The Fifty Shades of Grey trailer is here: will it be one to watch or one to steer clear of?

50 Shades of Uncertainty 

So as you've probably noticed from every ad that pops up when you watch a YouTube video, or when you log into Facebook and see it on your news feed (even being shared by Beyonce's Facebook page), we finally have been given a taste of just what to expect with the film Fifty Shades of Grey. 
♡ Watch the trailer to the film below or here

After what seems like centuries of stories surrounding the casting and who would be playing Mr Grey and Anastasia Steele, the release of the trailer has allowed us to see just what the film is going to look like with actress Dakota Johnson and actor Jamie Dornan. 

Articles around the internet were comparing the storyline - taken from E.L. James' surprisingly popular book of the same name - to Secretary, a 2002 film starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader (whose character also just so happens to be a Mr Grey). If you'd like to take a look at the similarities yourself, check out the video from Hollywood Reporter's website that puts the trailers of Fifty Shades of Grey and Secretary next to each other to highlight the striking resemblance between their set-ups: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/video-how-do-trailers-fifty-721647

If you were analysing the trailer frame-by-frame, or you happen to be in the know with everything surrounding this film, or (like me) you happened to read the 'About' section underneath the trailer on YouTube, you'll find the words 'Rita Ora as Mia' in the paragraph listing those involved in the film. You'll spot her on the right in a short, brunette wig at the table:

Now, having never read the Fifty Shades of Grey books and never seeing the film Secretary, I can't help but think that it's inclusion of Rita Ora and Beyonce's place on its soundtrack (with a new version of 'Crazy in Love' for you to enjoy in the trailer) is to sway the minds of those that think that the film might not be for the masses (Cosmopolitan recently posted what men think when watching the trailer here). Perhaps it's also the fact that I've not been totally sucked into reading the books and my unawareness of how the story actually turns out, but I can't help but watch the trailer thinking that the whole film has a horror-esque, Hostel-type feel to it. Particularly when Christian Grey unlocks the door to his room of secrets that reveal his 'singular tastes' and we see Anastasia blindfolded and tied up. 

Now I tend to go to the cinema without watching the trailers for the films that I'm about to see (bad idea when it came to Fault in Our Stars - the only warning I was given was by my friends telling me that it was a film that makes you cry, I had to hold in the tears which made me look like I had a heart of stone). I like to let the film just present itself as it is - with a trailer so much is cut out and pieced together that you could almost make an entirely different feel to the film, which can give you false expectations. So maybe watching the trailer before seeing Fifty Shades of Grey was a bad choice, and maybe I shouldn't judge a film by its trailer in this case. But as this is another phenomenon (although I'm still not sure why, should I read one of the books?), I couldn't help but to watch the trailer as did 15 million other people judging by its YouTube views. I realise that I have treated the trailer negatively, however, I will say that as a film student and avid cinema-visitor I think that I will be grateful that this film will hopefully create a burst of movie-goers and give the film industry a well-deserved boost.

I just know that someone that I know will want to see this and I'll be taken along for the ride, but until then I think I'll stay out of this phenomenon for now...

What did you think of the film trailer? Are you excited or dreading the new addition to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon? Comment below and share your views.

A Trip to the Cinema: Now You See Me

When a cast includes Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, you can take your seat in the cinema safely knowing that what you are about to watch will be magnificent. 

Directed by Louis Leterrier, this sleek crime thriller is filled with great acting and an amazing plot. It is one of those great films that gradually leads you into one direction and just when you think you're close to figuring out who is behind it all, BAM! You are pulled into another direction, left constantly doubting your intuitions until the film finally gives the game up.

The film is centred around four magicians, Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson). They call themselves 'The Four Horsemen' and their performances involve robbing from banks, causing them to be chased and investigated by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent). 

However this is not just your ordinary, formulaic cat-and-mouse chase type of film. There are twists and turns and one hell of an ending. As magician J. Daniel tells the audience 'Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you will actually see'.

When stepping into the cinema I don't think that I expected such a great film that was entertaining, funny and thought provoking. I would definitely recommend that you watch it.

♡ The film trailer is below:

Have you seen the film Now You See Me? Comment your thoughts below.

A trip to the cinema: Despicable Me 2

So yesterday I went to the cinema with a couple of friends to see Despicable Me 2. As a twenty-year-old university student sitting in the back of the cinema, I could see parents dotted around the seats with their children and began to wonder whether they would think it questionable for girls our age to be watching a film whose main audience appeared to be small children.

Fast forward past the trailers and adverts to the beginning of the film and all worries melt away as you become enthralled into the world of imagination and fun that makes most of us who are past our teens feel like we have a part of our childhood back, which is what most of us wish for.

It was evident in the first film, Despicable Me, that the minions were the characters that added those extra laughs and that extra something special. I found myself at some points watching the minion in the background of the scene to see what mischief they were getting up to rather than what was happening at the foreground! It's no wonder they're having their own film, Minions, in 2014. I think what is so likeable about the yellow minions is that they are fun-loving! There are plenty of scenes in this film that have you giggling as the minions party and dance, and how they are portrayed as a large group of friends that are just out to have fun. There are a couple of scenes in the film towards the ending (which involves them singing) that remind you of drunken karaoke sessions that you might have had with your friends, or just the fact that you would only allow your closest friends to see you do the most random things (and that's what makes it more fun right?). With their language consisting of sounds like 'beebobeebo' and 'ekko!', it wasn't long before the kids in the cinema could be heard mimicking the sounds that they were making, which I think pretty much proves the minions popularity as a whole.

As for the children in the film (Agnes, Edith and Margo) you can't help but feel your heart warm by the character of the small and adorable Agnes. With lines that make your heart melt (she heads off to sleep and reveals to Gru "Your bald head!...Sometimes I stare at it and imagine a little chick popping out. Peep, peep, peep!"), she is another character that adds to the film's surprising amount of sweetness. This is a film involving villains and plots to take over the world, yet it still manages to tackle the topics of love and first dates, and a motherless child wanting a mother. And it does all of this with giggles, heart-warming moments and those mischievous minions!

The plot to the film is very easy to follow but it's not the plot entirely that makes this film. It's the characters in it and the way in which the writers have made them so special; such as the minions, Agnes, Agent Lucy (voiced by the hilarious Kristen Wiig), and even your average chicken out for revenge (trust me you'll understand when you see it).

All in all I found myself giggling lots and wishing that I was one of those kids that were staring up at the large cinema screen, watching without a care in the world, that could leave the cinema without having to deal with 'grown-up' responsibilities. But whilst leaving the cinema to the outside world and the problems it brings, I was still able to watch the credits roll up and suddenly outburst 'I want a minion!'

-Definitely a film to watch that will lift your spirits. Family friendly and with lots of giggles! -