Tag: Stranger Things

Damsel (2024) Film Review with Spoilers

This is not a fairytale.

Rating 12
Length 1h37
Release 05.06.1998
Director Frank Coraci
About A young woman agrees to marry a handsome prince — only to discover it was all a trap. She is thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon and must rely solely on her wits and will to survive.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

Shohreh Aghdashloo is the Alan Rickman of female voices. It’s hypnotic and enchanting, so it’s no surprise that she is the perfect choice for the dragon. Yes, each time she speaks you will be fearful. However you will also wonder why anyone puts up a fight.
Speaking of which, the design of the dragon is incredible. It’s clearly CGI, but because of the design you won’t mind so much.

Buttercup is all grown up and on the dark side. I know people who watched House of Cards know that Robin Wright is no stranger to the questionable side of morality, however seeing her return to the genre that made her an icon. Her talent is seen when she goes toe to toe with Angela Bassett

The Bad

The character of Elodie. Millie Bobby Brown does an incredible job with the what the script and story gives her to work with and there’s no questioning her acting ability. However, the problem is that the character is not given much to do outside of hiding, screaming and crying.
Even the things that they do give her, appear only as and when the plot calls for it. For example, towards the end of the film Elodie is shown to be inventive yet despite plenty of opportunity to show this in the opening act, they film doesn’t sew those initial seeds.

The Ugly

The massive fucking plot hole of the girls being of royal descent and the pretence of marriage. The big problem being that this is all hanging on the fact that the dragon they’re being sacrificed to has great fucking smell.
Or rather, she doesn’t?!
Is the film trying to say there’s some transubstantiation that takes place during the marriage that makes Elodie’s blood ‘royal’, or is that so they’re technically not lying when they make their offering?
Is it really just the palming off of a squidge of blood that convinces the dragon?! Even long after Elodie’s bled from other wounds that will clearly be her own? That dragon is not that stupid, that’s not how blood works and surely words going to get around that they’re holding multiple weddings?!
Get to the talk sooner, have the dragon wake the fuck up and realise she’s being conned and then have the third act be them working together instead of what becomes a quick wrap up.

Final Thoughts

Excellent cast, but a garbage script. It’s worth a watch, but it won’t be making anyone’s regular viewing cycle.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Theatre Review)

Home

Story

I’m not going to give too much detail about the plot, other than to reassure. It is a Stranger Things story, but it does not alter what fans will have seen in the show so far. It also can be watched by anyone, no matter their level of Hawkins knowledge they have.
While I’ve questioned some of the character inclusions, I will admit it’s more my saltiness at the absence of gone-too-soon Benny Hammond. It was the only hope I had; seeing what the diner owner’s friendship with Hopper was like.
It is something quite enchanting about having the backstory of Henry Creel fleshed out and, as a story, it works being in a different format and for those familiar with season 4, will feel themselves on the edge of their seat as the narrative cranks up to events we already know of.
I was sold on seeing this play from the start, but the fact that it includes time with the younger versions of Jim, Joyce and Bob was too good to pass up and this is where the true element of Stranger Things comes to life: the powerless, becoming empowered and learning about themselves while looking into a town-based mystery. Of course there perhaps would have been a different ending without having to be written to the confines of the franchise, but the play still ends with an ending that will satisfy.

Production

The show takes what was started with the production of The Cursed Child, an incredible feat in its own right, and refines the skills and techniques to perform what I can only describe as magic.
Again, not something I want to spoil by going into detail, but it’s safe to say that the method and quality of bringing the Upsidedown to life will leave all enthralled. It’s clear money has been well spent to keep the show up to the production value of the streaming show. Even the song choices are as on point as the show.

Casting

I could speak about every single person who is in the play. It is very much an understatement to say that this is a well cast production before you even begin to think about the boots they’ve had to fill.

Isabella Pappas and Christopher Buckley play Joyce and Bob respectively. Their performances are perfect. For me, these two are mimics of Ryder and Austin and winning the audience over in that respect is what makes the show work as well as it does. From mannerisms to characterisation, they are the teens that our favourite Hawkins’ adults become.
Oscar Lloyd gives an incredible performance as the boy who will become the beloved grouch, Jim Hopper. Most importantly, he didn’t make me miss David Harbour. Instead he gave me a Hopper, while far from carefree, void of the trauma of war and loss. Lloyd is perhaps the least like the character from the show, and is something that comes across as a choice and rightly so. The other thing I absolutely adore about Oscar Lloyd and his performance? You could easily cast him as Steve Harrington; the charm, the movement on the stage and the look. This may seem like a strange compliment to most, however take a look at photos of a young David Harbour and you’ll understand why.

Finally, in his stage debut, is Louis McCartney as Henry Creel with an incredible challenge of not only fleshing out the dark big bad from season four, but making him a character the audience feels for.
Not only is he successful in this, he is able to do so while keeping the idea of Vecna/One intact. From his arrival into Hawkins, to the acceptance of his fate you are captivated by him. You’re also on the journey with Henry, and if McCartney was not able to win over the audience and subvert those expectations of the character so quickly, it would not work.
When it comes to the physicality of the role, I am in awe. How he has managed to keep up the energy while contorting his body to represent his interaction with the mind flayer is mind blowing.

Final Thoughts

It is a blessing and a curse that I am no longer a resident of London. I am incredibly sad because I don’t know when I’ll get back to watch, however I also know I would be bankrupt going repeatedly, spotting all the little bits I’ve missed this first time around.
I very much hope they publish the script and, should it be turned into a version for the streaming platform, this original cast is used.

Hellboy

Release: 11.4.2019

Rating: 15

Length: 2Hr 1

About: Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.

The Good

• Ian McShane stole the show for me. He’s long shed his humble Lovejoy roots, and he’s as much a staple in the American home now. He takes on the role of Hellboy’s adoptive father and plays it perfectly. There’s no apologises for the task he undertakes and he doesn’t handle Big Red with kid gloves.

• Harbour was essentially give a poisoned chalice. He had a big hand to fill and fans were never going to cut him a break. Add to this the tiny budget in comparison to Pearlman’s outing, it was always going to be a hard sell. Aside from a few times in which dialogue was mangled by Big Red’s prosthesis I’d say he did really well with the script he had to work with. I got What Harbour was trying to achieve with Red’s conflicted soul and it would have been perfect if the film gave that room to grow.

• I enjoyed the Arthurian legend coming into play and it was refreshing to see the film opening on a prologue about this. I’d have perhaps like to have seen this streamlined a little and even perhaps had Red’s arc focusing on him finding Excalibur.

• Course, it has to be a Scouser who helps bring about the apocalypse. It was awesome to hear current Line of Duty star Stephen Graham cursing his way through the film.

• I really liked the music. Not sure if they were quite reworkings, but they fit the film and I’d be happy to have the album.

• Thomas Haden Church was a wonderful addition as Lobster Johnson. I’m only sad we didn’t get to see more.

The Bad

• The accents of Daniel Dae Kim and Sasha Lane we’re so bad they bordered on offensive. Lane’s clashed with what we saw of her visually; nothing screamed that is was necessary for her to have the abomination RP that Lane insisted on having. Yes, I’m aware I’ve been spoiled with Joe Mazzello’s perfect iteration of John Deacon’s weirdly wonderful dialect (ironically, I was worried), but it came across lazy.

• Some of the plot and dialogue was at best clunky, but on the most part it was the biggest problem with the whole thing. It was lines like ‘if my face could talk…’ that gave a whole new meaning to cringe and the Osiris Club sub plot was a pointless exposition exercise that revealed its hand scenes earlier and removed any tension that may have been building.

• Another trailer and scene reveal misstep when it comes to Dae Kim’s Daimio. Obviously, for fans of the comic, it was known that Daimio is cursed to turn into a Jaguar at times of stress. However, the film tried to tease us with this and not outwardly reveal his condition until the final act. However, that proverbial and literal cat was out the bag and it really renders some storytelling pointless.

The Ugly

• The CGI was atrocious. I’ve seen my brother create scenes with his phone that were better than this. It was most obvious in scenes were Hellboy was facing off against some beastie or other and was very telling of the budget the film had.

• What happened to the cats?! That was the one thing I loved about Pearlman’s version. It was such a beautiful visual. Plus… cats!

Final Thoughts

I was a decent watch, but much like the other outings; I’m not going to rush for a rewatch any time soon.