Category: 2018

Green Book (2018)

Inspired by a True Friendship

Rating 12
Length 2h10
Release 01.02.2019
Director Peter Farrelly
About Amidst rampant racism in the 1960s southern America, an African American pianist hires an Italian American bouncer to drive him through his venues. They come closer in the course of their journey.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix and BBC IPlayer
Trailer:

The Good

Mahershala Ali is dream casting. He plays Don Shirley in a way that is reminiscent of Tim Russ as a Vulcan. I love how he grows over the course of the movie. Then there is a scene near the end in which Don plays with a Jazz band and I’ve never seen a smile convey quite so much; belonging, happiness, contentment. Perfect!

It’s really funny considering the story. Despite the challenges faced on the road and in the Deep South of America in the 60s, this film keeps it upbeat and humorous as much as it can. From Don’s tart responses to anyone and everyone, to Tony’s food focus, it makes this very different to other films depicting this era.

The Bad

It takes a little while to get going, which is a hard thing to pick upon as it gives us time with the lovely Linda Cardellini. Perhaps intersecting Tony’s life with that of Don’s may have been the compromise that the film needed for a smoother start.

The Ugly

Honestly, as much as watching films about segregation and racism is educational they are a difficult watch for me. I don’t understand, on an introspective emotional level, how someone (let alone a society) could treat people so badly. This is something that I find difficult for Race, culture and anyone who has fought to belong due to their sexuality or identity.
Anyone who absorbs emotions like a sponge, will find the film hard going but it is worth it for the final act alone.

Final Thoughts

Entertaining, educational but an emotional ride.

Game Night (2018) Film Review

Is that a knife in your bullet hole?

Rating 15
Length 1h33
Release 02.03.2018
Director John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein
About When Max and Annie play a harmless murder mystery game with Max’s brother Brooks and some friends, things begin to take surprising twists and turns as not all is what it seems to be.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: BBC IPlayer
Trailer:

The Good

Jesse Plemons as the creepy neighbour. He can play stupid really well, but his creepy is another level. Like, serial killer sort of creepy. And it’s played so straight that makes it even funnier.

I love Ryan! Best pretty but dumb in a film in a long while.

Sharon Horgan is the MVP of the whole film. The tone she uses all the way through just makes all her interactions with everyone, Ryan mostly, a thousand times funnier.

The transition scenes are really cool and make the vehicles and items of focus look miniature.

The Bad

Jason Bateman’s character is typically tightly wound. Unfortunately here it’s to the point that you wonder how they have a regular standing game night for this premise to work. Not a chance would I put up with the expectation and restrictions he has in place. I hate those type of people when playing games.

The Ugly

I hate the sibling conflict that appears in this film, and many other films. One who plays the passive aggressive card to put the other down until it reaches a fever pitch. It’s not a funny thing to watch and having the person who is put down not believed only to forgive the sibling by the end.

The problem with these set ups in which the protagonists don’t know what they’re involved in is real, is that their actions become cringeworthy.

Final Thoughts

It’s no Horrible Bosses, but it’s not a disastrous watch.

A kid Like Jake (2018) Film Review

Rating 12
Length 1h32
Release 23.12018 (Sundance FF. No UK release)
Director Silas Howard
About Alex Wheeler and her husband, Greg, are trying to find the right primary school for their 4-year-old son, Jake. Described as gender-expansive by his adviser, Jake’s increasingly erratic behaviour starts to cause a rift between the couple. Alex worries that the adults in her son’s life are labelling him prematurely, while Greg wonders if Jake’s fondness for dressing up might be more than just a phase.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:

First Thoughts

I just want to preface this review with the fact that I will be using they/them/their pronouns to refer to Jake as the film refers to Jake as he/him yet presents a character that would identify with she/her.

I would also like to point out that this film is directed by Silas Howard, a trans man, and written (both screen and play scripts) by a cis man. While this may not seem important to many, I have found it difficult to write this review about ‘how well’ it presents the issue of gender being a cis woman. I don’t like the idea that this review might imply I know better than those involved in the production. I certainly don’t. However, this film made me feel things, think things and I wanted to put them down on paper. I also want people to know that I’ve done my research before writing this review.

The Good

  • Jim Parsons is a surprise in this role. I must admit, I have no complaints about his performance, however I must say he brought his all to the monologue he was given in the final act.
  • This film has a really well rounded cast.
  • The camera angles and cuts around Jake, at least at the start, are quite clever. It was probably about 10 minutes after Jake had been introduced that I realised I’d not see their face. It was at least another 4 before we did.

The Bad

  • Claire Danes can cry. We all know this. That’s not up for debate. I personally would want any creatives to question whether they want her to cry if they ever cast her.
    It’s harsh, I’m aware. However, there’s something inherently annoying about the way she cries. It always comes across as whiney and annoying.
  • There’s some really bad editing choices going on. Octavia Spencer is introduced fairly early on as a teacher of Jake. The conversations between her and Claire Dane’s Alex are full of unsaid conflict. At first, I thought it was perhaps to do with how Judy (Spencer) was trying to bring up the topic of gender identity. However, it is close to the end of the movie that it is brought up that Judy is a lesbian. Now, I am one who prefers my films to bring up the sexuality of characters in the most organic way possible. This was not the case here, when the reason why there is this tension is because Alex is of the misconception that Judy is encouraging Jake’s behaviour due to her sexuality.
  • While on the topic of Judy; there’s a scene between herself and Greg (Parsons) in which they talk about the gender politics of skirts. Now the final line of the scene is Judy questioning “So you didn’t tell Jake that there are men in our culture who wear dresses?”
    My problem with that, is that its not very clear. This film dances around so much of the politics surrounding gender identity and transitioning that the question raised could be misinterpreted to be representative of being trans, when in fact we would not use the word ‘men’. The question should be clearly speaking about the culture of drag, but the film is so devoid of any LGBTQ language that it really makes this a difficult watch.

The Ugly

  • I think the biggest issue with this film is that they show us Jake. The play, I’m led to believe, never shows the audience Jake and that allows for a much more clinical approach to the dialogue. As this film stands, its at odds with itself. The film is presenting the gender identity of Jake, at least to me, as something less certain. However, I see Jake. I see that Jake is expressing herself and that the film dances around it and decides to point fingers at the adults instead.
  • The film spends more time building up to the final act fight between the two protagonists; who use that time to pinpoint why the other is the reason their child “likes to wear dresses” that ignores any opportunity to actually explore the elephant in the room. I use that turn of phase because that is exactly what this film is like. It builds up to it, you can feel that its going to say something profound…. and then it chickens out even at the most simplest of things.
  • The lack of trans-aware gender-positive language really irritated me. You have a protagonist who is a psychiatrist yet at no point is there a conversation about identity or what it means to feel like you have been born in the wrong body.

Final Thoughts

Due to the film’s lack of conviction, the dialogue is sanitised of any debate or educational language. It leaves the viewer with the message that all parents will ever do is blame their actions. It really is a shame because the components are all there to have this uplifting and enlightening film.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

Rating: PG

Length: 1Hr 30

Release: 19.10.2018

About: While collecting junk one day, best friends Sonny and Sam meet Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy from an unpublished “Goosebumps” book by R.L. Stine. Hoping to start his own family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny’s mother and brings all of his ghoulish friends back to life — just in time for Halloween. As the sleepy town becomes overrun with monsters, witches and other mysterious creatures, Sonny joins forces with his sister, Sam and a kindly neighbor to save Sonny’s mom and foil Slappy’s plan.

Treat

  • I like the idea of having Slappy as the horror focus. The way it starts I was expecting it to go down the road of a more conventional Goosebumps story.
  • It’s a simple plot that doesn’t require any thought without leaving you with that ache that you’ve wasted your time.
  • The cast is pretty decent and work well together. While there isn’t much of a callback to the original cast, aside for Jack Black, the cast we’re given makes sure we don’t miss them.

Trick

  • It pretty much retraces the steps of the first movie and one of the main problems is it goes way too big and chaotic. Just having one monster on the rampage should be enough, not the entire Goosebumps catalogue.

Final Thoughts

It’s a fair attempt a sequel but not something I’ll rush to watch again.

Hotel Artemis (2018)

Rating 15

Length 1Hr 35

Release 20.7.2018

About As rioting rocks Los Angeles in the year 2028, disgruntled thieves make their way to Hotel Artemis — a 13-story, members-only hospital for criminals. It’s operated by the Nurse, a no-nonsense, high-tech healer who already has her hands full with a French assassin, an arms dealer and an injured cop. As the violence of the night continues, the Nurse must decide whether to break her own rules and confront what she’s worked so hard to avoid.

The Good

It’s a brilliant cast that work well together. The partnership between Jodi Foster and Dave Bastista is so good, I didn’t even care that Jeff Goldblum was in it even though he was the reason for watching. Star Trek Alumni, Zachary Quinto, playing a ‘soft’ bad guy after scaring me with his superhero villain in Heroes made for an interesting watch.

Charlie Day. Charlie Day, as in Horrible Bosses biggest pussy, plays the ultimate entitled knob and someone to fear. I never thought it possible after all of his typecast roles. It was rather refreshing to see this change and I definitely heard him before I recognised him.

The narrative cantering around advanced medical tech and dark houses for criminals is twisted in such an amazing way. I have so many questions and I want to explore the world. How does the 1% live?

It feels like an episode of Black Mirror on steroids; a potential future and an allegorical warning.

The Bad

The sub plot involving the brothers and the pen safe was a little under developed. Why would you fear someone who is in need of critical care and doesn’t know you have the damn thing you stole? A simple line establishing that there’s a locator inside the pen would have been enough. As it stands it’s a disconnected thread that makes a rather intelligent character seem very stupid.

How does Nice, played by Sofia Boutella, know her target will end up at Hotel Artemis? It’s heavily implied that they are already in the building but it’s not the case. It’s having a muddled narrative like this that stops it being the smart thriller it should be.

The Ugly

What the hell is it with Jodie Foster and flash backs?! They just don’t do it for me and I hate the blank stare that Foster gives to establish the start and end. I certainly think reducing the number of flashbacks or getting rid altogether would improve things.

Final Thoughts

It’s a gritty, messy thriller that you should watch instead of Blade Runner.

Sherlock Gnomes (2018)

Rating: U

Length: 1Hr 26

Release: 11.5.2018

About: When Gnomeo and Juliet first arrive in London with their friends and family, their biggest concern is getting a new garden ready for spring. When everyone in the garden suddenly goes missing — there’s only one gnome to call — Sherlock Gnomes. The famous detective and sworn protector of the city shows up with his sidekick Watson to investigate the case. The mystery soon leads the gnomes on a rollicking adventure as they meet all-new ornaments and explore an undiscovered side of London.

The Good

  • The recreation of the great hall in the Natural History Museum is rather beautiful and it doesnt stop there. London is painstakingly recreated.
  • It’s a funny take on the Sherlock legend. This outing is more like Toy Story with Gnomes than the first. It’s rather clever with its jokes and its overall plot.

The Bad

  • Gnomeo and Juliet are a bit redundant and the inter fighting just proves that Romeo and Juliet we’re doomed to fail had they not been so dramatic.
  • I also really didn’t like that they sacrificed the characters and their relationship for the sake of the plot. It feels a little cheap.
  • Sherlock’s mind palace starts off as a cute transition, but by the third venture its lost its novelty.
  • The set up takes too long for such a short film.

The Ugly

  • I’m not sold on the Elton John soundtrack. Yes, it has the Britishness but it lacks the charm by being a sole artists back catalogue.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Rating: U

Length: 2Hr 10

Release: 21.12.2018

About: Now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that shows proof of valuable shares that his father left him years earlier. Just as all seems lost, Michael and his sister receive the surprise of a lifetime when Mary Poppins — the beloved nanny from their childhood — arrives to save the day and take the Banks family on a magical, fun-filled adventure.

The Good

  • The song in the China bowl was a highlight. It was as close to the original feel.
  • Colin Firth clearly had fun with his role and it brings a little joy to the bank.
  • Julie Walters as Ellen. I couldn’t think of anyone better to replace the original actress that played Ellen. Equally, David Warner does an excellent job as Admiral Boom.
  • Original Jane was a lovely touch and nod to the original. Not much fuss is made about the scene and doesn’t detract from the story.
  • Dick Van Dyke looks picture perfect in his role as Mr Dawes Jnr. His dancing brings cheers and tears. Such a wonderful nod to the man who made the first outing such a success.

The Bad

  • The skeleton plot is essentially a clone of the Julie Andrews’ outing, just given a spin. For example, the tidying becomes a bath, the chalk drawing becomes a china bowl and the Uncle becomes a cousin. It’s sad as it has potential and certainly could have surpassed the original, if only it broke the mould.
  • While the appearance of Angela Lansbury causes me to smile, it’s very obvious that the role was written for Andrews. It then becomes a little bittersweet. I completely understand why Andrews declined the offer; I just wish she hadn’t.
  • I wasn’t fond of much of the music. Although, in all fairness most of the original music would fit here too.
  • Michael and Jane: relationship feels flat and lacks any chemistry.

The Ugly

  • I’m afraid that, for me, Emily Blunt was not right for the role. The accent, the ability to flit between the firm and fantasy stalls and her flirtations with Jack feel a little groomy when you think he was a kid in the first movie’s storyline.

Halloween (2018)

Rating 18

Length 1Hr 46

Release 19.10.2018

About It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield, Ill. — but this time, she’s ready for him.

The Good

  • This is a clever continuation of the 1978 film. It nods to the things that made the original the classic that it is, while reworking some tired tropes for not only a modern day audience, but for a Horror fan wishing to see something different.
  • Woohoo! An 18 that doesn’t require the women to die with their breasts out. The theme of chastity being a saving grace has been removed, instead giving us a much more complex and rewarding theme of survivor complex and generational family dynamics.
  • It’s a proper decent script and a great cast. There are two awesome lines within the film and they are supported by two brilliant actors delivering them. There’s a ‘oh Shit’ that feels like one of the most authentic responses I’ve ever seen in a horror movie and there’s a ‘gotcha’ that rings with power that I ended up shouting at the tv.
  • The music and title credits are … well, they’re beautiful. The film opens with the traditional score and a new approach to the visuals. It closes with a modern remix.

The Bad

  • The showdown at the house feels flawed. While it may be seen differently on a repeated viewing, it will spark irritation in some viewers who have been charmed by its smart choices for everything that comes before.

The Ugly

  • While it cuts down, or rather out, the nudity it does not hold back the gore. As a filmic genre Hollywood has moved away from the implied and all but splatters the audience with blood. While it was not something that turns my stomach, I will always find the misdirection of the famous Psycho shower scene much more effective.

Final Thoughts

Fuck me, this is the best of the franchise. However, it won’t truly work in isolation. To really appreciate it as a story, and as a film, you do need to watch the original and, as much as I hate to admit this, watching the 2007 version will also help.

The Predator (2018) spoilers within

Length: 1Hr 47

Rating: 15

Release: 12.9.2018

About: From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. The universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biologist can prevent the end of the human race.

The Good

  • The gore and horror is on point and I was quite surprised to discover it was rated 15. Even by today’s standards (which have relaxed somewhat) I would have expecting this to gain an 18. It doesn’t hide away from the violence or a body count.
  • The rag tag bunch of misfits really worked for me and I just wish there had been a smoother way to introduce them. I personally would have started the film with Quinn boarding the bus and allow the narrative to play on the ‘crazy’ a little more and also keeping the Predator off the screen a little longer.
  • The humour is low key and actually had me chuckling away at some parts.

The Bad

  • As a movie in of itself, it’s a typical loud and fast alien invasion movie. It, in isolation, is a fair film. However, this is part of a well known franchise. Part of what I loved about that first one was everything you didn’t see.
  • In the same sense, I felt that having subtitles and dialogue from the Predator it detracts from the species being the petrifying badass that I saw as a kid.
  • The CGI in places is really ropey and, again, it removed all of the fear I had when I was watching these creatures fuck shit up. It’s very clear when a person is used and when it’s a CGI monster and it’s all to do with plot which is a shame as the man in the suit is quite impressive.
  • How do you cast Yvonne Strahovski in an action movie and have her play housewife and make her a butt of a gun joke?! Yawn.

The Ugly

  • Did Olivia Munn really have to be starkers, at all, during this movie?! Munn is an awesome actress who I first saw in Aron Sorkin’s the Newsroom, so its rather sad to see her reduced to gratuitous implied nudity and a Mary Sue (soldier/ genome expert/ zoologist/ Tomb Raider fantasy wank material. Delete to make her suit the scene)
  • My biggest gripe of all is the god damn fucking kid. Firstly, why the fuck are you putting him on the spectrum, bring it up multiple times to do absolutely nothing with it?! We’re currently in a time of representation and, when it’s done right, I’m all for it. However, this ham fisted ‘we’re doing it for doing its sake’ shockingly misrepresents people on the spectrum as a ‘Rain Man fits all’. You know how your able to tell it’s an add on? The kid stops his sound sensitivity about 20 minutes in and never does it again. It’s not even like he’s got ‘mad skills’ with the tech. Everything he achieves is the result of what any kid would do: he fucks about with buttons.
  • Secondly, he’s a shit and possibly a sociopath, but let’s just stick with the being a shit. I have never wanted a kid in media to die as much as this one. Like, even Carl in Walking Dead and Dawn from Buffy didn’t step on my last nerve this much. He’s a pussy who cowers at micro-dicks from school but will tell an officer with a gun to go fuck themselves?! Don’t get me started on the fact that he opened someone else’s post! Fucker!

Final Thoughts

I prefer my scares to computer game play style filming. I could see the attempt reclaiming some of what the original had going for it and I loved the gore, but ultimately I prefer my 80s version that scares the crap out of me.

Movie Review Stan & Ollie (2018)

Length: 1Hr 37
Rating: PG
Release date:11th January 2018
About: Laurel and Hardy — the world’s greatest comedy team — face an uncertain future as their golden era of Hollywood films remain long behind them. Diminished by age, the duo set out to reconnect with their adoring fans by touring variety halls in Britain in 1953. The shows become an instant hit, but Stan and Ollie can’t quite shake the past as long-buried tension and Hardy’s failing health start to threaten their precious partnership.

The Good

  • Steve Coogan and John C Reilly are absolutely perfect as the legendary Laurel and Hardy. There is no one in my mind that could have out performed these two men and it’s truly a shame that it was over looked by so many of the awards.
  • The relationship between Stan and Ollie was beautifully presented and it really broke my heart at some points; forget about this being a nostalgic biopic, it’s a love story that proving that there is so much more to love than romance.
  • I loved the nod to Hardy’s nick name ‘Babe’. Such a sweet name and in a world of toxic masculinity, it was heartwarming to have Stan use it with such affection.
  • The Black Country Museum was used for a number of outside shots. Some people may recognise those locations as being from Peaky Blinders.
  • There’s some beautiful cinematography going on; from the opening scene’s mirrored faces to the shadow dance at the end. It’s a film student’s dream for analysis.

The Bad

  • It’s a rather slow film that feels much longer than it is. While the film had the relationships spot on, the plot and pace needed a good fine tuning.
  • It’s one of those films that will have fans of the duo a little irritated with some of the inaccuracies, while those who are unfamiliar may not feel as completely engaged as they could have been.

The Ugly

  • I think I’ve been spoiled by Bohemian Rhapsody, but I didn’t leave this film as uplifted as much as I thought I should have. Perhaps had the film ended two scenes earlier, but even then I’m not certain.

Final Thoughts

The joy of the film is to be found watching the two main leads, but I perhaps would have liked more of their better days than the tour around the UK. It’s worth a watch and a weep, but I can’t see it being a repeat viewing for many.

Film Review: When We First Met (2018)


Length: 1Hr 37
Rating: 12
About: After spending a night with the girl of his dreams only to become just friends, a man gets the opportunity to travel through time and alter that night over and over again until he gets everything perfect.

The Good

  • It’s an amazing cast, fronted by Jack Blabk-lite Adam DeVine giving us his best leading man smize. He’s charming, funny and not beyond playing the goof.
  • This is the sort of film that cinemas are missing on their schedules; a good, nostalgic and gimmicky rom-com that wreaks of Big, About Time and Groundhog Day. It’s sweet and inoffensive.

The Bad

  • There’s some scenes that are a little too cringe to be entertaining; from taking advice from his wing man, to consequential frosted tips.

The Ugly

  • I couldn’t see quite how they were going to get DeVine’s Noah and Alexandra Daddario’s Avery together; Robbie Amell was never going to be the bad guy. So it was too much of a surprise that his true love interest was in almost all the scenes too. It felt as if it was tacked on the end. It felt fake ad didn’t give me that heartwarming feeling I normally get with a romance.

Final Thoughts

Great potential, sound premise but such poor execution.

Love Han x

Movie Review: King of Thieves (2018)

Length: 1Hr 48
Rating: 15
About: A crew of retired crooks pulls off a major heist in London’s jewellery district, but what begins as a nostalgic last hurrah for the group quickly becomes a brutal nightmare when greed overtakes them.

The Good

  • I can’t fault Michael Caine. He’s brilliant and I know most of my experience of him is as a mentor and fatherly figure. Even Now You See Me, is tame compared to his Get Carter roots. It’s good to see him in a modern heist movie and he certainly seems at home.
  • It’s certainly an antidote to the fast paced action blockbusters that are saturating our box office. Having the heist done by a group of aging men who have lived their life on the silver screen is refreshing.
  • On that note, its really funny. Between the British geezer humour and the commentary of how times have changed, there’s not a scene goes by without a chuckle. It’s best seen in the group preparing for the first night of the heist.
  • There’s quite a nice touch seen with the use of footage from older heist movies; making connections between the behaviours then, and now.
  • You can’t deny; its quite a cast they’ve gotten together to play cops and robbers on screen for a few hours. You can tell they’re all having fun and it just adds to the viewer’s enjoyment.

The Bad

  • I’m not sold on Charlie Cox’s performance and I can’t put my finger on what it is. I know that while the others know who they are portraying, Cox had nothing. However, it does have what I feel is a little inconsistency. The meekness and jittery demeanor doesn’t mesh with the actions in the later part of the movie. I was almost waiting for a
    Keyser Soze type change in personality that matched with the ‘mastermind’ status Basil is given.

The Ugly

  • Did I really need to see Gambon and Courtenay converse in the whirlpool?! Did we need that many iterations of the word ‘cunt’? Well, not really but part of me likes that the film didn’t really hold back.

Final Thoughts

It’s a decent watch that i’ll most likely pop on again at some point, but I think the most to be gained from it for me, is a motivation to see all of the main players in some of their earlier films.

Love Han x