Tag: movies 2022

Violent Night (2022) Christmas Film Review

Rating 15
Length 1h52
Release 02.12.2022
Director Tommy Wirkola
About An elite team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone hostage inside. However, they aren’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.
Moon: Full Moon seen in the opening scene
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime (for rental or purchase), Now TV
Trailer:

Naughty

There’s no redemption for most of the Lightstone family. They’re not innocent, so the robbery should act as a Santa does for the Christmas clan of robbers. No one in the family makes any changes by the end of the film and that really is a shame.

While the kid is mostly cute, there’s just the odd few times in which her pitch and tone skirts her towards the annoying.

Not so much about this film, but I am concerned about the talk of another movie. More Harbour in that leather, oh yes please! However, this is a film that relies heavily on the premise that we’ve switched John McClane out for Santa; not just one, but the snowy second outing too. Not only that, but the film is a homage for Home Alone too. I’m worried there isn’t enough left to mine from.

Vomit! Yes I laughed. However,

Nice

The music is awesome. I didn’t even know Bryan Adams had released a Christmas song, let alone it being as good as it is. Then it’s how the music is used, the positivity clashes with the violence and it’s incredible.

David Harbour makes for one amazing, leather clad, viking Santa. He’s got the humour, the deep set anger and the moves of an action hero. There’s a scene at the midpoint that could hint at a potential prequel.

The Home Alone scene. You’ll know once you’ve seen it.

Final Thoughts

It’s Die Hard, with more Christmas, meets Home Alone with my favourite man, David Harbour playing a silvered fox Santa. I’ve watched it five times this December, so I guess that tells you all you need to know.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Rating 12a
Length 2h11
Release 27.05.2022
Director Joseph Kosinski
About After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime and Paramount+ from 24/08/2022
Trailer:

The Good

  • Miles Teller! There are so many levels of perfect to his casting. As the biological son of Goose, he’s spot on. As the boy who will have been raised by Maverick, he’s got it down. The mannerisms, the anger (that flush! I hope to god that’s real and not some CGI deep-fake shit because I identified with that anger tell so hard) and the chemistry with everyone he worked with was what had me invested.
    The final act had me wishing we’d gotten there sooner and spent the majority of the run time with just him and Cruise.
  • Bashir Sakahuddin’s turn as Hondo was understated and quite possibly my favourite part of the movie. The lines he gets to give out are gold.
  • It is a visually stunning film. The first movie struggled to keep my attention during flight sequences, but this?! There were so many shots I’d hang on a wall.
  • Tom Cruise knows how to entertain. I’m not just talking about his role in this movie as Maverick. He’s probably the only old school “star” able to command a box office. He has a brand and he’s used all his power to get this film made and into the cinema.
  • Val Kilmer and Iceman. Nope, that’s all your getting.
  • That said, my final note must be about Cruise and the character of Maverick. It’s a feat to have a character stay true yet not have washed out by the time we pick up the story 30 years later. Absolutely loved how it was within the realms of possibility.

The Bad

  • I personally could have done without the romance. It undoes the resolution of the first movie. I only couldn’t tell you if it was better or worse that they made a new character rather than have Jennifer Connelly play Charlie.
    Don’t get me wrong Connelly, and the character of Peggy, was decent. I just felt that it didn’t add anything.
  • The film really was trying to hard to recreate the conflict of the original. Unfortunately Hangman is too much of a unabashed dickwad throughout the film that it doesn’t have that same feel.
    I either needed a very different dynamic, or I needed something that breaks him down and humbles him and I’m not talking about not being picked.
    In fact, you know what would have been good? Keep the final act involvement of Hangman, but have him choke out during one of the final training missions.

The Ugly

  • I think I’ve spent too much of my life worried I’d become my mother, that I’ve become my father. Mainly because this movie is just a retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope.
    Seriously though?! There’s a good chance you were already thinking it, but if you weren’t, watch it again and tell me I’m wrong?!
  • Where was all the gay undertones that the original was so famous for?! My lecturer didn’t write a paper on the homoerotic coding of Top Gun for Top Gun: Maverick to do us so dirty!

Final Thoughts

I did not expect to like this film, let alone like it as much as I did. Issues aside, it’s a fairly decent movie. Dare I say the “blockbuster” has a pulse after all?!