Hanna (Wright, 2011)

This masterpiece somehow managed to escape my radar altogether when it was released last year, but I’m so glad I caught up with it.  Thrilling, gripping, at times chilling, it combines several well known styles to create something truly unique, a new genre where fairytale meets thriller and horror meets sci-fi.

The opening scene, set in a white wonderland that later transpires to be Russia, was an immediate turn-off, and turn off I would have done, had it not been for the large, piping hot, oven fresh pizza balancing on my knee. The film was presented as something from the fantasy fiction genre, an area I refuse to go near.

Yet 10 minutes later, things were looking up, with the introduction of some American hotshots (who, it later transpired, were actually in Morocco-the geographicality of the film was somewhat confusing), and the thriller part of the film began.

Beautifully written, and spectacularly acted, Saoirse Ronan, who plays the protagonist Hanna, deserves special recognition. She brings a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to her character, perfecting the portrayal of a girl who has been all but raised in the wild, yet maintaining enough humanity for the audience to be rooting for her throughout.  

Cinematographically, this is the best film in years. Beautifully lit, skillfully shot and framed, and the setting of part of the film in a dilapidated theme park was a stroke of pure genius, adding a touch of Burton to the film.

When the final credits rolled, I still hadn’t figured out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy, but I think that says more about me than the film. Somehow it didn’t matter.

No more comments will be made about the narrative, as it is hard to comment without giving too much away, and this is one film that is worth watching all the way through.

Anyone who is willing to put aside any questions of feasibility (the ease with which she escaped so many CIA agents, for one) will have an enjoyable and gripping hour and a half ahead of them.

Hall Pass (2011, Farrelly brothers)

Hall Pass was widely recognised as one of the best comedies of 2011, and it's easy to see why, with its appeal to both male and female audiences.

The basic premise is two women (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate), fed up of their husbands wandering eyes, give them a week off of marriage, on the advice of a friend who did the same thing. The wives leave town for a week, taking the kids with them and leaving the husbands to their own devices, no questions asked

I remember seeing the trailer at the cinema when it was released around this time last year, and thinking it was a film that I really wanted to see. As usual, life got in the way and I didn't get round to seeing it until a couple of days ago.

From the first scene, it is clear that this is no usual comedy. An intelligent understanding of both sexes is displayed, and despite the subject matter being of more appeal to a male audience, the female interest is maintained in the way that the female protagonists are one step ahead of their husbands.

One letdown is that the majority of the material used in the trailer features within the first 15 minutes, meaning that the majority of best moments are already over before the film has been established.

Owen Wilson is beautiful as always, but special mention has to go to the highly underrated Stephen Merchant.

Laugh out loud funny in some parts, toe-curlingly cringeworthy in others. Overall, a good watch, albeit enough to put a girl off the idea of marriage!

Adios enero.

The wet dog that is January has reared its ugly head and quietened down back to sleep for another year. Happy to say, I seem to have survived unscathed, without any major disasters, and with a few successes along the way. A brief rundown of my January:

• Secured two work experience placements for 2012, one at Gay Times and one at Women's Weekly.
• This blog got around 730 hits, more than triple any previous month.
• Was involved with the launch of the new site for The Yorker, which has involved implementing new Careers and Finance subsections.
• Conducted my first journalistic interview, with Steve Gallacher of Trespasser Films (article here)
• Had a guest blog published on Inspiring Interns.
• Discovered a fabulous little place in the heart of York.
• Spent more hours in the library than I care to remember-third year is beginning to take its toll

So it's been a pretty busy month, hence why I've not been blogging more, and specifically why my weekly TV round up didn't take off-I've barely had time to watch the programmes, let alone write about them!

Aims for February

• Work on the social side of university life-everyone is so busy with final year, there are some people I haven't seen yet this year (yes, you. You know who you are). I aim to pin you down to a place and a time very soon.
• Make some solid travel plans for the rest of the year, post-graduation!

On another note, today is 1.2.12. What a great day for microphone testing.*

Happy February. Just don't talk to me about Valentine's Day.

*Joke stolen from Twitter