Category: 2019

The Kitchen (2019)

Rating 15

Length 1Hr 42

Release 20.9.2019

About Between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, the Irish mafia runs 20 blocks of a tough New York City neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen. But for mob wives Kathy, Ruby and Claire, things are about to take a dramatic and radical turn. When the FBI sends their husbands to prison, the three women take business into their own hands by running the rackets and taking out the competition.

The Good

  • Melissa McCarthy proves to audiences that she’s like some of the best comedians out there: able to bring a dramatic turn to the screen. McCarthy is perfectly cast as a legacy daughter to the mob in Hell’s Kitchen. She’s incredible to watch and you can identify with what she’s trying to achieve.
  • McCarthy is not the only one giving a surprising performance. Tiffany Haddish was a chameleon in the Kitchen. Yes, she keeps some of her mouth, but it doesn’t bog the film down like I’ve seen it do in others.
  • The soundtrack is, well I’d say it was one of the best if they hadn’t stolen half of Star Lord’s Awesome Mix Vol 1. The songs keep the film’s darkness at bay.

The Bad

  • I’m not sure there’s a redeeming character among the main players. Yes, they start their operation to get by, but they all become consumed by it.
  • Domhnall Gleeson is meant to be wack-a-doodle. I’m happy to see him in the film, but aside from not flinching when he does the dirty work, there’s nothing about his character that suggests him being an outcast.

The Ugly

  • The film’s final act feels very left field. Good storytelling should be layered and allow for you to at least, on a second viewing, see it coming. It wasn’t the case with this film’s attempt at smart cinema.

Final thoughts

It’s gangster lite and a little more mainstream, but in the end it’s plot and dialogue will keep it from being remembered as a mould-breaking ‘classic’

Changeland (2019)

Rating 15

Length 1Hr 26

Release 7.6.2019

About While a troubled man goes through a personal crisis, he meets up with his estranged friend in Thailand.

The Good

  • The chemistry between Seth Green and Breckin Meyer is what makes this movie such a compelling watch. There’s a tension between them, having become estranged, but they are able to talk about it on an emotional level: something I find refreshing.
  • I identified with Seth Green’s Brandon on so many levels. At first I couldn’t pin point what it was, after all I’ve not been married… but as the film progressed you are presented with a man who is unfulfilled in his life, frustrated at settling and perhaps in the midst of a depression. His sadness is so well presented by Green that it’s almost tangible.
  • There’s almost a spiritual quality to the film. There’s a direct draw of this from the exploration of Buddhism, the culture and some practices but it’s more than that. Brandon is on a journey of self discovery and almost a rediscovery of his own identity. While the film hits some sad notes, it’s overall tone and feel is very uplifting.
  • There’s some amazing cameos in this movie; Macaulay Culkin provides a charming mad rabbit tour guide and WWE wrestler Randy Orton plays an almost etherial tequila sprite who takes a platonic shine to Brandon on his final evening in Thailand. The scene in which Martin insists to the local that Brandon is ‘the one’ will be a moment of clarity for anyone watching. It’s beautiful and humbling.
  • This film could have been pretentious and soulless, however Seth Green’s directing debut is heartfelt and sincere.

The Bad

  • I personally am frustrated by the ending. I know it’s deliberate, but I need to know what happens. I need to know that he did the right thing. Some will like the open ending and feel as if they have some ownership of the ending and it does get you to consider his options.

The Ugly

  • While I like how the two characters respond to the assumptions that they’re a couple, I found some of the initial attempts at humour regarding sexuality a little crass, old hat and I’ll fitting for an otherwise solid movie.

Final Thoughts

It’s a film for the soul and a sweet exploration of Male friendships in adult life.

The Dead Don’t Die (2019)

Rating: 15

Length: 1Hr 44

Release: 12.7.2019

About: In the sleepy small town of Centerville, something is not quite right. The moon hangs large and low in the sky, the hours of daylight are becoming unpredictable, and animals are beginning to exhibit unusual behaviors. News reports are scary, and scientists are concerned, but no one foresees the strangest and most dangerous repercussion that will soon start plaguing Centerville: the dead rise from their graves and feast on the living, and the citizens must battle to survive.

The Good

Its batshit crazy and beating to its own drum. It’s that confident awkwardness that brings charm to the gritty independent feel that also came with Only Lover’s Left Alive. With The Dead Don’t Die, it has a more mainstream ease to its plot that will ensure its enjoyed by all.

The casting is incredible and I certainly want to see more films cast Adam Driver and Bill Murray together. Driver has this ability to make the meta notes so seamless to the rest of the dialogue that you can’t help but be a little thrown at times: my advice is to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

It is, from the reading around the film I’ve done, a treasure trove of Easter Eggs for movie fans of the zombie genre. Me, having watched very few zombie films, didn’t not spot any of these. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the film and stands in its own right.

The Bad

  • Carol Kane needed more to do. I friggin love that woman and she just needed one or two more lines of dialogue.
  • There’s a storyline involving three kids that doesn’t quite connect with the other threads. It’s a shame because it just needed one thing to bring it all together.

The Ugly

  • I’m not sure what I make of Tilda Swinton’s story arc, if that’s what you can call it. There are certainly bits I liked and even bits I loved about her Scottish newcomer with epic swordsmanship. However her resolution gave me Crystal Skull PTSD, so I’m not sure I’m sold on that I’m afraid.

Final Thoughts

It’s certainly a decent watch and it has an amazing score, but you’ll either find it hilarious or extremely unfunny.

IT: Chapter Two

Review of Chapter One can be found here.

Rating: 15

Release: 6.9.2019

Length: 2hr 49

About: Defeated by members of the Losers’ Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults, the childhood friends have long since gone their separate ways. But when people start disappearing, Mike Hanlon calls the others home for one final stand. Damaged by scars from the past, the united Losers must conquer their deepest fears to destroy the shape-shifting Pennywise — now more powerful than ever.

The Good

  • As with Chapter One, the casting is faultless. Not only are the adults perfect in and of themselves, they’re scarily perfect for the grown up versions of the youngsters.
  • Special mention has to go to Bill Hader as Richie. I was so very excited to see him cast and he really did a wonderful job stealing every single scene he’s in. What I love about comedians like Hader is that while people see him as the joker, he’s actually very well equipped to bring the drama. For me, IT has done for Hader what the likes of Awakenings, Insomnia and 24 Hour Photo did for Robin Williams.
  • Jessica Chastain was, certainly in my mind, a risky casting choice. Well, it was certainly one that paid off. She is able to bring us the duality that Sophia Lillis initially presented us with and show a growth of character within Chapter Two.
  • The change in time setting is almost mute when we get the adults. Yes, we’ve lost the nostalgic references but it does make that opening scene a little more haunting. I’m so very glad this scene was kept.
  • I love the ongoing commentary about Bill’s stories not having great endings as perhaps an ironic note to the ending of IT itself. Which also lends itself to the film’s best Easter egg that is one par with a Stan Lee appearance.

The Bad

  • Max Headroom visuals are back and some of the scares intended from Pennywise are lost on me because of this. Again, it’s more the music than the visuals that give me the scares which is a shame as visually, Pennywise is incredible.
  • You have Bill Skarsgård who is exceptional in the role, there’s no doubt about that. There’s a manipulative charm there that festers and creeps under the skin, but everything the actor can build up is scuppered by the CGI and wobbly background that draws your eyes away.

The Ugly

  • The presentation of the interweaving timelines is rather too clunky for me. Unfortunately, due to memory loss being a major plot device I’m not certain there’s another way of making Part Two without the help of the younger counterparts.
  • The film certainly transitioned well between timelines, however I find it treads too much on top familiar ground from Part One. Perhaps if there was overlap of the actors in the previous outing, it wouldn’t stand out so much but I guess we’ll never know.

Final Thoughts

The filmmakers did an incredible job with a difficult source material. It has its faults and probably won’t be something I return to any time soon. However, it is a much-watch for Hader’s performance alone.

Yesterday (2019) (Spoilers within)

Rating: 12a

Length: 1Hr 52

Release: 28.6.2019

About: Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in an English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie. After a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed. Performing songs by the greatest band in history to a world that has never heard them, Jack becomes on overnight sensation with a little help from his agent.

The Good

  • You couldn’t pick a better band to hang this premise on; the influential foursome have a wonderful back catalogue to interweave throughout the film.
  • Game of Thrones and Plebs alumni Joel Fry is a wonderful addition to the plot. He provides a big chunk of the humour and he played off everyone really well.
  • There is one scene that truly was incredible and I won’t lie, I watched it with a tear in my eye. Towards the end of the film, we come face to face with the one bitter sweet reality of The Beatles never forming: John Lennon has survived. We should have spent way more time here than we did. In fact, I’d have taken a whole film in which Jack Malik sits and has cups of tea with an 70-odd year old John Lennon. He’s portrayed flawlessly by the amazing Robert Carlyle.

The Bad

  • It’s not often I have a bad word to say about Kate McKinnon. Actually, scrap that, I’ve never said a bad word against the SNL comedian. However, she was grossly miscast in Yesterday. McKinnon’s Debra Hammer seems more like a SNL lampoon than an actual character. She’s a walking stereotype and she could have done so much better.
  • Did you REALLY have to make the first recorded song of a TEACHER be ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, in which the first line is ‘well, she was just seventeen’?!?! Let’s just put him on the sex offenders list shall we?
  • The trip to Liverpool was so unbelievably lip service that it was almost offensive. It was the bit I was looking forward to most, but it didn’t deliver.

The Ugly

  • It’s devoid of almost all the charm of a Richard Curtis film. There’s no chemistry between the two leads and the resolution falls very flat. There’s no method to the items, bands and popular culture that’s erased from history by the Beatles not existing. There’s a tangible link for the popularity of Coca Cola in the UK, but the others seem like weird choices.
  • Some would say it’s brave to have the film not return back to the status quo at the end. It’s a cute ending that is provided, but it’s far from fulfilling or satisfying. It also makes the protagonist a bit of dick for not even trying.

Final Thoughts

There’s not enough sweet to offset the bitter and it doesn’t really ever get to the heart of what makes the Beatles great.

Movie Review: Lion King (2019)

Lion King (2019)

Length: 1Hr 58

Rating: PG

Release: 19.7.2019

About:Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother — and former heir to the throne — has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. Now, with help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

The Good

  • The photo-realistic animals are breathtaking, detailed and quite simply a work of art. From the movement of the animal to tiny details all add to the magic of the story. It’s seen most powerfully when the film shows a lion’s ability to use smell. It forms a direction for the plot and gives us a look at how detailed computer technology is. There’s been criticism that the film lacks emotional impact because the animals ‘don’t emote’. This is simply not the case. They emote, but as an animal would.
  • Scar was less panto villain, more psychotic sibling with a lust for power. Even his relationship with the hyenas has changed ever so slightly, giving a darker and more desperate tone to his actions. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s voice will chill your bones in a way Jeremey Irons couldn’t.
  • Removal of anthropological behaviours of the animals brings an extra level of realism to the story. There’s no animal pyramid, no exaggerated facial expressions and Timon doesn’t walk upright. These are just a few things I can think of from the original that have been removed. I hadn’t realised, but one of my fears of a shot-for-shot remake was these conceits would remain and clash even more so with the realism.
  • The scenes that are meticulously recreated are not there out of laziness but an acknowledgement of the legacy it was taking on. The opening is one example, but the one I want to draw on is the stampede. On first glance it might seem derivative. However, what we have to remember is that the part in which the animals go over the lip and into the ravine was the Studios shining moment; it used the top technology to produce and it’s where we can see so very clearly how far they’ve come.
  • The songs have lost their show tune grandure and become much more integrated into the the characters and the storytelling. My favourite is still Be Prepared and I’m glad they kept it despite their misgivings.
  • Timon and Pumba shine as the comedy double act. They’ve again shed their Broadway perfect personas. Instead we have a conversational and down to Earth odd couple.

The Bad

  • While it isn’t something that bothered me overly, some may find there are perhaps one too many identical/ shot-for-Shot scenes or that the changes are too minimal. I personally didn’t like the stylised cloning of the iconic ‘fall’ scene, but it’s only a niggle.
  • I actually don’t like the story. I never have. It’s Hamlet with a somewhat happier ending and I really don’t like Hamlet.

The Ugly

  • Everyone’s a critic. The irony is not lost on me, I promise. I’m just as guilty as others. Currently, LiongKing (sic) is trending on social media and people are upset certain scenes aren’t there. At least this is something that was said after viewing the thing. However it’s not been the case for some other opinions.
  • So many people have already decided what they thing of the project without giving it a chance. From casting choices, to ‘Pumba looks scary and ugly’. As I said, I was also guilty of this. I was rather miffed when I discovered the mighty Mufasa would still be voiced by Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones. I couldn’t help but think ‘why, what’s the point.’
  • I was incredibly wrong. His voice has changed, it reflects age and wisdom while tying together the animated and ‘live’ action. It was a stroke of genius.

Final Thoughts

It’s a beautiful film that needs to be seen on the big screen. It’s not the sing along classic, but something more enchanting.

Love Han x

Movie Review (with spoilers) Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Length 2Hr 9

Rating 12a

Release 5.7.2019

About Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

The Good

  • Tom Holland for me, is the perfect Spider-Man (discounting the Spiderverse’s Noir Spider-Man for the moment). He gives us everything we need for Peter Parker and the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. I am hoping he sticks around long enough to get Parker out of High School.
  • Holland is well supported in this outing and the acting is solid. There’s a welcome return of Sam L Jackson and Cobie Smulders, providing some excellent humour.
  • The plot was well handled, easy to follow for all (having heard a few mini humans tell me they didn’t get Captain Marvel, it’s something I’m mindful of going forward). I liked how the plot has Parker going around the world while reluctantly participating in being an Avenger.
  • The villain(s) provide another clever layering to the franchise. I’m curious as to when they’ll crop back up, but I’m certain this wasn’t the end.
  • Happy!!!! I love Happy. I love the comedy, I love the awkwardness, but most of all, I love the parental nature that is being developed within Spider-Man between Happy and Peter. You see a hint of it in Endgame, but here you see how much of an impact the events of Endgame truly had on Tony’s best friend.

The Bad

  • I struggled with the first half an hour. It felt very clunky. I know there were a few bits from Endgame that needed smoothing over in order to progress, but it should also feel like a stand alone in its own right. It lost some of that and, as a result, stalled a few times out the gate.
  • Oh and while we’re on the subject. The blip? What the fuck?! Who got paid to name it that?! I mean, ‘the snap’ was bad enough but the blip?! So, that’s what earth are calling the missing 5 years for some people; a ‘whoops’?
  • Also, get your editing right. Don’t say they were brought back 5 years later, but have the image look like they were gone for seconds at most. This is seen most clearly when showing a basketball game in action.
  • The villain was a bit pants. While there’s that clever strand of bringing people back from obscure scenes from the last ten years, it all feels a little overused. It’s a blend of Iron Man 3 and Captain Marvel. While Jake J is brilliant, his guise is just a bit shit. Mainly because anyone who is remotely comic literate knows the background and history of Mysterio so it comes as no surprise when we have the mid film switcharoo. Trying the rug-pull bad guy posing as a good guy trick twice in one year MCU? Come on, give us something new.

The Ugly

The mid and post credits. I have big issues with these two plot points being where they are. What they reveal, in theory, is important to the franchise going forward and shouldn’t be missed. This sort of reveal should be available for all to watch; not just geeks like me who know to stay until the end. Just feels a little… mean spirited.

Film Review: X-Men Dark Phoenix (2019)

Length: 1 hr 53

Rating: 12a

Release: 5.6.2019

About: This is the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic DARK PHOENIX. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. The film is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.

The Good

  • It was an interesting, low key change of pace from the all out action of Avengers Endgame. The drama really takes centre stage and while it wasn’t exactly well executed, it still packed a punch.
  • It was well paced and the Mutant elements are brilliant. The human impact is almost sidelined in order to break the relationship between the X-Men and POTUS. I would have liked that to have been further developed.

The Bad

  • There are a few sketchy sections of CGI in the final showdown. I think I’ve become a bit of a snob, but it does take me out of the moment.
  • Jessica Chastain bugged the hell out of me. I can’t put my finger on why, but for all the mouthing off about human’s being weak, I felt like I could take her out with a well aimed fart. There was no threat. There was no jeopardy.
  • Sophie Turner, while giving a solid effort, is not leading lady material in this sort of film. While she didn’t make me want to tear my own eyes out much like her portrayal of Sansa did, I didn’t feel won over by this performance.
  • If Evan Peters has gained the franchise some amazing reviews in the past, why relegate him to one liners?! I don’t get it. While I was very much over the musical CGI slow mo scenes, I needed more interaction with him.
  • J-Law can act, we know she can, she got the Oscar to prove it. So why couldn’t she act like she wanted to be there? She was not Raven in this film, she was J-Law being J-Law. It’s a shame as bringing her A-game would have really brought some emotion to the film.

The Ugly

  • The biggest flaw lies not necessarily at the feet of this film, but the franchise. As a viewer, I see this section, that began with First Class, and the Stewart/McKellan helmed trilogy one and the same universe. So, my problem is continuity. By the end of this film we should have been all set up and ready to meet Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Only this film introduces a timeline, without spoiling the fate of the characters, that makes the next set of films impossible.
  • Perhaps, then, the biggest problem is that it was essentially a reboot of the Last Stand. Of all the comic incarnations of X-Men, why Fox thought their final film was best being a rehash of a badly received film is beyond me.

Final Thoughts

After such a good film with Booksmart, this feels a little like a franchise killer. So much so that I swerved my third film of the day in fear that it also would be a redundant edition to its franchise (MiB).

It’s a better watch than Last Stand when you consider it in isolation. However, bring in all of the other films and this plays so fast and lose with the laws of franchise continuity, you’d swear Rhian Johnson was behind this outing.

Booksmart (2019)

Length: 1 hr 42

Rating: 15

Release: 27.5.2019

About: Academic overachievers Amy and Molly thought keeping their noses to the grindstone gave them a leg up on their high school peers. But on the eve of graduation, the best friends suddenly realize that they may have missed out on the special moments of their teenage years. Determined to make up for lost time, the girls decide to cram four years of not-to-be missed fun into one night — a chaotic adventure that no amount of book smarts could prepare them for.

The Good

  • Last Man Standing’s Kaitlyn Denver is her awesome self in this coming of age drama. Her development throughout the film will charm you and have you wondering where she was when you were in high school. The emotion she brings to the film final act is something you have to see. I predict we’ll be seeing Dever in main stream films very soon.
  • The film on a whole is quite possibly one of the best teen films I’ve seen in a very long time. It’s done away with the fixed stereotypes as much as possible and it certainly has representation and inclusivity bang on the nose. What is most surprising, is that the malice of high school is removed. We have no ‘Carrie’ style humiliation for the outsider.
  • Skylar Gisondo is, as always, a delight to have in a film. He’s shed the loser geek status of ‘Vacation’ but retained the vulnerable quality. It makes for an interesting character you’ll really care for.
  • The scene stealer of the film has to go to Billie Lourd. She’s everything like her mother, and more. I’ll say nothing more; she has to be seen to be believed.
  • It was refreshing to have the American Pie type topics (read: porn, masterbation and performance fears) from a female perspective. It gives a positive and empowering message regarding sex to women. Something I’ve not really seen outside of Sex and the City.

The Bad and The Ugly

I am sick of the teacher trope. Fuck me, I’m so tired of it. In an age where we’re calling out the Weinstein’s of the world and demanding diversity and equality, I want Hollywood to kill the social acceptance of a teacher fucking a student in a movie and there being no consequence. As someone who left the profession recently, you are not doing us any favours Hollywood. You’re rose tinting the fuck out of statutory rape and a gross misuse of power, and its not cool. In fact, you’re making it easier for predators because you’re not only telling kids that it can happen but you’re telling them to embrace it, when in fact you should be telling them to run!

It’s pretty much the only thing I didn’t like, but it really sucks.

Final Thoughts

It’s an excellent indie film that pushes all the boundaries that have been set over the past decade or so and needs to be seen by everyone. Gone is the belter soundtrack you’ll be racing to buy, the tour of the cafeteria with all the cliques and its all for the better.

It’s not a family time watch, but its uplifting, inspiring and empowering.

Movie Review: Toy Story 4 (2019)

Length: 1Hr 40

Rating: U

Release: 21.6.2019

About: Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody’s slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo discuss the old days, they soon start to realize that they’re worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy.

First Thoughts

I wasn’t expecting another outing from the Pixar flagship franchise. I’d said my goodbye 9 years ago. I took my boyfriend to the newly opened excuse for IMAX in Liverpool and made up special snack bags. It was a fitting final to a trilogy, even if it would never be my favourite or goto watch over the next decade.

Then came the trailer and all my wishes came true; Bo Peep was back on the role call. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited and there was no way I wouldn’t be seeing it in the cinema.

The Good

  • The plot feels familiar but with a fresh angle, so you’ll forgive it for hinging the plot on yet another rescue mission.
  • Having Woody reunited with Bo is awesome because she really becomes the focus in this film. She gives us a take on the lost toy that I’m, as an adult, grateful for. It is what makes this film as good as it is and makes it acceptable to add another instalment.
  • Keanu Reeves is a perfect, funny addition. His Evel Knievel homage toy with Canadian spirit is a joy to watch and I could have happily had even more of Keanu’s can do attitude.
  • The quality of the animation is incredible. Each Toy Story does bring with it the best skills and technology to the screen, but this was lightyears (sorry) ahead of the other films. Fully immersive and breathtaking from start to finish.

The Bad

Many of the fan favourites are given little to do and I really could have done with more of them. Instead, the film does focus on Forky, Bonnie’s self-made toy who faces an identity crisis and the ‘Lost Toys’ of a town the RV finds itself in. It’s great, but I can’t help but feel a little short changed.

The Ugly

Oh I ugly cried like you wouldn’t believe and I can’t really talk about it without ruining the plot. All I will say is that it will truly sucker punch you in the feels.

Thankfully there were few people in the screening I went to. THIS was the ending the franchise needed. It’s just… perfect, for me.

Final Thoughts

For me, it’s better than the third. However I’m worried this is going to kick start a new trilogy and I’m not sure how that would work or if I can invest.

Film Review: Rocketman (2019)

Length: 2Hr 1
Rating: 15
Release: 22.5.2019
About: An epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years.

It’s strange that it took me so long to go and see this after being so excited for it. Loving BoRhap and Eddie the Eagle meant I thought I was onto a winner with this biopic. However, did I just seen the second misstep of the previously flawless CV of Taron Egerton?

The Good

  • Taron Egerton gives a flawless performance as Elton John. I’ll admit, he’s not the physical carbon copy as the BoRhap boys where, but his performance pushed beyond the physical and gave us the persona, the flaws and the emotion of the man from Pinner.
  • Equally Jamie Bell is a joy to watch as the songwriter Bernie Taupin. The chemistry he has with Egerton is heartbreakingly beautiful and I almost wish he had a little more screen time.
  • This is not an accurate biopic, therefore the music that runs through is not contained within its time frame. It works within the elements of fantasy and compliments the narrative.
  • The transitional time jumps are so well placed that I think Rocketman is well suited to a West End run. Moving from young Reggie to Egerton’s incarnation is an incredible scene.

The Bad

  • I’m not convinced Bryce Dallas Howard was the right fit for the role of Sheila; Elton’s vile mother. She seemed too old for the early scenes and too young for the rest. There was no point where I thought she fitted into the role. It’s a shame because she really is a good actress.
  • The film’s focus is not on the music, but the man. It’ll be perfect for some but it really wasn’t what I was there for. A balance of the two would have made it a little more digestible for me.
  • Richard Madden suffers from playing the same character that appears in BoRhap. While its a solid effort and provides the audience with some steamy scenes, he just doesn’t hold up the same villainy that Aidan Gillen has.

The Ugly

  • The biggest problem I have is that the whole movie is framed by Elton’s time in a rehab clinic. It makes for an interesting plot device, but it does run the risk of taking its toll on the audience. I felt emotionally drained and rather down by the time the film came to its credits and began detailing what Elton has done since.

Final Thoughts

I can’t deny, its a well made film. There is a lot to love about this quasi-psychedelic journey into the world of one of Europe’s greatest artists. However, with the lack of an upbeat ending and it loses that heartwarming charm that it could of had.

Love Han x

Aladdin (2019)

Length: 2hr 8

Rating: PG

Release date: 22nd May 2019

About: Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine’s kingdom.

The Good

Every change they made, was for the better. Every little nod to the animated was sincere and heartfelt.

Will Smith was just perfect as Genie. It would not be fair to compare his performance because he never set out to replace or ‘beat’ Robin Williams, Smith just gave us a whole new Genie: one that can stand beside the other. Yes, there are lines that will be on the tip of your tongue and you might feel a loss, but it has to be remembered that they were trademarked Williams the moment he uttered them.

Mena Massoud And Naomi Scott Make fair real life Aladdin and Jasmine. However, the true magic of their performances comes from their chemistry. They’re given more time to get to know each other, grow to like each other and discover common ground.

Jasmine’s song and Jasmine on the whole is a much stronger Princess and one who is able to break the ‘saviour’ trope.

The Bad

It is a little too long. There’s an extra hour added to this from the animation and I would say it needs to be half an hour shorter. I’m not sure if it is how long it takes to get to the cave, if there are sections that slow the pace or if it was just the restless children in the screening I was in, but something needs cutting.

The Ugly

This isn’t the film, but a viewer response to casting. Jasmine was portrayed by Naomi Scott Who is of Gujarati and British decent. However, In this screwed up world she’s been blasted for ‘not being brown enough’.

I’m so saddened that upon researching the original film, I discovered more articles about Naomi Scott’s casting than Linda Larkin, who is white.

This is a beautiful woman who would not be out of place. If she’s not ‘brown’ enough for this role, does that mean she’s not ‘white’ enough for others or is she only allowed to go for roles that call for someone that is mixed race?! Why is it that she’s judged on the colour of her skin alone rather than her amazing performance?