Film Review: James Cameron’s Titanic

Nothing on earth could come between them.

Anyone who knows me knows that James Cameron’s Titanic is my favorite film of all time. I discovered Titanic properly when I was sixteen and it quite possibly saved my life. My abusive father had just left us, I was suffering from post-traumatic stress – my life was falling apart but Titanic taught me how to survive. It awoke this deep, hidden passion for film making and provided the perfect distraction from my crumbling personal life. No joke, I remember I once watched it five times in seven days [at this stage, I probably deserve an honorable mention in the credits]. Suffice to say, I became quite the Titanic historian.

Last week, I finally had the opportunity to see Titanic at the cinema and it was every bit as sweeping, glorious and epic as I’d imagined. Spoiler alert: I cried when the ship took its final plunge into the frigid North Atlantic. Anyway, I’m finally writing a review – something I’ve wanted to do since I was sixteen years old. I’ll be sharing my personal experience, taking a closer look at the themes and cinematography while flexing some behind the scenes trivia. So, let’s dive in, shall we?

Disclaimer: this is a seriously rambling, passionate post so strap in. Also, I’ll be spoiling literally everything so if you haven’t seen Titanic read at your own risk [and what the actual heck are you doing with your life???]. You have been warned.

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Film Review: Rocketman

At the risk of painting myself as a bit of a loner or a boring spinster, I have a confession. Deep breaths – I am not a spontaneous person. As much as I try to live an adventure, taking risks and curves in stride, I can’t help but fall victim to the routine. Living alone will do that to you though. Living alone means you rely heavily on your organisation and plans which can leave little room for going out. As much as it drives me crazy, most days my life basically consists of work, grocery shopping, reading, writing and sleeping. Repeat. 

What I’m getting at here is that after a particularly mundane day working in retail and, after meeting my brother on the train, we made the snap decision to hit the town and see Elton John’s fantastical biopic; Rocketman. 

Suffice to say we had an absolute blast tapping our feet along to Crocodile Rock and Bennie And The Jets, experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows of Elton John’s breakthrough years as an artist. And, after two days I have failed to shake the explosion of both emotion and colour that is Rocketman. This movie just resonated with me. I can’t tell you how much I loved Rocketman and it’s highly addictive soundtrack [which I’ve since bought btw].

Review: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Film Adaption

So, I have an earth shattering announcement to make. Drum roll please…

I, Lexie of Reading By Starlight have actually conformed to the 21st Century and created a Netflix account.

*Braces for oncoming end of the world and cliched earth-quaking as the world falls down*

Okay, okay – I know what you’re all probably thinking… “It’s about dang time, lex!”.  Am I close? I’d finally had enough of being basically swarmed by the insane influx of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before film reviews and overall hype. It was time. So, I finally rolled up my sleeves and went for it. It was either cave or live with the soul crashing disappointment of waiting for a DVD release. Besides – not only have I watched the film at least five times since but it’s led me to discover some other awesome Netflix films like The Kissing Booth (which I love almost just as much!).

Before I get into my review, just a quick disclaimer: I’m going to be discussing the movie and my thoughts so there will be some minor spoilers in terms of Easter Eggs, what I loved and what I didn’t but if you read the book then you’ll know all this anyway. I won’t be spoiling the major plot points or the ending though. Just so your warned – I’ve got your back 😉

Review: The Darkest Minds Film Adapation

So I decided to do something a little different today…

Reading has always been a huge part of my life but I am also a movie buff. I love a good flick, whether it be an action-packed thriller, a sweet romantic comedy or a drama. I am also a huge fan of book to film adaptions – when done right that is. There is nothing like watching your favorite stories and characters come to life on the big screen!

With that in mind, I’ve just seen the Darkest Minds, the latest in a string of YA book to film adaptions and I loved it. This wasn’t a perfect movie, (really is there such a thing?) but I think it’s one of the better book to film adaptions I’ve seen with the exception of Love, Simon. The Darkest Minds is a solid adaption that respects Alexandra Bracken’s book all while putting it’s own spin on the much loved characters. Those who’ve read the book will appreciate the film as a faithful, worthy adaption and those who haven’t will be ensnared by Ruby’s story and reach for the series. For those of you who haven’t yet read these amazing novels, welcome to the fandom! So let’s get into the highlights of the film overall and how it compares to the book…

Side note: Obviously I’m going to be discussing the movie so there will be some minor spoilers in terms of Easter Eggs, what I loved and what I didn’t but if you read the book then you’ll know all this anyway. I won’t be spoiling the major plot points or the ending though. Just so your warned – I’ve got your back 😉