daxpea Reviews

Baywatch (2017)

Average

[6/10 · 2 June 2017]

Genuinely entertaining at bits and just plain dull at others. The ending was the high note so you left the cinema in a great mood but the start and middle let it down.

Some particularly gross humor that wasn't to my taste but also some silly stuff that did make me laugh. My main issue was that although it certainly took the mick out of itself, it also felt like it thought it was important and left a bad taste in my mouth. The reactions by certain actors to reviews also put me off as it colored my judgement of characters.

Blancanieves (2012)

Blancanieves

[8/10 · 11 August 2013]

If you are expecting something along the lines of the Disney version of Snow White you are definitely in the wrong place.

Blancanieves is definitely a twist on a tale, and it isn't a happier twist but it is a pleasure to watch.

This film is charming, enjoyable and quite a bit of fun at times. The score was impressive ranging from simple string instrumentals to more traditional Spanish music.

While some of the effects were borderline ridiculous (the heads pasted onto the bodies of real bull fighters were so obvious I had to cringe), it had the right amount of cheese to really pull it off.

The acting was superb all the way through and you knew exactly what was going on with each character at all times - a sure way to know that the cast were up to power.

Highly recommended to any lovers of the Artist or any of the older silent movies.

I Am Breathing (2013)

I am Breathing

[7/10 · 9 August 2013]

I am Breathing is really harrowing documentary that shows the end of Neil Platts life. I wish I could say that it was brilliantly made and was a wonderful watch, because the subject matter is definitely worth it, but the documentary itself gave me motion sickness. While there is definitely love and passion behind this project, the use of shaky home video footage made it slightly unpleasant to watch at times.

It was well paced and their choice of showing clips in a non-linear timeline really worked.

The end of the documentary was emotional but I would of liked to have seen some more interviews with people he was close too discussing what life was like with and without him.

While the subject matter of this documentary is important and it is a much watch for people who don't know a lot about the disease, I feel like it could of been a lot better but it does the job of getting the point across.

Blackfish (2013)

Heartbreaking yet necessary

[10/10 · 9 August 2013]

Having spent the majority of my Summer holidays as a small child bouncing from theme parks to zoos all over America and the UK, I never really thought about animals in captivity being cruel until I was older.

I already had a solid opinion on this subject before I watched Blackfish so my world view didn't really shift, it was merely justified. I can guarantee though that if you have a positive opinion on wildlife in captivity (specifically large mammals like Orca's) or never really thought about it, this documentary will open your eyes.

Blackfish really hits hard early on showing exactly what Seaworld, and other large corporations with animals, have done in the past to gain their animals.

Blackfish is full of heartbreak and I think a large part of the efficiency of this documentary is the expert editing and decisions taken by production of where to place the clips and when. The interviews were fantastic and having a slightly contradictory interviewee made the documentary even better.

I highly recommend this to everyone although be aware that this is definitely a 15 and it includes some shocking video clips of trainers getting hurt, animals bleeding and high tension.

The Deep (2012)

The Deep

[10/10 · 9 August 2013]

If you asked me half way through this film what I thought of it, I would of probably been indifferent and gave it 6 or so stars yet by the time it had finished I was utterly captivated.

They played it just right! I absolutely adore how we saw both the run up to the event, the actual event then the aftermath. It made it so much more real to the audience.

The real life clips, which they show during the credits at the end, also made a huge impact on the audiences at the showings I saw. The actor who plays Gulli could of easily been related to the actual Gulli.

Speaking of the actor who plays Gulli, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, simply gave a performance of a life time. I believed every word that came out of his mouth and even in the times of silence were his acting was all physical, I couldn't take my eyes of him.

This film really does stay with you and I have not stopped thinking it over since I saw it over a week ago. Really quite superb.