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.
One of the issues living in Australia is that the likelihood of me being able
to go to some of these big tent pole events across the world is quite low.
However, in this age of digital connection that is not the problem that it used
to be, as connections become stronger around the world. Today we take a look at
a film that takes this to heart as it explores not only a concert and how it
was made but also the philosophy that went that underpinned it all.
So to set the scene, last year at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival or as
it more commonly called Coachella, history was made. For the first time, the festival
was being headlined by an African-American woman (and only the 3rd
women in their history at that point) when Beyoncé stepped onto the stage to perform.
These performances rocked the music world for their choreography, their musical
strength, their surprise guests, and because they were full of power.
TL;DR – When it gets to the emotional core of music Stuck has some real emotional weight, but it has issues getting between those moments.
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
There are many things that can make a bad day and I can tell you that being
stuck in a train carriage with a bunch of strangers for an indeterminate amount
of time would be very high on that list. With this in mind, I was captivated
with the idea of setting a musical in that setting and where you could go with
the pressures and opportunity of keeping everyone in that one space. What we
get in the final film is a story with two halves, however, unfortunately, they
don’t quite work together.
So to set the scene, it is a day in New York and disconnected strangers are
running around in their day trying to get from one place to another. You have
Lloyd (Giancarlo Esposito) a homeless gentleman who is getting ready for the
day in the actual train carriage. Alica (Arden Cho) a dancer trying to get home
and avoid her stalker Ramon (Omar Chaparro), Caleb (Gerard Canonico) who is
running between his many jobs, then Eve (Ashanti) and Sue (Amy Madigan) who are
just trying to get home on a difficult day. Fate is a precarious thing at
times, and this day as they board the train everything grinds to a halt as a
police incident closes the train lines trapping the train in-between stations,
and as the carriages are locked there is the realisation that they are trapped
and the only thing you can do is sing.
TL;DR – A beautiful work on the power of music to shape the world
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
There are a lot of things music can be, it can move you, it can move people, and
it can move countries. There is the real power in music and throughout the
years we have seen the power of music to shape the ideas and the structures
that control people’s lives. With that in mind, today we take a look at
something a little experimental, but also a little subversive, and also a
little fun.
So to set the scene, we open with animation about the world we live in, Guava
Island. The island was originally created by the gods to be a resting place for
humans from the war that rages around. However, on the island, special blue
silk was found and soon one man Red Cargo (Nonso Anozie) had taken it for
himself and industrialised the whole island to produce the silk for export.
However, all is not lost on Guava Island because one day a girl Kofi (Rihanna)
looked out her window and saw a boy Deni (Donald Glover) playing his guitar and
every night after that he played all night for her, always trying to get
better.
TL;DR – While it is a bit stodgy at times, it has a real heart to it and an interesting premise.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
In recent times, one strength that Netflix has really leaned into is producing
quality rom-coms a genre that had been left wanting in the cinematic landscape
recently. Indeed we have even been getting the highs of To
All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and given that our lead here with the
impressive eyebrows is finding a niche in this genre I was interested to see
how it would go. Well, it was fine, but the more it meant on the more it felt
like while it had an interesting premise, it didn’t quite stick the landing in
parts.
So to set the scene, as high school is coming to the end, the world is finding
out what to do next. For Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo), it trying to get into
Yale, he wants to change the world, even though he has no idea what it is that
he needs to change. He has the chance to go to a public college but he wants to
go to Yale but how is he going to pay for it or even get in. Things change one
day when one of the rich kids at his school Reece (Zak Steiner) was lamenting that
he had to take his cousin Celia (Laura Marano) to a high school social and
Brooks steps in because he needs money. During the ‘date’ Celia mentions that
he would make a great stand-in boyfriend, well one app made by his friend Murph
(Odiseas Georgiadis) later and a new business is made.
TL;DR – A film that combines great action, compelling characters, visual storytelling, and creative worldbuilding making it a must watch
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
There are some films out there that just don’t find their audience the first
time around, yet over the years they build upon and continue to find their
voice as a slow burn. These are films that are often referred to as Cult
Classics. Today I want to take a look at a film that is both of these things.
It is an action film, both beautiful and violent, it is a look at society, and
also is the home for some of the best one-liners in cinema.
So to set the scene, in the far future the world has been ravaged by war with
people crowding into mega cities where violence and murder are commonplace.
Long gone are democratic governance and due process, replaced with the Judges.
These are judge, jury, and indeed sometimes (a lot of the time) executioners.
They have the power to hand out justice as they see fit, only answering to
their other judges. One such Judge is Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) who is tasked by
the Chief Judge (Rakie Ayola) to give a new recruit Anderson (Olivia Thirlby)
an evaluation. She had marginally failed the final test but she is the best
psychic the Judges had ever seen so this is her sink or swim moment. They can
pick anything to respond to so they choose Peach Trees a mega block with 75,000
residents where ‘Ma Ma’ (Lena Headey) had just killed three men and made an
example of them. Judges rarely come to Peach Trees, but when they capture one
of her key lieutenants Kay (Wood Harris) alive and take him away to be
interrogated, Ma-Ma locks down the entire block forcing the Judges to fight
their way out.
