TESTAMENT OF YOUTH - review

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
Director: James Kent
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington, Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan, Emily Watson, Dominic West

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH is the film adaptation of Vera Brittain's memoir and is a tastefully executed film that doesn't quite do the powerful and moving memoir justice. Vera Brittain's story is an incredible journey of a young woman desperate to make something of herself and become a writer whose world is torn apart by the ravages of war. She gives up her hard earned place at Oxford to volunteer as a nurse, loses a friend, her fiance and her brother - a cruel irony given that she convinced her father to let him sign up.

If you haven't read the book and you like to read, I would recommend reading the book over watching the film. The film is fine enough, it tells the story well, but doesn't leave room for the passion and anger that should have been depicted in this film about the horrors of war. Alicia Vikander plays a lovely Vera, but she isn't afforded the time or direction to really let show the breadth and depth of emotion that should have been there.

such a lovely ensemble whose talents were a little wasted

The performances all round were lovely, but everyone seemed slightly reserved. It felt a little like it was just on the peak of the emotional explosion, but for fear of offending people or perhaps a desire to keep it all in good taste director Kent doesn't let it go. Given the sheer talent of this fantastic little ensemble I was disappointed. Vikander has one brief moment at the end of the film where she lets rip on the futility of war, but I wanted more. Kit Harrington (Vera's fiance Roland) comes back from the front on home leave and you can tell he's tormented, but again, apart from one moment where the anguish really shines through, the emotion is a little stiff. Taron Egerton (Vera's brother Edward) and Colin Morgan (Vera's friend Victor) are also both wonderful actors and yet they seem a little lost in this piece. Egerton's relationship with Vikander is natural and loving and they seem as close as siblings can get, but when Edward dies just a short time after Vera saved his life in a 'hospital' at the front she should be madder, and sadder or something. We should have been given more - I felt more, but I didn't get to share that more with the characters.

Vera and Roland on their first real date

I felt like I should have been a sobbing mess during parts of this film, but the emotion was held back just enough that it didn't quite take me there. I had one moment where a few tears fell, but I wasn't the blubbering mess I had prepared myself to be. I could tell the points where Kent wanted to audience to really feel and to open the flood gates, but I wasn't taken there and that's saying something given that I usually cry at the drop of a hat in films!

Overall the film is lovely, well executed, well acted and well directed. There isn't much to fault it on in terms of the quality of the production, however it was a little more reserved that I had been anticipating and to me that was disappointing. With such a powerful and affecting source material, I think there was so much more that could have been acheived in this film. No matter, I'm still glad I went to see it. I think it will sit well with most audiences, and that people who have perhaps not read A TESTAMENT OF YOUTH will enjoy it and will not find fault with the level of emotion in the film as I did.

If you don't mind the odd war film, superb costuming and set design, lovely acting and a hint of romance then I think it's worth spending the 20-something dollars on a ticket for TESTAMENT OF YOUTH. If however you have read the book and have high hopes for this piece, either lower your expectations significantly, or save your dollars and wait for it to come out on DVD.

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

BOYCHOIR - review

BOYCHOIR
Director: Francois Girard
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Kevin McHale, Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Josh Lucas, Debra Winger, Garrett Wareing

For me, days off equal small sleep ins, housework, cups of tea and taking myself and my latest crochet project to the movies. Today was no exception. I took my latest crochet WIP (a baby blanket, of which I seem to be making many at the moment), and off I went to the Sun Theatre with nothing more than a plan to see some films. I had seen the trailer for X+Y, but I hadn't seen anything for BOYCHOIR, all I knew was what the poster showed me - Dustin Hoffman conducting a boys choir. I picked it purely based on the time it was showing and how it fitted into my lazy day of doing nothing. Had I seen the trailer, I would have still wanted to watch it. Had I read some of the reviews, I might have been dubious.

Screening last year during the Toronto International Film Festival, BOYCHOIR has divided audiences and the split is quite uneven. There are some truly scathing reviews out there from proper critics, that I'm not sure I agree with entirely. I mean they make some good points, but I think they're a bit harsh. Don't worry, I know that movies are subjective and that not everything is for everyone, and that most critics are a little more selective in their likes than I am. For I am but a humble pleb with a tiny little blog about films that I see in my spare time. I have no official training in reviewing films, I did not study film at university (although I kind of wish I had), I just like movies and I like to talk about them, always have and probably always will. 

BOYCHOIR is sitting on 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, but has suffered greatly at the hands of film critics around the world, but don't let that turn you off. This film from acclaimed director Francois Girard (THE RED VIOLIN) depicts the tale of rebellious pre-teen Stet (Wareing), with the voice of an angel, whose principal believes that he has a gift and does all that she can to push him to pursue his talent. Choral singing of all things.  Having just lost his drug and alcohol addicted mother in a car accident, his father (who has another family and who has kept Stet's existence a secret) schmoozes on behalf of Stet to get him into a prestigious school on the east coast for choir boys by way of a hefty cheque - after all money makes the world go round. There Stet meets Wooly (Kevin McHale), the teacher who believes in him, Drake (Eddie Izzard), the teacher who is afraid he will sabotage his own child singing prodigy, and the grumpy-ass choir master (Dustin Hoffman) who sees his talent, but doesn't believe he has the hutzpah to stick it out. 

Josh Lucas and Garrett Wareing - buying Stet's way into school

The film is a little predictable, with Stet achieving a number of little victories en route to the climactic ending that you can see coming from a mile away, but that doesn't stop it from being uplifting and nice. It certainly doesn't stop you from getting goosebumps when those boys open their mouths and the magic of choral music just tumbles out in glorious surround sound. There are some missed opportunities in the script to take the film on a slightly less predictable route, but it follows the very successful formula of so many before it - disadvantaged child with amazing gift, great opportunity to pursue said gift, demanding and tough-love giving teacher/mentor, happy ending, all the lessons are learnt. Particularly the lesson of carpe diem - a soprano singing career is a short one for a boy - if you've got a gift use it and use it now, time is after all, fleeting.

Stet singing a glorious solo

Yes it was predictable, yes it could have been so much more, yes, yes, yes to many of the criticisms this film is receiving. But you know what people? I still enjoyed it - and if that makes me a pleb with undiscerning taste and low expectations (thank you nameless critic) then so be it. 

Everyone loves a heartwarming story about the underdog who against the odds succeeds. The film is not overly sentimental until the very last scene, which I could have done without, and the ridiculous closing credits song by Josh Gorban, which I also could have done without. Aside from that there are strong performances from a fantastic ensemble cast, with Hoffman of course being the standout. 

Izzard, McHale and Hoffman 

Wareing tackles this character well and although I think Stet is like most of the other characters in the film in that he was slightly underdeveloped as a character, Wareing has done a pretty great job. He even went into intensive training at a real life American boy choir school in Princeton (yup, that's a thing guys, boy choir school is a real ting) to learn how to sing and he hit a high D. That right there is commitment people, the journey to a high D is rough going. 

settling in is never easy - particularly at an all boys choir school

I think BOYCHOIR getting a bit of a bum rap. Although it's predictable, it's also heartwarming and the singing, my god, I got goosebumps. If films about singing are not your thing, and you don't love a predictable, heartwarming tale of an underdog who comes out on top the avoid this film like the plague.  I could have happily waited to see this at home, or in fact just listen to the soundtrack which is the true highlight of this film. But as I've said many a time before, I quite like getting hit in the feels, and hit I got. 

BOYCHOIR is not a knockout, but it's nice. If you had to choose only one film to see this week, then I probably wouldn't recommend paying the 20-something dollars to see it on the big screen, and if you don't like choral music then definitely don't fork out that kind of cash. However, if you're looking for uplifting and nice, and you can find it in your heart to let the music make up for it's predictability then go. 

3 out of 5

xoxo

The Blonde Bombshell

X+Y - review

X+Y
Director: Morgan Matthews
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Jo Yang

I've got a penchant for films that get you in the feels at the moment, and X+Y didn't let me down!

Is there a formula for love? I don't know, but if there is I would sure like someone to explain it to me because I can't work it out myself. I'm not a gifted, brilliantly minded mathematical genius though, so maybe that's my problem? Although, the young, mathematical genius in this film can't quite work it out either, so maybe that's not it.

X+Y zooms in on a teenage mathematical genius, who sits on the spectrum, and can't quite grasp the concept of a normal relationship. The only thing that makes sense to him is maths. Something I myself cannot relate to at all. Slowly, slowly though with the help of his math tutor, his struggling mother and his new found friend, he begins to work out what it is that defines a good relationship, and what it is that other people need to feel loved and what it is that's important in life.

Sound like a film you've seen before? RAIN MAN or perhaps A BEAUTIFUL MIND or maybe even DAVID AND LISA? Once you've seen X+Y you may find it difficult not to compare it to those films, or even reference them when you're talking about it. I know I did, and even though those comparisons and references are not necessarily a bad thing, I think that this film stands well on it's own and proves it's own worth as a compelling, emotional and satisfying drama.

This is the debut fiction film for Morgan Matthews and I think that he's done a smashing job with it. This work of fiction was inspired by his own documentary BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MINDS", and whilst I haven't seen that documentary I am led to believe by others who have that the main character in X+Y is not unlike one of the more memorable subjects, math prodigy Daniel Lightwing (awesome name PS).

Asa Buterfield as Nathan in Taipei

Our main man, Nathan Ellis, is diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum at a young age, and finds comfort in math - something that he is good at, and the only thing that makes sense in his world. In the early scenes of the film Nathan is played by a talented young man by the name of Edward Baker-Close (stay tuned here peeps!), as a skittish little introvert, who connects only with his dad and not his mum. When his dad is dies in a car accident, he seems to shut down that part of himself and maintains a steady, but unemotional relationship with his ever patient and incredibly strong mother (Sally Hawkins).

As he gets older, his mother recognises that he has a talent for maths and helps him to reach his potential by getting him some tutoring from a teacher who was once a math prodigy himself before multiple sclerosis and his own self loathing got in the way of his ambitions. The now older Nathan (played now by Asa Butterfield) moves forward in leaps and bounds with the help of his tutor Martin (Rafe Spall) who is quick to recognise and eager to nurture his skills. They are both working towards the ultimate goal - the IMO. International Mathematics Olympiad. Sounds exciting right? You bet your ass it's exciting. As long as you're a math genius, who can solve equations more complex than 1+1=2. Like binary numbers and finding x and cos sign and other things that made as much sense to me 20 years ago when I was learning them as they do now. None. I hear a math problem and it sounds to me like this;

Q: If Johnny has 4 pencils and Sarah has 7 apples, how many pancakes will fit on the roof?
A: Purple, because aliens don't wear hats.

Don't worry though, there isn't too much focus on the actual maths, and you don't have to answer any complex equations at the end of the film, it's more about the relationships formed throughout.

Nathan struggles with relationships, he struggles with change, he struggles with things that most of us take for granted and Asa Butterfield did a magnificent job with this character arc. He delves nicely into all aspects of this character and Matthews' draws out a solid performance from this young man. I think that we can expect more wonderful things from both these two in the future. Matthews' not brings out the best from Butterfield, but he also brings out strong performances from Spall, Hawkins, Marsan and the very lovely Jo Yang.

Butterfield and Yang at maths camp (aka my worst nightmare)

Yang plays Zhang Mei, Nathan's very sweet and very chaste love interest. His first real friend, she is truly accepting of Nathan and all his quirks, and likes him for all that he is. There was a beautiful line where Nathan's mother tries to explain love to him, she uses a strange semi-mathematical analogy to explain it to him and it's quite a lovely moment between these two.

I shan't give away any more information, there were a few heavy-handed moments from Matthews, but no film ruining moments. I really enjoyed this film and connected with the characters on an emotional level. I think it's absolutely worth the 20-something dollars if you're looking for something to see this weekend.

4 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

THE AGE OF ADALINE - review

THE AGE OF ADALINE
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Cast: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Ellen Burstyn, Harrison Ford

I had one day off this week and yesterday was it. Against all my better judgement, I forsook my sleep in, got up early and hopped on over to the local to catch the first session of the day - THE AGE OF ADALINE. I did have my concerns that I would be disappointed. Purely based on my judgement of the trailer and some pretty scathing reviews of said trailer when it first came out 5 or so months ago. Let me tell you why I wasn't. Because it didn't actually suck as a film, that's why. In fact I quite enjoyed it.

So, here's the deal,  Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) was born in 1908, and is rendered ageless after a freak accident in 1935. Her looks do not change at all throught the 8 decades of her like from the day she had her accident at the youthful age of 29. Adaline leads a solitary existence, always on the run for fear that someone will discover her secret and turn her into a lab experiment to find out why she doesn't age (which they nearly did). She never shares her secret with anyone other than her own daughter (Ellen Burstyn), who follows the normal process of aging and comes to look as if she could be Adaline's grandmother. An encounter with a very handsome, charming and determined philanthropist (Michiel Huisman) brings to the fore her lonliness, and her longing for love. When a weekend away with his family threatens to bring everything Adaline has ever kept secret to light, she makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Blake Lively as the ever immaculate Adaline Bowman

If you're thinking to yourself that this sounds like the synopsis of a trashy Nicholas Sparks film, you're right, it does. Sceptical that it could be any good based on the fact it sounds like a trashy Nicholas Sparks film? So was I, but although it shares some of the same qualities, it is actually not a bad film. One of the writers did help adapt a NS novel into a screenplay, which could explain some of the similarities. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good old fashined trashy Nicholas Sparks movie as much as the next girl, because they're trashy and ridiculous and the leading men are always dreamy. But I go in knowing they're going to be glorious in all their trashiness, and I don't go in thinking I'm going to watch the next masterpiece in cinema history. What I liked about THE AGE OF ADALINE is that aside from the fantastical plot, the emotions were a little bit more genuine, realistic and honest than they might have been if it was a Nicholas Sparks trashy romance.

Lee Toland Krieger is a fantastic director, I loved his last film CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER, so I was hoping he would be able to pull this fantastical, romance off, because there was a risk that it could be trashy and revolting. Guess what folks? He did it. It's a far cry from the tale of love in his last film, which was honest in its own way, but I think it's a nice step forward for Krieger and I hope to see a lot more from him in the future.

A dreamy voice-over gives is the premise of this film with a lovingly crafted extended montage telling the tale of Adaline's life and bringing us to the modern day. After eight decades of being 29, and bring on the run every decade, Adaline is tired. She may look a youthful 29, but she is old beyond her years and a life of running has taken its toll. The second act is where we get charge of emotion and added depth to this story, although really what are the chances that the man you've falled in love with happens to be the son of a man you loved some 50 years ago? Seems a bit unfair doesn't it, I mean of all the people!

Adaline and William reconnect after 50 years

Let's take a moment to talk about how brilliant Harrison Ford is in this film. I mean really...I don't recall the last time I saw him in something where he triggered such emotion. When his character William meets future Adaline you can see the rush of emotions flood through him - it is raw and he is vulnerable - and his performance draws something out of Lively that gives the film a new spark. You see in the trailer that William and Adaline reconnect, but the reason why they reconnect is a fresh little twist in this film.

Snaps to the casting crew on this film, Lively shows that she's got leading lady material in her and that she's not just some TV 'it' girl who married Ryan Reynolds, Michiel Huisman is divine (I don't watch Game of Thrones, but knowing he's in it makes me want to!), and a massive well done on finding Anthony Ingruber, who plays twenty-something William opposite Adaline. He is beautiful and a great match for the older Harrison Ford.

Anthony Ingruber as a young William

What would you do with eternal youth? You get all the wisdom that comes with age and unlimited time to do everything you ever wanted - have 57 careers, learn 16 languages, travel everywhere and remain everr youthful. Sounds nice in theory right? We all want more hours in the day, days in the week, more months in the year, but do we really? That's something that AGE OF ADALINE adresses quite nicely I thought. It would be quite a lonely life if you think about it. Your family has died long ago, your only daughter is growing old, you can't sustain a relationship with someone more than a few months or at most a year for fear that they will learn your secret, and then what's the point? Why bother to love, go through the heartbreak, cause someone else heartbreak? Put it in the too hard basket and get a dog I say, which is exactly what Adaline did. She put love in the too hard basket and has had a string of King Charles Cavaliers throughout her life to love and keep her company. Heads up if you're a sucker for animals, take tissues, you'll need them.

Adaline and her dog Reece

I won't spoil the ending because it will get you right in the feels, even my heatless friend LahLah said it got her in the feels. She's not really heartless, but unlike me, she's not a big emotional movie watcher. I will say that the acting was solid from all the cast, the direction and cinematography were well done and transcended many of the trappings and pitfalls of this fantasy genre. I was equally impressed with the costume design in this film, and I would think it's up there for at least a nomination during next years award season. 

THE AGE OF ADALINE is a lovely film, don't let the trailer turn you off because it's not what you think it's going to be. If you're not huge into the romance genre, don't bother spending the 20-something dollars to go and see it, but if you are I think it's definitely worth a look. 

3.5 out of 5 for THE AGE OF ADALINE

Adaline and the divine Ellis (Michiel Huisman)...mmmm...divine

xoxo

The Blonde Bombshell

FURIOUS 7 - review

FURIOUS 7
Director - James Wan
Cast - Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Jason Statham

FURIOUS 7 is the final instalment in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise, and Paul Walker's final film. Dominic Toretto and his crew are back together for one last adrenalin fuelled adventure that kicks off with the funeral of a beloved crew member Han. 

Han's death is the result of a revenge killing by Shaw's older brother Deckard (Jason Statham), which was the final scene of the previous film FAST & FURIOUS 6. Deckard is now on a mission to kill all of Toretto's 'family' and he is not about to let that happen. 

A welcome addition - Statham is the vengeance fuelled Deckard Shaw

What ensues is an action packed, adventure to see who can catch who first. It brings all our favourites together, including Dom, Brian, Tej, Roman, Lettie and of course Hobbs (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) and I loved every cliched, unrealistic, CGI laden moment of it. 

Johnson using a drone weapon to belast a helicopter out of the sky because why the hell not?!

I am a huge fan of the franchise (with the exception of TOKYO DRIFT, I could take that or leave it), and I was saddened by the news of Paul Walker's death during the making of FURIOUS 7. Ever curious, busy body that I am, I spent a lot of time trawling the web to see what director James Wan was going to do about this little predicament and I was not disappointed. Killing Brian off would have been a travesty, and I am mighty pleased that didn't happen. Wan even said in an interview that if that was what the writer's were planning to do then he didn't think he could continue making the movie! Go Wan! Walker's younger brothers Cody and Caleb stepped in as body doubles, with Paul's face CGI'd onto their bodies for some of the final scenes, and the way they wrote him out of the franchise was lovely, even if it was cliched! 

As with all of the films in the franchise the ending is open enough that if they did want to keep milking the cash cow, they probably could, although without Walker I dare say it would never be the same. Deckard Shaw is not dead, just locked up, and the rest of the crew is still in one piece, and we know how they all love a bit of drama in their lives! 

From jumping suped up cars out of carrier aircraft, to passengers jumping between cars at high speeds, to driving a squillion dollar car between 3 skyscrapers, Furious 7 has enough action in it to keep every adrenalin junkie satisfied. I particularly liked the car driving through the skyscrapers myself. 

let's all reverse our cars out of an aircraft carrier and hope that our parachutes work!

My SO thought it was dumb that they put all the mushy, love stuff in there, but I have to disagree with him. As mushy and gross as it is, it is a draw card for the female audience. You know the ones that might not necessarily go in for the fast cars and explosions no matter how much their SOs beg them. Not to make any gross generalisations here, because I am a girl and I like all that stuff and I know plenty of girls who are the same, but I also know plenty of girls who like the franchise because of the romantic and family based story lines, and the cute boys. 

The script is corny, the CGI is obvious but incredible, the stunts are unrealistic and so far fetched that at times they are simply hilarious, the fight scenes are obviously choreographed, and the ending is a happily ever after with a slight hint of sadness. As far as quality cinema goes, this is not a film that will go down in history as an incredible piece of cinema, but as a satisfying end to a franchise that has a huge fan base and that I love dearly, it is outstanding. 

Brain (Walker) jumping from a speeding car onto an armoured bus = gold

The carefully crafted ending that sees Brian and Dom go for one last ride together and then go their separate ways was lovely (cliched like everything else in this film, but lovely nonetheless), and the tribute to Paul Walker at the end of the film was very sweet - do stick around to see some of the best shots from the previous films. 

If you are a fan of the franchise and can take it for what it is then I'm sure you will love it. If you're after the next best film nominee then perhaps FURIOUS 7 is not for you. The speeding cars, explosions and incredible soundtrack may not have the same effect on a TV screen at home, so if you like the franchise then I would recommend paying the 20-something dollars to go catch this on the big screen. 

3.5 out of 5 for this lovely, adrenalin fuelled, cliched mess. 

xoxo

The Blonde Bombshell

INFINITELY POLAR BEAR - review

INFINITELY POLAR BEAR

Director: Maya Forbes

Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide

You had me at Mark Ruffalo, but throw in Zoe Saldana and an autobiographical tale of a family coping with a parent with a mental illness and I couldn't have been more excited. 

Cameron (Ruffalo) lives with the highs, the lows, the breakdowns and the virtual impossibility of maintaining a steady job that come with having bipolar disorder (manic-depression) in the 70's. Unfortunately so does the rest of his family. Cameron's wife Maggie (Saldana) decides that enough is enough after Cameron's latest breakdown, and she packs up their two daughters and moves them from the country to Boston, while Cameron moves into a halfway house to recover. 

Their daughters, Amelia (Wolodarsky) and Faith (Aufderheide) resent Maggie for moving them from the country to a run down, rent controlled apartment in the shitty school district in Boston. They also don't hide their disappointment when Maggie won't let Cameron move back in with them. The girls know there's something not quite right with their dad, but they idolise him none the less and for every bad memory there is good one that surpasses it.

Maggie struggles to make ends meet, and decides to go to business school to further her own education so that she can get a better paying job and put the girls into private school. That's not a problem right? Wrong. The business school that Maggie gets into is Columbia. So, Maggie moves to New York, leaving Cameron in Boston to look after the two girls on his own, full time, Monday to Friday. 

Leave a man fresh from institutionalisation, who struggles with sustaining anything in life in charge of two young girls, sure, no worries. What could possibly go wrong? This is the question that the film deals with the most - how wise is it to leave this sort of person in charge of two children? The answer for most people would be that it's pretty bloody unwise and for the most part I would probably agree with them, as would most social workers and DHS officers. The one thing that Cameron does have going for him is his unwavering love for his family, and while he continually fails the many tests of parenting, the one thing that always brings him back from the edge is his girls. 

That is a lot of pressure for a child, but Amelia and Faith are up to the task. As embarrassing as their dad is, and for every ounce they hate their lot in life and their 'shit hole' of an apartment, they would do anything to keep their dad with them just as much as he would do anything to keep them with him. 

In this sense, the film isn't quite as affecting as I had anticipated it might be, as if we are viewing this family history through rose-coloured glasses. Which perhaps we are. Forbe's has written this autobiographical piece and is letting us into her family history, and as many of us do, when telling our own histories, has balanced the good with the bad, which we might not have found in a completely fictional script. There are some unanswered questions here too. Like, is it worth splitting your family up for 18 months so that you can send your children to a private school? Was Columbia the only school that Maggie could possibly have gotten in to? Where is Maggie's family in all this? 

You may be used to seeing Ruffalo and Saldana in big budget, hollywood blockbusters, but these two couldn't be a more perfect match for this beautifully crafted indie pic. Ruffalo did an outstanding job carrying out the characteristics of a man struggling between his illness and his love for his family. He was wild and charismatic, unpredictable and unassuming, but most of all realistic. Saldana played her character equally as well, bringing to the screen the very different sides of Maggie, the tormented woman who just can't take it anymore, the mother who wants the best for her children and will do anything to get it, and a woman who wants to be with her family, but can't. A truly ground performance of a woman who is so practical and grounded the polar opposite to her husband. As for Wolodarsky and Aufderheide, these two youngsters are worth keeping an eye out for in the future. They made me feel what they felt for the whole film, and I think that's pretty magical from two so young. 

By harnessing the good and bad memories, and entangling them with a cheerful score (put together b Theodore Shapiro), Forbes has turned this serious subject matter into a captivating and endearing film about a family whose love for one another outweighs all else. 

It is low budget, and indie, and the subject matter may turn some people off, but I think with such a great cast and some of the other great reviews coming out for it INFINITELY POLAR BEAR stands a chance with mainstream movie goers. I felt that it gave a fairly accurate representation of surviving in a peculiar family with peculiar circumstances and a parent with a mental illness (and let's face it, I would know). It was unpredictable, and sometimes uncomfortable, but the intricate details and the natural humour make it so easy to watch and to care about what happens to this little dysfunctional family. 

I say give it a chance, you will be surprised, and it's definitely worth the 20-something dollars to go and see it, and I'm all for supporting low key, independent productions, in this age of mass-produced, mass-marketed drivel. 

xoxo

The Blonde Bombshell