Films for Thoughts on Thursday: The Riot Club

This is a weekly meme that I am hosting here at Reviews from a Bookworm. To take part all you have to do is share a movie review once a week, link back to Reviews from a Bookworm and add your link to the linky tool.

This weeks movie review will be for:


The Riot Club

Get ready, it's confession time! I might have decided I wanted to see this movie because of the poster and nothing else. But, come on, can you blame me? Thankfully the trailer was great too and the movie actually looked really good. I went with two of my friends, one who had based her decision to see it on the attractiveness of the guys starring in it too. I was not alone! I am so glad we did because this movie was a real surprise and in the best way possible.

The movie follows two very different men as they become part of the infamous Riot Club at Oxford University. The Riot Club is a dining club that is infamous, known for their dinners and how out of control they can become. Miles Richards(Max Irons) has gone to the right schools and gained the right connections to earn his place at Oxford, but he doesn't have the same superiority complex that most of the Riot Club possess, Alistair Ryle(Sam Claflin) comes from a very privileged family and his uncle was the president of the Riot Club when he was at Oxford. Alistair's family expect big things from him and being in the Riot Club is expected. Most of the movie takes place over one evening, the Riot Clubs first dinner of the year. They hire out a country pub dining room, one of the only ones they can find that will have them. As the night wears on, the drinks flow and the tensions rise between the members of the club, events start to take a more sinister turn.

I think what I liked about this movie was how slowly things start to turn sinister. Your lulled into this false sense of security, as you laugh along with these characters and the things they do. At first it all seems so comical, the way they act and talk and what they view as important. But as the movie goes on, you start to feel uncomfortable, like you shouldn't laugh. You want to look away from the screen but something keeps you watching. This movie actually had me trying to hide behind my hands because you just get this horrible sense of dread, you know something terrible is going to happen and you can't stop it. I actually wanted to shout at the characters in this film, tell them to not go there or not do that. To speak up and do something.

The acting in this is superb. I can measure how good a job Sam Claflin did by how much he made me hate him. Seriously, by the end of that movie I wanted to punch Sam Claflin in the face. How could you ever want to cause harm to Sam Claflin?!? I had to go home and watch Catching Fire just so I no longer wanted to hurt him. He is incredible in this film, and entirely believable as the man who feels his wealth and status makes him better than the lower classes. He's hatred for them is disturbing, but mostly because you know people like him exist.

The Riot Club is based off of the real life Bullingdon Club, whose past members have included David Cameron, Boris Johnson and George Osborne. They have tried to distance themselves from their past with the club, probably because members have admitted that the Riot Club movie isn't far from the truth. They are known for destroying the places that dine at and getting away with it, because they can pay for it. My friends and I loved that aspect of the movie and how much it makes you think. These people are hard to watch because they are vile, but people like that exist. Those who know their money and power can get them out of almost any situation.

8/10 Butterflies

I actually wasn't sure what I should expect from The Riot Club. I ended up really enjoying it and I have wanted to watch it again ever since the credits rolled. It's superbly acted, expertly directed and the build up of tension was too much for me at times. I like that it's a movie that will make you think, that will make you uncomfortable and wanting to turn away from the screen. I will definitely be getting this on DVD when it comes out.

Next weeks review is for:

I have been meaning to take part in both of the following memes for a while now, so its nice to finally be able to get to them. I will be taking part in Reading is Fun Again's Thoughtful Thursday and Okay, Let's Read's  Thursday Thoughts, picking between them or doing both topics each week.

Love Triangles

Are you and out and proud hater of love triangles? Or, do they not bother you all that much? Do you feel like love triangles are overdone and have a tendency to be similar? What is it that you like or dislike about love triangles in books? Do you think that one genre or section of books overdoes the love triangle thing more than others? Do you think love triangles can be okay if done correctly?

Me when it becomes apparent there's going to be a love triangle:

I am mostly a hater of the love triangle. I just don't get why it's such a big thing in YA fiction, especially with how many people hate them. I think my main issue with them is how indecisive it makes the character seem to me. Just pick a bloody person! It's not that hard. There's usually always one who you know is going to win in the end, which makes the whole love triangle aspect seem pretty pointless. It's usually a female character having to choose between two male characters, which irritates me. Why are so many female characters spending most of their time trying to decide between two guys, especially when there are more important things for them to be worrying about.

In my blogoversary post I posted my giveaway to celebrate 1 year of blogging. I am giving one winner the chance to win up to £40 worth of books of their choice from Book Depository. I am also giving one runner up a book of their choice, worth up to £10 from Book Depository.

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