The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Having worked for a secret government department, the protagonist of The Chemist lives on the run, hiding from her previous employers who want to kill her for what she learned through her work. The stakes of survival get raised higher than ever when her former handler contacts her with one last assignment, offering her a way to clear the target off her back. And thus, the chemist starts to unravel a knot of secrets, launching into a thrilling and utterly compelling story.

Unsurprisingly, The Chemist gripped my interest from the start and held it to the very end, and I lost hours and hours of sleep to it because I couldn’t put it down – I just had to know what happened next!

Now, I would love to rave about this book, but I think a major part of enjoying it goes to being unspoiled about it, so I am in a dilemma what to say about it.

I have to say I loved the main three characters. No, they aren’t perfect: they are certainly flawed each in their own way, but that’s what makes them feel real, and Meyer excels at bringing them to life and making us root for them (or, in case of the bad guys, root for their demise.) That extends further than humans: I am not much of a dog person, but with the way Meyer wrote the dogs, they grew on me so much!

Of course, I loved the dynamics between the characters, especially between the main trio (No love triangle! That’s definitely an upside of The Chemist), whom I liked very much as intriguing individuals, as well.

On first impression, I was slightly underwhelmed by the ending, maybe because it wasn’t as intense as the rest of the book or because it was what I expected it to be. But it was a good ending, very much in Stephenie’s style, and I liked it.

All in all, The Chemist (a stand-alone, which is another upside to it) is a highly suspenseful, gripping story, full of danger and intrigue, but also newly found love and friendship, and I got drawn right into it all while reading.

Therefore, the bottom line is that I loved The Chemist very much, but I am terrible at reviewing without spoilers and since I don’t want to lessen your enjoyment of the book with those, I can only poorly express my far-from-little appreciation of this book, with which Stephenie Meyer remains one of my favourite authors.

The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)

DIRECTOR: Karen Moncrieff; CAST: Kate Beckinsale, Oliver Cromwell, David Lyons, Mark Pellegrino, Nick Nolte, Kathy Baker, Anna Anissimova…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.

MY OPINION:

What prompted me to watch this film was the cast and a compelling story, and I was not disappointed by either of the two.

The Trials of Cate McCall is one of these films which are hard to review; for saying anything concrete about it could spoil the enjoyment of a future viewer as its best elements are those which come as a surprise.

Even though the themes of The Trials of Cate McCall have been explored in films numerous times, the film is still unique in its own way. Plot-wise, both Cate’s professional and personal struggles are absolutely intriguing and take some unexpected turns. The characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional, not only the main ones, but also the supporting ones.

I have already mentioned the amazing cast, who do justice to their names with good performances. Each and everyone deserves praise, but I would like to point out only one by name: Anna Anissimova deserves major props for her Lacey.

Overall, The Trials of Cate McCall was definitely worth my time – it it is only just under an hour and a half long – and left a lasting positive impression on me.

RECOMMENDATION: If you like crime/drama The Trials of Cate McCall is certainly a film to be taken into consideration the next time you wonder what to watch.

Safe Haven (2013)

DIRECTOR: Lasse Hallström; CAST: Julianne Hough, David Lyons, Josh Dushamel…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.

MY OPINION:

I picked up Safe Haven a few years ago and although I had liked a few of Nicholas Sparks’ books, for example, Message in a Bottle, The Notebook, The Rescue, I couldn’t get past the first twenty pages or so of Safe Haven. I haven’t picked up a Sparks’ book since. Therefore, I wasn’t particularly interested in the film based on it. Basically, the only reason I watched Safe Haven was David Lyons.

My biggest problem with Safe Haven was that it didn’t make me invested into the main protagonists’ storyline. There are films (and books) when starting in medias res works great. Safe Haven is not one of them. Katie’s backstory is only shown in vague few seconds-long flashbacks and we learn what actually happened only about three quarters into the film, which made me feel disconnected from Katie. I just couldn’t care about her or root for her. For all we can glimpse in the flashbacks – some struggling and her scared face and bloody hands, she could have just as well been a murderess (albeit accidental) and/or a cheater. I think if the film started with showing her being abused, I would immediately sympathise with her and be more interested in her story.

Next, Katie’s romance with Alex follows the same path. We are not shown how they fall in love – there’s some misunderstanding, some flirting, and suddenly they sleep together, and only later – again three quarters in the film – Alex learns about Katie’s past and in the end they suddenly love each other.

Alex’s backstory would be interesting had it been presented less superficially. However, we are more or less only told rather than shown that he is struggling with the loss of his wife (I mean, he doesn’t hesitate at making his moves on Katie, so…). The same goes for how his kids deal with it. I think the whole matter was best portrayed by Alex’s little son. That says it all.

As I have said, the reason I even watched Safe Haven was David Lyons, who plays Katie’s abusive alcoholic husband. I am seriously partial to David Lyons, but still, his character is in my opinion the best developed and portrayed in the film. I know we are supposed to hate him, but I couldn’t quite.

Yes, mentally and physically abusing one’s spouse is a horrible thing and ‘but he/she loved her/him’ is never an acceptable excuse. However, I couldn’t but feel for Kevin, because he did love her and he was torn between knowing what he was doing was horrible and being sorry about it and on the other hand being unable to stop doing that. So, I couldn’t just simply hate him but I was wondering what has gone wrong. Kevin’s abuse and alcoholism were obviously old problems and it made me question what caused them and if anyone tried to do something about it and help him or not and if not, why? Did Katie try to talk to him and maybe get them into therapy, before things escalated? What about his job? Maybe something (or just regular stress) work-related triggered his alcoholism and abusiveness? How come his superiors didn’t notice anything earlier and made him get some counselling? You see what I’m getting at? Kevin is such a complex villain and so well-presented by David Lyons I can’t just simply hate him. If they meant me to do that, they should have opened the film with him cold-heartedly abusing Katie. I think that would have made an entirely different movie.

Another thing that bothered me in Safe Haven was the inclusion of ‘mystery’. Yes, in quotation marks. I started being suspicious about it after Katie’s dream and I wasn’t surprised at the revelation. What bothered me was how this topic was just put there as something on the side, because I usually like those kind of mysteries when they are properly dealt with. Thus, it just seemed like a cheap trick (and perhaps copying, I’m not sure which book was written first, Safe Haven or P.S. I Love You, but the latter was what this whole matter immediately reminded me of, except that it was far from being anywhere near to being as good).

Overall, I think Safe Haven’s main issue is trying to deal with too many topics, and while domestic abuse, loss of a spouse and a parent and dealing with it and letting a new person into one’s life, and afterlife are intriguing topics more than worth delving into, Safe Haven just  brushes past them and thus trivializes them.

Some films and books can make dealing with numerous themes work out great. Safe Haven is not one of those. A part of the problem is that Hallström (and Sparks) seemed unable to decide between making this a drama or a romance, and so they made a tasteless mix of both. Instead of exploring the themes and making the viewers think about them, Safe Haven makes the viewers do all the work and speculate about practically everything.  

 RECOMMENDATION: I can’t really recommend Safe Haven. Unless you are just looking for something to kill time with or for certain actor/actress. The main romance just didn’t interest me. I would have stopped watching after the first fifteen or twenty minutes if it wasn’t for David Lyons.

 

Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)

Note: This review contains SPOILERS for Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.

DIRECTOR: Bill Condon; CAST: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

MY OPINION:

As always with book-to-movie adaptation, I was wary before seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2. It was not as bad as I had feared, though.

Let me first do away with the things I did not like. The acting of some people is not brilliant, mildly put, but I did not really expect anything outstanding, so I could live with it. The make-up department had not improved its work much (or at all, depends on an individual character's make up) from the previous Twilight films, but I expected that, too.

As far as the story goes, it is quite faithful to the books. I found Bella's extraordinary self-control underrepresented, as well as Jacob's protectiveness towards Reneesme. The fight between them when Bella finds out about Jacob's imprinting was really underdone for something that is such a huge issue for both of them. I also missed Emmet's jokes.

One thing I dislike about Twilight films is that Bella in the films is presented as much more weak and stupid than in the books. The same thing happens in Breaking Dawn Part 2 with her shield, which is pretty crappy.

Now, onto the good things. The one thing I liked the most was also the most shocking one, only once I figured it out I was so relieved that I laughed out loud. That was an amazing job from the plot point of view.

I liked the new vampires, especially Garret, Alistair, and Benjamin. Some of the regular cast did a great job, for example Billy Burke. The scene with Jacob was priceless. The Volturi were great, too: very scary and well-portrayed.

Additionally, as in all Twilight films, the music and scenery were a treat for the ears and eyes, respectively, The action scenes were stunning and really kept me on my toes.

Overall, Breaking Dawn Part 2 is a solid companion to the books, despite its flaws. If you do not expect too much, watching it can be an enjoyable experience.

RECOMMENDATION: Naturally, fans of The Twilight Saga will enjoy the film, even those more demanding ones like me if they squint their eyes a little.

Albert Nobbs (2011)

DIRECTOR: Rodrigo García ; CAST: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson …

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.

MY OPINION:

Albert Nobbs is a sad personal drama about a woman who does everything she can in the struggle for survival. She experiences a terrible trauma as a young girl, which makes her deny herself even her own identity.

She puts up a tremendous effort to find safety and financial security and perhaps a little bit of happiness. When it finally seems her luck will turn around and her little dream might come true, all her hopes are dashed as the one person she loves exploits her and betrays her trust.

I felt so sorry for Albert and the injustice of it all made me angry. Albert is a person who has never harmed anyone or done anything wrong (except for the pretending part). It is awful how none of that helps her. The thing that got to me the most was that the film reminded me that this is happening in the world all the time – good people suffering at the hand of others simply because they are too good, too helpful, too trustful, etc.

Glen Close, who also co-wrote the screenplay, does an amazing job in the main role. She plays Albert in such a way you really believe she is male, and brings all Albert's emotions out, making it easy to connect with him/her.

Thematically, the film revolves around determinism (one cannot get out of what one was born into) and the rich taking it out on the poor. I want to believe that a person can make his/her own fortune, so I did not like this aspect/message of the film.

All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed this film, because it is so tragic, but I felt a lot of sympathy for the main character. Nevertheless, Albert Nobbs is a good, thought-provoking and emotional film with outstanding performance.

RECOMMENDATION: If you like emotional films that make you think, Albert  Nobbs could be a good film to watch.  

Once Upon a Time Season 1

Note: This review contains mild SPOILERS.

CREATORS: Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis; CAST: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Emma Swan gets the surprise of her life when Henry, the son she gave up 10 years ago, arrives on her doorstep. Returning the boy to his adoptive mother becomes complicated when Henry reveals a stunning theory to Emma. Everyone in Storybrooke, Maine is a fairy-tale character under a curse, and Emma – as the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming – is the one who can save them all. The story unfolds; interweaving scenes of the drama in the sleepy New England town and the inhabitants' past lives in the world of fairy tales. The timeless battle of good vs. evil is ready to begin again.

MY OPINION:

Prior to starting watching it I was intrigued, but at the same time I thought it might be a little boring. After all, I had been familiar with a lot of fairy-tales already. I could not have been more wrong.

While Once Upon a Time is fairly loyal to the traditional fairy-tales, the way it combines them makes everything look fresh. It is like when you are eating a cake and a memory of that delicious cake your mom made when you were a child echoes in your memory. Thus, Once Upon a Time evokes a childhood nostalgia, and at the same time numerous edgy little twists keep things interesting.

The most notable characters are Emma, Henry, and Regina. Regina is a gloriously malicious evil queen I love to hate and hate to love. She is very powerful and her strikes are brutal. However, learning the reasons why she has become the way she is and why she is doing all those bad things, I cannot help but spare her a pinch of compassion.

I like the contrast between Regina and Emma, which does not exist only in terms of good vs. evil. Regina is all about use and abuse of power, strongly immersed into the world of magic she came from. Emma, on the other hand, is a very grounded person, trusting only physical evidence, and a position of power does not corrupt her. In that aspect, Henry is not only caught between them as an adopted/biological child, but also as someone who is able to reconcile the reality of this world with the the belief in the fairy-tale land and its magic.

Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin is also a very intriguing character, always hiding an ace up his sleeve, so you never know what he is up to. He is basically no better than Regina, but as well as her backstory his makes me feel some sympathy towards him. Actually, I quite like him.

Another character I liked was Sheriff Graham, and I was disappointed when he was killed off.

Although Snow and Charming are central characters, I have mixed feelings about them. In the beginning, I loved them a lot and was rooting for their story to end happily. But then everything stared to drag too much, and they did some things I do not approve of, so I became more or less indifferent towards them.

Basically each and every character in Once Upon a Time has an interesting backstory and traits worth analysing, but it would take too long, so if you want to know more, you will just have to watch the show.

The finale wrapped up the season's story arc quite well, but it left enough open space to make me want to know what happens next.

Here are my predictions and questions for season two:

• Due to old grudges and the information newly acquired by Mr. Gold there will be an open war between Regina and Mr. Gold with everyone else caught in the crossfire.
• Regina will continue trying to get rid of Emma and hurt Snow.
• Henry will remain the driving force behind solving whichever problems that arise.
• Will we learn the identity of Henry's father? Could it be Bael, Mr. Gold's son? He got out of the fairy-tale land before the curse, so it could be a possible coincidence.
• Is August going to be okay? Might there be a romance between him and Emma?

Overall, I enjoyed this series. It was predictable to an extent and sometimes annoying (mainly Regina – but it would be something wrong with me if I were not disturbed by her actions), but not enough to put me off watching it. I am definitely looking forward to season two.

RECOMMENDATION: Once Upon a Time offers an intriguing take on numerous classic fairy-tales. If you are a fantasy type, you will like it. However, I would not recommend it to younger audience due to violent scenes which are at times quite graphic.

Dream House (2011)

DIRECTOR: Jim Sheridan; CAST: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts…

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Some say that all houses have memories. For one man, his home is the place he would kill to forget. A family unknowingly moves into a home where several grisly murders were committed...only to find themselves the killer's next target. Successful publisher Will Atenton (Craig) quit a job in New York City to relocate his wife, Libby (Weisz), and two girls to a quaint New England town. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was the murder scene of a mother and her children. And the entire city believes it was at the hands of the husband who survived. When Will investigates the tragedy, his only lead comes from Ann Paterson (Watts), a neighbour who was close to the family that died. As Will and Ann piece together the disturbing puzzle, they discover that the story of the last man to leave Will's dream house will be just as horrifying to the one who came next.

MY OPINION:

I am not a big fan of thrillers, but I loved Dream House. It kept me on pins and needles for the whole hour and a half. It gave me a few good scares, and it had one major, shocking turn, besides some minor ones.

I cannot actually say much about why I loved it because I do not want to give anything away. Not knowing what to expect contributes crucially to the enjoyment of this film, so I do not want to spoil that for you.

The acting is, naturally, brilliant. I am a little bit (all right, a lot) partial when it comes to Daniel Craig, but he really does a fantastic job in this film. Again, I will not say anything more about his character as to avoid spoilers. The rest of the cast is also great.

The one thing I wish was done differently is the ending which is rather rushed. Therefore, it leaves a bit foggy impression, despite basically answering all the questions. I think a few more details would make a better conclusion.  

All in all, Dream House is a captivating mix of drama, mystery, and thriller, well-worth your time.

RECOMMENDATION: If you feel like watching a thriller, watch Dream House. 

The Next Three Days (2010)

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Lara Brennan is arrested for murdering her boss whom she had an argument with. It seems she was seen leaving the scene of the crime and her fingerprints were on the murder weapon. Her husband, John would spend the next few years trying to get her released but there's no evidence that negates the evidence against her. And when the strain of being separated from her family especially her son gets to her, John decides to break her out. So he does a lot of research to find a way.

DIRECTOR: Paul Haggis; CAST: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks,...

MY OPINION:

What superficially appears to be another man-in-action film, it is actually a genuine story about people facing difficult times both as a family and as individuals. The film has there focuses.

Firstly, it is about to what extent we believe in the people we love and what would we be willing to do for them.

Secondly, it is about the kind of reality we choose to live in. Do we just accept the most common reality, the reality other people thinks it “the right one”? Or do we dare to change the reality we dislike into what we want it to be? Also, is what we see and other people see more or less real of what we want to believe in our head?  Although the film only hints at this complex issue, it certainly makes you think about it.

Finally, the film expresses a criticism of judicial system. Objectivity is necessary for the law to function. But what if all the “objective” evidence does not correspond to the truth? The Next Three Days is a film about coincidences ruining someone’s life. Everyone, just as Lara Brennan, can be convicted on circumstantial evidence if it cannot be proven false. The presumption of innocence may not always work.

Overall, the film is a bit slow at times, but it gives a lot of food for thought. 

The King’s Speech (2010)

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.


DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper; CAST: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Geoffrey Rush,...

MY OPINION:

Above all The King’s Speech is a film about a personal struggle with a disability, which is so much more difficult when someone is a public figure. The film focuses on the King’s personal drama and is, therefore, quite static. Yet, it is an attention keeping film and two hours pass like a flash.

There has already been much praise on the acting and, after seeing the film, I can only join in. Firth makes his character so believable one can easily empathise with, struggling alongside him, suffering through the self-consciousness, despair and anger. The montage also adds to the whole atmosphere, for example the repeating echoes creating a feeling of confusion and enhancing stage fright in the speech at Wembley scene. Regular intermezzos of typical British humour perfectly round up the film.

The King’s Speech is a very emotional film which presents royalty with the same problems and difficulties in family relationships as other people have, only theirs are perhaps harder to bear because of their public functions. Aditionally, the film is valuable not only for its historical insight, but also for the lesson it offers for the present day. It is a great illustration of how damaging mocking of a disability and pressure upon improvement in place of comfort and encouragement is.