Rating PG Length 1h36 Release 12.4.2017 Director Jason Reitman About Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child. Moon: no moon sighting Where to Watch: Disney+ Trailer:
The Good
The music. Damn, that’s a time capsule of the late Nought’s indie scene. Not only that, but it plays perfectly into the relationships and the situation.
There’s some heavy hitters coming to play and they really bring their all. Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney and J K Simmons all are all bringing their known faces a-game. Elliot Paige and Michael Cena are both excellent in their breakout roles as awkward teens navigating a difficult situations. It annoys me how good Cena is, and if anything it makes me hate him more.
The Bad
I hate Michael Cena. Despite his perfect approach to the role, his existence in it makes it near on unwatchable. Everyone has one, that actor that you just cannot stand for an inexplicable reason.
The Ugly
I didn’t find the Juno-babble as charming this time around. Perhaps being older, I now see it for what it is: rude and self centred. Particularly in the way the character talks to her step-mother. Who has been incredibly understanding, supportive and loving throughout. Yes, Elliot Paige is amazing in the role and he is perfect casting. However, the charm of the film as a whole is dampened by not finding the charm in Juno.
The ick factor of the jailbait love-in sub-plot. Don’t get me wrong, I love how it all ends up, but no matter how many times I watch this film, I physically feel sick.
Final Thoughts
It’s a feelgood pro-choice movie with a chunk of charm. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most importantly you’ll feel uplifted before the credits roll.
Rating PG Length 2h02 Release 82.11.2022 Director Adam Shankman About Years after her happily ever after, Giselle, Robert and Morgan move to a new community and Andalasia and the real world are thrown off-balance. Moon: Full moon in final animated shot before the credits Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
The Good
Gabriella Baldacchino really holds her own as Morgan. I almost wish the film had allowed her to be the protagonist. Watching it everything unfold from her perspective would have allowed for more of a fresher take. I’d have loved it if she’d gotten to save her love interest too. Really play around with convention.
Amy Adams does well playing wicked. Who’d have thunk it? She certainly looked to be playing the part and the film really warms for me once she’s no longer playing sickly sweet miss perfect.
The musical (score, that is. Although kudos on the Frozen reference) and visual cues to other fairy tales was quite good. From the on the nose, to subtle I expect people will be compiling an “all the Easter Eggs and references in Disenchanted” over the coming month.
The Bad
Gah, the singing. I hate musicals.
Giselle’s fish out of water and unrelenting pep had me reaching for the remote. This is why the fish out of water genre/clique does not do well with sequels. It’s only charming the first time out.
The Wicked
How do you have two amazing singing talents like Yvette Nichole Brown and Jayma Mays and waste them?! In a film about calling out the conventions in song, how did our wing-women not get a number? I’d have taken that over Dempsey’s ham fisted cringe-worthy attempts.
Final Thoughts
A film that perhaps too way too long to be released and feels a little too been there, done that.
Rating 12 Length 2h28 Release 15.12.2021 Director Jon Watts About With Spider-Man’s identity now revealed, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker from the high stakes of being a superhero. When Peter asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Moon: Full moon during the climatic final fight Where to Watch: Cinemas Trailer:
First Thoughts
I don’t think I’ve felt the buzz and hype of a film so tangibly in a cinema for a long time. Nope, upon feeling it walking towards my screen, not even when Force Awakens came out. Not even a Midnight screening has given me that excitement that I felt with those early Potter films. I watched people literally racing from a screen to the toilet, not wanting to miss a single second. As the usher scanned my ticket, he even reassured me that it was good and to enjoy it. It’s safe to say, I did.
The Good
The story is really good, very well structured and manages to balance the heavy castings impeccably. If you think of Maguire’s third outing and the ambitious plot weaving that attempted?! This film shows that it can be done.
The casting! Unless you’ve been sans internet for the last however many months, you’d know that Jamie Foxx, William Dafoe and Alfred Molina have returned to play off against an unfamiliar Peter Parker. All three bring what I loved from their previous performances and then some. Foxx, for me at least, gives a slightly different performance, but I have absolutely no problem with that. As for Dafoe and Molina. Both of them make it so hard to identify a favourite. Both of them bring their all, they bring the ham, but also manage to match the tone that Holland’s Spider-Man has established.
The humour is spot on, as always. It isn’t for everyone, but fuck them! I love it. I love every scene in which Ned does his thing, MJ does her thing and the humour that happens when they’re all together.
Tom Holland. What a beautiful, amazing and wonderful Peter Parker he is. Damn it, he’s *my* Spider-Man. It’s not that the other two were ever ‘wrong’ for the role. It’s just that the character works like Dr Who. You have *the* Spider-Man and that’s cool.
The Bad
I’m still not sold on the use of Dr Strange. I love every bit he’s in and I totally understand why we need him out the picture. However, it lacks the finesse that Stark’s ‘hands off’ approach had and because of that, Strange feels a little bit like a plot device that gets fucked off stage until he’s of use again. Or, you know, like how Captain Marvel was used at the beginning of Endgame.
I get the feeling these events are happening alongside the events of Hawkeye, the tv series, but as I think there’s still an episode to go I can’t quite get them married up in my mind.
The Ugly
This film does rely on the audience being well versed in the Spidy-Verse. This is not the film that should ever introduce you to the character and, even from the trailers, people should know at least a casual knowledge of the Maguire and Garfield eras is necessary. For me, this isn’t a bad thing. However, I do need to acknowledge that some other films have been able to achieve what this film has, while providing a film that works without seeing the previous.
There’s a cameo that I’m still not certain about. The geek in me loves it, however there’s just something about it that reminds me of Clint Barton’s introduction into the universe in Thor; underwhelming.
Final Thoughts
Such a powerful, clever, outing that has gone straight to the top of my favourite MCU list. I want to go watch it again. I already know this is a film in which I will discover more on repeated viewings.
Rating U Length 1h33 Release 3.12.2021 Director Andy Finkman About After a disastrous celebration, 12-year-old Rowena makes a wish and unexpectedly finds herself reliving Christmas Day over and over again. After a disastrous celebration, 12-year-old Rowena makes a wish and unexpectedly finds herself reliving Christmas Day over and over again. Moon: no moon sighting Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
The Good
Lucifer’s Scarlett Estevez gives everyone watching the perfect blend of Kevin (Home Alone) Ferris (Buller) and Mouth (Goonies). She holds her own and does what she can with the material she’s given. It really makes me quite sad that her character in Lucifer didn’t give her a chance to demonstrate any of this.
There’s fart gags and ‘living the kiddie dream’ that will keep young ones happy.
With a 90(ish) minute runtime, it does make for an ideal mid-week choice.
The Bad
The fart gags. Seriously, I’m bored of them now. I don’t need the smell described to me while the character gags. Nope, no thanks.
The bizarre ‘everyone ends up at Ro’s house’ bollocks that was just weird. Everyone was rude, even the mother when it came to the last guest. Just really mishandled.
The Ugly
There are already so many Groundhog Day does Christmas out there that if you do this gimmick, you have to do it right. This film, does not. It breaks the reset rules way too many times. Sometimes Ro is able to wake up before the set up of the day and put things into place, other times characters who would trigger the start of the day don’t appear, allowing Ro to do something else. This includes having the kitchen to herself, or members of the family not yet arriving at the house even though they’d seemingly been there for hours in the set up of the repeat day. The kid is also allowed to seemingly fuck off for the day, do what she wants, with no consequences. What bullshit is this?! Who in their right mind would let their 12 year old wonder off for any day without searching for her, let alone on Christmas Day. Mind boggles.
Final Thoughts
A film I wanted to love, but ultimately I found the plotting choices lazy and just made it hard to enjoy. For a film that does it right, check out Pete’s Christmas (2013) instead.
Rating 12a Length 2h12 Release 3.09.2021 Director Destin Daniel Cretton About Martial-arts master Shang-Chi confronts the past he thought he left behind when he’s drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. Moon: None seen… but I was too invested and may have missed it. Where to Watch: Cinemas nationwide and Disney + Trailer:
The Good
I cannot fault the casting. From the knowns, to the unknowns (to me), they fit the roles perfectly. As always Awkwafina is a joy, Ben Kingsley brings his ham and Michelle Yeoh is the badass I always depend on her being.
I adore the change of the Ten Rings from the comic to the movie. Having the rings appeal more to Asian culture also has added bonus of differentiating them from the hand garment of the previous phases.
The story is really awesome. It acknowledges the Manderine (Ben Kinsley) of Phases 1 and 2, while giving us someone who is a complex and flawed antagonist. The family relationship and dynamic reminded me of the short-lived Helstrom and it was good to see that in play here.
Ben Kingsley’s Trever was that brilliant touch of off the wall comedy you need in something like this. Also, his Scouse accent is spot on for someone who would be theatrically trained. There’s varients in the dialect and that man got it right. So it’s not the hacking and eck-ing that people who are familiar with John Bishop are used to, but it’s a softer and rounder accent. Sod it, I’m just happy we got some Scouser representation in there.
The martial arts itself is STUNNING. Beautiful. I also love that we got original language and subtitles. One of the reasons why I’ve stayed away from the martial arts genre is because access only ever seems to be dubbed movies. As someone who relies on lip reading for understanding, dubbing has the habit of giving me a headache.
The Bad
Some of the CGI is ropey. Like Episode 1, really isn’t going to age very well, sort of ropey. It’s a shame, because from what I can tell of the preproduction everyone was prepared for the martial arts, but there were bits that went to the next level to make it a Marvel movie. If it had been kept within the hidden world, it might have been okay, but as it stands I found certain scenes, the bus fight in particular, detracting visually.
The Ugly
There’s a scene in which the fight sequence takes place on scaffolding. Bollocks, it scared me. My body had the physical reaction of watching a horror movie, I had to look away and I even considered fast forwarding at one point. While this wasn’t a fun experience for me, I do like the fact that it was able to gain such a reaction from me.
Final Thoughts
Iron Man really did run Phase 3 and 4 introductions could fly. I only hope the fatigue doesn’t last for people, because these are the films we need.
Rating 12a Length 2h13 Release 27.8.2021 Director Cate Shortland About Natasha Romanoff, a former KGB spy, is shocked to find out that her ex handler, General Dreykov, is still alive. While evading capture by Taskmaster, she is forced to confront her dark past. Moon: no moon sighting Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
First Thoughts
I’ve now watched this film three times and I really have struggled to put down my thoughts. I’m glad I didn’t do it after my first, or second, watch. There are things I’m still very unhappy about, but …. well you’ll see from my review.
The Good
Florence Pugh as Yelena is what saves this film. She is a breath of fresh air as this young woman using humour as her guard. Her interaction with both Nat and her ‘father’ are pitched perfectly. Most importantly, her persona leaves me begging for Yelena to have interactions with Ant Man, Peter Parker and Nebula. It is going to be so much fun see her have verbal duels with some of these heroes.
David Harbour was always going to be a plus for me. I was a little worried; I’ve heard some of his attempts at accents, and they’re not always pretty. However, his Russian isn’t too bad. You can tell that Harbour is enjoying every minute of playing this Red State answer to Captain America. It’s brilliant to see a hero that has already had his time and is perhaps someone who should be sitting out of the fights. Then, you see him fight and realise; he’s still got it.
The relationship/ family dynamic of the OG Black Widow family is something I took for granted the first time I watched, but I really enjoyed this different type of dysfunction. The “time of the month” scene, for example was a stroke of genius. In that short interaction, you got to see Guardian’s ignorance, Yalana’s dark humour and Nat’s leadership skills.
The action, as always is spot on and well placed within the story structure. This film almost mimics a Bond movie with its exotic locations (the safe house in Budapest looks so similar to the last act of Craig’s Casino Royale), motor vehicle chases and a lair final showdown.
The Bad
The story is underwhelming. Being placed where it was in the timeline and release schedule means the story had to be somewhat self contained. Not only that, but there was a sense of retcon in order to make this work. The biggest thing of that I felt was ‘Budapest’. I’ll be honest, the Mouse House had a hard job on their hands with that. When you mention something so vague; you set of about a million plot bunnies. Nothing will live up to what’s been imagined in the heads of many geek’s in the years since it was first mentioned.
My issue with Taskmaster is the way the gender of them was hidden. It was deliberate and I’m pretty certain the person inside the Taskmaster suit prior to the reveal was male. It’s not clever, it doesn’t make the reveal more shocking. It just really makes them just another really weak antagonist.
Dreykov was badly cast. You do not cast Ray Winstone as a Russian. That man cannot do an accent to save his life and it ruins the character. Instead of him being this formidable leader, he comes across as a cheap panto villain.
O-T Fagbenle is wasted as Rick Mason. How are we only just being introduced to him now? This is such a shame as not only did I love the character, I loved his interaction with both Nat and Yalana.
Not the fault of the film itself, but the way in which trailers are made needs to change. It was heavily implied that Rachel Weisz’ character, Melina, had died. It is certainly a shock to both Yelena and Nat that she’s not and I think it’s meant to be a shock for us too. That’s hard for the audience to do though, seeing as she appears heavily in the trailer.
The Ugly
Black Widow deserved better. There, I said it.
This is a film that has almost zero impact upon the universe, mainly because it was tagged on to Phase 3 and added out of sequence. Had the film been released prior to Infinity War and Endgame, there would have at least been a slight element of jeopardy. As it stands, we know Nat can’t be killed and it narrative loses any tension. Not only that, but placing this film before Nat’s sacrifice? Jesus, that adds so much weight. Don’t have the same punch after the fact, but in the right order Nat is sacrificing herself for two families.
Not a single Avenger comes to help. Yes, I know that this is happening mid Civil War, but Disney, Buba, she’s been the wing woman to all these boy’s ‘adventures’ and you can’t even get one scene? Hell, you couldn’t even get Jeremy Renner in for the flashbacks? Do you not realise quite how shitty that is?!
It’s not Nat’s film. Not really. The only way this works, in terms of impact, is that it is a film that introduces Yelena Belova to the Avengers Universe. Yet, even this feels like an afterthought based upon fan reaction to the amazing Florence Pugh.
Final Thoughts
An underwhelming addition to the Marvel Universe that does not do Nat, or Scarlett Johannsen, justice.
Rating PG Length 1h36 Release 26.12.2001 Director Paul Hoen About Kyle has always relied on his gold coin that brought him a lot of luck. When his gold coin is stolen by a thief, things go from bad to worst as they turn into their true form, Leprechauns. Moon: no moon sighting Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
The Good
It’s a lighthearted Disney ‘made for tv’ movie that, at the heart, attempts to teach that luck isn’t that important and skill, talent (and everything important to a kid) are gained from inside.
As always, Tim Omudson is a welcome face to a cast. Bloody hell, he is brilliant as the power hungry leprechaun. His comedy is akin to British comedian Chris Barrie in that he’s very good at using ‘uptight’ for comic relief. I can’t even be mad that his accent appears a little patchy because it’s Lassie and he goes up against a teenager in a high school game of basketball and he Irish Jigs like his life depends on it.
Equally, Henry Gibson (Innerspace, Switching Channels and The ‘Burbs among others) is utterly joyful as the spurned grandfather who is initially believed to be the cause of the missing gold. His accent may not be perfect, but he really does make for an excellent matriarch.
While I don’t particularly like how the ‘hidden’ heritage is played out, I do love that before it’s revealed Kyle and his friend come up with ideas as to what might be the reason for the skittishness of his family.
The CGI, for a tv movie, is not too bad. I’ve seen worse on films with bigger budgets.
The Bad
The accents are as bad as you would expect for a film that has no native Irish actors. It’s that run of the mill, American does Irish. So it’s not Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York bad, but quite a few of them are that close. Its all rather cringe inducing.
At no point, writers, should the words ‘I touched the rim.’ be shouted by anyone in a film made for kids. Fuck, its so lucky I wasn’t in a cinema or a lot of parent’s would be stuck with trying to answer “Why was that funny mummy?” because I cackled for about a minute and a half.
The Ugly
For a film with a run time of less than 90 minutes, it spends way too much time introducing the characters and setting up the premise, meaning there’s a risk many viewers will have checked out before anything interesting happens.
I don’t like the message of ‘American Pride’ that comes across especially the almost shame like reaction Kyle’s mother has about her heritage. I know there’s a little bit of a breakthrough towards the end of the film, and that part of the immigration process for Irish people was this ‘land of opportunity’, but the message just became a little muddled and felt more “Yay to be American” and “Boooo immigrants”.
Final Thoughts
It falls into that ‘so bad, its good’ territory and could make a fair drinking game should you have the need.
Rating U Length 1h42 Release 24.7.2015 Director Pete Docter About Eleven-year-old Riley moves to San Francisco, leaving behind her life in Minnesota. She and her five core emotions, Fear, Anger, Joy, Disgust and Sadness, struggle to cope with her new life. Moon: no moon sighting Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
The Good
The story; the metaphor for emotions and memory is not only well presented, but it is really important for anyone exploring the growth mindset.
The use of colour to reflect Riley’s emotions is brilliant, particularly when Riley is on the bus and her thoughts change.
The voice casting is genius; Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling and Amy Poehler are perfect in their roles.
There’s the nice added touch of seeing into other people’s heads and how their Joy et al manifest.
The Bad
The clown and the imaginary friend. Nope, nope, nope! Hate them, can’t be doing with them. Just, no!
I hate Sadness. I know you’re meant to and the moral is that we all do need that bit of sadness in our lives, but seriously, I want to yeet her out the movie before it even begins.
The Ugly
How has there not been a sequel. There’s so much potential there that I would rather have seen a number 2 of this than the 4th Toy Story.
Final Thoughts
Another addition to the Pixar Studio. I must admit though, I absolutely hated this movie the first time I watched it.
Rating 18 Length 2h01 Release 10.12.1999 Director Peter Hyams About The Devil crashes a New Year’s party in New York and inhabits a man’s body. He searches for his bride, a woman named Christine York, as he wants her to bear his child and destroy the world. Moon: Full moon during the establishing shot of 1979 Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
Trick
Some of the CGI hasn’t aged well. I would also argue that it wasn’t designed to live up to repeat viewings. The one scene that’s most noticeable is the homeless guy who shatters like glass in Christine’s dream.
It’s a visually dark film. There are ways in which you can suggest this level of darkness while still keeping the scene lit. The way in which this film is produced, you cannot have any light in the room in order to watch the film. That doesn’t make for enjoyable watching on my part.
Treat
For me, this film is faultless casting. I was reading that the role of Jericho was originally offered to Tom Cruise. Given that the role is so similar to John Anderton in Minority Report, I cannot see how that would have worked. Whereas Arnold Schwarzenegger offers something different to the man broken by life.
Kevin Pollak is always a welcome addition to any project, but he’s spot on here and provides a comedic relief that fits the tone of the film. His story arc is a touch of genius too. The careful editing, snappy dialogue all helps his journey and increases its believability.
The religious symbolism and imagery within the film is something you might not notice at first watch, but it is well thought out. What is also good about these elements is the fact that they’re value added; you don’t miss anything by not knowing this stuff, but it does add layers.
From having the priest who prophesied Christine’s existence called Thomas (While there’s the literally link of Thomas Aquinas, there’s also the idea that he called by name after the Pope disagrees with Thomas’ plan to kill Christine; perhaps an alluding to Doubting Thomas).
Jericho Cane shares his initials with the Christian saviour and his story arc involves a beautifully cruel mirroring of the temptation of Christ and even the final act has comparisons to Jesus’ rejection of violence in the Garden of Gethsemane and His prayer for strength from God.
Christine herself is believed to bring about the birth of the anti-Christ, so its quite fitting that she has a feminine name similar to Christ.
What I love most of all about this film is its action sequences. This is a typical Arnie film where you can switch of your brain and watch the Muscles from Brussels save the day.
Final Thoughts
Its not perfect, but that’s why I love it. Just don’t ask me to choose between this or Stigmata because 1999 really came through for us with the religious horror!
Rating 15 Length 2h02 Release 21.8.1998 Director Rob Bowman About Two FBI agents set out to unravel a government conspiracy related to the alien colonisation of Earth and attempt to rescue the people on the planet. Moon: Full moon at 33 minutes in Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
Trick
There’s not enough Mitch Pileggi. There is literally never enough Mitch Pileggi, but it’s still very true here. He sort of bookends the film and then pops up one or two more times. It’s weird to see him in a role where he’s not the one in charge.
The Lone Gunmen are used poorly. They’re nothing more than lip service and its a real injustice. While I’m sure the actors were happy to appear on the big screen, they could have played a bigger, better, part.
Due to this being a film, set between series, there’s an element of setting the scene for none fans. It’s why there’s two segments before getting to Mulder and Scully. For the tv show, a cold opening works. It doesn’t here and, even as a fan of the show, I’m restless until our protagonists appear.
Treat
This movie really does give the fans some epic pay offs for five years of mythology content. Cigarette Smoking Man has a B-plot thread and the Well-Manicured Man shows his true-ish colours. The whole thing not only gives us answers, but it adds gravitas to the mythology.
There’s something more to this than it being an episode story with extra time. The budget is bigger, so the plot is able to take us beyond what we’d ever see in even a multi-episode arc. The set pieces are bigger, better and serve the plot well.
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson prove that they are made for the big screen; their chemistry, their character portrayal and story arcs are still able to shine through despite the grander scale; not many actors would be able to do the same.
The horror comes from the rather oddest part in this movie. It’s not the extra-terrestrial or the plot that comes with their existence, but the actions of the group that both the Cigarette-smoking Man and The Well Manicured Man belong to. The lengths that they’ll go to cover things up is truly terrifying.
Final Thoughts
The only shame is that Fox Studios wouldn’t allow Chris Carter to follow through with his plan of a number of movies following this one. Its a good watch for this time of year and it works well to watch outside of viewing the series.
Rating PG Length 52m Release 8.10.2021 Director Kirk R Thatcher About On Halloween night, Gonzo is challenged to spend one night in The Haunted Mansion. Moon: Full Moon sighted just before Gonzo enters the mansion. Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
Trick
Kermit’s new voice is not quite right for me. At first, I thought it was that Kermit had a pig nose on his face and they were adding an effect. However, additional scenes proved otherwise. Whoever they picked is a few octaves lower than previous voice actors and not only is it noticeable, it changes the whole character.
Treat
Wil Arnett is perhaps the perfect human companion after Jason Segel. He has the adaptability to play the sort of characters Muppets needs. Arnett looks in his element throughout and it lifts up the performance of everyone involved.
Move over Animal, Pepe is my new favourite Muppet. He’s charming and funny. Not only that, he works well alongside fan favourite, Gonzo.
The songs are used sparingly, which I’m grateful for.
The humour, the charm and the meta-ness of the plot is all on brand and well written throughout.
It’s the perfect length for a family-friendly film. Especially for those days when no one has the attention for anything longer.
Final Thoughts
Muppets doing what Muppets do best, what’s not to love?
Rating 15 Length 1h46 Release 2.9.2011 Director Craig Gillespie About When a nice new neighbor moves in next door, Charley discovers that he is an ancient vampire who preys on the community. Moon: no moon sighting Where to Watch: Disney Plus Trailer:
Trick
Ah, 2011! The height of of the 3D Hollywood cash-in. Some films, Pocahontas in Space comes to mind, used it well as part of a depth of field. Other, used it as a gimmick and set up certain parts for that ‘gotcha’ jump scare. That second sort have not aged well. Fright Night is one of those gimmick type movies and you can tell. From blood splatter to thrown objects; they have this gloss to them that just makes them stick out like a sore thumb.
Anton Yelchin’s death in 2016 makes this a hard watch. That lad was such a beautiful talent, and while I’m grateful to have the roles that we have, it still really hurts to think how much of a tragedy losing him was.
Not 100% sold on Colin Farrell’s vampire, Jerry. Don’t get me wrong, he’s really good as a bad guy. Hell, he’s grand as the ambiguous guy. However, there’s something off and a little ‘try-hard’ about this performance. The best example I can give is when Jerry gets the pack of Bud from Charley. It feels like he would fit right at home in Twilight rather than this film.
The club scene really fucking pisses me off in today’s climate. There’s a girl being fireman lifted to a dark corner and she’s asking anyone who will listen to help, yet no one listens. Its fucked up, and what’s worse is that I can’t tell if its a commentary on society, thoughtlessness or a way to desensitise us to what we now call the ‘me too’ culture.
Treat
Anton Yelchin is perfect as the geek that blossomed. He’s got the girl and you can see how he got the girl, but he also was once friends with the losers and you can also see how that is possible. There’s a balance that Yelchin is able to give in his performance; he is able to give the audience comedy, drama and horror without any one taking over. He also proved with this film, among others, that he is capable of leading a film. I can’t help but wonder while watching Fright Night; how cool would his Spider-Man have been?
David Tennant. In 2011, I wasn’t too impressed with his potty mouth. To me, it was like putting Micky Mouse in Ted. I understood that it was perhaps a way to break from his child-friendly Dr Who persona, but that was exactly what I didn’t like about it. Now, I fucking love the jaded, cursing bastard. I love the story arc we get and, much like his tenure as the keeper of the TARDIS keys, there’s the childlike joy along with the bitterness of someone who has seen pain. Only he can say fuck. A lot. The decision to make Vincent Price a much younger expert, and a Vegas act, was really quite novel. This, along with a few other choice changes, allowed this remake to stand alone from the original.
I’m not quite sure what it is about the films of the early 2010s, but they have this sheen to them that wasn’t present in many movies before. I’m not really researched enough to discover if it is around the time things moved from celluloid to digital, but there’s something distinctly different that really draws me in. Best example I can think of is the way in which the chase scene is filmed. The tracking of the camera within the car is dynamic yet strangely claustrophobic.#
The music is fantastic. Both the original soundtrack and the song choices. I was so convinced that it sampled the 1985 theme song that I’ve just had to pause in order to find out. While I can’t confirm, it certain does have a 1985 inspired vibe to it.
Final Thoughts
It’s a solid vampire entry, even if the big bad is so wooden I expected him to sparkle. While the CGI is passable, its let down by any attempt to pander to the 3D market.
The Queens of Geekdom 