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Les Misérables is a musical drama film released in December 2012 and chosen to be the 2012 film of the year. I think it has fully deserved this, for everything in the movie,from the touching, ingenious plot to exact makeup and styling, is well planned and put into practice.

The main plot is about Jean Valjean, a man who spent 19 years in jail for stealing a piece of bread for a sick child. Through a series of events Valjean ends up promising a dying woman to take care of her soon-to-be-orphan-daughter, Cosette. Jean Valjean and Cosette spend nine years of their life moving from one place to another and hiding from Javert, the policeman who is chasing Valjean for violating his probation. A group of students are planning a revolution under the lead of Marius Pontmercy and his friends Enjolras and Gavroche. Marius falls in love with Cosette, who has grown into a beautiful young woman.  The rest of the story is about the stages of the revolution and how the relationships developed, and shall be left untold if someone hasn’t seen the film yet.

I think one of the most important reasons why this film is so touching and spellbinding is the variety of different characters it provides. That way anyone can relate to the story and find it interesting from their own point of view. My own favorites are Russel Crowe as Javert, struggling with his keen sense of justice,  and Sacha Baron Cohen with Helena Bonham Carter as Mr and Mrs Thénardier, untruthful and unscrupulous innkeepers with whom Cosette used to live with before Valjean took care of her. 

A review of Les Misérables can not be done without mentioning the amazing soundtrack composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg. The film is based on the musical Les Misérables, and includes all fourty-seven musical numbers from the original musical. For me and many others music is an important way of conveying feelings, and the brilliance of the music in the movie amazes me every time I watch it. I think Les Misérables is a masterpiece of cinema, music and theatre arts, and I could recommend it to anyone.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is a fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, who was also director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is the first movie of a three-part film adaptation on the novel ”The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien.

The story takes place in Middle-earth sixty years before the events of The Lord of the Rings.  An unexpected Journey tells the tale of  Bilbo Baggings (Martin Freeman), who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to join group of thirteen Dwarves, led by legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshild (Richard Armitage). Their quest is to reclaim the Lonely Mountains from the dragon called Smaug. The movie follows Bilbo’s unexpected journey through lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs, Giant Spiders  etc.

The Hobbit movies have been praised for the amazing visual effects and for all the new movie technology used while making the movie(s). For example The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had HFR (high frame rate), which means the movie used  a shooting and projection frame rate of  48 frames per second, instead of standard 24 frames per second. In fact this movie was the first feature film with wide release to do so.  Because of HFR the movie looks smoother and on top of that the movie has stunning graphics. But to me graphics count for nothing. The reason I watch a film is primarily for a great story and well written characters. I don’t get dazzled by graphics anymore. It just gets to a point where better graphics doesn’t matter anymore.

Even though the movie was visually great, the writing wasn’t at the same level. First of all the introduction was little too long. And all together the whole Hobbit trilogy is way too long for three hundred pages book, and just to maximize profits by having three films at three hours each. Another way to notice movie is poorly written when your heroes are saved at the last minute in multiple scenes. Where does that leave us? It leaves us with all main characters intact and no dramatic tension. Albeit the main story wasn’t well written, the movie characters were very well made and their personalities really shone.

In conclusion the movie was fairly good, I personally liked it though I expected something more. It is worth of watching if you haven’t already seen it.

Hallam Foe, also known as a Mister Foe, is drama film directed by a Scottish film director David Mackenzie. He is also one of the writers with Ed Whitmore and Peter Jinks, who wrote the novel which the movie is based. Hallam Foe was released in 2007 and won the Silver Bear for Best Music in Berlin Film festival. Leading actors of a film are Ciarán Hinds, Claire Forlani, Jamie Bell, Jamie Sives, Lucy Holt, Sophia Myles.

Hallam Foe is a coming-of-age story about a boy named Hallam. Hallam is pretty creepy boy who is lost with himself and have some kind of mental disorder. Hallam spends his days and nights by sitting in his tree house and sneaking in peoples yards to stalk them and then writes about his notices in his little diaries. Hallam escapes reality in his own fantasy worlds because he is distraught about his mothers death which happened two years ago. Hallam blames his new stepmother Verity about his biological mothers death and does everything to make his dad realize it too. Verity manages to blackmail Hallam and he leaves his familiar tree house and moves in to Edinburgh. In Edinburgh Hallam sees a woman who looks just like his mom and his already confused mind gets mixed again. Hallam follows her secretly and finds out that her name is Kate and she works in a hotel. Hallam manages to get a job as a dishwasher in the same hotel. Hallam also knows where Kate lives and starts to stalk her through the skyline. Hallam makes his home into clock tower because of its vantage point in to Kate’s home. In Hallam´s 18th birthday starts his and Kate´s weird and confusing relationship. The end of the movie was pretty odd but it worked well.

Hallam Foe is actually very beautiful and touching story in all it´s creepiness. Jamie Bell does excellent work as a Hallam. In the end of the movie it´s watcher does not know what to think about Hallam, sometimes he is just a sympathetic boy who is  lost and all you want to do is to hug him, and in the next episode he is terrible, kinky stalker. Hallam Foe is kind of artistic movie, and I think that in someones opinion nothing really happens in the movie. Qualifications of the movie are it´s simple visual execution and strong characters. I like the way how characters relationships are showed, not too much, leaving something to guess and think about. Hallam Foe is carefully balanced between the derangement and the beauty.

Titanic (1997)  is directed, written and co-preduced by James Cameron. The film tells about Titanics maiden voyage, and its sinking during the trip from England, Southchampton to USA, New York. 

Plot:

In 1912 17-year old Rose Dewitt Bukater enters titanic in England with her mother Ruth and betrothed Cal.  Rose doesent want to engagement with him and considers  suicide by jumping from the ships stern. Jack Dawson, penniless, third class passenger saves her from falling. Cal hears about that and invites Jack to dinner with them in first class.  Jack and Rose develop a friendship. Calin forbids Rose not to meet Jack, but then Rose realizes that she likes Jack more than Cal.  Later Jack meets Rose in  the bow of the ship, where they admire the sunset together. Later that evening the ship collisions with an  iceberg and starts to leak.  Jack and Rose attempt to tell Cal of the collision, Cal slips a necklace into Jack’s pocket and accuses him of theft. Jack is arrested, Cals bodyguards  take him to  the office and captures to a pipe.  Rose is desperate to free Jack, because she is already in lifeboat and the ship is sinking quite fast .  Roses mom Ruth and Cal are in the same lifeboat with her. Suddenly Rose decides to save Jack and flees from lifeboat to rescue him. After many obstacles Rose and Jack returns to boat deck, but all lifeboats are full. The ship breaks in half, and lifts  the stern into the air,where Jack and Rose are. They survived from that ultimately. Jack helps Rose onto buoyant wooden panel, but its too small for two persons. By watching the film you will find out how it ends.

Starring:  Leonardo DiCaprio ( Jack Dawson), Kate Winslet (Rose Dewitt Bukater), Billy Zane (Rose Calvert), Frances Fisher (Ruth DeWitt Bukater, ships crew and Jacks friends.

It t has won 11 oscars. In other awards gala it has collected 76 awards and 48 candidacies. The films soundtrack is also very known: Celine Dions- My heart will go on.

The story from the Titanic interested me. A film which cost over 200 million dollars came along and blinded critics and audiences alike into being overcome with gitty delight that a smart action film can be made is  truly remarkable film. It is one of the greatest films ever made I think. I would give 10/10.

Titanic is very famous, touching, thrilling  experience that unerringly lures viewers into the beauty and heartbreak of its lost world

The wolf of wall street (2014) is a mix of drama and comedy and it tells about a stockboker whose life revolves around drugs, alcohol and work. The wolf of wall street movie is based on the autobiograbhy of Jordan Belfort.

Martin Scorsese’s film is shameless, lascivious, entertaining and thoufht-provoking: sometimes the story goes so overly outlandish it’s hard to believe it’s true. However the film has been well received and the main character (Leonardo Dicaprio) has been praised worldwide.

As a young man Belfort gets a job as a stockbroker. Later he loses his job during the 1987 market crash. After that, Belfort stars his own firm and wondered if they could make big bucks by selling worthless penny stocks. Belfort’s idea worked and after a short time the firm started making money more that Belforth had ever dreamed of. He and his partners earn millions of dollars a week. Their lives soon spiral out of control in a binge of alcohol, drugs and recklessness.

Belfort’s wife is completely ignoring her husband’s drug problem. Most of the time during the film it felt like the wife didn’t want to get divorce only because of Belfort’s huge asset. Not to mention those gifts he gave to him. Belfort’s wife is discribed as a duchess of the house. She is also a model, mother of their child and she has her own lingerie collection. Other an important person in Belfort’s life is his workmate and friend, Donie. Belfort believes everything in his hands. But when Belfort needs the help the most, Donie isn’t there for him. That makes a viewer ponder what kind of friendship they really had.

I definitely recommend to watch the movie if you think (even a little), that Leonardo Dicaprio’s films are worth of watching, because this is one of the best films he had ever played!

The day after tomorrow is an american movie from 2004. Movie tells about climate change and its consequenses. The movie has been writed by Roland Emmerich, who has also directed it. Main actors are Dennis Quaid as professor Jack Hall, Jake Gyllenhaal as Sam Hall, Emmy Rossum as Laura Chapman, Ian Holm as professor Terry Rapsom and Sela Ward as Dr. Lucy Hall.

The movie tells about professor Jack Hall who studies climate change. He has discovered that global warming may change the directions of seacurrents. That may stop the North Atlantic current and cause new ice age. Hall tries to covince everybody to start actions to stop global warming before is too late. Hall however underestimates how quickly the effects start. All over the world happens unprecented weather conditions, which lead to three super-storms which cover the whole northern hemisphere. Jack Hall demands authorities to start evacuations and tries get to New York to save his son Sam Hall and his friends before is too late.

The movie is normal disaster movie, where reseachers try to covince authorities who don’t beliveve until the disaster happens. When Jack Hall is covincing authorities, meanwhile his son Sam Hall is in New York participating in decathlon with his friends Laura Chapman and Brian Parks. After the decathlon they try to survive under weather conditions. Sam and Laura fall in love middle of disaster which was very predicdable, but it brings drama to the movie. After all the movies plot takes wiever with it but it is also normal to disaster movies and so it is very predicdable.

One part of the movie which needs fixing is its actor performance. Some critics say that it was clumsy and only thing that saved the movie was its special effects, but in my opinion performance was not entire failure. In some parts the acting is great but sometimes it could be done better. Older actors acting was great, but younger actors performance needs fixing.

One of the best parts of the movie was its special effects. Effects where spectacular and make already good movie fantastic. Many critics have also praised the effects and said that they were the best part from the movie. All those tornadoes, storms and floods will take wiever with them.

The movie have one big problem. The whole idea. Climatologists say that many weather conditions which happen in the movie are impossible and some are even against the laws of the physics. Critics also say that climate change cannot happen so quickly and dramatically and say that the movie is propaganda. In my opinion that is the point in the whole movie. It tells what can happen if climate change happens and we don’t do anything to it.

In my opinion the movie is great. It has compelling plot and cool special effects and also its message is important. If we don’t do anything to stop the global warming, we can face the same fate as Jack Hall.