TL;DR – While there are some good ideas here, what we have is a film of two halves that don’t quite work well with each other.
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene
Review –
Today I have an interesting task in reviewing someone’s first ever feature film
which actually puts me in an odd position. That is because while there are some
really good ideas here in places and the core concepts are sound, a lot of this
film does not quite come together. We need more creatives taking those first
new steps because that is where all of our greatest filmmakers started. With
that in mind explore the world of a horror aficionado and the chaos they leave
in their wake.
So to set the scene, we open in on Zoe (Aida Valentine) as she is preparing for
her last day at school for the term and by preparing I mean setting up a horror
scene of a wedding, including an exploding bride. This is a frustration to her
father Sal (Greg James) who is trying to raise her and run a business as a single
dad. All of this comes to a head when Zoe’s older sister Zilla (Sam Kamerman)
returns home to announce that she is getting married, oh married to a women Lu
(Mia Allen), oh and all of Lu’s family have made the trip from New York to
Portland to come over for dinner, oh they are all super conservative, and oh
the wedding is in a couple of weeks.
TL;DR – It is a film with one of the best comedic casts in the industry, but it just meanders a bit too much.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
Turning 50 is one of those big moments in your life that makes you think back
at everything that has led you to this point. The friends you made, the choices
you made or didn’t make, how your bodies do or don’t hold up. It is a time of
friendship, reflection, and a lot of wine, like a serious copious amount of
wine.
So to set the scene, a long time ago in a pizza joint in Chicago a group of
friends came together. Since then Abby (Amy Poehler), Naomi (Maya Rudolph),
Rebecca (Rachel Dratch), Catherine (Ana Gasteyer), Val (Paula Pell), and Jenny
(Emily Spivey) have been inseparable even though they have all moved to different
cities and have had very different lives. First the first time in a long time
the whole group is coming together to celebrate Rebecca’s 50th
birthday. The group booked out a house in Napa Valley for a weekend of wine,
lots of wine, a very tight schedule, and more wine. But as everyone’s lives
have moved in different directions, the question is, have they moved on from
each other.
TL;DR – I had a smile on my face for the whole film, filled with joy and heart.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
Before we start I should mention that I am probably the easiest sell when it
comes to a live action Pokémon movie.
I grew up with the show and the video games, so this is honestly the perfect
setting for me if you want to hit that rose-tinted nostalgia that people in the
industry crave. With this in mind, I walked into the cinemas with a sceptical
mind, but I have to say it got caught up in the world almost instantly.
So to set the scene, we open in on Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), there was a
time long ago when he wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, but that time has passed
and now he is happy being an insurance claims adjuster (which I think they
chose because it sounds like the most boring job in the world if you were a
child … or adult). His best friend Jack (Karan Soni) is about to leave town to
be a Pokémon trainer and he fears for his friend being left all alone, so they
try and catch a Cubone, this way he will have a companion. After that all falls
apart they walk back into town only to discover Tim has several missed messages
from Detective Hideo Yoshida (Ken Watanabe) from Ryme City where his dad works.
There has been an accident and his father has been killed in the line of duty
and Tim needs to come to the city to settle his affairs. However, when he
arrives he finds someone lurking in his dad’s apartment, a Pikachu (Ryan
Reynolds) that only he can understand.
TL;DR – A sci-fi film that excels in creating atmosphere in both world building but also in creating a suffocating feel.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
I don’t think it is any great surprise that I am a fan of science fiction, I’ll
take it any way I can get it. However, it is a rare film that captures my attention
for doing things a little different and Prospect
is such a film. Instead of big battle scenes and space opera set pieces, it
focuses on building atmosphere and exploring the lives of its characters.
So to set the scene, we open in space convey ship as Cee (Sophie Thatcher) is
listening in to some music only to forget to be back in their pod in time. She
lives on the edges of society with her father Damon (Jay Duplass) trying to scavenge
whatever they can to stay afloat. They are over a moon that is covered in a
forest (the green) that produces toxic spores that make it impossible to breathe
for more than a few seconds. However, it is home to some biological gems that
are quite profitable if you can find a site that was not picked clean during
the rush. Landing off course, they have to go overland to their job site when
they run into Ezra (Pedro Pascal) and his crew. Setting off a tense scene
because the Convoy ship is leaving in three cycles and it is not coming back
which is just the moment everything falls apart.
TL;DR – While it focuses on the charismatic nature of Bundy and his toxic effects, that is all the film has going for it, and that is not enough when you are exploring a narrative like this.
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence
Review –
Murder, it is a topic most foul, but it is also one that is ripe for
adaptation. We have seen this time and time again, and today we are looking
film depicting the life of one of the most heinous serial killers in American
history. There is a lot of obsession around him due to his charismatic nature
and the way he used the media in his trial, after numerous escapes from
custody. Quite often this obsession is deeply problematic, so when you are
dealing with a film in which he is the core subject you have to be very
careful. Today we are looking at Extremely
Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a film that attempts this but does not
quite succeed.
So to set the scene, in the middle of the 1970s and Liz (Lily Collins) is out
at a bar with her friend Joanna (Angela Sarafyan). Joanna wanted Liz to have a
little fun, instead of being stuck at home with her daughter and there is one
man that has not taken his eyes off her. He walks over and introduces himself
as Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) and the two instantly hit it off. However, not long
after they move in together Ted is arrested in Utah on what he claims are
trumped up charges. This begins a long march for justice and the long decline
of Liz’s health.
TL;DR – This is a perfectly
fine film, but it felt like it could have been more if they had gone for
something other than the shotgun approach to storytelling.
Score – 3 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene
Review –
It has been a long time since the sort of wholesome teen romance film was in vogue.
You know the sort of film that can get away with having bloopers during the end
credits. In some respects, this feels like a lost art that was only recaptured recently
thanks in part by a number of films on Netflix. Well today we take a look at an
interesting example of this genre that has moments of real joy in between
moments of real dullness.
So to set the scene, it is the last summer after the end of high school where
everyone is having fun before having to move away for college. Our story
revolves around a group of teens that sort of know each other from school as
they endure heartbreak after heartbreak. You have Griffin (KJ Apa) who is
coming home from prep-school, so he feels disconnected for most of the people who
stayed in Chicago. You have Alec (Jacob Latimore) and Erin (Halston Sage) who
are going to different colleges so they decide to pre-emptively break up. Also
Audrey (Sosie Bacon) has been put on the wait-list from even her back-up,
back-up College and does not know what she wants to do with her life. All of
these stories sort of collide with each other over the summer as people’s priorities
are put into focus.
TL;DR – Now all together “Baaaaaaaar bar bar bup barrrrr, barr barrr, barrrrr bup bup barrr baaar bomp barrrrrrr, Baaaaaaaar bar bar bup barrrrr, barr barrr, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, Baaaaaaaar”
Score – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence and a hint at the end
Review –
Wow and here we are. Honestly, when I sat down to watch Iron Man in cinemas all the way back in 2008 I don’t think I really
comprehended just what it was that I was watching. I didn’t know it would spawn
a 20+ movie franchise that would take us into the past, into the deep reaches
of space, and create one of the biggest events in movie history. In many
respects, it feels like this is my generation’s Star Wars moment, and I have not seen queues like this to go see a
film in a long time. Well, today we take the plunge and see if they can work
out one of the biggest cliff-hangers in movie history and can this be a film
that gives closure to the films that came before it.
So to set the scene, at the end of Infinity
War the one thing they were trying to stop happening actually
happened, as Thanos (Josh Brolin) obtained all the infinity stones after
ripping the mind stone out of Vision’s (Paul Bettany) head and snapped his
fingers. All at once across the galaxy, 50% of everything turned to dust and we
had that gut-wrenching moment as everything literally fell apart in people’s
hands. Indeed Peter (Tom Holland) looking desperately at Tony (Robert Downey Jr)
pleading that ‘I don’t want to go” is
one of those moments that just stays with you and it stays with the cast.
Because as we start everything is in a bad place. Tony is trapped with Nebula (Karen
Gillan) on a ship running out of fuel, air, and food, and those Avengers that
survived are counting the losses on Earth where no one has been left
unaffected. However, one should never give up all hope, because you never know
when deliverance will come from an unlikely place, and then hope is lost again.
Now with today’s review, we will be doing something a little different. In this
review, we will be looking at all of the film so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead. This is for people
that have already seen the film and want to explore the ending of Endgame. If
you have not seen the film and would like to see a no spoiler discussion Endgame you can go HERE.
Also if you have already read the no spoiler review and want to skip to the discussion
on the ending, it is the chapter starting with the big [SPOILER WARNING] below.
Before we dive into the story and character aspects of the film, I want to
first take a moment to talk about the production side of things. In this film,
they have left nothing on the table when it comes to the lighting, production
design, and effects. That opening scene as Tony is sitting in the ship waiting
to die while bathed in a light blue light from the nearby stars was one of the
most beautiful lighting techniques I have seen in quite a while. This extends
throughout the entire film, with harsh contrasts at times, natural light in
places, relentless oppression in other places. Every part of the film is well
designed, even when they are using sets from the previous film, it has been
amended to make it feel right in the new context.
TL;DR – Now all together “Baaaaaaaar bar bar bup barrrrr, barr barrr, barrrrr bup bup barrr baaar bomp barrrrrrr, Baaaaaaaar bar bar bup barrrrr, barr barrr, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, Baaaaaaaar”
Score – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence and a hint at the end
Review –
Wow and here we are. Honestly, when I sat down to watch Iron Man in cinemas all the way back in 2008 I don’t think I really comprehended just what it was that I was watching. I didn’t know it would spawn a 20+ movie franchise that would take us into the past, into the deep reaches of space, and create one of the biggest events in movie history. In many respects, it feels like this is my generation’s Star Wars moment, and I have not seen queues like this to go see a film in a long time. Well, today we take the plunge and see if they can work out one of the biggest cliff-hangers in movie history and can this be a film that gives closure to the films that came before it.
So to set the scene, at the end of Infinity War the one thing they were trying to stop happening actually happened, as Thanos (Josh Brolin) obtained all the infinity stones after ripping the mind stone out of Vision’s (Paul Bettany) head and snapped his fingers. All at once across the galaxy, 50% of everything turned to dust and we had that gut-wrenching moment as everything literally fell apart in people’s hands. Indeed Peter (Tom Holland) looking desperately at Tony (Robert Downey Jr) pleading that ‘I don’t want to go” is one of those moments that just stays with you and it stays with the cast. Because as we start everything is in a bad place. Tony is trapped with Nebula (Karen Gillan) on a ship running out of fuel, air, and food, and those Avengers that survived are counting the losses on Earth where no one has been left unaffected. However, one should never give up all hope, because you never know when deliverance will come from an unlikely place, and then hope is lost again. Now with today’s review, we will be doing something a little different. In this review there will be no spoilers, you will get my general impressions of how it all worked, however, I won’t mention any plot details that happen after the first act. Also, if you really want to be spoiler free, don’t examine the credits below. If you have seen the film and would like to see a full spoiler discussion of the ending you can go HERE.
TL;DR – While it is not anything new, the film focuses on women supporting women and that helps elevate it.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
There is nothing quite like the pain of
something lost, time might heal all wounds but it also makes the deepest cuts.
This is especially true when the thing that is lost is a romantic relationship.
What do you do when nine years of your life disappears overnight, how do you
process that pain. Well, today we look at a film that explores all of that.
So to set the scene, we open with Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) alone sitting in the
subway obviously in a state of distress. She had finally gotten the job of her
dreams after years of hard work, but it involves moving from New York to San Francisco
and her partner of nine years Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) decided that he was not
prepared to even try a long distance relationship. Everything is changing in
her life but there is still one constant and that is her best friends Blair (Brittany
Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) still have her back. So as a way of helping to
cope and to celebrate her new life and commiserate her moving away the three
decide to go to Neon Classic a concert from their youths and have one last
crazy adventure.
TL;DR – It filled with the mixed emotions that come with tracing your past a world full of nostalgia and pain.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
Your past can be something filled with
joy or tinged with regret. We dream of the past but sometimes forget the effect
it has on our present and future. This is especially true when it comes to the issues
around a parent’s separation because it adds a whole other layer of issues with
how we interpret the past. Today we look at a film that interprets all of this
through the lens of Indian performance art.
So to set the scene, we open on Kris (Christopher Gurusamy) making a long journey
from the city to a complex deep in the jungle. This is where he spent most of
his childhood growing up in a musical collective who put on performances based
on Indian mythology and Hindu Religious epics. There is also a little
trepidation for Kris as this is also a place of great pain for him. He is soon
spotted by Valli (Sudharma Vaithiyanathan) who he uses to play with as a child
and he asks the first of many pertinent questions “Where is my dad” but Jon (Jeremy
Roske) likes to travel around India so while he is not here, though he should
return. So Kris decides to wait at the compound for his father’s return and
dredges up the memories of the past.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 