Tag Archives: Drama

Wicked (Wicked: Part 1) – Movie Review

Posted on by
7

TL;DR – One of the most faithful musical adaptations that I have ever seen, but that brings all the musical’s strengths and weaknesses.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Emerald City.

Wicked Review –

Today, we are looking at what might be the most convoluted production history in this site’s history. We are reviewing a Movie [Wicked] adaptation of a Musical [Wicked], which is an adaptation of a Novel [Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West], which is a reinterpretation of another Novel [The Wonderful Wizard of Oz], which in itself is most well known for its Movie Adaptation [The Wizard of Oz] whose design legacy can be seen our feature today. There have even been several more attempts to work in this space in recent years, with Oz the Great and Powerful and even Agatha All Along earlier this year. It could be a crowded or iconic market position, but does it make the most of its situation? That is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) has not had an easy life ever since she came into this world covered in a dark shade of green. She was thought of as some kind of curse by her own family and lived almost in isolation with Midwife (Sharon D. Clarke), her bear nurse. Growing up, she always had these moments where she acted out with magic, but she could never control the bursts. But her life is changed when one of those magical bursts happens as she is escorting her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to Shiz University, and she is spotted by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) expert in all things magic. The only problem is that there are no rooms for her at the university unless Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) shares her private suite.  

Continue reading →

Gladiator II – Movie Review

Posted on by
5

TL;DR – It has a strong cast, all the bombast you need, and a solid narrative. It is just frustrating that it has these creative choices throughout that just rip you out of the film.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film

The Battle of Numidia.

Gladiator II Review –

Well, 2024 has been the year of the legacy sequel, with Alien: Romulus, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,  Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Twisters all trying their hands on it to a mixed success. The next cab off the rank might have the most significant legacy of them all, or at least the most attempts in the past to make a sequel because there have been many. But it has been 24 years since our last outing of Gladiator, and we have to ask, was this the film we needed, or should it have stayed contained in the past?

So, to set the scene, it has been 20 years since the death of Marcus Aurelius, and Maximus Decimus Meridius’s slaying of Commodus did not bring about the grand return of the Republic. Instead, it drove it deeper into tyranny. Rome is now ruled by the Twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), who care more for blood and entertainment than the people’s health and happiness. Looking to secure their reign, they lashed out at any place defying the Empire using their dutiful general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). The last free city on the Mediterranean was in Numidia, where a young man (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), live. It is a pitched battle, but the Romans win, and the young man who is versed in Roman poetry is carted off to die in the games after watching his wife fall to an arrow. But he stubbornly refuses to die in the arena, which brings the attention of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who has the want to change his position, and now he has the means.

Continue reading →

Gladiator (2000) Review – Exploring the Past

Posted on by
1

TL;DR –. When the bombast hits, you still feel what made it a special film all those years ago.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this film.

A hand in the wheat fields.

Gladiator Review –

In this day and age, companies are trying to find a way to get people back into the cinemas, and the current plan has a lot to do with bringing back classic films with sequels decades later. That means this week we get a new Gladiator film, which I am honestly looking forward to. But as I was sitting there, I realised it had been a decade since I had watched the first film, and that is something that I had to fix, and there is no better time than the present.

So, to set the scene, it is at the height of the Roman Empire, and the Romans controlled everything from Britain to the Deserts of Africa and Arabia. In the north, Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) was fighting a campaign against the tribes of Germania, led by his one trusted general, Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe). But when Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the son of the emperor, discovers that his father wants to restore the Republic, he kills him. He has Maximus arrested when he won’t declare loyalty to the new emperor. Maximus escapes, but before he can get home, his family is murdered, and slave traders capture him. Now, he has but one choice: die in the arena or win and get revenge for his fallen.

Continue reading →

Saturday Night – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – A movie that embraces the chaos of its subject matter with such reverence it ends up hurting the final product.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

30 Rock.

Saturday Night Review –

Today, we are looking at a bit of an odd duck of a film. One that swings wildly, stampeding through the chaos of its subject material with the gusto of a rhino in full tilt. However, that approach is going to be a boon or a detriment for you, depending on how you are approaching this film. For me, I am not someone who religiously tunes into Saturday Night Live. Sure, occasionally, a sketch from the show will bubble into the subconscious like Natalie Portman, Undercover Boss, or the recent Mother. Also, the most impacting sketch for me and my comedy journey came almost wholly disconnected from the show. So, you always know it is there, and its legacy in the movies that have and have not worked and the comics it has brought to the forefront. It is within that framework we look at the film today.

So, to set the scene, it is October 11, 1975, and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is out in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza trying to get an audience to see his show with an NBC Page (Finn Wolfhard). That is because it is 90 minutes before his first show goes to air, and nothing is going right. The studio is having less and less faith in his vision, the cast is in chaos, the crew is in a state of revolution, oh, is that a fire, and why is there a llama? There are only 90 minutes to pull this all together, but that is going to be hard when there is not even a runtime yet.

Continue reading →

The Moogai – Movie Review

Posted on by
6

TL;DR – A truly emotional ride through a new mother’s hell realised when no one trusts her that something is coming for her son.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

A tree ringed with fire.

The Moogai Review –

Today, we are looking at a fascinating film that, like Cargo, started life as a short film and then was expanded into a feature. Also, much like Cargo, I have never watched a short film, so I am coming into this world without any preconceived notions about where it would go. Indeed, I only knew that it was a horror film and that the production behind it is Indigenous, a combination I had not seen much of since Cleverman, and I am glad that I made the trek to BIFF to watch this, even if it meant I did not sleep well that night.   

So, to set the scene, it is the 1970s and officers from the government were snooping around the missions, hoping to take away the kids as their fathers were away for work. Agnes (Precious Ann) and her sister (Aisha Alma) run into the bush to escape, but Agnes hides in the one cave she should not have gone into. In 2024, Sarah (Shari Sebbens) has just closed a deal at her law firm and is enjoying the highlife with her husband Fergus (Meyne Wyatt) when suddenly her baby comes without warning, and both almost lose their lives in the process. Sarah is trying to adapt to the trauma and is not helped by her birth mother, Ruth (Tessa Rose), nosing in. But as she tries to sleep, she sees white-eyed children warning her that ‘he’ is coming ‘to take her baby away’.

Continue reading →

Double or Nothing – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – Snippets of chaos that never come together as a whole

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

The Gold Coast skyline

Double or Nothing Review –

We are currently in the midst of the Brisbane International Film Festival, or if you are friends, BIFF. It is a cozy festival where I always find a gem or two every year. Today, we are looking at a small Aussie movie filmed in my backyard (metaphorically) about what happens when you get trodden on over and over again.

So, to set the scene, Turbo (Andrew Ian Pope) and Nick (Rowan Howard) are cousins who never quite can get their luck together. Turbo always owes people money, and Nick is just trying to get through his parole without rocking any feathers. But they both need money to survive, and this means doing jobs for their boss, Col (John Jarratt), of a more explosive nature. But when there is a shift in management, the boys find themselves up a certain creek without a paddle.

Continue reading →

Joker: Folie à Deux – Movie Review

Posted on by
4

TL;DR – This is one of those films that the more I have had time to think about it, the less I liked it. Compelling performances are not enough when you are swimming in the thematic shallow end of the pool but pretending you jump in the deep end.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Joker walks under rain surrounded by colourful umbrellas.

Joker: Folie à Deux Review –

Well, hmm, this was always going to be a complex review for me because I did not connect at all with the first Joker film. While many were rightly praising Joaquin Phoenix’s performance and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s musical score. I came away from that narrative feeling primarily hollow. It felt like this was a movie that wanted to say something about mental health, the role of the press, and the way that societies disenfranchise people and then get upset when they work outside societal norms. But the writing felt like someone wanted to talk about all these issues but didn’t have all that much to say other than ‘see … look … bad’ which, yes, okay, but we already knew this: what are you bringing to the table other than you watched Taxi Driver? But we are in sequel territory, and I am always happy when a sequel can improve on the original work. Well, let’s see if that is what we have today.

So, to set the scene, it has been two years since ‘The Joker’ as Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been dubbed, causing a riot across Gotham City after killing a popular TV host live on air. Since then, he has been housed at Arkham State Hospital a place where nothing ever goes wrong at all. However, as his court case for his crimes draws close, Arthur meets a new inmate, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who might be just what he needs or a manipulation that could have drastic effects. Now, in our review today, we will spend the first half looking over some of the general themes. When we get into some of the minutiae of the narrative, we will warn you when we might touch on some spoilers.

Continue reading →

Last Days of the Space Age: Only Kids Dream About Being Spacemen – TV Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – This is an interesting, if overwhelming, exploration of the characters that we will be getting to know across the series.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ Service that viewed this series.

The Moon rising through a smashed windscreen.

Last Days of the Space Age Review –

One area that truly excites me is space, its exploration, and the history and impact that it has had on the world. Everyone can cite that one story about a pencil v pen in a spaceship or one small step for man, and that is this far removed in time from when it happened. What must the impact did those events have on the world in the years just after it happened? Well, in today’s series, we explore just that.

So, to set the scene, it is a tumultuous point in Perth’s history as several competing factors look to crash into each other just when the world’s spotlight is placed on the city. These fracture points are brought into stark highlight when a brick goes flying through the front windscreen of Tony (Jesse Spencer) and Judy Bissett’s (Radha Mitchell) as they travel at 60km an hour. How do you get on when you have a house divided? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.     

Continue reading →

Wolfs – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – This is a film that should have knocked the ball out of the park home run; instead, it just felt like a safe walk most of the time.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the AppleTV+ service that viewed this film.

Brad Pitt and Georgy Clooney draw guns on each other.

Wolfs Review –

Some films just excite you when you hear who has been cast in it. Some actors have built this reputation that if you see both in the same movie, then you know it is going to be good. For example, you know if N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan appear in the same film, it will cause a stir. Well, today, we look at a movie that should have captured that same vibe but instead just fell flat.

So, to set the scene, we open with the sound of a crash, a scream, and then a string of obscenities, as something has clearly gone wrong. What could be so bad, you say, how about a recently dead body of the Kid (Austin Abrams)? Well, after an appropriate length of time freaking out, Margaret (Amy Ryan) phones a contact that she was given years ago, one that can make things disappear. That man is Jack (George Clooney), a cleaner. The only problem is that the owner of the hotel, Pamela Dowd-Henry (Frances McDormand), also witnessed what happened and hired her own cleaner, Nick (Brad Pitt). Now, the two of them must work together as this relatively simple case starts falling apart.  

Continue reading →

Divorce (Rozwodnicy) – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – This was a delightfully fun look at trying to work your way through many layers of church bureaucracy.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

the school band plays in hard hats.

Divorce Review –

If there is one area that deserves a little comedic exploration, it is religion. However, it might also be the most fraught area to explore. To pull it off, you have to have an intimate understanding of the subject matter because it needs to hit home in a realistic manner. Today, we look at a film that might do just that as it explores trying to get a divorce, sorry, an annulment, in Poland.    

So, to set the scene, Małgosia (Magdalena Popławska) and Jacek (Wojciech Mecwaldowski) have been divorced for a long time. So long that Małgosia has married again to Andrzej (Tomasz Schuchardt). Małgosia is struggling to relate to her daughter Ala (Oliwia Drabik), who has a defiant streak. But when her ex-husband Jacek wants to get re-married, he needs a favour. Because his new in-laws want a church wedding, and that means not just a civil divorce, but Andrzej needs the church to sign off on an annulment in an Ecclesiastical Court. It is clear that the marriage has broken down completely and irretrievably, and Małgosia has re-married, so it should be easy … right?    

Continue reading →