over the world, as well as the police, catch hold of the story. The family become ridiculed for the 'barbaric death' of their grand father.

This film is nothing like I thought it was going to be. In fact, it is the complete opposite. It's not exactly a 'happy-go-lucky' kind of film and their is no real 'happy ending' in the traditional sense. The story is, however, original and a very interesting, more light-hearted perspective on death which I really enjoyed. There are quite a few moments that'll make you laugh, but equally, quite a few moments that'll bring a tear to your eye.

I thoroughly recommend this film for acting, writing and incredible story telling. Four out of five stars.

 

***

Lots of love, Lara xx

Book Review: Fallen - Lauren Kate

First published in Great Britain by Doubleday,
an imprint of Random House Children's Book.
Doubleday edition published 2009

*** - 3 Stars

 Instant. Intense. Weirdly familiar...

The moment Luce looks at Daniel,

she knows she has never felt like this before.

Except she can't shake the feeling that

she has... and with him - a boy she doesn't

remember ever setting eyes on.

 

Will her attempt to find out why

enlighten her - or destroy her.

Fallen by Lauren Kate is a great casual read.
 I feel like I've been reading so many heavy books recently I needed something to read that wasn't going to require me thinking too hard about what I was reading. This was just the thing.

Although this is an easy read, that does not mean its a bad book. Its reasonably well written with likeable characters and it wasn't too much about teen angst.

I liked the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series but I gave it three stars because some parts where so generic it made me want to stop reading which brought it down from four stars.

Let me know what you though of the book.

 ***
Lots of love, Lara xx

 

Film Review: The Imitation Game - Morten Tyldum

28th November 2014 (USA)
Director: Morten Tyldum
Screenplay: Graham Moore

***** - 5 Stars

The Imitation Game directed by Morten Tyldum and screenplay by Graham Moore is a fascinating film about Alan Turing, a mathematician hired to break the Nazi cores including the hardest of all; Enigma.

This, whilst being an amazing film to watch for learning about this incredible man who, in reality saved all our lives, was also hard to watch for many reasons.

Of course, this film is set during the second world war which is still part of our very recent history, but also the treatment of Alan Turing during that time by MI6 was awful to be informed of. However, it needed to be shared. We need to know, be aware and be thankful to the wonderful man who saved our lives and this film helps us to do that. 

 

***

Lots of love, Lara xx