The Darkest Hour is directed by Joe Wright and stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill who is anointed by his majesty King George (Ben Mendelsohn) to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the time of the Second World War but before the Americans would enter the conflict but although there are those in his government that favour seeking peace terms Mr Churchill feels otherwise.
Darkest Hour is first off well staged by Mr Wright he uses many camera flourishes and long editorial takes to guide people from office to office as well as stage several scenes of bombers on the front and secondly the film is very well performed.
Firstly on that front Oldman is terrific and though there are times he can become hard to hear when he gets going in the role he holds your attention but there are others that are also quite good as well Mendelsohn is one of them and it’s a real shame he isn’t getting more attention for his performance as he is very good as well and Lily James and Kristen Scott Thomas are also good here as well though they don’t get an awful lot to do apart from sit around, look concerned and type speeches.
But seeing this movie after Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk came out last year made this film for me at least a little stuffy and a little traditional in its storytelling approach for you see what I loved about Dunkirk was that it stripped itself of the generals in rooms and political discussions in bunkers scenes and put you the audience viewer solely on that beach and in that situation and Nolan crafted it in such a way that it was like silent running suspense thriller where every moment counted and the clock was ticking.
As a result of that approach it felt like a very unique way to tell a war story and to go back to a more traditional way after that it makes this movie as well directed and performed as it is feel second rate and at one point during this movie I wished I was watching Dunkirk instead.
And so that was the Darkest Hour a fine enough film that is well directed and performed but after Dunkirk it feels very stuffy and second rate, 2 out of 5.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Film Review - Quigley (1991)
Quigley is an Australian western directed by Simon Wincer who also made the Lighthorsemen from 1987 and concerns Matthew Quigley (Tom Selleck) who comes to Australia from Wyoming at the behest of Mr Marston (Alan Rickman) who wants him to get rid of the indigenous peoples encroaching on his ranch lands but things are never so simple when dealing with the Indigenous people.
Quigley is good fun and a nice little Australian Western that first off has some very nice widescreen cinematography by David Eggby who also did the first Mad Max film there are lots of nice landscape shots that really show off the Australian outback very well as a potentially inhospitable terrain that will make mice out of men (no wonder we gave the world Mad Max) plus there are some nice town shots that were partially filmed at Flagstaff Hill here in the South West of Victoria (Warrnambool to be precise.)
Also the film is very nicely anchored firstly by Tom Selleck who never got to be Indiana Jones (though that is no big loss in all honesty) but here he is a likeable and charismatic western hero who is good with a rifle and also the late great Rickman is every inch his equal if not more so than Selleck much like he was with Bruce Willis and Kevin Costner in those films and he has a scene or two that made me think of his infamous “And Call off Christmas” scene in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
He is greatly missed.
And also keep an eye out for Jerome Ehlers, Roger Ward and a young Ben Mendelsohn in small roles.
And also I really liked that this movie subverted some Western tropes which are so often American for an Australian audience and the Indigenous very much play the part that the Native Americans would play in an American western and their side plot in this film was one I found very interesting and it had some resonance for the here and now I thought.
However the film is not without faults and a big one is Laura San Giacomo and don’t get me wrong she is okay but she also just can’t compete with Selleck and Rickman and a lot of her scenes as a result they kind of bothered me I could see what they were going for that kind of Princess Leia type of character but Carrie Fisher brought so much to that role herself and San Giacomo comes across as very weak at times.
And lastly the film is a little long it runs about 2 hours and it could’ve lost 5 or 10 minutes here and there without hurting the overall movie too much.
And so that was Quigley an enjoyable Australian western anchored by nice landscapes and a great duo of performances, 3 out of 5.
Quigley is good fun and a nice little Australian Western that first off has some very nice widescreen cinematography by David Eggby who also did the first Mad Max film there are lots of nice landscape shots that really show off the Australian outback very well as a potentially inhospitable terrain that will make mice out of men (no wonder we gave the world Mad Max) plus there are some nice town shots that were partially filmed at Flagstaff Hill here in the South West of Victoria (Warrnambool to be precise.)
Also the film is very nicely anchored firstly by Tom Selleck who never got to be Indiana Jones (though that is no big loss in all honesty) but here he is a likeable and charismatic western hero who is good with a rifle and also the late great Rickman is every inch his equal if not more so than Selleck much like he was with Bruce Willis and Kevin Costner in those films and he has a scene or two that made me think of his infamous “And Call off Christmas” scene in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
He is greatly missed.
And also keep an eye out for Jerome Ehlers, Roger Ward and a young Ben Mendelsohn in small roles.
And also I really liked that this movie subverted some Western tropes which are so often American for an Australian audience and the Indigenous very much play the part that the Native Americans would play in an American western and their side plot in this film was one I found very interesting and it had some resonance for the here and now I thought.
However the film is not without faults and a big one is Laura San Giacomo and don’t get me wrong she is okay but she also just can’t compete with Selleck and Rickman and a lot of her scenes as a result they kind of bothered me I could see what they were going for that kind of Princess Leia type of character but Carrie Fisher brought so much to that role herself and San Giacomo comes across as very weak at times.
And lastly the film is a little long it runs about 2 hours and it could’ve lost 5 or 10 minutes here and there without hurting the overall movie too much.
And so that was Quigley an enjoyable Australian western anchored by nice landscapes and a great duo of performances, 3 out of 5.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Film Review - Reckless Kelly (1993)
Reckless Kelly is written and directed by and starring Yahoo Serious and this tells the tale of the Kelly Gang in a very different way who rob banks in Sydney to give the money to people who can’t afford their loans but when Sir John (Hugo Weaving) buys his island home he has to find a million dollars to buy it back so he heads to America to get the job done.
I had fun watching Reckless Kelly and the first of those reasons is due to the fun light hearted tone that Serious brings to the material he doesn’t let the film run on longer than it needs to be nor does he let the gags get too far out of hand or go on for long enough that they outstay their welcome which happens quite a bit with most modern day comedies now plus there was a lot of great Australian tracks and scenery on show here.
Secondly Hugo Weaving is a great villain and he looks like he is relishing playing a fun slimy character so soon after his breakout role in Proof 2 years before and his manner of dress reminded me a little of Kingsman so much so that part of me was saying Manners Maketh Man at one point plus his stiff upper lip voice was great fun as well and one gag about the British flag made me laugh.
And lastly part of the pub that Ned lives in also acts as a Video Rental Library and seeing all of those lovely Roadshow Home Video cassettes on the shelves (Graham Burke serves as executive producer here so of no doubt he helped get clearance for the titles) made me geek out big time and want to freeze frame those scenes to spot the covers and I spotted Wanted Dead or Alive, Rambo II, Navy Seals, Target Eagle and a Show of Force among others that looked familiar but I couldn’t identify without getting a closer look.
But I want to end this review on a more serious note and that is when the film was over and I thought about the fun I had when watching it I also thought to myself that it was great to see our own stories as Australians up there on the screen in a way that could be accessible to a mainstream and wide audience and that if we are to have a vibrant and sustainable industry then the old prejudice towards genre films is something that has to go I feel.
And so that was Reckless Kelly a fun breezy light hearted Aussie comedy that I had some fun with, 3 out of 5.
I had fun watching Reckless Kelly and the first of those reasons is due to the fun light hearted tone that Serious brings to the material he doesn’t let the film run on longer than it needs to be nor does he let the gags get too far out of hand or go on for long enough that they outstay their welcome which happens quite a bit with most modern day comedies now plus there was a lot of great Australian tracks and scenery on show here.
Secondly Hugo Weaving is a great villain and he looks like he is relishing playing a fun slimy character so soon after his breakout role in Proof 2 years before and his manner of dress reminded me a little of Kingsman so much so that part of me was saying Manners Maketh Man at one point plus his stiff upper lip voice was great fun as well and one gag about the British flag made me laugh.
And lastly part of the pub that Ned lives in also acts as a Video Rental Library and seeing all of those lovely Roadshow Home Video cassettes on the shelves (Graham Burke serves as executive producer here so of no doubt he helped get clearance for the titles) made me geek out big time and want to freeze frame those scenes to spot the covers and I spotted Wanted Dead or Alive, Rambo II, Navy Seals, Target Eagle and a Show of Force among others that looked familiar but I couldn’t identify without getting a closer look.
But I want to end this review on a more serious note and that is when the film was over and I thought about the fun I had when watching it I also thought to myself that it was great to see our own stories as Australians up there on the screen in a way that could be accessible to a mainstream and wide audience and that if we are to have a vibrant and sustainable industry then the old prejudice towards genre films is something that has to go I feel.
And so that was Reckless Kelly a fun breezy light hearted Aussie comedy that I had some fun with, 3 out of 5.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
It's That Time Again: 2017 in Film
Part 1: The Overall Picture
Well here we are another film year has pretty much come to a close and in this first part I like to write about my overall thoughts on the year in film as a whole.
And well it hasn’t been a bad year in movies but certainly not one I would want to say was a favourite of mine which is a far cry from the great period of 2011-2015 which I would put up there with great periods of movies.
The reason I feel this way is that after a while a lot of the releases that came my way started to feel a bit of the same in that there was a lot of animated films, blockbusters and big franchise revivals and those tended to get more airtime down my way than some of the smaller ones others have talked about and reviewed.
And it was those smaller ones and especially documentaries that I missed this year now sure some of them like mother! and Battle of the Sexes came but they also went very quickly before I could get a chance to see them although from what others said I didn’t miss very much so easy come easy go.
But that was this year and we look forward to 2018 but before we delve into that I must talk about my best and worst of 2017 cause you see Fun isn’t really something one considers when writing this list but they do put a smile on my face.
Part 2: The Worst of 2017
Ah the worst lists a real pleasure of mine every single year mainly because I get to take one more shot at 5 films that took a day out of my life that I’ll never get back.
And we start at number 5 with:
Daddy’s Home 2: Now part of me was looking forward to this movie it had some fun previews going for it, it had a cast in Mark Wahlberg, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson and it was coming out at Christmas time so it became my main Christmas watch this year apart from Christmas Vacation.
Instead all I could say coming out of it was BAH HUMBUG! as it reaffirmed some of my Grinch tendencies at Christmas time but there are deeper problems here.
First off the film is just not funny or fun at all with far too much reliance on slapstick humour that is poorly timed and filmed and after a while becomes borderline abusive with poor John Lithgow a man who can be very funny becoming far too often the butt of snowballs, pratfalls and other embarrassing moments though Will Ferrell fares little better.
But the real sin here is the casting of Gibson and the humour that comes with him way too often it isn’t funny and in what is essentially a PG rated family movie (the first film was M rated) it often made me feel very uncomfortable sitting there in my seat and given Gibson’s own history in the last decade or so these jokes which would be bad with any other actor feel a lot worse when coming out of his mouth and whatever good will he got back with Hacksaw Ridge which I thought was a great film has now evaporated.
And look I am someone who can separate an artist from their work very easily but given everything going at the moment in regard to that point and whether it is a liberty all of us as film fans may have to give up albeit grudgingly in order to see real change in Hollywood going forward all of this becomes more uncomfortable to admit and/or talk about than I myself certainly would like to as this man as well as others have made films I love and have inspired me as a writer/storyteller and as a person.
4. Suburbicon: George Clooney’s return to the directors chair since the Monuments Men in 2014 boasts some very impressive credentials; An interesting story, a script co written by the Coen Brothers and a cast with the likes of Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac what could possibly go wrong?
Well almost the whole damn thing went wrong as this movie was awful to sit through at the cinema, its performances were incredibly weak Damon and Moore in particular stink to high heaven, Oscar Isaac can’t do anything to lift it out of the muck and the script is a mess and a half.
And once again just like the Monuments Men Clooney can’t balance the darkness and the light and focus on what story he wants to tell I mean you have a fascinating story of the first black family ever to move into a white neighbourhood which should open up a range of fruitful storytelling to hold up as a mirror to a contemporary audience and what the fuck does he focus on instead?
This boring as batshit black comedy about the Mob and owing money to them and insurance fraud and none of it not one scene of it is in any way interesting to watch and in the home invasion scenes early on I just wanted Damon to take off the glasses rip the shirt open Superman style and turn into Jason Bourne and kick the living shit out of the robbers instead he mopes around the damn film looking miserable and Moore is way way to cartoonish and it doesn’t fit in the film at all.
But my biggest disappointment is with Clooney I like this guy a lot he’s charismatic and great to watch but as a director he’s incredibly hit and miss and I’m beginning to lose my patience with him Money Monster was a welcome return to form but goodwill only lasts so long if it isn’t followed up with another success.
3. Alien: Covenant
Of all the picks on this list this is the one that I take no pleasure in having here mainly because a very good friend of mine really liked this movie but this was not a good film at all.
I love Ridley Scott he’s one of my favourite directors Blade Runner is one of my top 10 favourite films Black Rain is severely underrated and I loved his previous film the Martian so this should’ve continued that film’s upward curve.
Well it didn’t for three reasons first the film just isn’t that scary all of the scenes with the Alien we’re just sitting around in our seat waiting for as the sense of mystery that worked so well in 1979 because we didn’t know what to expect because Alien was just a new Sci-Fi film we went to because we loved Star Wars here I felt like just get on with it.
Which leads me to reason number 2 the characters, all of them are boring and unmemorable now go back to particularly James Cameron’s Aliens from 1986 that film is chock full of memorable characters not just Ripley but Newt, Hicks, Hudson (RIP Bill), Gorman, Vasquez, Burke, Bishop, Apone all of them have great personality and terrific lines and as a result when the Aliens come and their fighting for survival you care about whether they make it out alive or end up cocooned.
That doesn’t happen here I didn’t care less about any of them and when they do start dying horribly I’m like “Here they are nice juicy humans come and get them Here Muty Mutant” I don’t care about them and the performances even Michael Fassbender fluting himself didn’t do a bloody thing for me,
And lastly this story is pathetic and sitting through it gave me vibes of sitting through the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy all over again and by that I mean your watching this boring backstory that is told in a way that is so complicated you just don’t care and you can also feel the high arrogance of Ridley much like you did with George and now this great franchise has yet another failure to put on its bow its time this creature was put out to pasture as its days are over.
2. Passengers
Now this had some potential to be a pretty good Sci-Fi flick you had Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence and a terrific premise of this man who is woken from hypersleep following a routine error in space and has to live out his days alone and watch everyone else sound asleep without a care in the world and sure you can wake someone else up to have some company but that comes with some very very murky territory.
Territory that this movie does not navigate in any way shape or form that is even remotely tasteful and all involved squander a great idea as a result and it doesn’t help having Pratt cast in that role as you just don’t believe him doing those horrible things and to then turn around watch him be Star Lord again in Guardians 2 made this feel worse.
As for Lawrence she does what she can but this film just goes off the rails so quickly that any kind of goodwill you might have still had a sliver of just gets flushed out of the airlock as the lovers reunite and their ship starts to malfunction and sink and well it may as well be playing on the soundtrack:
Don’t let the shippp sink out in spaaace,
Although I search my soul,
Its always your hurt feelings I see,
Your just another section of our ship,
To have to fiiiixxxxxxxx.
But losing you out there,
Is like the ship sinking out in spaaaceeee…
It literally gets that bad and when it was over I was like YUCK and I walked out of that cinema on that day with a very very very bad taste in my mouth.
And now we come to the number 1 single worst film not just of this year but in any year as far as I’m concerned and that is:
The Snowman.
Yep this was the worst movie experience of this year and probably of all time for me it is that bad and it didn’t have to be for you have:
- A great cast consisting of Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, JK Simmonds and Rebecca Ferguson
- A good director in Tomas Alfredson
- Martin Scorsese as Executive Producer
- Houssen Amini as one of the screenwriters
- Thelma Schoonmaker as one of the Editors
Mr and Mrs Film Lover this gives you all the clues of a great hit and yet it is absolutely pathetic on every single level.
I mean when I was sitting there watching this pile of shit I felt like my time was being wasted as this is horribly put together in terms of its editing there’s no rhythm or flow to any of the scenes and none of them feel like they go well together, flow from one story point to the next in a logical progression and far far too often rely on the old editing trick of filming a simple drive shot and then having the actors do some ADR work over it in post production to cover any missing gaps.
But what is truly staggering is that not one of these distinguished people ever bothered to sound the alarm and go “Ah guys something is very very wrong with this movie and we need to fix it before releasing it” now Alfredson did say in an interview that he did not get to shoot 10 to 15 percent of his shooting script but why didn’t he notice there were major problems when he was editing the fucking movie and Ms Schoonmaker is one of the worlds finest film editors where was she in all this I mean this is just pathetic all around.
And my blame doesn’t stop there where the fuck was Universal Pictures and all of its management teams and executives why couldn’t THEY see this trainwreck coming and allow Alfredson the time he needed to shoot those crucial pages I mean studios have a sixth sense at least the smart ones do for knowing when their film isn’t working they sometimes restrict press showings, have late review embargoes or don’t do much in the way of advertising it just defies belief for me that nobody could see that this was not a film to release in this form.
But these things happen I guess but on the bright side I had a definitive worst film so now I can throw those turkey bones and focus on the positives because now Happy Days are Here again, the skies above are clear again, let us sing a song of cheer again.
Part 3: The Year’s Finest
Well we’ve taken out the rubbish and now it is time to talk about the favourites the 5 films that really connected to me the most this year even if they didn’t really connect with others as much.
With that out of the way let’s start with number 5 and it’s:
Wonder Woman: All the world was waiting for her and the power she possessed.
Now I will freely admit I was deeply nervous going into this movie mainly because the DC Cinematic Universe has not really done very much for me from Man of Steel which was fine but not a patch on Richard Donner’s Superman movies to Batman V Superman which was a 3 hour slog (a 3 hour slog) and then Suicide Squad which not only was a total mess but unforgivably took the abusive relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn and glamourised it into something romantic.
Talk about Barf City.
But then I saw Wonder Woman and what a refresh this movie was not terms of a frantic DC Universe run by it seems a pack of Homer Simpsons who want it all: The Terrifying Lows, The Dizzying Highs and the Creamy Middles this was Patty Jenkins knowing the film she wanted to make, the story she wanted to tell and yeah Zack Snyder gave her some guidance with the action scenes but this was her film through and through and Warner Brothers were smart (well this time) to stay out of her way.
And much like Donner’s Superman and Bryan Singer’s X-Men work it has great action, storytelling, characters and those fundamental filmmaking rules come first and all of the quips and powers and comic references and isms that dominate so many of the films in this genre nowadays even good films like Thor Ragnarok come second.
What I also love is that it not only has the best elements of a superhero film but also the feeling of a war film of good people laying down their lives for the greater good and that heroic spirit is felt in every frame of the film and it gave me hope that DC could make something of this series if they just stuck the course and stayed out of their directors way.
4. Paddington 2: This was a film that I had very high hopes for as I loved the first Paddington film, it was charming, heartfelt and had a great villain in Nicole Kidman so the bar was high for this sequel to jump.
And it jumped it with complete ease as this was a wonderful sequel to the first film and it was that rarest of birds in that it was better than the first film in almost every way, retaining the originals charm, heart and humour while doing what a great sequel should do which is to build on the strengths of the first film, deepen the character bonds and get going right away on a new adventure.
But this movie also has another great villain in Hugh Grant who is very funny, comically sinister and has a clear goal and is the main reason I feel this sequel exceeds the original film and both of these films I give enormous praise for having great fun villains in them and their presence enhances both of these films and for this sequel it made me so happy.
And when I’ve thought about this sequel it has made me think that this is the exact same feeling that I want and hope for from the rumoured Accountant sequel with Ben Affleck as if that one were to fall short like so many sequels do it will feel like for me a personal heartbreak but to do what that first film did for me again is going to be a very tough ask.
3. Split: This was for the longest part of the year my number 1 film as I could not get it out of my head I still can’t to some extent and even as the second half of the year got underway I thought that nothing would top it come the year’s end but 2 others did but before I reveal those let’s talk this movie.
Who knew that M. Night Shyamalan still had it in him to make great movies again because I honestly had given up on him completely he had had his success but a string of complete turkeys had made an awful lot of people lose faith in him but here he’s come roaring back with a story that returns to the style and tone of his 2 breakout films the Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.
And this film firstly combines the best elements of both very well Unbreakable was really ahead of its time as a movie commenting on the Superhero genre before there even was a genre to comment on plus it was a high concept type film while the Sixth Sense was more of a traditional horror film that also took time to highlight how children deal with abuse and trauma to some extent and both elements combine very well in Split.
And also much like Bruce Willis in those 2 films he had a leading man in James McAvoy that he completely trusted in and let loose which sometimes is all that’s needed for a character to be scary in a horror film and McAvoy is Academy Award nomination good here he’s powerful, imposing, a little scary but also funny at times in a creepy way and utterly captivating every scene he had I was beaming from ear to ear and glued to the screen I can’t wait to see him again in Glass in January 2019.
2. Kingsman the Golden Circle: Coming in at number 2 is Matthew Vaughn’s sequel to his 2015 sleeper hit Kingsman the Secret Service.
This was the most joyous fun I had watching a movie in a cinema all year and much like when I saw X-Men Apocalypse last year it was because I was loving being back in this world and with these characters again and Vaughn’s direction hasn’t lost a step here with its combination of high energy action, game performances and a willingness to go far out on the edge in terms of the villain and her goals something that is missing for me in most mainstream films nowadays.
The film also has a great use of music in some of its action scenes and a great cameo by Sir Elton John who elevates every scene he’s in and nicely parodies one of his hit songs in a key climax scene I know this did not get the best reviews but this was a film I really loved and would put on par with the first film.
And now we come to number 1 the top of the heap and really there could be only one this year and that is:
Dunkirk: Christopher Nolan’s World War 2 thriller was simply awe inspiring and after the Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar failed to do very much for me despite their great ambition this was a most welcome return to form.
And first off the way he tells this story is a very unique one within the War genre utilising 3 different time scapes and yet making each one synchronise seamlessly and ticking like a Swiss watch the use of dialogue is also very much on a need to know basis like those kind of operations would be and the decision to make this a ticking clock race for survival was a genius move as that is how it would have really felt for those trapped on that beach the enemy is getting closer and time is quickly running out to evacuate so Britain can stay in the war.
And secondly this is a master filmmaker like Christopher Nolan at the height of their power, the way he marshals his actors, his musical score, his cinematography, his sound design, his editing and his storytelling is why Nolan has such a devoted and passionate fan base around him and one that will also follow him on any movie he makes and power it to big box office success and in a world where directors perhaps aren’t as valued as they should be to see this kind of super stardom for a director like him is most welcome.
And also watching this movie I was in awe of it because of that precision and craftsmanship and when you see a movie like Dunkirk that not only has that great craftsmanship of filmmaking but combines with it great storytelling you just think to yourself “This is what this medium called Movies is really about.” And while they may let us down sometimes even those are worth for films like this one.
And so that was 2017 in film hopefully 2018 will be worthwhile as well after all we have Avengers: Infinity War to look forward to and everything I’ve seen from that film looks phenomenal and could very well be a height of the superhero genre that is hard to top because it has everything that Dragon Ball up to the battle with Freeza had:
- A great roster of well developed heroes
- Years of storytelling coming to a head
And a powerful villain who looks to have a big big impact and man oh man I cannot wait to see what transpires according to the Russo’s design so BRING IT ON.
Well here we are another film year has pretty much come to a close and in this first part I like to write about my overall thoughts on the year in film as a whole.
And well it hasn’t been a bad year in movies but certainly not one I would want to say was a favourite of mine which is a far cry from the great period of 2011-2015 which I would put up there with great periods of movies.
The reason I feel this way is that after a while a lot of the releases that came my way started to feel a bit of the same in that there was a lot of animated films, blockbusters and big franchise revivals and those tended to get more airtime down my way than some of the smaller ones others have talked about and reviewed.
And it was those smaller ones and especially documentaries that I missed this year now sure some of them like mother! and Battle of the Sexes came but they also went very quickly before I could get a chance to see them although from what others said I didn’t miss very much so easy come easy go.
But that was this year and we look forward to 2018 but before we delve into that I must talk about my best and worst of 2017 cause you see Fun isn’t really something one considers when writing this list but they do put a smile on my face.
Part 2: The Worst of 2017
Ah the worst lists a real pleasure of mine every single year mainly because I get to take one more shot at 5 films that took a day out of my life that I’ll never get back.
And we start at number 5 with:
Daddy’s Home 2: Now part of me was looking forward to this movie it had some fun previews going for it, it had a cast in Mark Wahlberg, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson and it was coming out at Christmas time so it became my main Christmas watch this year apart from Christmas Vacation.
Instead all I could say coming out of it was BAH HUMBUG! as it reaffirmed some of my Grinch tendencies at Christmas time but there are deeper problems here.
First off the film is just not funny or fun at all with far too much reliance on slapstick humour that is poorly timed and filmed and after a while becomes borderline abusive with poor John Lithgow a man who can be very funny becoming far too often the butt of snowballs, pratfalls and other embarrassing moments though Will Ferrell fares little better.
But the real sin here is the casting of Gibson and the humour that comes with him way too often it isn’t funny and in what is essentially a PG rated family movie (the first film was M rated) it often made me feel very uncomfortable sitting there in my seat and given Gibson’s own history in the last decade or so these jokes which would be bad with any other actor feel a lot worse when coming out of his mouth and whatever good will he got back with Hacksaw Ridge which I thought was a great film has now evaporated.
And look I am someone who can separate an artist from their work very easily but given everything going at the moment in regard to that point and whether it is a liberty all of us as film fans may have to give up albeit grudgingly in order to see real change in Hollywood going forward all of this becomes more uncomfortable to admit and/or talk about than I myself certainly would like to as this man as well as others have made films I love and have inspired me as a writer/storyteller and as a person.
4. Suburbicon: George Clooney’s return to the directors chair since the Monuments Men in 2014 boasts some very impressive credentials; An interesting story, a script co written by the Coen Brothers and a cast with the likes of Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac what could possibly go wrong?
Well almost the whole damn thing went wrong as this movie was awful to sit through at the cinema, its performances were incredibly weak Damon and Moore in particular stink to high heaven, Oscar Isaac can’t do anything to lift it out of the muck and the script is a mess and a half.
And once again just like the Monuments Men Clooney can’t balance the darkness and the light and focus on what story he wants to tell I mean you have a fascinating story of the first black family ever to move into a white neighbourhood which should open up a range of fruitful storytelling to hold up as a mirror to a contemporary audience and what the fuck does he focus on instead?
This boring as batshit black comedy about the Mob and owing money to them and insurance fraud and none of it not one scene of it is in any way interesting to watch and in the home invasion scenes early on I just wanted Damon to take off the glasses rip the shirt open Superman style and turn into Jason Bourne and kick the living shit out of the robbers instead he mopes around the damn film looking miserable and Moore is way way to cartoonish and it doesn’t fit in the film at all.
But my biggest disappointment is with Clooney I like this guy a lot he’s charismatic and great to watch but as a director he’s incredibly hit and miss and I’m beginning to lose my patience with him Money Monster was a welcome return to form but goodwill only lasts so long if it isn’t followed up with another success.
3. Alien: Covenant
Of all the picks on this list this is the one that I take no pleasure in having here mainly because a very good friend of mine really liked this movie but this was not a good film at all.
I love Ridley Scott he’s one of my favourite directors Blade Runner is one of my top 10 favourite films Black Rain is severely underrated and I loved his previous film the Martian so this should’ve continued that film’s upward curve.
Well it didn’t for three reasons first the film just isn’t that scary all of the scenes with the Alien we’re just sitting around in our seat waiting for as the sense of mystery that worked so well in 1979 because we didn’t know what to expect because Alien was just a new Sci-Fi film we went to because we loved Star Wars here I felt like just get on with it.
Which leads me to reason number 2 the characters, all of them are boring and unmemorable now go back to particularly James Cameron’s Aliens from 1986 that film is chock full of memorable characters not just Ripley but Newt, Hicks, Hudson (RIP Bill), Gorman, Vasquez, Burke, Bishop, Apone all of them have great personality and terrific lines and as a result when the Aliens come and their fighting for survival you care about whether they make it out alive or end up cocooned.
That doesn’t happen here I didn’t care less about any of them and when they do start dying horribly I’m like “Here they are nice juicy humans come and get them Here Muty Mutant” I don’t care about them and the performances even Michael Fassbender fluting himself didn’t do a bloody thing for me,
And lastly this story is pathetic and sitting through it gave me vibes of sitting through the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy all over again and by that I mean your watching this boring backstory that is told in a way that is so complicated you just don’t care and you can also feel the high arrogance of Ridley much like you did with George and now this great franchise has yet another failure to put on its bow its time this creature was put out to pasture as its days are over.
2. Passengers
Now this had some potential to be a pretty good Sci-Fi flick you had Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence and a terrific premise of this man who is woken from hypersleep following a routine error in space and has to live out his days alone and watch everyone else sound asleep without a care in the world and sure you can wake someone else up to have some company but that comes with some very very murky territory.
Territory that this movie does not navigate in any way shape or form that is even remotely tasteful and all involved squander a great idea as a result and it doesn’t help having Pratt cast in that role as you just don’t believe him doing those horrible things and to then turn around watch him be Star Lord again in Guardians 2 made this feel worse.
As for Lawrence she does what she can but this film just goes off the rails so quickly that any kind of goodwill you might have still had a sliver of just gets flushed out of the airlock as the lovers reunite and their ship starts to malfunction and sink and well it may as well be playing on the soundtrack:
Don’t let the shippp sink out in spaaace,
Although I search my soul,
Its always your hurt feelings I see,
Your just another section of our ship,
To have to fiiiixxxxxxxx.
But losing you out there,
Is like the ship sinking out in spaaaceeee…
It literally gets that bad and when it was over I was like YUCK and I walked out of that cinema on that day with a very very very bad taste in my mouth.
And now we come to the number 1 single worst film not just of this year but in any year as far as I’m concerned and that is:
The Snowman.
Yep this was the worst movie experience of this year and probably of all time for me it is that bad and it didn’t have to be for you have:
- A great cast consisting of Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, JK Simmonds and Rebecca Ferguson
- A good director in Tomas Alfredson
- Martin Scorsese as Executive Producer
- Houssen Amini as one of the screenwriters
- Thelma Schoonmaker as one of the Editors
Mr and Mrs Film Lover this gives you all the clues of a great hit and yet it is absolutely pathetic on every single level.
I mean when I was sitting there watching this pile of shit I felt like my time was being wasted as this is horribly put together in terms of its editing there’s no rhythm or flow to any of the scenes and none of them feel like they go well together, flow from one story point to the next in a logical progression and far far too often rely on the old editing trick of filming a simple drive shot and then having the actors do some ADR work over it in post production to cover any missing gaps.
But what is truly staggering is that not one of these distinguished people ever bothered to sound the alarm and go “Ah guys something is very very wrong with this movie and we need to fix it before releasing it” now Alfredson did say in an interview that he did not get to shoot 10 to 15 percent of his shooting script but why didn’t he notice there were major problems when he was editing the fucking movie and Ms Schoonmaker is one of the worlds finest film editors where was she in all this I mean this is just pathetic all around.
And my blame doesn’t stop there where the fuck was Universal Pictures and all of its management teams and executives why couldn’t THEY see this trainwreck coming and allow Alfredson the time he needed to shoot those crucial pages I mean studios have a sixth sense at least the smart ones do for knowing when their film isn’t working they sometimes restrict press showings, have late review embargoes or don’t do much in the way of advertising it just defies belief for me that nobody could see that this was not a film to release in this form.
But these things happen I guess but on the bright side I had a definitive worst film so now I can throw those turkey bones and focus on the positives because now Happy Days are Here again, the skies above are clear again, let us sing a song of cheer again.
Part 3: The Year’s Finest
Well we’ve taken out the rubbish and now it is time to talk about the favourites the 5 films that really connected to me the most this year even if they didn’t really connect with others as much.
With that out of the way let’s start with number 5 and it’s:
Wonder Woman: All the world was waiting for her and the power she possessed.
Now I will freely admit I was deeply nervous going into this movie mainly because the DC Cinematic Universe has not really done very much for me from Man of Steel which was fine but not a patch on Richard Donner’s Superman movies to Batman V Superman which was a 3 hour slog (a 3 hour slog) and then Suicide Squad which not only was a total mess but unforgivably took the abusive relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn and glamourised it into something romantic.
Talk about Barf City.
But then I saw Wonder Woman and what a refresh this movie was not terms of a frantic DC Universe run by it seems a pack of Homer Simpsons who want it all: The Terrifying Lows, The Dizzying Highs and the Creamy Middles this was Patty Jenkins knowing the film she wanted to make, the story she wanted to tell and yeah Zack Snyder gave her some guidance with the action scenes but this was her film through and through and Warner Brothers were smart (well this time) to stay out of her way.
And much like Donner’s Superman and Bryan Singer’s X-Men work it has great action, storytelling, characters and those fundamental filmmaking rules come first and all of the quips and powers and comic references and isms that dominate so many of the films in this genre nowadays even good films like Thor Ragnarok come second.
What I also love is that it not only has the best elements of a superhero film but also the feeling of a war film of good people laying down their lives for the greater good and that heroic spirit is felt in every frame of the film and it gave me hope that DC could make something of this series if they just stuck the course and stayed out of their directors way.
4. Paddington 2: This was a film that I had very high hopes for as I loved the first Paddington film, it was charming, heartfelt and had a great villain in Nicole Kidman so the bar was high for this sequel to jump.
And it jumped it with complete ease as this was a wonderful sequel to the first film and it was that rarest of birds in that it was better than the first film in almost every way, retaining the originals charm, heart and humour while doing what a great sequel should do which is to build on the strengths of the first film, deepen the character bonds and get going right away on a new adventure.
But this movie also has another great villain in Hugh Grant who is very funny, comically sinister and has a clear goal and is the main reason I feel this sequel exceeds the original film and both of these films I give enormous praise for having great fun villains in them and their presence enhances both of these films and for this sequel it made me so happy.
And when I’ve thought about this sequel it has made me think that this is the exact same feeling that I want and hope for from the rumoured Accountant sequel with Ben Affleck as if that one were to fall short like so many sequels do it will feel like for me a personal heartbreak but to do what that first film did for me again is going to be a very tough ask.
3. Split: This was for the longest part of the year my number 1 film as I could not get it out of my head I still can’t to some extent and even as the second half of the year got underway I thought that nothing would top it come the year’s end but 2 others did but before I reveal those let’s talk this movie.
Who knew that M. Night Shyamalan still had it in him to make great movies again because I honestly had given up on him completely he had had his success but a string of complete turkeys had made an awful lot of people lose faith in him but here he’s come roaring back with a story that returns to the style and tone of his 2 breakout films the Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.
And this film firstly combines the best elements of both very well Unbreakable was really ahead of its time as a movie commenting on the Superhero genre before there even was a genre to comment on plus it was a high concept type film while the Sixth Sense was more of a traditional horror film that also took time to highlight how children deal with abuse and trauma to some extent and both elements combine very well in Split.
And also much like Bruce Willis in those 2 films he had a leading man in James McAvoy that he completely trusted in and let loose which sometimes is all that’s needed for a character to be scary in a horror film and McAvoy is Academy Award nomination good here he’s powerful, imposing, a little scary but also funny at times in a creepy way and utterly captivating every scene he had I was beaming from ear to ear and glued to the screen I can’t wait to see him again in Glass in January 2019.
2. Kingsman the Golden Circle: Coming in at number 2 is Matthew Vaughn’s sequel to his 2015 sleeper hit Kingsman the Secret Service.
This was the most joyous fun I had watching a movie in a cinema all year and much like when I saw X-Men Apocalypse last year it was because I was loving being back in this world and with these characters again and Vaughn’s direction hasn’t lost a step here with its combination of high energy action, game performances and a willingness to go far out on the edge in terms of the villain and her goals something that is missing for me in most mainstream films nowadays.
The film also has a great use of music in some of its action scenes and a great cameo by Sir Elton John who elevates every scene he’s in and nicely parodies one of his hit songs in a key climax scene I know this did not get the best reviews but this was a film I really loved and would put on par with the first film.
And now we come to number 1 the top of the heap and really there could be only one this year and that is:
Dunkirk: Christopher Nolan’s World War 2 thriller was simply awe inspiring and after the Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar failed to do very much for me despite their great ambition this was a most welcome return to form.
And first off the way he tells this story is a very unique one within the War genre utilising 3 different time scapes and yet making each one synchronise seamlessly and ticking like a Swiss watch the use of dialogue is also very much on a need to know basis like those kind of operations would be and the decision to make this a ticking clock race for survival was a genius move as that is how it would have really felt for those trapped on that beach the enemy is getting closer and time is quickly running out to evacuate so Britain can stay in the war.
And secondly this is a master filmmaker like Christopher Nolan at the height of their power, the way he marshals his actors, his musical score, his cinematography, his sound design, his editing and his storytelling is why Nolan has such a devoted and passionate fan base around him and one that will also follow him on any movie he makes and power it to big box office success and in a world where directors perhaps aren’t as valued as they should be to see this kind of super stardom for a director like him is most welcome.
And also watching this movie I was in awe of it because of that precision and craftsmanship and when you see a movie like Dunkirk that not only has that great craftsmanship of filmmaking but combines with it great storytelling you just think to yourself “This is what this medium called Movies is really about.” And while they may let us down sometimes even those are worth for films like this one.
And so that was 2017 in film hopefully 2018 will be worthwhile as well after all we have Avengers: Infinity War to look forward to and everything I’ve seen from that film looks phenomenal and could very well be a height of the superhero genre that is hard to top because it has everything that Dragon Ball up to the battle with Freeza had:
- A great roster of well developed heroes
- Years of storytelling coming to a head
And a powerful villain who looks to have a big big impact and man oh man I cannot wait to see what transpires according to the Russo’s design so BRING IT ON.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Film Review - Valkyrie (2009)
Valkyrie is directed by Bryan Singer and is based off of the real life story of Operation Valkyrie in which Colonel Von Stuaffenburg (Tom Cruise) tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler but given that it was a military operation things can always go wrong.
Valkyrie is a well made thriller with nice direction by Singer first off, he makes sure that there is plenty of breathing space to explain the complicated nature of the operation as well as flesh out the people involved that made up the operation as well as the effects and aftermath of the plan and as a result the film while taking its time with the storyline doesn’t allow itself also to get too long winded and overstay its welcome.
Secondly the period design of the film is quite nice with the multiple flags, uniforms, lavish hall sets that feel very nicely detailed and I particularly liked the uniforms as for me they felt very authentic plus I loved all the old timey communication devices and the overall sound design was quite good but mainly because I’d been watching Dunkirk I did get a little more jumpy than normal when guns went off on the soundtrack.
And lastly the ensemble cast of Cruise, Terence Stamp (and I did kneel before him when he first came on), Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Thomas Krestchmann (Baron Von Struckker) among others were quite good Cruise in particular really surprised me here as I’ve been hit and miss with him over the years but here I thought his smarts and charisma were put to nice use here no doubt due to both Singer and Chris McQuarrie knowing how to use him and play to his strengths as a performer the others perform as you would expect them too and no one was really bad here I thought.
And so that was Valkyrie a well made, nicely paced thriller with good performances that is worth watching for World War 2 buffs out there, 3 out of 5.
Valkyrie is a well made thriller with nice direction by Singer first off, he makes sure that there is plenty of breathing space to explain the complicated nature of the operation as well as flesh out the people involved that made up the operation as well as the effects and aftermath of the plan and as a result the film while taking its time with the storyline doesn’t allow itself also to get too long winded and overstay its welcome.
Secondly the period design of the film is quite nice with the multiple flags, uniforms, lavish hall sets that feel very nicely detailed and I particularly liked the uniforms as for me they felt very authentic plus I loved all the old timey communication devices and the overall sound design was quite good but mainly because I’d been watching Dunkirk I did get a little more jumpy than normal when guns went off on the soundtrack.
And lastly the ensemble cast of Cruise, Terence Stamp (and I did kneel before him when he first came on), Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Thomas Krestchmann (Baron Von Struckker) among others were quite good Cruise in particular really surprised me here as I’ve been hit and miss with him over the years but here I thought his smarts and charisma were put to nice use here no doubt due to both Singer and Chris McQuarrie knowing how to use him and play to his strengths as a performer the others perform as you would expect them too and no one was really bad here I thought.
And so that was Valkyrie a well made, nicely paced thriller with good performances that is worth watching for World War 2 buffs out there, 3 out of 5.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Film Review - The Disaster Artist (2017)
The Disaster Artist is directed by and stars James Franco and is based off of the making of the 2003 cult hit the Room which was directed by and starred Tommy Wiseau it follows his journey to make the film and then its trials and tribularions of production and he did not hit her, he did not hit her, he did nooott.
Oh Hai Mark.
If you’re a film lover like I am you really owe it to yourself to check out this movie as it is a lot of fun and has a number of great laughs in it as well as some really fun cameos but Franco is the star here as Mr Wiseau with that very peculiar voice he does and weird kind of body posture that looks like someone who just refuses to sleep at all (I’ll live while I’m alive and I’ll sleep when I’m dead could be tattooed on this man) and he’s never made a clown too much nor is he boring to watch.
But others are fun as well including Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson and Jacki Weaver among others and to watch what is clearly turning into a trainwreck of a movie unfold was also a lot fun as well as you see it turn from a disaster to a cult hit because its such a disaster to watch and I got a good amount of satisfaction out of that.
And so that was the Disaster Artist a shorter review compared to others for new releases but it says what I want to say clearly enough its good fun but mainly recommended for movie lovers, 4 out of 5.
Oh Hai Mark.
If you’re a film lover like I am you really owe it to yourself to check out this movie as it is a lot of fun and has a number of great laughs in it as well as some really fun cameos but Franco is the star here as Mr Wiseau with that very peculiar voice he does and weird kind of body posture that looks like someone who just refuses to sleep at all (I’ll live while I’m alive and I’ll sleep when I’m dead could be tattooed on this man) and he’s never made a clown too much nor is he boring to watch.
But others are fun as well including Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson and Jacki Weaver among others and to watch what is clearly turning into a trainwreck of a movie unfold was also a lot fun as well as you see it turn from a disaster to a cult hit because its such a disaster to watch and I got a good amount of satisfaction out of that.
And so that was the Disaster Artist a shorter review compared to others for new releases but it says what I want to say clearly enough its good fun but mainly recommended for movie lovers, 4 out of 5.
Film Review - Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington 2 is the sequel to 2014’s Paddington and Ben Wishaw once again voices Paddington Bear as he enters the workforce to raise money for a popup book to send to his Aunt Lucy but when the book goes missing Paddington is sent to jail and now must find a way to clear his name.
Sitting through Paddington 2 one thought entered my mind and that was “SEE THIS IS HOW IT CAN BE DONE!” and by that I mean movie sequel as this one is that rarest of birds a sequel better than the first film in almost every aspect the first film was great but this one does what a great sequel should do which is deepen the character relationships, take advantage of the fact that the first film set everything up and set off right away on a new adventure.
Wishaw deserves a most special credit here for his voice work as Paddington as he brings so much heart, warmth, sincerity and soul to this character that you just cannot help but want to give him a big warm cuddle as you are instantly on his side in whatever he does whether its getting a ride around his neighbourhood or trying to clear his name in prison.
There is also ample back up work by Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters and Brendan Gleeson and Gleeson is particular is very funny as Knuckles the prison chef and the film itself has some really really funny moments in it that had me laughing a lot out loud throughout the movie.
But the show stealer here is Mr Hugh Grant who plays Phoenix an actor reduced to eating Dog Food in commercials which by the way reminded me of the scene in Red Dwarf where Lister ate the Dog Food in the episode Marooned and he is a fabulous villain here and he is why this sequel is a better film than the first one and I loved that and the villain Nicole Kidman played in it but this one Hugh shamlessly lampoons his British rom com roots and finds a way of being hammy and over the top but also being lots of fun at the same time.
And who knew that this family film series would be one that has great villains in it both of them are clearly defined have a set goal they want to accomplish and for me I had great fun watching them go about that goal and villains in these family films can at times be as important as they are to an action/genre type of film and when they go right in both accounts the films are better for it.
But also the way that Diversity Is handled in this movie as well as the first film is a real treat as it paints a great portrait of Modern London and the diverse streets and neighbourhoods of those that live in them its done in a way that says this is how things are and we’re used to it sometimes stuff like this can go wrong and go wrong very badly but here its done correctly and it paints a great environment for the younger audiences.
And so that was Paddington 2 and please go and see it as its that rare sequel better than the first film in almost every way, 4 and a half out of 5.
Sitting through Paddington 2 one thought entered my mind and that was “SEE THIS IS HOW IT CAN BE DONE!” and by that I mean movie sequel as this one is that rarest of birds a sequel better than the first film in almost every aspect the first film was great but this one does what a great sequel should do which is deepen the character relationships, take advantage of the fact that the first film set everything up and set off right away on a new adventure.
Wishaw deserves a most special credit here for his voice work as Paddington as he brings so much heart, warmth, sincerity and soul to this character that you just cannot help but want to give him a big warm cuddle as you are instantly on his side in whatever he does whether its getting a ride around his neighbourhood or trying to clear his name in prison.
There is also ample back up work by Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters and Brendan Gleeson and Gleeson is particular is very funny as Knuckles the prison chef and the film itself has some really really funny moments in it that had me laughing a lot out loud throughout the movie.
But the show stealer here is Mr Hugh Grant who plays Phoenix an actor reduced to eating Dog Food in commercials which by the way reminded me of the scene in Red Dwarf where Lister ate the Dog Food in the episode Marooned and he is a fabulous villain here and he is why this sequel is a better film than the first one and I loved that and the villain Nicole Kidman played in it but this one Hugh shamlessly lampoons his British rom com roots and finds a way of being hammy and over the top but also being lots of fun at the same time.
And who knew that this family film series would be one that has great villains in it both of them are clearly defined have a set goal they want to accomplish and for me I had great fun watching them go about that goal and villains in these family films can at times be as important as they are to an action/genre type of film and when they go right in both accounts the films are better for it.
But also the way that Diversity Is handled in this movie as well as the first film is a real treat as it paints a great portrait of Modern London and the diverse streets and neighbourhoods of those that live in them its done in a way that says this is how things are and we’re used to it sometimes stuff like this can go wrong and go wrong very badly but here its done correctly and it paints a great environment for the younger audiences.
And so that was Paddington 2 and please go and see it as its that rare sequel better than the first film in almost every way, 4 and a half out of 5.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
