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Spencer (2021)
Stewart Shines in this great - Albeit overlong, Diana Biopic
Spencer was written and directed by Pablo Lorrain, who I have personally been a massive fan since seeing his Jackie Kennedy biopic back in 2015, which in all honesty may be my favourite biopic of all time. The presentation was just fantastic and Natalie Portman's performance was outstanding, but my main positive with Jackie is how authentic it felt. The problem I find myself having with a lot of stories based of real people is they just don't feel real at all, movies like Bohemiam rhapsody (2018) and Judy (2019) are great examples of movies that despite being based on real life icons with interesting back stories, they feel like the exact same movie with the exact same story beats. And that's because these movies are not actually trying to really accomplish anything, there not trying to say something or make us think, they exist to essentially capitalise on the success of these people and for the producers to make a quick buck with scripts that feel they are more interested in ticking boxes on a script checklist than bringing these iconic figures stories to life on the big screen. This is not the case with Lorrain, who very clearly has a deep respect for the subjects of his movies and is writing a script around the fundamentals of what makes the subject so important in the first place.
Which brings us to Spencer, Which tells the story of Princess Diana, the movie takes place over one Christmas weekend where the whole royal family are having a get together as part of Christmas tradition. Tradition is one of the main themes of Spencer, Diana was someone who was very well known for simply not fitting the bill when it came to the royals, who are so bogged down in tradition and acting "proper". Diana was someone who rejected this, she did not want to exist how she was told to, a person who was born into a role that she did not ask for. Its an incredibly sad situation for someone to be in and this movie illustrates this perfectly, Its actually an incredibly bold and Audacious movie to get made if you really think about it. I respect the team for not being afraid to take on a subject like this with such unrelenting honesty. Presentation was also great. In particular the production design. Everything just look so pristine, the food looked incredible, the clothes looked Sumptuous, the production team did a very impressive job and it really stood out to me as an highlight and definitely deserves some love come award season.
One of the things I was most looking forward to was Stewart's performance, Lorrain is very clearly a great actor-director which clearly shows throughout his filmography, and Stewart does not disappoint, she was fantastic and ended up being my favourite aspect to the movie. The movie also does a phenomenal job of framing the movie from Diana's perspective, there are some really uncomfortable sequences that had me on the edge of my seat. One stand out sequence including a dinner table scene, which had me gasping for air by the end of it.
The movie has a 1 hour and 57 minute run time, which I wouldn't say is particularly long but I do still feel you could have shaved of at least half an hour. My main problem with spencer is with the story. I feel that the movie pretty much achieves everything it aims to story wise within the first 45 minutes, it can undeniably feel a little repetitive at times, and the plot and set up for spencer feels very restricted at times. There was also a relationship between Diana and her assistant which could have done with a little more development.
Overall spencer is another great Biopic from Lorrain who is slowly and steadily solidifying himself as the best person for the job when It comes to this sub-genre. Great performances across the board with Stewart being a stand out, Will be really interested to see if Stewart gets nominated for a Bafta next year considering the royal families involvement in that organisation. I did have some issues with the story and the runtime, but regardless this is an honest and heart-breaking movie that perfectly illustrates The peoples princess and her struggle.
The Devil All the Time (2020)
A very bleak movie with not much payoff to show for it.
The Devil all the time is a very bleak movie, filled with some of the worst characters I've seen all year. Characters who do some of the most unforgiveable things but at the same time wants you to care. This isn't something new, Movies like No Country For Old Men are able to portray a world filled with selfish characters only out for themselves with seemingly no chance of change or happy escape. Despite that the film is able to stay interesting thanks to the engaging story and well written characters, unfortunately the same cannot be said for The Devil All the Time, which I found to be a Jumbled mess of a movie with poorly developed characters with no one to root for and an overly long run time.
One aspect to this movie that appealed to me was the cast, with the likes of Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Haley Bennett and bill skarsgård to name a few. Unfortunately, there talents here are wasted on some of the most unlikeable characters of the year. Characters being unlikable doesn't necessarily have to be a negative, it's been proven throughout the history of cinema that audiences find evil to be just as engaging (if not more so) than good. We relate more to characters with flaws and if the script can do a good job of establishing these characters then your audience will be on board. But here Evil is portrayed with such little nuance that it can feel overwhelming. As I said above, this movie is extremely bleak and that is due to just how nasty the characters are to one another with very little levity. Take Robert Pattinson's Preston Teagardin as a example, There are some small nuggets of character development sprinkled throughout to give the character some sense of personality, However for most of the film he is presented with such a lack of charisma and is awful to literally every characters he speaks to that it's really hard to see him as a real person and really it just comes off as comical in the end. At no point are we ever given any reason to understand this character and I am sure that's what the filmmakers were going for, I mean the movie is called The Devil all the time After all, but a little more development for some of these characters would have gone along way, just something else to latch onto to give reason to act the way they do so it feels less comical . Maybe not though, Im not exaggerating when I say every character in this movie is despicable, lots of violence, deceiving, murdering, and with no one to really root for this all ends up just becoming exhausting and kind of pointless.
At times the devil all the time can feel structureless, with some of the storylines not feeling all that impactful on the overarching plot, Haley Bennett storyline for example felt as if it was from a different movie entirely. The third act does try to stitch everything together with all the different plot threads but it just feels so forced and weak. The final moments especially just felt rushed and lazy. Also a small nit-pick but the film features flashbacks to scenes that have already happened in the film, something that does nothing more than distract me and question why the filmmakers think I have forgotten something that happened 20 minutes ago, its more of an annoyance for me with movies in general and whilst not a major issue, it's certainly something that bothered me here and was done more than once.
On a more positive note the movie is very well shot, it does a really good job of capturing the atmosphere of its surrounding, and despite my complaints with the characters the actors did do as good a job as they could. The Score was ok, and despite feeling very familiar at times it did get the job done and even improved some scenes. It is not necessarily a terrible movie, there are aspects to appreciate and its admirable when Netflix try something a little darker. But its not something I'll be revisiting anytime soon and will probably forget by the end of the week.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Another expertly crafted piece of art from Charlie Kaufman
I have been a huge Charlie Kaufman fan for as far back as I can remember, with Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind being one of my favourite movies of all time. I consider him to be the best screenwriter working today, each one of his scripts is so different and nuanced but at the same time feel so in touch with who we are as humans, are fears, Deaths, relationships, Are inability to truly connect to one another, all this and more is prominent throughout Kaufman's work and feels incredibly sincere and truthful in ways that no other filmmaker, as well as artist in general is able to portray in a way as significant as Kaufman can.
I watched Im thinking of ending things yesterday and still have not been able to fully wrap my head around the film, there is so much to uncover and to be processed. For this movie I will need to let it sit for a few more months as trying to process it all does not happen over one night. Some may see this as a negative, However I believe that despite not being able to truly understand the movie yet, I am confident that this movie is a masterpiece.
This is Kaufman's third movie in the directors' chair, having only decided to start directing his movies when Spike Jonze was unavailable for Synecdoche new York, since then he has directed all of his own scripts and with that he is now 3 for 3, the direction in this movie is immaculate. There is such an eagle eye for attention to detail throughout. The way all the filmmaking aspects come together to create this films atmosphere is brilliant. The costumes, lighting, camera movements, editing. Every aspect to this movies production just feels so precise and purposeful. Just like Synecdoche New York, which was able to hide extremely subtle clues throughout the movie visually to paint a clearer picture to the movies true nature, it's a movie that doesn't punish its audience for paying attention, which goes for this movie also, and despite the fact that Im thinking of ending things feels a lot smaller in scale compared to Kaufman's previous work, it's just as bold and daring in the way it tells its story.
Every single performance throughout this movie was Master-class, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette and David Thewlis are all actors who I have enjoyed in the past but here they each give some of their best work, however its Jessie Buckley who steals the show. She was fantastic and the way in which she can play of the other actors in the movie makes for some amazing scenes. The movie is very dialogue heavy and these actors managed to bring these conversations to life authentically and with very impressive range.
In the end this movie simply blew me away. I was completely transfixed for the entire 2-hour runtime. I really cannot think of a single flaw. Pitch perfect direction, stunning cinematography, top notch performances and another audacious script from Charlie Kaufman. This is my personal favourite movie of the year so far and I cannot wait to see it again.
Tenet (2020)
Another mind bending sci fi movie From Christopher Nolan with a Spy/Espionage twist
Tenet was written and directed by Christopher Nolan and tells the story of "The Protagonist" a secret agent who has been tasked with trying to prevent world war 3. This is the absolute bare bones synopsis of what this story entails. As just like with Christopher Nolan's previous projects this one has a lot going on.
I want to start off by saying Nolan is a filmmaker who I have had a lot of respect for over his career, a filmmaker working within the studio formula but still being able to make wholly original movies. He always manages to bring something new to the table and Tenet is no exception. This movie left quite an impression on me and even almost a week after seeing it, I still notice myself wondering about how this film even exists. Just like with Inception and Memento, Nolan's previous mind bending pieces, Trying to imagine this movie in script form and imaging Nolan having to explain to his cast and crew, it must of been difficult to get the crew entirely on Board with the concept at play here and I have nothing but respect for someone who is not afraid to really think outside the box and Nolan most certainly does just that.
From a genre point of view Tenet is Christopher Nolan's take on classic spy thrillers, characters like James bond and Jason Bourne and the worlds they inhabit. with their fast cars, supermodel women, sharp suits and exotic countries. this movie has all of that but rather than relish in all those things, the movie is more interested in exploring unique concepts to tell the story. The way that Tenet handles these unique concepts is nothing short of stunning. There are some set pieces in this movie that will leave you speechless, Nolan use of practical effects and stunts make for some awe-inspiring moments that we don't just get enough of in movies nowadays.
Are main stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki all did fantastic jobs with what they are given with Debicki being my favourite performance. They are not particularly developed characters which I have heard some people take issue with. And whilst I do agree maybe a little more backstory for these characters would have helped the film, I did not find myself to bothered by it. Nolan has always been a concept guy over a character guy so it is almost something I come to expect at this point. However, I will admit that some of the dialogue did feel a little clunky and there were some really on the nose lines of dialogue that a felt a little cheesy even for Nolan's standards.
One thing I was concerned about going in was the lack of Hans Zimmer. Zimmer and Nolan together are as iconic as bread and butter. Fortunately, I am happy to report that Ludwig Goransson's was great and a highlight of the movie, albeit a little overused. There were several scenes where I felt the music did not really add much and could have been taken out altogether which ironically is something that I have always appreciated about Nolan in past films. On the flip side the music combined with some of the more action-oriented scenes made for some truly pulse raising movie magic. Including the opening sequence which was fantastic.
I think that Where this movie suffers the most is its first act. A very choppy, messy and convoluted act that on first viewing did have me a little concerned. The problem is the movie needs to throw a lot of crucial information at its audience for later reveals to have the payoff they deserve and at times it can be a little tiresome. Once you get passed all that and get into the meat of the movie the momentum really picks up and once it does pick up it never really slows back down, but it's just that first hour that really hurts the pacing. There are also some issues with audio mixing I noticed. A lot of dialogue was missed on my first viewing thanks to music or sound effects being too loud. As the film progresses it does seem to improve but it is still can be very distracting at times.
Overall, this is another great addition to the Nolan filmography. It is not his best but certainly not his worst and a pretty great movie to go along with the reopening of cinemas. Oh, and if you can watch this movie in Imax, it is absolutely worth it.
8/10
Gisaengchung (2019)
One of the best films of the year as well as Bong Joon Ho's career
Parasite is written and directed by Bong Joon Ho (Memories Of murder, The Host, Snowpiercer) and tells the story of a poor family living In Korea who take particular interest in a wealthy family as they slowly integrate themselves into there lives. Thats the basic/general premise for Parasite, and don't look anything else up about this movie beacuse make no mistake, this is a movie best experienced by knowing as little as possible, it also just so happens to be one of, if not the best movie of the entire year aswell as Bong Joon Ho's entire career.
Where to even begin with this one. Well let's start with the director himself. Ive always been a huge fan of Bong Joon Ho's. The Host is one of my favourite monster movies and Snowpiercer is a fun ride aswell, however it's Memories of Murder that really impressed me. A perfectly constructed crime thriller which put Ho on the map. Ho is a extremely ambitious and confident filmmaker who seems to be always trying something new with every movie he makes. One thing that always strikes me and many other fans of Bong's work is the overall tone of his films. Just like his previous work parasite is really difficult to place into just one genre. At times it extremely funny and playful, the next minute it will be an nail biting thriller with a hint of horror. Bongs writing style is something that I have always enjoyed but here in particular It works extremely well.
My favourite aspect of this movie (Besides basically everything) is the characters and the writing. Parasite is a movie that is examing social classes and showing the divide for what it truly is, in the film we see perspectives from both poor and rich families. With that in mind you may have some preconception of how these families are going to be shown based on what you have seen in the past. However you would be wrong. Ho manages to show both families with the same amount of respect as each other. His not trying to make the rich looks evil but at the same time not trying to make the poor look like saints. He is just showing human beings and the effect that these social class divides take on us. One thing that Bong Joon Ho said in the Q&A after the screening that struck me was: "There are no Villains in this film" and it's true. This all lends itself to a truly unique experience where you understand every characters motivations and understand the actions that they take, and in turn practically don't necessarily know who you want to come out on top.
Just go support this movie if you get the chance. Especially if you are a fan of film as an art form. Beacuse this truly is a masterful put together movie that from the second it starts to the end had me transfixed.
Marriage Story (2019)
A Marriage Story
The subject of divorce is not something new for film, it's been done countless times by many rom com type movies that often end up coming of as disingenuous and fake. Well that's not the case with Noah Baumbach latest Marriage story, A compassionate and in depth look at the family unit in the face of break up with some of the most fleshed out and fully realised characters I have seen all year.
The Best aspect to this movie would have to be the script. Both are main characters (Played brilliantly by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson) have so much character to them and feel like genuinely real people. We see both these characters for who they are, neither of these people are perfect and the movie doesn't shy away from that, rather than have a bias we are shown both sides of the story and even if you do end up siding with one of the characters at no point do you not understand and sympathise with the other. That's what makes Marriage story so special, because it never paints either of the characters as the bad guy, which in turn gives the film a much more genuine feel to it that you don't usually find in these types of movie. On A side note the movie is also extremely funny, The Serving scene specifically was just perfect.
The actors do such A phenomenal with the material here. Early in the film Scarlett Johansson has a long monologue that's given in one continuous shot, and I forgot that I was watching a movie. She felt so incredibly real and at no point did I see an actor giving a performance. Same goes for Adam driver, both actors are award worthy here. The Supporting cast is also great including the likes of Laura Dern and Ray Liotta playing the divorce lawyers.
With a run time of almost 2 hour and 30 minutes. Its Impressive just how quickly that runtime seems to go. That's mainly due to the fact that no stone is left unturned So to speak. Marriage story goes so in depth into the effect divorce can have on 2 people that any movie that came before (and potentially even after) ends up feeling as shallow as a puddle. This movie truly is something special and I can't think of a single person that won't enjoy this.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
Gorgeous Cinematography, Great Acting and characters. Let down by a poor story.
Joe Talbot first feature Movie The last black man in San Francisco has been getting a lot of buzz around the festivals this year and has been on my watchlist for a while. After seeing the movie there are aspects of this movie that do live up to all the hype, but there are also things holding it back from greatness.
let's start with the positives, for a debut feature film, this movie is nothing short of a marvellous achievement. Seriously from a technical point of view, this is clearly someone who knows what they are doing. Talbot is able to show such skill behind the camera and prove that he is a name to look out for going forward, throughout the film the atmosphere of San Francisco just bleeds through the screen, the gorgeous cinematography and impressive camera work on display here is nothing short of mesmerising. There are countless long shots that just allow the city of san Francisco time to visually breath and for a low budget film likes this certainly impressive. The Acting was amazing across the board. There was not a single weak link in the entire cast. The score was also fantastic and there are scenes that are elevated by the music, including moments with licensed songs that felt purposeful and didn't feel cheap.
From a visual standpoint this movie is something special, unfortunately that's where the positives stop for me. My main issue with this movie is its core, its story. Unfortunately, there really isn't that much of an engaging story to be found here. That not to say there aren't any redeemable qualities. The first 10 minutes start of extremely strong and completely set the tone for what's to come. However, after that I spent the rest of the movie expecting some kind of Initial incident that sets the "real" story in motion, but it never came. The main driving force for the characters in this movie was just not well developed at all and I found myself struggling to understand character motivations, which at first, I assumed was intentional but as the film ended it was clear that I wasn't going to get the answers I required. On that note - no spoilers but the ending to this movie I found to be completely unsatisfying and disappointing. There are revelations that the movie insists are big dramatic moments however for anyone paying attention it was obvious already. Maybe on a second viewing ill find something that makes me appreciate the story more but as it stands right now, I just didn't find the film had much of anything to really latch onto in this regard.
Never less - I have my problems with the story and wasn't exactly what I would call engaged. However, without a doubt this is one of the best-looking movies of the entire year, with some great acting and characters to boot. I hope Joe Talbot continues into a career in film because Im a fan and will be going to see whatever he works on next
Sorry We Missed You (2019)
Another honest Painting of the world from Ken Loach
Sorry we missed you is directed by Ken loach and written by long time collaborator Paul Laverty. It tells the story of Ricky Turner, who after a series of jobs has ended up becoming a delivery driver to try and make ends meet and to gain a better life for his family. Just like with Ken loach previous film I Daniel Blake, which focused on the flawed benefits system in the UK, this movie tackels 0 hour contracts and the struggles that this work system can have on the family unit. Now it may be easy to take one glance at this movie and think that it's a little to similar to I Daniel blake due to its presentation and subject matter. But make no mistake, this movie absolutely makes its existence worthy as Loach has crafted one of the best films of the whole year.
Unlike any other filmmaker working today, Ken Loach seems very much determined to paint the world how it actually is. There is no flashy cinematography or flashy sets, it's all kept to pretty simple in that regard. Instead the movie Excels at showing everyday struggles of characters who seem as real as me or you. His style as a director allows the audience to connect with the characters on such a deeper level thanks to how honest they feel.
The performances where pretty much great overall. The 4 main characters all did a great job and served the script really well. However there were a few minor characters whos performance weren't too great, thankfully though these characters were given very minimal screen time. As far as complaints go I really don't have many, one thing that I wasn't a big fan of was the score. Pretty much 95% of the movie doesn't even feature a score, which of course fits in with that honest portrayal of the world. With that said there are a few moments where music is used and with the rest of the movie being so confident in its presentation I just found the music to be pretty distracting
Minor complaints, don't be mistaken, not only is this is one of the best films of the year but its also one of the most important. A movie that can show this country for what it is and isn't afraid to pull it's punches. A absolute must see.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
A fun/Safe ride back into the world of breaking bad.
Breaking bad is and forever will be my favourite show of all time. Hands down. From the pilot episode to the finale I was gripped by the well written characters and fantastic performances. Nothing has even come close since and it's going to take alot for something to top. Now 5 years later we come to El Camino. A movie that despite my love for the show, I was skeptical about to say the least. Mainly due to the fact that I wasn't sure what was left to tell from this world. After watching the film do I feel that it was necessary? Well yes and no, allow me to explain.
One of my biggest compliments to this film is the fact thay it "Feels" like breaking bad. The actors all slip back into the skin of these characters flawlessly, Aaron Paul is great as usual. The cinematography is fun and stylistic, there are a number of montages that are uniquely presented and have fun music choices. The movie is also extremely slow paced, and I mean that as a huge compliment. You see that's one of the things that made breaking bad so great. It took its time with its story and wasn't afraid to let scenes play out for uncomfortable amounts of time. I was afraid that this was going to be some fast paced action movie or something, so I was pleasantly surprised that the movie wasn't afraid to take its time just like the show. All these aspects lead to a very authentic feeling breaking bad movie that slips right into the continuity of the show.
With all that said the movie is not perfect. While it is fun to go on one last ride with one of the most sympathetic characters of television. In the end I cant help but feel this movie lacked any consequence and didn't really take any risks with the story. It was pretty by the books honestly. One thing that made breaking bad so brilliant is the writers were seemingly writing themselves into holes that us as an audience could not even begin to guess how they were going to get out of it. But somehow Gilligan would find a way everytime in some brilliant way. El Camino has nothing like that. There is a moment halfway through the movie were it seems as though Jessie is going to be arrested. And I was so pumped beacuse I had no idea how they could get Jessie out if it, and it felt like something that would happen in breaking bad, but nope it ends up being a fake out.
The movie also feels pretty pandering at times, mainly with the flashback/Cameo moments. The Mike scene at the beginning felt right to be included and set the tone for the rest of the film, however the same can not be said for Walt and Jane's scenes. As much as I love seeing Bryan Cranston as this character once more and the scene itself was pretty good, it didn't really need to be included and served no purpose to the overall story. Same goes for the Jane scene which was just plain cringe.
Overall if you have watched breaking bad, see this movie. And if you haven't seen breaking bad, watch breaking bad and see this movie. I may have my problems with this film but the fact is this movie feels like an extended episode of breaking bad, which is all us fans can ask for really.
The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse - BFF review
Film festival sweetheart The Lighthouse is a movie that a lot of film buffs have been looking forward to. The buzz has been real since it's premiere at Cannes festival and has been my personal most anticipated movie of the year for a while now. I'm more than happy to report that this movie lived up to my expectations in every way imaginable and is probably the best movie from 2019
By far the most interesting thing about this movie is it's technical aspects. The movie is shot in 35mm black and white film at a 1,19x1 aspect ratio, basically the Lighthouse is shot to look like something that came out in the 1910s. Robert Eggers and his team have done such a phenomenal job here recreating this time period. And it works asolutely perfectly beacuse not only is it fitting for the time period that the movie is set in but it also adds to the claustrophobia and the atmosphere of the setting. Alot of thought was clearly put into shot composition as every single shot in this movie is breathtaking. Seriously there is some gorgeous cinematography on display here, some shots will stay with you long after you see the movie. Whilst the film is made to look and feel like a movie from the early 1900s, it's also not afraid to implement modern elements into the film aswell. camera movements and music composition add a unique modern spice that really adds to the movies unique presentation, there is truly nothing quite like this.
With the setting and the premise, for this movie to work it it needed two actors to pull this all together. Which is where Willam Dafoe and Robert pattinson come in, who both give career best performances. Both actors are given such brilliant material that allows them to go parody level insane, but it works beutifuly for the world in which they inhabit. Dafoe especially is hamming it up to cartoon levels of parody (Which the film does address) and it's absolutely amazing. Pattinson also continues to prove himself as one of the finest actors working in the industry.
Overall this is nothing short of spectacular. I truly cannot think of a single flaw. This is one of those movies that completely transcends you into its world and by the time the credits roll you will just want to go back in.
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)
A complete waste of time
When it was announced only a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to say the least that they were adapting a satirical talk show of the internet into a movie. I've always been a huge fan of the web show and always found the writing and humour to be really witty and funny. The same can not be said for the movie, which was just plain not funny and a complete waste of time unfortunately.
This movie followed every single cliche you could possibly imagine from a Hollywood movie. You know exactly where the film is going the entire time. The main driving force for the story is that they have to go cross country to get 10 between two ferns episodes shot so that Zach can get his own network talk show, so its a roadtrip movie... How fresh. The characters are bad, forgettable and unfunny. There is zero special about the filmmaking. One of the aspects of the movie is it's shot like they are making a documentary about the making of the web show, similar to something like the office, but unlike the office, it has zero value within this movie. It serves no purpose at all and was just another lazy excuse for a few gags. It also is completely inconsistent, the whole movie isnt shot in this documentary style, they make a point of Zach asking the make believe filmmakers to shoot everything, but then there are scenes presented like a normal movie. which begs the question why even bother in the first place?
At one point in this movie, Will Ferrell (Playing the manager of funny or die) says "people like to laugh at Zach, not with him" in reference to what made the show so popular. As if to suggest that is the driving force to what makes the web series so popular, is the fact that Zach is such a goofball. But that's not the appeal at all. The appeal is it's Zach making personal jokes about real stars careers and just plain being rude to them, having Zach shush the president of the United states, telling actors how terrible they are, in one episode he even asked hilary Clinton if email is the best way to reach her. Brilliant. It may be staged but undeniably it's still funny to see these things that you would never see happen in a more traditional interview, the show provided something unique and somewhat daring, and funny. So it's so bizzare to me that the writer and director of this movie (who is the same as the web show) didn't seem to understand the aspects that made the show so popular in the first place. I never saw Zach galifinakis as a character in the original series. More as a spokesperson for these jokes, jokes that people would make between there friends except Zach was directly speaking to them. not the Zach we see in this film, this bumbling goofy idiot type character who has a dream of making it big and becoming a real talk show host, Errm, who cares!!
The best part of this movie is of course the interviews themselves. But even they are not nearly as funny. They just feel more "polished" and some of them are less than a minute long. The movie was also not self aware in the slightest. I think it would have helped this movie along if they got alot more meta, you know have actors play up the way they are perceived by audiences, but they dont. Instead they just chose to go the absolute laziest route possible and have the actors just sit there quietly and take the abuse. The scenes between the interviews could have been filled with birdman like self awareness with actors mocking themselves. Such wasted potential here.
Overall this isn't a movie I can recommend, maybe for the ferns episodes within the film but you can probably just watch them online. In total they probably take up like 15 minutes of the film.Honestly this movie kind of ruins between two ferns going forward. When the show chastises actors for there bad choices on making bad projects from nownon. It's going to be really hard not to see the hypocrisy considering they were the same people who thought this was a good idea.
Ad Astra (2019)
A complete flatline
Ad Astra was a movie that I had no intention of seeing. The trailer didn't look particularly interesting and nothing really seemed like it was unique or groundbreaking. Seemed like the type of movie Id skip in cinema and just watch on Blu-ray. However then the movie started to play at film festivals and critics and audiences alike loved it. So with this in mind I decided to give Ad Astra a chance, and boy was that a mistake. Ad Astra is one of the most unengaging, poorly paced, cliched and pretentious movies that I have seen all year.
In the movie we follow Roy Mcbride (played by Brad Pitt), an astronaut in the near future who is sent on a secret mission to try and find his father (Played by Tommy Lee jones) who's believed to be involved in some way with a threat to the universe, and I couldn't have cared less if I tried. This movie does absolutely nothing to engage us in the story or the world these characters inhabit. Throughout the film will get glimpses of the world and the kind of society that these people live in, Space pirates, people born and raised on different planets etc. But it doesn't do anything with these ideas. Things just kind of happen, the moon shootout scene from the trailer for example feels so out of place with the rest of the film, and throughout there are scenes that feel this exact way. There is also a voice over "Narration" from Brad Pitt's character, this is the films attempt at making you believe that this film is a thinking people's movie and that there is more going on here than meets the eye. However the voiceover ends up serving no purpose what so ever and half of it is just philosophical nonsense - the narration is honestly terrible and blatantly pretentious.
In terms of filmmaking this movie also doesn't really serve anything fresh. The score for the movie felt uninspired and didn't really stand out from any sci-fi movie ever. There were no new ideas about space travel and the future, nothing new or exciting. The production design was fine but again nothing that hasn't already been done. The script kind of meh. Characters will show up and seem like they are going to play a part in the story but then are just kind of forgotten about, Ruth Neggas character for example is set up with quite an interesting back story that I was sure the film was going to develop, but Nope nothing comes of it. There are also some moments that honestly belong in a so bad it's good type movie- no spoilers but a scene involving a flight take off on Mars was so ridiculous that I could only enjoy it for how silly it is. The movie is Also terribly paced. I have no problem with slow moving movies, as long as they keep me interested in one way or another. I fail to understand why I should care about the story when the film is giving me absolutely no reason to.
One thing that did interest me initially was the casting of Brad Pitt. Having watched him earlier this year in tarantinos once upon a time in hollywood, and seeing how great he was in that movie. I was eager to see some more from him this year. Unfortunately however this may be the worst I have seen him in a very long time. Pitt is undeniably a great actor. However here he is so held back in his performance that it makes it really difficult to care about his character. Narratively there are reasons as to why he may seem so held back, however it doesent excuse the fact that when the script does give him material that would allow him to show some emotion, he doesent, instead he just looks bored and like he just wants to go home. I also just couldn't shake the feeling that this character was written for someone much younger than Pitt, no amount of make up can hide the fact that Brad is not that young anymore. And so when you characters main motivation is to find his dad, I just feel it would have benefitted the script alot more if they cast someone a little younger in the role.
I love syfy movies, I love movies that leave you thinking about the deeper meaning behind what you just experienced and make you questions your own morals, I also love movies with interesting characters with clear motivations that make sense. Ad Astra did not provide me with any of those things. Critically this movie is doing extremely well so maybe some may find something in this. But me personally. I would have forgotten this movie exsited within a month.
4/10
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
"Its official old buddy, Im a has been"
The landscape for the movie industry has changed drastically this past decade. Comic-book have took the cinemas like storm, star wars movies seemingly coming out once a year, and all of these are all owned by a single company. the industry just isn't the same as it was 30 years ago. A time where movies classic move sets Rather than visual effects. Or Banking on the "Movie Star" Rather than a Superhero. Well for a couple of hours, we are able to relive the glitz and glamour of 1960s hollywoods
I think it would be impossible to talk about Tarantinos latest realise without talking about him first. what I have always appreciated with Tarantino is the fact that he clearly makes what he wants to make. With so many Disney owned movies coming out per year which all seem to follow a very familiar formula, Its so unbelievably refreshing to see a film that docent seems like it is trying to please as big an audience as possible, and things are happening because the filmmaker wanted them in HIS film. There is a lot of time in this movie just spent absorbing the world that Tarantino and his team have brought to life. The production design here is nothing short of phenomenal, you can tell a lot of time and love has gone into bringing the 60s back to life, everything from cars, to billboards, to costume, all of this leads to a very authentic movie. As someone who wasn't around for the 60s, from what I have seen this film really does a good job of capturing the time period. Im glad that the movie spends so much time shining the spotlight on these aspects of the movie, because it is one of its strongest. Despite that, Just like with a lot of Tarantineos work, this movie can feel a little self indulgent, As much as I enjoy the scenes in this movie where we are being sucked deeper into this world, You will find yourself asking yourself "Did we really need to see Brad Pitts character drive around for THAT long". It may start to feel a little monotonous at times, however it's hard not to appreciate a film that isn't afraid to take its time with its characters and story.
Speaking of story, This film follows Rick Dalton (Leonardo Di caprio) a faded tv actor who seems to be coming to the end of his career, and Cliff booth (Brad Pitt) Ricks stunt double and good friend, we follow both of them and there struggles in a world were the golden age of Hollywood is quickly coming to and end, Oh and Sharon Tate and the Mansons show up every now and then. Now I for one was looking forward to Di Vaprio and Brad Pitt finally being in a movie together, Its a pairing I didn't realise I needed until that first still was realised online. I am happy to report that they do not disappoint, Di caprio and Pitt are both great in this movie and there chemistry makes for some of the best scenes. Pitts character In particular gets some pretty juicy scenes, which I won't spoil here but lets just say that He gets a bunch of classic Tarantino material to work with which was just a blast to watch. Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate and is also given a lot of material in this movie, A scene where Sharon Tate attends a screening starring herself was a real highlight for me, Robbie did a fantastic job communicating Tates Happy spirit and Optimism and it is just so infectious that its hard not to love. With that said, Her inclusion in the film does not feel completely necessary to the overall plot, As in you could literally remove her from the film entirely and I don't think a thing would have to change, however I can't say that her inclusion was detriment to the film and she added a lair of innocence to Hollywood compared to our more seasoned main characters which for me was a nice welcome.
Overall I would rank this pretty High up in Tarantinos overall Filmography. It may not be as good as Pulp fiction or Reservoir Dogs, but this Film is going for something much different to anything that he has done before, This is one of Tarantinos most sincere movies. Don't go in expecting to see a Kill Bill or Django Unchained. This is a love letter to not just a time period, but a time in Hollywood that just does not exist anymore.
Hannibal (2013)
review of season 1 and 2
for the past couple of days I have been watching Hannibal and I am already onto season 3. I don't usually binge watch shows as I never have enjoyed watching shows from start to finish in only one sitting however I just had to with Hannibal since it is that good. it only took me about 4 or 5 days to get to season 3 and i have know decided to take a break from my binge and talk about the show. Hannibal is a show that is based of the popular books about Hannibal Lecter who is a serial killer who also likes to eat his victims. the character of Hannibal was first made popular by Anthony Hopkins in the classic silence of the lambs. in the show however the character of Hannibal is played by Mads Mikkelson and I have got to be honest i do prefer Mads performance. I know thats a bold statement and I'm not trying to put Anthony Hopkins fantastic performance down, its just watching Mads playing this character in the show is terrifying as you 100% believe that this is a real person. his performance in this show is so subtle and yet so brilliant, there are so many scenes that show Hannibal as this polite, sophisticated gentleman and yet when he does start getting into fist fights with various people and showing of all his different fighting skills you believe that this man could lash out like this and kick some serious ass.
besides Hannibal there is also will graham who is essentially the main character of the show especially in the first season and he is played by Hugh dancy who is fantastic as well. Will is one of the most complex and interesting characters of the show as he is a man who has the ability to empathise with serial killers and get into the mind of them and see how they think which he uses to help the FBI catch different killers. Throughout the show you see how this ability haunts Will and it slowly starts to eat him up inside and Hugh dancy plays that brilliantly.
with all that said about the fantastic performances in this show I think that the main attraction of this show is the cinematography because wow does this show have some fantastic shots. at times watching Hannibal is almost like watching art, there are so many breathtaking shots throughout the show that i am going to remember years from now. most of these amazing shots come from the inside of wills mind as he is haunted by his ability to empaphize with killers as well as being haunted by events that take place in the pilot episode which i will not spoil saying the show is well shot really is an understatement. the writing of the show is also great to and i found my self being surprised around every corner.
there isn't really anything i can fault with this show but i suppose if really wanted to nick pick one thing i would have to comment on is the crime scenes and just how messed up they are. some of the ways that these body's are left to be found had me questioning how in the hell someone could come with this stuff, but with that said i suppose thats not really a negative as it does work for this nightmare like show, its just something that you have to bear in mind when watching this show, you are going to see some messed up stuff ( also do not eat whilst watching this show, just don't).
in the end Hannibal is one of the best shows to ever grace the television, the acting is great, writing is great, cinematography in phenomenal and the sound editing is also fantastic. I cannot recommend this show enough especially if you are a horror/thriller fan. the fact this show has been cancelled since not enough people are watching it is such a shame and I really hope netlfix or Amazon save this brilliant show.
Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
some laughs but underused characters and isolated jokes make for a okay sequel.
Of course this was going to happen. With the success and popularity of the first movie horrible bosses 2 was inevitable. For the most part whilst watching this film i was entertained however after thinking it over there are a lot of problems. Les start with the positives. The main trio are back and they are great together. Jason bateman Charlie day and Jason sudeikes are all great together just like in the first. With that said there characters have gotta act like dumb asses half the time and after a while it does get kinda boring. Ill give the movie credit as it does try and be different which i actually liked. The addition of Chris pine is also a plus to the movie and he had some really funny moments. However Christoph waltz is a different story. He wasn't bad in the movie but he wasn't in the movie enough which is kind of disappointing. Actually that is another big flaw with this movie. There are so many characters in this movie and they are all kinda pointless and didn't need to be there at all. Kevin spacey,Jennifer anniston and Jamie foxx characters feel like there in this movie just because they were in the previous one which is stupid. Or though Kevin spacey one scene is pretty awesome so there is that. Overall horrible bosses 2 was enjoyable but i wont be rushing to go see it again
The Imitation Game (2014)
The Underrated Story of Alan Turning
so going into this movie i wasn't really expecting much. I was expecting an Oscar buzz movie set in the world war era and thought i was going to find this movie boring. But to my surprise i was wrong because this is a great movie. The story is based around a man named Alan Turing and what his part was in the war. Alan is kind of a outcast and is sort of the odd one out and is played brilliantly by Benedict Cumberbatch. I really bought him as this character and he definitely brought something to this movie. In Fact all the acting in this movie was fantastic. There was not a single bad performance. The movie revolves around turning and his team trying to crack the enigma code however also touches on other subjects in turnings life which i will not spoil but i will say that is was a pleasant surprise that this was in the movie. However i felt that they could of spent a little more time with certain things in turnings life and the ending did feel a bit quick. Overall i thought that this film was great and i say that you should check it out. 8/10
The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)
not as good as the first one but still a good laugh
Inbetweeners 2 movie review. So after there successful 3 seasons as well as a great movie the boys are back for a sequel and this time find themselves in the one and only Australia.
The 2nd movie follows pretty much the same story as the first one did which i didn't have a problem with because after all if it ain't broke don't fix it. With that said i do feel like this film had some flaws and being a big fan of the series as well as the first film i was kind if disappointed by this entry to the franchise.
So at the beginning of the film we find that will is at university and Simon and Neil have come to visit him. Soon after they receive an email from the 4th inbetweener jay who is living out in Australia or as he calls it "the sex capital". So the boys decide to fly out to go see him and from there the gags ensue. One positive that i can give this movie is the fact that the 4 boys chemistry is still intact and each character plays his part well.
However this is were i think one of this films biggest problems comes from and thats in some of the characters. My main concern was with the character Neil. Everyone who is a fan of the show knows that Neil is definitely not the smartest of the bunch and we understand this. However in the 2nd movie they take it to a whole new level. He is 10x dumber than he has ever been literally every time he spoke it was just frustrating to watch. However the other 3 inbetweeners seem like there normal selves.
Another problem that i has with this movie was the fact that it just wasn't as funny as the first one. Im not saying that this film isn't funny because it is but just not as funny as the original. Also all the funniest bits of the movie were more practical jokes rather than dialogue based jokes which is what made the TV show so great and its a shame that we didn't get to see much of that in the movie.
Overall the inbetweeners 2 is not as good as the first one but does have its moments of laughter and is worth a watch. If they were to make a third film then i would watch it i just hope that they tone Neil's character down a bit and have more dialogue based jokes which are what made the inbetweeners in the first place
7/10