TomTalksFilms Reviews

The Fall Guy (2024)

Post-Modernism personified

[7/10 · 7 May 2024]

Remember in 2020 when a certain video game took over the market... Well I'm happy to say this film has nothing to do with the Fall Guys video game and thank F for that, we don't need another pixels!

The effortlessly cool Ryan Gosling stars as a film stuntman coming back from a serious injury in order to work on a project that's being directed by Jodi Moreno (Emily Blunt) who he happens to be in love with.

Seems straight forward that is until the star of the film James Bond... I mean Tom Ryder played by Aaron Taylor Johnson goes missing putting the entire project in jeopardy. Goslings Colt Savers takes it upon himself to find Tom (he can find me any day) in order to save the woman he loves film.

David Leitch is in the directors chair for this one, his work includes films such as Hobbs and Shaw and Bullet Train. I feel like with the later of those films Bullet Train Leitch has been trying to establish a style for himself and I'm on the fence about whether I'm a fan of that style. I found Bullet Train to be outlandish and over the top and a lot of the humour didn't work for me. There's something about the focus of The Fall Guy being on stunt crews however that really works when combined with Leitchs style.

The films a 12 certificate so don't expect gritty action in fact at times it's almost comic book esc along the lines of Scott Pilgrim, I was half expecting big speech bubbles to come up with words like POW written on them. The cartoon nature of the action was a problem for me in his earlier work but for this film it just seemed to work really well. It also probably helped that up until the end where the action goes crazy there's overall less action and instead we get some heartfelt moments of dialogue as well as humour that for me landed a lot more than it did it Bullet Train.

It doesn't take itself too seriously and is very referential, referencing a number of films and other actors some of which with hilarious results. It does all this while also managing to be a heartfelt salute to the unsung hero's of big screen action films the stunt department.

I guess you could says it's Alright, Alright, Alright.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Never have truer words been spoken than when Qui-Gon says 'The ability to speak does not make you intelligent'

[6/10 · 7 May 2024]

In a time far, far away well 25 years ago to be precise, I was yet to be conceived and Star Wars was about to get political with the arrival of The Phantom Menace.

I've got to be honest if I'm going to rewatch any Star Wars film it's likely going to be one of the original three. That being said I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see the first of the prequels on the big screen for the first time.

I'm sure everyone who's going to has seen this film but anyway here's a refresher.

The Trade Federation have organised a blockade around Naboo and two Jedi's Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have been sent to negotiate the ending of said blockade. The Federation don't fancy negotiating though and instead take control of Naboo. Thereby forcing the Queen of Naboo 'Amidala' to leave for the senate with the plan of convincing them to help her retake her planet.

Just trying to sum the story up briefly proved a challenge and I think that's one of the bigger issues with this film and to perhaps a lesser extent the other two prequel films as well. Whilst even up to this point politics was very much a part of the Star Wars universe (after all what war isn't caused by politics?) but The Phantom Menace had it front and centre unlike the original trilogy where it sits more in the background. As a result there's less of a focus on action which can at times make this film a bit boring.

One of the things I enjoyed most however was seeing the younger versions of characters like Anakin and Padme from the original trilogy. I felt their back stories were handled really well which is no easy task when your audience already knows what these characters grow up to become.

Another character I enjoyed was Qui-Gon played by Liam Neeson. I knew Neeson was in the Star Wars prequels but I had forgotten just how much of a pivotal role he plays in The Phantom Menace. He has a bigger role than even Ewan Mcgregor does as Obi-Wan and absolutely carries the first half of this film.

The concluding lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul is also expertly choreographed and a joy to see on the big screen. I would however say that I had also forgotten how little screen time Darth Maul gets especially since he's become such a fan favourite character amongst fans.

He has some gnarly corpse paint that I couldn't help but want to see more of.

I of course couldn't talk about this film without mentioning the Gungan in the room Jar Jar Binks. He's one of the most hated characters in the entire Star Wars cannon and to be honest I can understand why. I think Lucas was trying to make him a loveable idiot along the lines of Homer Simpson but what we instead got was an annoying idiot who mainly just slows other characters down.

Overall it's definitely still one of the weaker Star Wars films for me but it's not unwatchable.

Abigail (2024)

Swan: lake of blood

[6/10 · 22 April 2024]

It was a bit stormy last week, there was a-big-gail, oh dear, I'll see myself out.

Abigail is a new horror film that was last weeks only new cinema release in the UK. The premise is that a group of criminals have been brought together to kidnap a young girl and hold her till her father pays a ransom. Unbeknownst to them however this young girl is harbouring a secret.... She likes ballet... wait no... she's got a taste for blood.

I would say I enjoyed the first 2/3rds of the film. At the start the group know next to nothing about one another, they've even been given code names in case one of them was to get caught. Once they think the job is done however they play a guessing game with the aim of finding out more about each other. This was strangely enough the most interesting part for me because as the audience we are also learning about these characters at the same time as they're learning about eachother. This is where the film sets itself apart from the likes of scream as in those films the crew tend to be friends or at least know about eachother from the start and we as the audience are the ones playing catch up. Whilst this is all going on if you've seen the trailer then you know all isn't as well as the characters think it is and therefore it builds up tension.

Unfortunately it was the horror element that let this one down for me. When characters inevitably start to get picked off the violence is subtle until the last 15 minutes or so when the film just throws everything at the screen. When characters were starting to get picked off there still remained a sense of mystery however by the end people are dying left, right and centre and all the tension the film did so well at building up was lost.

I get that people want to see gory violence in this type of film but for me the build up was far better than the pay off. Much like the latest instalment in The Evil Dead franchise this film had a lot of promise but threw it away in a largely boring final act.

Who's cutting onions?

Back to Black (2024)

Chanel N°Pub

[6/10 · 18 April 2024]

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson finds herself going from Grey to Black for this Amy Winehouse Biopic.

Another month and we have another newly released biopic this time centering around the life and career of soul singer Amy Winehouse. Firstly I should say that I generally like biopics particularly ones about musicians as after all who doesn't enjoy music?

I have to say though this is one musician whose career I wouldn't want to be trying to adapt into a big screen story.

Why? I hear you ask.

Two reasons.

One: Because of just how hounded Amy was by the press which resulted in a large number of overly exaggerated if not outright false stories being written about her. I wouldn't want to be the one to have to say this is what I think really happened as everyone seems to have their own opinion on her life.

Two: She's not around to defend herself. Whilst ordinarily I wouldn't say a biopic shouldn't be made about an artist who has passed away, with the amount of lies that were spread about Amy and her life who knows if what you are putting on screen actually happened or not.

I would imagine largely as a result of the points I made in the previous paragraph Taylor-Johnson plays this biopic incredibly safe. All the information the audience is given throughout the film is largely surface level and the film fails to take any sort of deep dive into what really lead Amy to an early death at the age of just 27.

It's definitely not all a lost though, the acting for one I felt was particularly strong. Anyone who's been reading my reviews for a little while knows about my love for the actors from the tv show skins. Jack O'Connell who played cook in skins stars as Amy's boyfriend, husband and eventually Ex-Husband Blake and he absolutely stole the show for me. I have been longing to see him play a cheeky bad boy again as he's so good at it and yet again he shines here. Amy Winehouse herself is played by Marisa Abela, I think the thing to look for in a musical biopic is whether the actor still feels like the real person when they're not on stage. Does Marisa still feel like Amy when she's just having a chat with her Nan for instance?

I'm happy to say I felt she definitely did. I particularly felt she got the accent and the speaking voice spot on. As for Amy's singing voice it's such a unique sound to try to replicate but after doing some research it seems Marisa did all her own singing in the film and if that's true then wow.

If you're looking for a deep dive into the life of Amy Winehouse then I recommend the 2015 documentary.

What we are given in Back to Black is a well shot and well acted biopic but one that is far from the likes of Rocketman and one that I'm likely to forget about completely after just a couple of weeks.

Civil War (2024)

BLEW ME AWAY!

[8/10 · 18 April 2024]

Civil War is a newly released action/thriller written and directed by Alex Garland and produced by A24. As the title suggests the film is centred around a modern day American civil war. The film starts with the war well under way with little explanation given as to what started it. Instead Garland chooses to focus on a team of war photographers looking to document the ongoing events. The team plan an 800 mile journey with the goal of interviewing the president and so we have a road trip film (Scotty doesn't know, no not that one).

This could so easily have been a Michael Bay esc explosion fest instead Garlands choice to focus on photo journalists results in an impactful and thought provoking look at what a modern American Civil War might look like.

By not focusing so much on the violence the film much like its characters is able to take a step back from the situation and look at it without having a political opinion. I felt this was a really clever move as it almost turns the mirror on people and says hey this could be you but it does so without having a political bias that people could use to object to the film by something along the lines of 'well yeah someone with that view would say that'.

Another big surprise for me was that despite its very human driven story it also has it's fair share of entertaining action sequences, it can at times be difficult to balance action and emotional drama but I felt this film did a near perfect job of it.

As a result of the human centred story the action is not only entertaining but also manages to be intense as you genuinely care about the characters because after all they're just doing their jobs. I was genuinely on the edge of my seat for large parts of the film and that's a feeling I haven't had at the cinema for quite a while. The sounds of the gunfire for instance were phenomenal, comparing it to other action films where guns almost sound like toys being fired this film really made them feel like killing machines which only added to the intensity.

That brings me on nicely to just how good the sound mixing was. From explosions to music to at times straight silence I felt the film used sound really effectively and if you have any interest whatsoever in seeing this one then please do see it on the biggest screen possible.

Overall I found the film to be thought provoking as well as having entertaining action sequences with a stand out sound mix that makes it one of if not my favourite film of the year so far and asks the question Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose once infamously asked...

What's so civil about war anyway?

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

SKADOOSH!

[7/10 · 11 April 2024]

The dragon warrior returns in this 4th instalment of the beloved franchise about the Panda with a particular set of skills. I'm a big fan of this franchise, so much so that one of my first reviews was for the original film. I have to admit though after seeing the third film I felt the franchise had come to a suitable conclusion and the franchise would stay as a strong trilogy. Add dreamworks poor financial state with box office flops like Ruby Gillman and awful straight to streaming releases like the new Megamind sequel and here we are with a fourth Kung Fu Panda film. With that in mind it would be easy to think this was a desperate cash in on an already established franchise and one that could damage the integrity of the original trilogy. I am however happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this outing.

The big controversy with this film was the omission of the furious five that appeared in the previous three films and had become fan favourite characters. The film goes some way to explaining where the five are while this new adventure is taking place however it's about the most basic explanation they could have given.

The five are instead replaced this time around with a new companion Zhen. Voiced by Awkwafina Zhen is a thieving fox whose sticky fingers often get her into trouble. Her character was a pleasant surprise, based on the trailer I thought I was going to find her character annoying however she wasn't and actually had a big part to play in the story rather than just being a companion so that Po isn't alone on his travels. That being said however she doesn't compare to the furious five and I did still miss their kung Fu antics but I guess the budget didn't stretch far enough for the voice talents of the likes of Jackie Chan.

One of the things that has always been so consistent with this franchise is strong themes and lessons that both children and adults can relate to. This time around the theme is around change and how difficult change can be but how actually sometimes change is necessary in order for us to become better versions of ourselves. Yet again this is another strongly conveyed message and one that I can certainly relate to in my own personal life at the moment.

With slick action sequences and witty quips this is another Po outing for the whole family to enjoy.

Plus this film gives us the brilliant Tenacious D cover of Britney's Hit Me Baby One More Time, what's not to like?

Monkey Man (2024)

Bananas B A N A N A S

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

Monkey Man is the newly released directorial debut from Dev Patel. First off, what an outstanding career Dev Patel has had as an actor. From staring as Anwar in what might be my favourite series (skins) to Slumdog Millionaire and beyond. It's great to see that so many of the skins cast have gone on to have great careers in the business and now at only 34 years of age he's getting behind the camera as well as in front of it for Monkey Man.

From the trailer you'd think that this film would be a straight up action/revenge thriller. Coupled with the fact that it's an 18 certificate for Strong Bloody Violence and you may be thinking of something along the lines of a certain Keanu Reeves film (which gets a brilliant mention in Monkey Man). This however is not really the case, I would compare it more to the likes of Oldboy in that it's known for being bloody and violent but actually that's only one fairly small part what's going on in the film.

There certainly is a revenge plot at the centre of the films narrative however I think it's about much more than just getting revenge for the lead character also played by Dev Patel. The film spends a good half an hour setting up this world, set in a part of India we see people struggling to get by and Dev's character himself is doing any job he can to make a few bucks or Rupees I should say. This is then juxtaposed as we see how the other half are living with rich people shown indulging in drugs and prostitutes without a care in the world. All this is taking place on the eve of an election as Dev's character starts to realise he can channel his anger to bring real change.

Don't get me wrong there certainly are action sequences in the film but don't go in expecting constant action throughout. What action there is however is well executed and brutal at times, it's definitely deserving of that 18 certificate. I did however have one minor gripe with the action scenes and that was the overuse of shaky cam. I understand you want to build momentum and keep scenes fluid but I would rather have had more cuts than the at times headache inducing camera we are presented with.

Overall I can't help but feel just a touch let down by the film but that's more to do with the mindset I had going into the film based on its marketing. I think it could have been a bit shorter or added one or two more perhaps shorter action sequences but it was still an enjoyable couple of hours.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Feels like a cluttered room, you know there's some good stuff in there but you're going to have to dig to find it.

[5/10 · 25 March 2024]

Much like the ghosts in these films this franchise feels stuck between the past and the new.

In one sense you have this new team of ghostbusters that were introduced in the previous film Afterlife whilst at the same time you also have the original team all on the same job. This for me caused the film to have two major problems, one being that most of the screen time is dominated by 2/3 characters whilst the others sit in the background. Secondly the villain doesn't seem powerful enough to be a fitting opponent to both teams of ghostbusters. I'll go into each a bit more later on but for now let's talk about the franchise as whole. Personally it's not a franchise I have any real love for but I appreciate a lot of people do, this seems odd to me as from what I can gather the general consensus is that only the first film is universally loved. Despite the mixed reception the rest of the films seem to get they all seem to do fairly well at the box office and I'll be honest I'm not sure why that is. Is it because the likes of Bill Murray and co are still such a box office pull even for younger audiences or is it simply a franchise people have nostalgia for?

I can't decide but being that it seems inevitable that there will be more films following Frozen Empire where will this franchise go?

It either stays as it is a cluttered mess that has mixed reviews or takes the chance and goes it alone without the original team but what affect would that have on the box office numbers? It's a conundrum indeed.

As I briefly mentioned before, the first issue I had with the film was its underuse of certain characters. To give specifics would be going into spoiler territory but the story itself centres mainly around one of the new team and one of the original team members. The rest of the characters are just there because hey they've been ghostbusters in the past so that means they have to appear in every follow up film right?

I dread to think how much they payed Bill Murray to appear in this.

Despite the already large number of characters the film decides to add two new characters the enjoyable if surprising inclusion of comedian James Acaster as a ghost technician. As well as the introduction of Kumail NanJiani who has a much larger role to play than James and is essentially the films comic relief character. I found Kumail's character to be largely annoying but his character seemed to be going down well with younger audience members at least in my showing anyway.

The second major issue is the films villain. It does a half decent job of building up the villain and their capabilities to cause havoc but when it came down to it I was massively underwhelmed. In fact overall the film was lacking in general ghostbusting action, the opening sequence is about the best action sequence throughout the runtime. I have to feel this again is largely down to their being too many hero characters. No matter how seemingly big, bad or scary the villain could have been it would have been hard for them not to be outnumber by just the sheer amount of 'good' characters.

I feel like I've dogged on this film but I just feel the franchise as a whole is overhyped. It's not an out and out bad film and I think it's one than younger audiences in particular will have a good time with. For me however it was just a bit meh and I wouldn't watch it again.

Immaculate (2024)

Surprising amount of depth

[7/10 · 25 March 2024]

Immaculate is a horror that was released in UK cinemas this past weekend and wait for it... it's not an A24 film 😯.

It is however a religious cult like film and stars Sydney Sweeney as the protagonist Sister Cecilia.

Cecilia has just had to move from her local church in the US due to low turn out and has seemingly been scouted by a priest who invites her to join his convent in Italy which see accepts. What follows is an atmospheric horror where all is not what it seems.

Religious cult horror films are two a penny and on the surface this seems like just another run of the mill title however I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I think what attracts film makers to this specific sub genre of horror is that church's and monastery's etc provide beautiful locations for cinematography.

In the day you have the beautiful architecture but at night you have dingy corridors often low lit with candles the likes of which anything could be lurking behind. This film used its supposed Italian monastery location perfectly to build a generally eerie atmosphere and it's this that builds the foundations for what is a surprisingly good time at the cinema.

As for the horror itself it's a bit of a mix of jump scares and gory violence. It's not a slasher film whilst at the same time it's not a Conjuring esc jump scare fest either, It gives you a bit of both. A couple of the jump scare scenes actually made me jump a little bit despite me knowing that they were coming. I'm still unsure wether this was the film catching me by surprise or just the sheer burst of volume from the cinema speakers during these scenes but either way I'm not sure it would have had the same effect had I watched this film at home. As for the gore, I think it's been a bit overhyped how gory the film is it's certainly nothing like The Evil Dead or anything close for that matter but there are a couple of bloody scenes of violence for those who like that side of the horror genre.

I want to talk about what I felt the film was trying to say about the real world but to do so would require me to go into spoilers. I didn't notice it until the films last shot but it has very subtle feminist themes. On looking on IMDB after the film was actually written and directed by men so good job guys.

I also can't talk about this film without saying how good Sydney Sweeney is as the protagonist. It's great to see her in a film where she actually keeps her clothes fully on for pretty much the entire runtime. Don't get me wrong I'm all for women doing what they want with their bodies and hey sex sells but this film shows that she's so much more than well let's just say her assets and leave it at that.

Overall what seemed like just another horror warning of the dangers of religion ended up being a throughly enjoyable 90 minutes at the cinema that I highly recommend checking out.

Bob Marley: One Love (2024)

Positive vibrations all around

[7/10 · 14 March 2024]

My only real knowledge of Bob Marleys life story prior to seeing this biopic was when I unintentionally made my entire year 8 music class laugh when I covered 'Buffalo Soldier' whilst doing the Jamaican accent. One of the many things I would like to forget that are unfortunately burned into my retinas. Anyway I digress.

I'm actually surprised it's taken this long for a Bob Marley biopic to be made given just how successful the singers career was. Perhaps studios didn't feel it would appeal to enough people in the modern times in which we live. That being said whilst it doesn't reinvent the biopic wheel in the slightest I had a good time with this one.

The writers decide to open the film with Marley already being an established name in the music business but yet to reach international stardom.

We see a Jamaica on the brink of civil war thanks to an upcoming election with two political parties with seemingly vastly different views.

Bob Marley and his band The Wailers have decided to hold a free concert in order to attempt to bring some peace to the country. The film then charts his career through the making of the Exodus album, reaching global success before coming home again to Jamaica and unfortunately passing away due to cancer at the young age of 36.

The first thing a good biopic requires is a stand out actor for the lead role. It doesn't always have to be someone who is already a well established name in the business but it does have to be someone who's willing to really commit to the part in order to respect the person in which they are portraying. Kingsley Ben-Adir takes the lead role and personally I think he did a great job. You can clearly see the dedication he put into the role from perfecting the accent (much better than my attempt) to capturing Bobs on stage movements. Overall Kingsley carries this film and is a brilliant on screen presence who I look forward to seeing more from in the future.

I also felt No Time To Die's Lashana Lynch was brilliant as Bobs wife Rita. Her character is someone who clearly believe in the message of peace just as much if not more than Bob himself and whilst she is supportive of him she also speaks her mind when she disagrees. That being said I would like to have seen their relationship explored in a little more depth however I appreciate you can't cover every part of someone's life in a 2 hour film.

Worth a watch for the acting alone.

Imaginary (2024)

Getting an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep?

[4/10 · 14 March 2024]

Imaginary is the newest release from horror studio Blumhouse. Directed by Jeff Wadlow the director behind such memorable films as Kick Ass 2 and.... *checks IMDB*... Fantasy Island??

Going into this film I knew very little about it other than it was coming out. The trailer that I had seen kept things very vague with just a teddy bear for visuals, some creepy music and the films title. That being said however there isn't much to spoil as I unfortunately found it to be largely pants.

The film centres around a family who are just moving into the newly renovated home of the mother. The family consists of the mum, dad and two step-daughters, the youngest of which develops a friendship with an imaginary friend who she believes is a teddy bear called Chauncey. On developing this relationship the young girls actions become less predictable which quickly becomes a cause for concern for the rest of the family.

The film to me felt like two completely different half's, the first of which I much preferred. For the first 45 minutes to an hour it reminded me a bit of Megan in that you have a young child who's dealing with some abandonment issues who finds solace in a seemingly inanimate object. Other than a few light jump scares this first part of the film I felt did a good job of building up the tension but when things escalated in the second half it was very much a different story.

The film essentially becomes like poltergeist a film which I'm not a fan of. It takes a detour away from the theme of abandonment and instead delves into the world of spirits which I immediately found boring. The film never picked up for me from that point onwards and was then made even worse by multiple attempts at teasing the viewers that the film was about to end before continuing with more boring minutes that I'll never get back.

It's not worth your time or money unless getting to sleep is an issue for you.

Next Goal Wins (2023)

Infectiously positive

[7/10 · 6 March 2024]

Next Goal wins was released over Xmas but was unfortunately showing at times I couldn't make at my local cinema. Thanks to Odeon silver screen however I've been able to catch this one on the big screen this week.

The film is a comedy based on the true story (with embellishments) of the American Samoa football (it's not called soccer) team who were for a long time the lowest ranked international football team. They were so bad in fact they were infamously beaten 31-0 by Australia in 2001. Set around ten years after that match and the team is still going and are still just as bad (if not worse) they have however been able to rope in professional manager Thomas Rongen (Fassbender) with hopes that he will whip them into shape.

Directed by Taika Waititi who is known for films such as Thor: Ragnarok, that other Thor film, JoJo Rabbit as well as potentially having a threesome with Rita Ora and Tessa Thompson (I would if I was him). This film is very much his brand of comedy, silly slapstick with some cultural upper cuts thrown in for good measure. I personally was surprised with how much I loved Ragnarok being that it's a marvel film and I didn't even mind (googles it) Love and Thunder so on the whole I enjoy his brand of comedy.

This filmed seemed to me to be split into two parts, a comedy driven first half when the team are awful and a more run of the mill feel good drama in the second half. I'm not sure the film was intended to come across this way but maybe Taika decided to take a break at half time and try some new tactics for the second half. In all seriousness though I did feel the film became less and less funny as it went on but the second half drama whilst run of the mill was still entertaining.

Something I really didn't expect this film to do was have good trans representation and I feel the need to give it props for that. It deals with some of the pressures a trans person may feel when being in a team of people of the opposite sex. It also deals with some of the prejudices that trans people have to face. As the film is a comedy they could've gone right wing and made it into a joke however props to Taika for handling the subject with respect. I particularly felt this theme stood out as sexuality within men's football has always been a bit of a taboo subject so I'm glad this film tried to bring that issue more to the forefront of people's attention.

Overall I wouldn't say it's one of Taika's best comedy's but I definitely enjoyed it and left the screening feeling uplifted.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

You'd think Paul would be out of work in a place with no water being that he's a tradie

[7/10 · 6 March 2024]

One of the most widely anticipated films of this year Dune: Part 2 was released last weekend and is a direct sequel that starts right where 2021's Dune ended.

The first Denis Villeneuve directed Dune film was not for me in the slightest. I felt the scale of the world made it very hard to connect with any of the characters and at times I lost what was going on in the story to be honest.

Reviews are of course all about personal taste and I'm very much only a casual Sci-Fi fan if that.

From what I know about the book Dune is a meticulously detailed story which I think is exactly what Sci-Fi fans are looking for and the these two newer films are much the same.

I am however happy to say that I enjoyed Part 2 far more than I did the first film. Perhaps seeing this one on the big screen helped as I watched the first one at home. I do however think that overall this is a better and more accessible film. Being that I didn't enjoy the first film I couldn't remember all that much about it but I never felt lost with where the story was at any point this time around. I certainly wouldn't say it's my favourite film of all time or give it a 10/10 or anything like that but I was pleasantly surprised with how much more I enjoyed it compared to the first.

As with the first film there's a lot going on, I would almost compare the story to the size and scale of Game of Thrones. There's a planet with various groups of inhabitants who are separated largely by their beliefs who all want power over the world. Each group has their own reason for wanting power, some for just-causes in order to create a more equal society (Fremen) and some who just want to be in control of the resources (Harkonnen). This causes conflict and so in steps are hero Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) who has the power to see future events and keeps being told that he is meant to be a kind of Messiah to the Fremen who he intends to fight for but doesn't yet see himself as a leader of. That's a very simple way of putting it but I fear to say anymore would go into spoiler territory.

The thing I enjoyed most was without doubt the cinematography, I just couldn't help but be engrossed in this world even if at times I wasn't as interested in the characters, the visuals alone always kept me from getting bored. Cinematographer Greg Fraser has done an outstanding job and I'll be very surprised if I see a better looking film this year if nothing else.

A twice as good sequel that's well worth the price of admission to see it on the biggest screen possible.

Wicked Little Letters (2023)

Comedy?... of Sorts

[6/10 · 25 February 2024]

Fun fact: The films composer is Isobel Waller-Bridge sister of Phoebe

Wicked Little Letters was this weekends only new cinema release in the UK. After last weekends releases (let's forget about those, if you haven't already) it's up to this film to get bums back on seats.

I had seen the trailer for this one numerous times in recent weeks (before other films) and from the trailer the film seemed like a straight up comedy. This however isn't so much the case. Taking place in a quaint English town post WW1, Edith Swan (Olivia Coleman) has now received 19 letters from an unknown assailant containing vulgar insults directed towards her. She and her mother and father who she lives with are sure that their neighbour Rose (Jessie Buckley) is responsible as she is reasonably new to the area and is loud and promiscuous in an otherwise conservative street. What follows is essentially a morally Conservative vs morally Liberal disagreement between the two characters with a strong feminist message at its heart.

I mentioned earlier that the film has been marketed as a comedy and whilst there are funny moments the film didn't feel like a comedy to me. Most of the funny moments come from various characters reading out these grotesque letters but other than that the film focuses on the drama between the two characters. Comedy is of course massively subjective but for me I didn't feel it was even trying to be as funny as the trailer made it seem like it would be.

The drama however was a nice surprise if a little cliche at times. Edith is a very conservative woman who reads the bible and does every little thing her dad tells her to do when he tells her to do it. Rose on the other hand is fouled mouthed and a drunkard who doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. These characters being so different is largely where the conflict comes from.

I felt the acting performing performances were all strong but with no real stand outs and being that I was expecting to watch a comedy I can't help but feel a little let down.

The Iron Claw (2023)

Seems like a lot of effort for a belt that doesn't even hold your trouser's up

[7/10 · 14 February 2024]

The Iron Claw was last weeks only new cinema release (UK). Funded by A24 (and it's not even a horror, shock!) the film is a based on true events telling of the life of the Von Erich family who are apparently known as the most famous family in Wrestling.

The Von Erichs are a large family consisting of four brothers one of which sadly passed away at an early age and their mother and father. The brothers are incredibly close knit and do seemingly everything together. Career wise their dad Fritz was a professional wrestler who worked his way up from nothing to owning his own promotion. In the midst of this though he never got to win the world heavyweight title despite getting close on numerous occasions. He puts this down to being overlooked at the promotion he was working for in his youth and now as an older man wants any of his sons to win that very title.

The film is essentially about the pressures that come with trying to live up to your parents expectations. The brothers push themselves harder than anyone should to try and fill their father's shoes. A feat which is unbeknownst to them impossible to fill as the shoes are always that one size too big and on occasion aren't even their style. This all inevitably leads to tragedy which I can't help but feel could have been avoided.

The film very much focuses on the three brothers and their father and the relationships that each character has with one another. With any story that's about real life events, die hard fans of the subject matter in this case wrestling already know the films outcome. Therefore the most important part of any kind of biopic is the build up. Making sure even the audience members that aren't massive fans of the subject matter stay invested and I felt overall this film did a pretty good job of keeping me entertained.

I'm very much a casual fan of wrestling and like a lot of people it's something that I was a big fan of when I was younger but grew out of. Therefore I can't say how good the likeness of the wrestlers are represented or if the matches that take place did actually take place although the film does go that extra mile to making them feel like they did. The wrestling scenes themselves did a great job at showing how dangerous the sport can be. People often say how fake wrestling is however I really felt the impact of the hits particularly when characters were hitting the mat with a thud.

If you know anything about this film it's probably how jacked up Zack Efron got to play one of the brothers. His commitment is impressive but also the commitment from the other actors particularly on a physical level to prepare themselves to play such hard working athletes should be commended. The film is written and directed by Sean Durkin and it's an impressive debut feature, he's a director to keep an eye on for the future.

Overall this is a film of high quality but one that I think people who are either big wrestling fans and/or have siblings will get the most out of. I am/have neither so for me it's not likely to be one I'll come back to but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Argylle (2024)

When you order James Bond from Wish

[6/10 · 4 February 2024]

Argylle is a newly released spy/thriller directed by Matthew Vaughn of Kingsman fame. Bryce Dallas Howard stars as the main protagonist Ellie Conway who is a fictionally acclaimed author of a series of spy novels. Whilst trying to finish the final chapter of her fifth novel she is interrupted by Sam Rockwells character Aidan, a stranger who informs her that the events portrayed in her books have actually taken place. As a result she must now work to finish the fifth book whilst being pursued by the 'the organisation' who are the villains of her own books in order to save her own life.

This film has been largely panned by critics and for the first ninety minuets of its two hours and twenty minute run time I was unsure as to why. There seemed to be an interesting story building around this writer and what is and isn't the reality of the situation. I found the film to be most interesting in the brief time that Ellie is unsure whether to trust Aidan as that's where the tension really held up well.

Quite early on into the second half of the however I felt the film showed its cards too early. We quickly start to learn more about the reality of the situation and the more I found out the more that tension evaporated until quite quickly all that was left to be enjoyed about the film was the action sequences.

The action sequences themselves are pretty much what you would expect from the director of Kingsman. Very stylised and over the top and yet with no blood as of course they had to get that PG-13 rating. The difference between this and Kingsman though is that this film really goes balls to the wall with the action sequences, dare I say borderline Fast and Furious levels of bs at times. This took all the grittiness that makes action sequences enjoyable away and drew my attention towards the shoddy CGI work even more.

One thing this film did do a good job of though was its marketing. Clearly a lot of money was put into it as the trailer for this film was everywhere and if you've ever seen a film before in your life then I'm sure you've had it recommended to you somewhere online. The trailer and the poster for that matter make it look like Henry Cavill is the protagonist however that's very much not the case. He's completely wasted to be honest so avoid this one if he was one of the big selling points of this film for you.

Props to the marketing team for a great exercise in misleading cinema goers.

Overall I can't help but feel this was a concept with a lot of potential most of which was wasted by the end of the film. Perhaps a different writer and director could have done a better job.

Migration (I) (2023)

Bird is the word

[6/10 · 4 February 2024]

Illumination the animation studio behind the beloved Despicable Me franchise as well as more recently The Super Mario Bros Movie are back with a new film, this time featuring brand new characters.

Migration follows the lives of the aptly named Mallard family, I say aptly because they are of course actually Mallards. The family consists of the dad, mum, younger sister and older brother. They're getting on with their lives in their small pond happily enough when suddenly a new flock of birds lands in their pond making a pit stop whilst on their way to Jamaica for migration. This causes the younger children to ask their father why they too aren't also migrating. While initially he explains that he thinks it's unsafe he is quickly persuaded by his wife and off they go on their adventure.

The best thing about this film by far was the Mallard family themselves which in itself is a big win as you do spend the entirety of the film with them. The main theme of the film is around stepping out of your comfort zone and challenging your anxiety's a message which I can very much get behind as an anxiety sufferer myself. The dad character is really unsure about stepping out of his comfort zone (pond) as he is sure harm will come to his family. Whilst they do face threats along their journey by working as a family and playing to eachother strengths they survive each encounter and in-turn become closer together.

I had seen the trailer for this one a number of times before seeing the film however only when watching the film did I clock that famed comedian turned actor Kumail NanJiani is the voice of the dad character. Other than that the only other voice that was recognisable to me (which was also a surprise) was the addition of the voice talents of the legendary Danny Devito. He plays the older uncle of the family and despite this only being a voiceover role he still manages to get his trademark charisma across. Needless to say Uncle Dan was my personal favourite character.

Now for the not so great. The film goes at a rapid pace and certainly didn't feel like it lasted even its short one hour and twenty five minute runtime. I'm torn whether this is a good thing or not as on the one hand I appreciate that illuminations target audience is younger children and so they need to keep the runtime short. I also felt that The Super Mario Bros Movie was perfectly paced with its one hour and thirty minute runtime. I think the difference here however is I knew a little about The Mario characters prior to watching the film however the characters in Migration are completely new to me. I just would have liked to have spent a little bit longer with these characters to truly fall in love with them as I did with Gru and the Minions.

I also felt the film was lacking in laughs. Again I know these films are made for younger children but even the younger children in my screening didn't seem to be laughing that much. It seemed to be the case that most of the best jokes were in the trailer of which I have seen numerous times by this point.

The villain was also largely forgettable and reminded me of Salt Bae which whilst amusing as he does come across as quite a villainous person (to me anyway) I'm not sure this was intended.

Overall I can't see the Mallards having anywhere near the same pull as The Minions and I'll be interested to see if Migration does well enough to even warrant a sequel.

Ps: There's a pre-credits short film (I didn't say that, you read nothing)

All of Us Strangers (2023)

The things we wish we could've said

[7/10 · 28 January 2024]

All of Us Strangers is a newly released drama written and directed by Andrew Haigh who's directed a couple of other more independent dramas such as Lean on Pete and 45 Years. The screen play is adapted from the novel 'Strangers' penned in 1987 by Taichi Yamada who sadly passed away last year.

The story centres around Andrew Scott's character Adam who's a screenwriter himself. He's attempting to write about his own personal upbringing but in doing so finds himself dragged back into his childhood. Adam lives in a high rise block of apartments which due to being newly built seem to currently only have one other resident, Harry played by Paul Mescal. Harry and Adam develop a relationship whilst at the same time are trying to deal with their own personal demons.

I found the film to be very minimal in terms of what you're actually seeing on screen and yet it manages to convey a lot of emotion. This is very much a drama for lovers of great writing and great emotional storytelling which fortunately I happen to be. I found myself engaged with Adam's world whilst at the same time wishing I could look away. I can't say anymore about the story without going into spoiler territory but I did find it to be a particularly tough watch. It deals with themes such as loss and rejection and you can't help but come out of this one feeling at least melancholy if not out right upset.

The actors are probably going to be the main attraction of this film. Andrew Scott who's now well known for a whole host of work, most notably Sherlock and Fleabag. He absolutely carried this film for me, his emotions felt so natural which really helped me get engrossed in his character. Paul Mescal has blown up as of late thanks to his performance in the BBC show Normal People. I felt he did a good job with his role in this film however this is very much Adam's story and Paul didn't get enough screen time to really shine. Jamie Bell and Claire Foy also star but I won't say anything about their characters. Great to see Jamie Bell back on the big screen though.

I think the people who will get the most out of this one is if you're either a lover of drama and/or a member of the LGBT community. I can't go into it too much but let's just say Adam grew up in the 80's which wasn't an easy time to be Gay.

Mean Girls (2024)

It's a brave move of Tina Fey to revive the plastics at a time when climate change is a massive talking point in global politics

[6/10 · 22 January 2024]

2024 marks 20 years since the original Mean Girls hit cinemas and touched the hearts of teenagers everywhere. I unfortunately would have been 4 at the time and only got around to watching the original film in the last couple of years. Watching the film as someone in their early 20's meant it didn't hit the same spot that it clearly did for teens in the early 2000's but I can definitely appreciate why it was so successful.

The big difference between the original film and the new film is that the new film is a musical I believe based on the stage musical of the same name. Also written by Tina Fey, it's again a story of finding yourself and your place amongst your peers during the high school/secondary school years.

Firstly being that it's a musical it seems appropriate to start by discussing the music. I personally am a big fan of musicals in general I do however think their is a lot of competition in the musicals set within high school sub genre. My personal favourites are the likes of Heathers and Dear Evan Hansen. Mean girls didn't come close to those for me however it certainly wasn't bad. A couple of songs 'Stupid with love' and 'I'd rather be me' stuck out most on a first watch/listen and I'll be interested to see whether I gain a liking for any of the other songs after more listens.

The comedy is pretty much exactly the sort of humour you would expect if you know anything about Mean Girls or high school films. As someone in my 20's this is where the film faltered most for me, I definitely smirked a couple of times but there were no big laughs for me. The film is also very post modern/self aware so if you like that kind of humour or are a fan of the original film I'm sure you'll enjoy those references.

Overall it was an enjoyable near 2 hours on first watch/listen but isn't one I'm going to be going back to time and time again like I do with the likes of Heathers etc...

The Holdovers (2023)

Lonely, Lost, Left Behind

[8/10 · 22 January 2024]

The Holdovers is a newly released Alexander Payne directed film. Paynes earlier work includes most notably The Descendants and Sideways and if you've seen either of those films you know just how talented a directer he is. I have being seeing the trailer for the Holdovers before what films like every film I've seen for the past month. In that time the film was released over in the US but it's only just been released over here in the UK (more on that later).

The film is about three people who are forced together during the Christmas period as they're stuck at a Boarding school each for their own reasons. The first and arguably main character of the film is Angus Tully played phenomenally by Dominic Sessa. Angus is a troubled teenager who's stuck at his boarding school due to some complications with his parents which I can't go into. Paul Hunham played by the wonderful Paul Giamatti who is rightfully getting a lot of plaudits for his work on this film. Paul is a very traditional teacher, hated by the students for his harsh marking and general pessimism, He's forced to stay at the school to look after Angus. Then there's Mary the school cook played by Da'Vine Randolph who is equally as brilliant as the other two. Mary is obviously their to cook their meals but also has her own personal connections with the school herself.

The film shows the three characters learning about eachother and if you want to see what I would consider to be perfect character development in a film then I highly recommend this one. It's a simple premise but one that felt really unique which is not something that I can say about many new releases. Amongst the drama there's also some humour thrown in for good measure, not all of it landed for me. At times the jokes are quite subtle however even boring old me laughed once or twice.

Paul Giamatti is getting all the plaudits for this film however all three actors do a great job of portraying their brilliantly written characters. The stand out for me was Dominic Sessa as Angus, this is his first ever acting role as far as I can tell and to be going toe to toe with and often stealing scenes from a legend like Giamatti should tell you just how talented this young man is. He's definitely an actor to keep an eye out for in the future. Da'Vine Randolph is also fantastic, she says so much with just small eye adjustments.

Overall this film really is a must see, a heartwarming, emotional and funny story that deals with themes such as mental health, class and age and does so with style.

WHY IS THIS FILM ONLY GETTING RELEASED IN THE UK NOW???

Although a large portion of the film is set around Christmas time it's not technically a Christmas film. That being said however the films themes and messages are perfect for Christmas and I can't help but feel this film would have done better at the UK box office had it of been released in December. It's a real shame as this film is a must watch if you get the chance.

One Life (2023)

A fitting slow burn tribute to one of the many unsung hero's of World War 2

[6/10 · 15 January 2024]

One Life is a newly released historical drama based on the true story of Nicholas Winton, the older version of which is played by Anthony Hopkins.

Nicholas is in a race against time to save the lives of thousands of Czechoslovakian children who he finds living in effectively slum like conditions preparing themselves for Hitlers imminent invasion of their country.

The film is essentially split into two intertwining parts. The story of how he rescued all those children by bringing them to safety in the UK in 1938. As well as a look at an older Nicholas in the 1980s looking back on that period of his life with sadness that he wasn't able to save more lives than he did. Telling the story in this way didn't work for me, I was left with a feeling that there wasn't enough story in just telling the tale of how he saved the children to make a feature film so they tagged the later half of his life on to add up the runtime. I think the story perhaps would have made a better short film or even a documentary. It would have been great to hear the actual Nicholas Winton talk about his life although he did sadly pass away in 2015.

That all being said however, I'm glad this film has been made even if it wasn't really for me. The story itself sheds a light on someone whose heroic actions for many years went unknown. I have no doubt there were many hero's like Nicholas during WW2 who never received the recognition they deserved and just like Nicholas says in the film, story's like this need to be told so we can lean for the future. On that note this film did make me think about how Immigrants fleeing from war in the UK today are treated as political scapegoats and used as pawns for the government to turn peoples anger towards. The government make a big thing of illegal immigration however it certainly isn't the immigrants fault that this country is in the state that it is. Illegal immigration actually accounted for around 3% of the total immigration into this country last year. They are just human beings, most of which are fleeing unimaginable living conditions caused by the governments of their country's.

We never seem to learn.

Poor Things (2023)

Some birds are not meant to be caged.

[7/10 · 15 January 2024]

Well that is certainly the case for Poor Things protagonist Bella Baxter and is also very much the case for the film making style of director Yorgos Lanthimos.

The only Lanthimos directed film I had seen prior to this one was The Favourite of which I was a big fan so I had a little bit of an idea about the directors sense of humour. It's quirky to say the least, I can only imagine what goes through his mind when he's brainstorming a new film. I can't blame Yorgos entirely for this films eccentricities though as after doing some research it's based on a book of the same name published in 1992 by Alasdair Gray.

The story has a lot going on and a lot of it I can't talk about without including spoilers. To sum it up simply, Dr Goodwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) is an ill doctor who specialises in human anatomy. He creates Bella Baxter by means of which I can't discuss without going into spoilers. Even now I'm somewhat unsure why he created her but anyway she has the mind of essentially a young child. Thus begins Bella's journey of discovery as she moves through a Tim Burton esc world with the naivety and adventurous spirit of a toddler.

For first 90 minutes of the film it's very much a comedy of sorts. One that whilst I was engaged with I also found myself feeling a bit too uncomfortable to laugh. One group of people in my screening found the film hilarious but I almost felt like I was laughing at someone who was mentally disabled rather than with them. With that being said those first 90 minutes were by far the most enjoyable. Somewhere around the two hour mark I found the story started to really drag on. The films tone becomes more serious but there's still the odd joke only now at this point in the film they've all been made before and feel out of place. Comedy is clearly Yorgos's strongest genre.

There was also a narrative diversion towards the end that was completely unnecessary and added very little but 10 extra minuets to the runtime.

The acting performances are great, Emma Stone is fantastic as Bella but everyone's talking about her performance. The stand out for me however was Mark Ruffalo as one of Bella's suitors, he has perfect comic timing and this might just be his best ever on screen performance.

A word of warning though, this film is particularly sexually explicit. If you thought Saltburn was graphic this one definitely won't be for you as I haven't seen sex depicted so graphically in a cinema released film since Blue Is The Warmest colour.

A mix bag but overall enjoyable.

Anyone But You (2023)

Attractive people in various forms of undress

[5/10 · 3 January 2024]

Anyone but you is a newly released romantic comedy starring Sydney Sweeney as Bea and Glen Powell as Ben and is directed by Will Gluck.

Bea and Ben just happen to meet eachother by chance in a coffee shop and immediately gain a liking for eachother. They spend an evening together but in the morning due to some crossed wires they go their separate ways with a dislike for eachother. Cut to six months later and Bea's sister happens to be getting married to one of Bens friends and so they find themselves stuck in eachothers way. This initially causes conflict that is until both characters realise it may be advantageous to both of them to pretend to like eachother.

What follows is a mediocre romantic comedy with overall likeable characters but with only a few laughs. Don't get me wrong I know comedy is a really difficult genre as humour is so subjective. I just felt that this film didn't even really try thinking outside the box when it came to its jokes. Yes there's the expected typical sex jokes that always get a light chuckle out of most audiences however it's nothing you haven't heard/seen before.

The film to me seemed to try to sell itself on the sole basis of having an attractive cast. It then goes a step further and has its cast appear in various forms of undress throughout the film. Sydney Sweeney almost always has a fair amount of cleavage showing for instance. Don't worry though ladies there's plenty of abs and men's bums too. It all just felt like a distraction though to a story that's about as generic as they come. A nice distraction but a distraction nonetheless.

Just fine.

Priscilla (2023)

The sad reality of having the world at your feet at a young age

[7/10 · 3 January 2024]

Priscilla is the new Sophia Coppola directed film based on the book Elvis and Me penned by Priscilla Beaulie Presley and Sandra Harmon in 1985. The film is a slow burn that focuses on Priscilla and Elvis's relationship from their first meeting till their eventual divorce.

As an Elvis fan one of the big criticisms I've seen of this film is that some people feel it's slanderous towards the Elvis name. I didn't however feel this way, as an Elvis fan I think it's pretty clear that the man was no angel, he had demons and these reared their head more and more as his physical health started to decline. We will never know exactly how much of any of the things you read or watch about Elvis's life actually happened as due to how popular the man was there was so much written about him and a lot of it contradicts each other. Where this film is at it's most unique is that it moves away from focusing on Elvis's career and puts the camera solely on his relationship with Pricilla. Elvis is portrayed by Jacob Elordi who was one of the main stand outs in Saltburn. I've seen a lot of criticism of his performance as Elvis and whilst he doesn't look as much like Elvis as Austin Butler did I think he got the voice down to a tee. Elvis is portrayed here as someone who exercises an immense amount of control over everything in his life. I can certainly understand how a young boy who in a very short period of time went from poverty to becoming the biggest musician on the planet would be in the mindset that the world revolves around him.

This in turn has a massive impact on his relationship with Priscilla.

When they first met I believe she was 14 years old and the film and Cailee Spaeny's performance do a great job of showing that innocence and showing how that innocence gets corrupted when she falls in love with this huge megastar and suddenly must grow up very quickly. She's thrown into a world that she doesn't fully understand and pays the price when things aren't going well in Elvis's life. Whilst this film is set 60 years ago at a time where gender rolls were adhered too much more strictly some of the physical violence she had to endure is unforgivable.

It is however a sad story all around, a story where no one really wins. Priscilla has to leave a relationship with someone she really loves and her daughter ends up growing up having spent very little time with her father which is made even sadder following Lisa Marie Presley's passing in January of last year. You also have to think that if Elvis had also taken more time away from his career to focus on sorting out the problems in his private life that he may still be with us today.

Some real food for thought.

Ferrari (2023)

Winning is everything!

[7/10 · 30 December 2023]

At least that's the case for Adam Driver in the shoes of Enzo Ferrari for this the latest Michael Mann directed film. Ferrari chronicles the life of Enzo Ferrari the chief executive of the car manufacture post world war 2 as he tries to rebuild the company whilst keeping his private life together.

The film has two main storylines that it tries to balance. One is Enzos affair with Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) whilst still being married to Laura Ferrari (Penelope Cruz) and the other is the declining financial state of the Ferrari company. The later of which he decides to deal with by gambling on winning one last race, the Mille Miglia a 1,000 mile race across Italy.

I found the start of the film to be a bit choppy as Mann decides to throw the audience into the world of Enzo Ferrari with very little context. This led to me initially not really knowing what was going on and this wasn't helped by the soft speaking Italian accents that made it hard to hear certain words. After about 20 minutes though I did find myself invested in the story and my ears adjusted to the accents. From there I found the film to be a pretty run of the mill biography that was just okay. I felt it struggled to hit me in the feels when it came to the private side of Enzos life and was much better at the telling the business side of the story.

That was until the final race.

In the final act the film culminates into a gripping final race with high stakes. I felt Mann really came into his element when the racing was the focus and there was one moment in particular that the audience audibly gasped at. Whilst I was far from shedding a tear, for the first time during the films just over two hour runtime I did genuinely feel the emotion that the film was trying to convey. It was by far the most memorable and well executed scene and to be honest it's worth watching the film for on its own.

Fairly run of the mill but with one scene that will stick with you.