Emily Grigsby

Movie Review- The Fault in our Stars, Corpse Bride, The Boxtrolls (10/29/14) 

I had prepared myself not to cry when I put my first movie in for the week, and I am willing to admit that I failed miserably. I cried when I read the book and when I saw ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ at the Redbox I knew that I couldn’t say no.

The book made me cry like a baby, but it was one of the most amazing pieces of literature that I had read in a long time! And this is one book-to-movie story that you can take on in any order and still be just as pleased with the outcome. Directed by Josh Boone this romance will sweep you off your feet making you fall in love with these characters. Following the life of two different teens who are both battling different cancer conditions this movie is heartbreakingly beautiful.

Starring Shaliene Woodley and Ansel Elgort this bittersweet story will have you wishing there was more! As a book lover myself I was a little skeptical as to how it would add up when it came to the writing, but I have to say that I was so impressed that I watched it twice in one night, and cried twice in one night.

With a very confident 9 out of 10 I know that this would make for a great night in. My only disclaimers being that with a movie like this there are some very graphic moments that come with the situations that the characters are in and as a parent I would recommend watching it first. It won’t make the second time easier but you will see what you are in for!

My second pick this week came with the notion that everyone loves a good Tim Burton film. The animated ‘Corpse Bride’ came out in 2005 and is another great choice for this time of the year.

I found myself caught in a marathon of Burton films with some of the girls on my hall when we needed a study break and something that came with most of them, that was my favorite part, was the voice of Johnny Depp. Along with Helena Bonham Carter this movie will have something that is recognizable for almost anyone.

There is a bit of a dark twist, but nothing that would be too much for a young audience. With a 7 out of 10 I think that this would be a fun Halloween movie for the whole family to enjoy.

My last pick this week was probably my most interesting one of all. I hadn’t even heard of ‘The Boxtrolls’ or watched an advertisement for them until one of my friends who happened to be an education major mentioned it to me. It’s based on the children’s novel ‘Here Be Monsters’ by Alan Snow and she was reading it for one of her lesson plans when she convinced me to go see it with her.

At the beginning I was struggling to enjoy it, but once the movie started and I was able to some what connect with the plot I found it to be a sweet movie. The plot follows the story of a young boy who was raised by the ‘Boxtrolls’ underneath the streets of a city. The only recognizable voices for me were ‘Winnie’ voiced by Elle Fanning and ‘Archibald Snatcher’ voiced by Ben Kingsley.

In the end I didn’t feel like it was worth the movie that I spent at the theater as a 20 year old. But if I had younger children that had expressed interest it would be a fun movie for them even though waiting just a few more weeks would mean that you could save so much by renting it from a Redbox.

Giving this movie a 6 out of 10 I believe that the best results will come if you take the time to watch the clips and trailers online before heading out to the movies.