The Other Woman (2014) - Review

This is it. The empowering film depicting quirky, well-constructed female characters who unite in an attempt to deal out much-deserved revenge on a serial cheater that audiences have been waiting for. Or so you hoped. What had so much promise and had been backed by power players Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann may leave you slightly disappointed. Promising to be the quintessential gal pal flick, The Other Woman charts Carly Whitten’s (Diaz) discovery that her boyfriend, the man she has been led to believe was single, is in fact married and holds another mistress.

After an unexpected run-in with her boyfriend’s wife, the zany and a little too emotionally attached Kate (Mann), the two team up with the other buxom blonde mistress, Amber, (Upton) to serve up cheating, three- timing husband Mark (Nikolaj Coster- Waldau) his just desserts. Clocking in as Carly’s best friend is American rapper Nicki Minaj, who is one of the more redeemable features of the film, putting in a surprisingly hilarious performance.

What should be a triumph for generations of women seems to have been half-heartedly constructed, despite enthusiasm from Diaz and co. The partnership between Mann and Diaz is actually rather dynamic, and perhaps given a different film, they could truly be able to shine on screen as a power-house pair of comedy queens. However, whilst Upton is not at fault for her performance as Amber, the construction of the character itself is rather disheartening, in the sense that she seems to be purely superficial and without depth, despite the obvious attempts at being self- mocking. With the trio having failed to latch onto a film with enough substance for their brilliant personalities, The Other Woman seems to follow a rather formulaic pattern, settling for a few cheap laughs instead of driving home the comedy, which just brings the whole production down to a disappointing level, given the amount of potential there was for a new female comedy film to match that of Bridesmaids.

What seemed to be a step up from the usual mind-numbing chick flicks, The Other Woman seems to have settled for second best and follows an unimaginative formula, which effectively squeezes most of the life out of the film. Despite strong performances from its cast and a general best effort to make things seem better than they really are, it seems to have fallen victim to the very thing it aimed to combat, stereotypical representations of genders.

 2 stars 

Reviewed by Mel. 

Once Upon A Time - Season 3, Episode 19 'A Curious Thing' [Recap + Review]

 With only 3 more episodes until the finale episode, 'A Curious Thing' was bound to speed things up in the defeating Zelena front - and it didn't disappoint. Apparently good can really triumph over evil, or in this case 'light'. For an incredibly spoiler-filled recap + review-esque type thing (you know the deal), read on. 

RECAPPING-CAPPING-CAPPING. 

Okay, let's kick this whole thing off. 

In The Enchanted Forest 

For some reason, Snow and Charming are preoccupied, planning their announcement of their royal baby birth (because that's totally what everyone should be focusing on), until Regina points out that that may not be their biggest problem right now - 'ya think. Belle arrives, and recounts to the gang about what has happened with Rumple and Neal, and that Zelena now has The Dark One. Mr and Mrs Helpful (in the form of Sleeping Beauty and that other Prince who everyone forgets) then confess that Zelena wants Snow's little baby. Cue The Wicked Witch herself, who enters via broomstick (although it would be cooler if it was Floo Powder) and turns Philip and Aurora into flying monkeys, and then does some gloating/makes pretty standard threats. 

Fast forward eight months, and the gang have come up with no plans about how to stop Zelena. At this point, they decide to talk to Rumple, and Robin Hood says he can get them all in. So off they go, and arrive eventually at Rumple's castle - where he is deliriously singing whilst spinning inside a cage - ooookay. Belle manages to reason with him and he reveals they should talk to Glinda The Good Witch, and they can find her North of The Dark Forest, and then mentions something about a door and those who are of pure heart can step inside. Regina, Snow and Charming manage to go to the forest and locate the door, and sure enough, inside is Glinda. Except, only Snow and Charming make it through as Regina's heart is well, um, not exactly what one might call 'pure'. Glinda is basically no help, and says she is too weak to help - thanks for nothing? 

She does say that pure light magic can defeat Zelena, and Snow realises that means they need Emma. Snow immediately thinks of The Dark Curse, but when they go back to Regina she says they are crazy and that it won't work because they have nothing left that they love most. But Charming says that Snow does, and it's him. He offers himself up as a martyr for their cause. After much deliberation, Snow finally agrees and Regina rips out Charming's heart and Snow crushes it into the potion. 

Zelena arrives, with her usual bad timing (or good, in her case) and drops in a forgetting potion to the mixture, and does some more gloating about how Snow won't even remember how her dead husband died. Ouch. She then flies off, and Snow convinces Regina to split her heart in half like a biscuit and give Charming the other half. Regina is sceptical, but Snow convinces her, and sure enough, it works, just as the potion consumes them. 

Back at Rumple's castle, Zelena takes a remembering potion, and offers one to Rumple as well. Just as Rumple is about to drink, Neal takes over and writes a message to Hook to tell Emma, and attaches the memory potion to a white dove. 

In Storybrooke 

Regina is snogging in a corridor with Robin Hood, when Henry sees her and they stop. Regina then meets up with Emma, Snow and Charming and they say they need to break the curse, in a similar way to what happened with Emma. In order to do that, they need Henry to remember so they go off hunting for the Story Book that Henry had. 

Snow says it might be in her closet in the apartment as that's where it was before - genius. Hook however, is absent and it is revealed that he has been kidnapped by Zelena through Rumple. Zelena says that she needs Hook to kiss Emma so that her powers will be removed, stressing the importance of completing the task or she will kill Henry. Emma leaves for the apartment with the gang, but Henry confronts them and asks what she is up to, she shouts at Henry and he asks to borrow her keys, pretending that he left his. 

He tries to drive back to New York in her beetle, but Hook intercepts him and takes him to the docks, hoping to ship him off in a boat with Smee, to save him from the Witch. Searching through the closet, Emma finds a box but it has nothing in it, until Snow looks in it and suddenly the Story Book appears. It's hinted at the fact that Emma doesn't really want Henry's memories back, therefore couldn't 'see' the book. Emma realises Henry is missing, and using GPS in his phone, tracks him to the Docks. Henry, Hook and Smee are being attacked by flying monkeys, until the rest of the gang arrive and manage to incinerate all the monkeys. Emma convinces Henry to trust her and gives him the book, and he regains his memories. 

Just as she is about to kiss him, he disappears in a cloud of green smoke, and Zelena appears with her hands wrapped round Henry's neck. She says that Hook didn't do what he was supposed to. She gloats (again), and Regina tries to stop her, but gets blasted back and hits her head. Emma then gets angry and burns Zelena with light as if she were some sort of vampire. She disappears but vows to complete her mission. Henry runs to Regina, and she wakes up and says she will never leave him again and kisses him. This triggers the break in the curse, and it was revealed that the true love's kiss was Regina and Henry, not Emma and Henry, this time. 

With everyone's memories back, Emma learns that Snow and Charming enacted the curse, and that she is the one who can defeat Zelena, with her 'light magic'. Regina talks to Henry about his time in New York, when Robin Hood arrives and the three leave together. Emma confronts Hook about what Zelena says, and he reveals the secret about his cursed lips, Emma, Snow and Charming say they can't trust him because he said that they sent him the note, but they (now remembering) say he didn't. At the grave of Neal, Emma and Henry reminisce about Neal being a Hero, when suddenly - Snow goes into Labour. 

'A Curious Thing' had lots of elements which were reminiscent of the ending episode in Season 1, where Emma broke the curse, and of course, that was the intention. It certainly makes a change to see Regina being the love-struck school-girl, kissing Robin in the corridors, and having a chance at true love, like before - of course, this could turn out terribly tragic, like before. It seems only fitting that Regina was the one to break the curse this time, thus stabilising the relationship between parents and their adopted children, which was satisfying to see. As per usual, Regina got the justice she deserved through the snappy lines she always possesses, and Parrilla always looks to be in her element playing her character, though it was nice to see her get a little bit more emotional when she realised she was the one who broke the curse, through her love for Henry. Snow and Charming (Goodwin and Dallas) were back pulling at the heartstrings as Goodwin put in a convincing performance, whilst crushing her husbands heart. 

Key notes/thoughts about the episode:

Hook's cursed lips - Seriously, how could Zelena think that would even work in the first place? It's not like they are even dating, not to mention, it's a little creepy. 

Two halves (hearts) of a coin - Sooooo, that's a thing? They can just live with half a heart? How does that even work anatomy wise? Do they have more valves or something? Seriously, someone do the science. 

Henry's back - Finally! Now we can put Operation Cobra back in full motion and take down the Green Witch!

Light magic? - Since Emma's 'light magic' is the only thing that can beat Zelena, does that mean that she'll melt? She seemed to be getting pretty burnt from the UV rays Emma was laying down, so here's hoping she burns alive or something. *Fingers Crossed* 

Snow's baby - Boy/Girl? And is he/she going to survive the birth and the after-care? Or will Zelena get to enact her re-do after all? How is this going to work sibling relationship wise? And what effects is that potion that Zelena gave snow a while back, going to have on the baby? 

Robin - Will he die? (short, but sweet)

The Flying Monkeys - So ummmm, all the incinerated monkeys? Are they just, like, dead? Because that must suck for the people who they were. Here's hoping Philip was one of them, so y'know, Mulan and Aurora can get together. 

The next episode is entitled 'Kansas', and it looks like Dorothy might feature! Watch a promo for the next episode, below: 

Xena: Warrior Princess - A Retrospective

A true cult classic, Xena: Warrior Princess started as a humble spin-off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but soon elevated itself above its predecessor not only in popularity but also in ratings. The fantasy adventure series kicked its way onto screens in 1995 (created by Robert Tapert and John Schulian) and ran for 6 seasons until it concluded its action-packed journey in 2001. Xena possessed so many qualities that some TV shows now seem to lack – it had melodrama, ridiculous slapstick comedy (without being cheesy), action and adventure, whilst also dealing with complex issues like pacifism, sacrifice and concepts of morality and friendship.

Heading up the series, and playing the title role was Xena, a feisty warrior on the road to redemption, played by the formidable Lucy Lawless. It is common knowledge that every good ‘hero’ needs a ‘side-kick’ and Xena found hers in the unlikely form of former farm girl Gabrielle, (Renee O’Connor) who eventually proves to be worth her weight in gold. 

The two (eventually) team up to help the unfortunate and battle several foes throughout the series, including Xena’s own daughter, Livia/Eve (Adrienne Wilkinson), Xena’s recurring love interest and God of War, Ares (Kevin Smith), A victim of Xena’s past turned psychopath, Callisto (Hudson Leick), and a whole heap of Gods, monsters and other creatures (a majority of which are taken from Greek Mythology).

Lawless’ character, despite her many faults, is a rather loveable character who has earned cult status in a number of Lesbian communities for her complex relationship with her comrade, Gabrielle; the two display sultry and sexual behaviour towards each other throughout the series. This type of overarching Lesbian relationship was one that wasn’t often suggested on screen, but Xena offered audiences a sub-textual relationship to debate and garner interest and enjoyment from. The character of Xena is one that is widely acknowledged as being popular amongst women; Xena offered women a complex character to root for who wasn’t just known for her ‘strength’, but her wit, determination and at times, fragility. Xena was a realistic representation of women, and is often cited as influencing the next generation of Female action heroes, such as Joss Whedon’s Buffy and Quentin Tarantino’s Beatrix Kiddo/The Bride.

But it wasn’t just Xena’s relationship with Gabrielle that had everyone all hot under the collar. Her often ambiguous relationship with Ares was a highlight of the series, as Smith’s character delighted in teasing and tempting Xena to relapse into her old ways, although she always ultimately refused his advances. These two relationships were pivotal to the series and a regular feature and Lawless, Smith and O’Connor portrayed their characters perfectly, with particular reference to Lawless, who is often noted for her role as Xena. 

   

 Xena is one of the classic shows in which you wish that they never had to end, but by the opening of the Sixth Season, and with the majority of Xena’s foes having perished in the finale of the Fifth Season, it seemed like there was nowhere else to go with the story, thus the epic journey had to finish and it did make logistical sense to call it quits there. Despite its conclusion, Xena: Warrior Princess maintains itself as one of the greats of fantasy television, whose kick-ass theme tune (eloquently orchestrated by Joseph LoDuca) will have you reaching for your chakram and preparing your battle cry.

Once Upon A Time - Season 3, Episode 18 'Bleeding Through' [Recap + Review]

With the inevitable season 3 finale of Once Upon A Time drawing ever closer, (note: this review/recap contains SPOILERS) the games are certainly under-way, and everything is reaching breaking point. This week's episode of Once Upon A Time gave us a glimpse into Cora's past, and as it turns out, she once fell on hard times, by being duped by a fake prince; Rose McGowan reprises her roles as Young Cora in the episode. With everyone in Storybrooke under constant threat from the annoying as hell, Zelena, the one redeemable factor of the episode was that Regina (FINALLY) let herself go and kissed Robin Hood, upon the advice of Mary Margaret (well...isn't that surprising). So, for a nice wholesome round up of this week's events, read on below: 

In Storybrooke 

Zelena arrives triumphantly at Regina's house and whilst admiring her furniture and being generally wicked, she tells Regina that she needs to look into her past and that she doesn't understand. 

After distracting Regina for a period of time she reveals that she has sent Rumplestiltskin after Regina's heart - but surely, Robin Hood will protect it, no? Well..er..no. Apparently when someone is about to throw an arrow at your child (in this case, Roland) you pretty much give up the thing you were guarding. Seriously? I was half expecting some sort of decoy heart, or something. After that disappointing confrontation, Regina is now concerned about what Zelena wants her heart for. We're guessing it's not for some delicious Easter recipe? Pity. Regina legs it over to Mr. Gold's shop to find anything she can to stop Zelena, and whilst there, apologises to Belle for her mistreatment of her. 

Belle agrees to help after some initial resistance, and says that she will try to figure out what Zelena is concocting. Regina then asks for the two-sided candle, hoping to discover what happened in her mother's earlier life. Back at Mount Doom, a.k.a the shack in the middle of no-where, a.k.a Zelena's hide-out, Zelena invites Rumple to have dinner with her, suggesting that she can take them back to a time where Rumple still had his son. Oh yes, it's back to the future! Sort of. Zelena hopes to change the course of history by going back in time, much like Marty McFly himself (when he has to travel to 1955 in the second film). After dinner, Rumple begins to seduce Zelena (gag-enducing), whilst he tries to make the move to get his dagger back. 

Unfortunately, Zelena notices and magically freezes him. Darn it! She is then angry and upset and orders him back to his metal cage. Back at Casa le Mayor, Regina is holding a seance to try to bring the ghost of her mother back to talk to her. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work, and Emma, Hook and David leave. However, Ghost of Young Cora Past shows up and possesses Mary Margaret and shows her what happened in the past (read Enchanted Forest recap for more info), with Eva effectively ruining her chances at becoming Queen. Belle and the rest of the team arrive and reveal that Zelena wants to go back in time (Belle having figured out what the ingredients were for: Rumple's brains, Regina's heart, Charming's courage) and kill Eva so she won't be abandoned, and Cora will marry Prince Leopold. 

This obviously isn't good news for anyone, as it will mean Snow White won't be born, Henry won't have been born and neither will Emma, or possible Regina or pretty much anyone. They ponder why Zelena's time-travelling plan might work this time, and Charming deduces that she needs Mary Margaret's baby to do it. They therefore realise they have a short amount of time before the baby is born to find a way to stop Zelena. Regina and Mary Margaret then have a quiet chat about things Regina can still do without a heart; Mary Margaret remarks that she is so passionate and determined that she can still find true love and happiness without it. This prompts Regina to march to Robin's camp and proceed to kiss him - finally! 

In the Enchanted Forest 

Young Cora is seen tending to a bar, when she is approached by a young man claiming to be a Prince named Jonathan. He proposes to her with a wedding band made of straw and tells her he will bring her back a gold one when he returns in two weeks. She eagerly accepts his proposal and insists they consummate their upcoming marriage. Sure enough, two weeks later, Young Cora goes to wait for her prince to return but he does not, and she leaves disappointed. 

A little while after that, she sees Jonathan in the grounds of the castle and goes up to him, only to find that he lied to her, and he is in fact a gardener and not a prince at all. He used her and now she is with child and her hope of marrying royalty is dashed. She shouts for help saying that Jonathan is assaulting her, and Jonathan runs off. 

Just then, Prince Leopold arrives and offers his help. The two bond together and get engaged. However, Jonathan turns up and meets Young Cora in the gazebo in the grounds and threatens to tell everyone that she is pregnant and not virtuous, like Leopold thinks. She agrees to pay him off, however Young Eva is listening, and tells Leopold. Leopold confronts Young Cora at the Castle and although she tries to deny being pregnant, Eva appears and reveals she overheard them and has told Leopold everything. She then prompts Leopold to look in Cora's pockets, revealing Gold and valuable items that Young Cora has stolen to try and pay off Jonathan. 

Leopold is upset and angry and Eva tells him she will bring him a pure child, pure as snow. Young Cora is led away from the castle and gives birth to Zelena, who she then abandons in the woods, and a green tornado carries the child away.  

It was interesting to see how Snow White's mother turned Cora in at the chance to become Queen, and it was a step forward to see Regina and Snow bonding over their misconception of their mothers' pasts. Once again, poor Rumple is still being held captive by Zelena, who makes for an interesting 'villain', but is becoming slightly grating, as she clearly doesn't realise that being Cora's 'one and only child' comes with a price, and it isn't exactly a picnic. Regina was her usual sassy self, and truly does have some of the best lines, and is overall, just a far more intriguing character. So, will Belle and Rumple ever unite? Will Zelena be successful in casting her curse? What will happen to David and Mary Margaret's baby? Will Henry ever regain his memories? This week's episode of Once Upon A Time answered a few probing questions, but still left many unanswered as we draw ever closer to the finale. It seems unlikely though, that Zelena will be successful in casting her curse, as that would mean that the show would lose its primary cast. So, how will Team Evil triumph over Team Wicked? Tune in next week to find out! The next episode is entitled 'A Curious Thing' and a promo for the episode is available below, and sees the appearance of Glinda the Good Witch and some possible trouble for Henry: 

Edward Scissorhands (1990) Review

                                             'We're looking for the man with the hands' 

Edward Scissorhands (1990) is a romantic fantasy film directed by the infallible Tim Burton, and features the formidable Johnny Depp in his first role in a Burton film, as Edward. 

The film opens with an elderly woman telling her grand-daughter about where the snow comes from. Cue the introduction of Edward, an artificial and synthetic ‘boy’ who has (although meant temporarily) ‘scissors’ for hands. Unfortunately, his creator subsequently died before attaching the finishing element to his creation, (a pair of hands) leaving Edward alone and isolated in the former home of his ‘father’, a Gothic castle (which is a homage to Frankenstein.) Burton refers to Edward Scissorhands as his most personal piece of work; it is through this in which he reflects on his isolation and inability to communicate properly when growing up in suburban Santa Clarita Valley.

One day, Peggy Boggs happens across Edward whilst trying to push the sales of her Avon products (like a true saleswoman) and takes him back to her suburban family home. There, Edward meets Kevin, the Bogg’s young son, her husband - Bill, and Kim, (his future love interest and Peg’s teen daughter) who is dating the local bully Jim. Edward receives scepticism, rejection and initial acceptance amongst the townspeople as a hedge trimmer/hairdresser, creating whimsical and unique creations for the suburban population.

Depp convincingly portrays a wonderful and gentle ‘man’ who just so happens to have deadly weapons as hands. It is through Burton's subtle film-making techniques that his vision is able to flourish in Depp's capable hands. Depp is able to warm the audience to his side, helping viewers sympathize with Edward, despite the fact he barely speaks a word (which is similar to the way in which Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton could evoke audience reactions through simple gestures and movements). 

For me, what is so striking about the film is the personal nature of the story, depicting Edward’s restrained creativity and personal and moral stances in comparison with the other characters in the film (such as Esmeralda who thinks Edward is the spawn of Satan and Joyce who has very low moralities.) The film focuses on the judgements made by most characters aesthetically and how only a few (Kim and Peggy) can see deeper than the physical visage of the title character. 

Although mainly focusing on the complications of romance, Gothic stylistic features and the often disapproving nature of society, the film does give leeway to some rather humorous moments – such as the ridiculously comical ‘waterbed’ scene, Bill’s ‘You can’t buy the necessities of life with cookies’ line and the abundance of lines from the wayward king of comedy, Jim. I feel as if this is comforting whilst watching a somewhat saddening, reflective film; Burton assures us that Edward’s story on a whole will touch us - even if he himself can’t.

What I think contributed greatly to the film’s (well deserved) critical and economical success is that it epitomizes the imperfect as perfection itself. Although seriously lacking in what most people take for granted – use of proper hands – Edward is the character which we are all rooting for, hoping that he finds happiness. Edward Scissorhands gives a flicker of hope to those who can relate to Edward, (feeling of difference and wanting to fit in within an environment that feels so alien to our own) encouraging you to stay true to yourself and that someone will accept you (and those who don’t usually aren't worth it anyway) which is an uncommon re-assurance in today’s world. 

No one can create such an incredible visual creation with such a personal and sentimental tale like Burton. Edward Scissorhands is Burton’s touching piece of self discovery and isolation that gives hope to those who do not yet feel ‘complete.’

   (4 stars)