epa101 Reviews

Big vs Small (2020)

I enjoyed the first two-thirds of this film.

[6/10 · 15 November 2022]

I knew nothing about surfing beforehand. I enjoyed learning about it, and seeing how women had overcome stereotypes to compete alongside men in surfing competitions. The discussion of facing danger made me think. They talked about going metres under water and not being able to tell if your eyes are open or closed. They said how they learn to detach their minds from the pain. This was all good stuff.

In the last third, they didn't have many new ideas. One mentioned how surfing had become her whole life and she forgot about seeing her family. I saw a cheque for 1400 Euros in a competition. That made me think: that's not enough to live off for a year, so how does she sustain her lifestyle the rest of the time? And what about those who do not win the prize money? The documentary was missing any discussion of what sort of person goes into surfing, but I got the impression that the participants were all from wealthy backgrounds. I'm sure that those from poorer backgrounds also want to test how much pain they can endure, but they probably need to join the armed forces to do that.

Harley Quinn: Harlivy (2022) Season 3, Episode 1

Definitely not the best one

[6/10 · 18 September 2022]

I love this series, so even one of the weaker episodes get 6/10 from me. There is some plot development here, in reminding us how differences between Harley and Ivy are likely to cause problems in the relationship: in this case, Harley does a nice thing for Ivy in taking her to a garden paradise but then, when Ivy likes it, Harley quickly gets bored. Although that's a good exploration of characters, it's not very funny. The only parts of this episode that I found funny were the bits with Commissioner Gordon, Two Face and the Mayor. Without giving a spoiler, there is a fight at the end. It fell flat for me. I like how this series brings in the obscure characters from the comics, but this one lost the humour. I am typing from Britain and only just saw this on E4. I hope that future weeks have better episodes.

Terrifier 2 (2022)

Review from the Fright Fest world premiere

[8/10 · 29 August 2022]

On Monday 29th August (a bank holiday in England), the Cineworld at Leicester Square, London was completely packed for this film. They'd turned the air-conditioning on a bit too high, which gave the film an extra edge.

This film is very gorey. The screening today was Fright Fest (a festival for horror films), so we all loved it. I would definitely not take anyone squeamish to see this. Art the Clown has a particular thing for harming eyes, probably because he knows that we're particularly squeamish about them. He also plays around with the brains and hearts of his victims. He often kills people just because they're there, even if they've not done anything to offend him.

A common criticism of the first film was that the plot was typical of the slasher genre, with teenage girls in trouble and the goody-two-shoes being the Final Girl. The plot is much better this time. I can tell you what each of the characters was doing with their time, before Art turned up, and there was a good thread on the father of Serena and Jonathan. Knowing that they've lost their father makes you feel sorry for them and want them to succeed. In the first film, part of me thought that it'd be funny for Art the Clown to win, but I really wanted to see him get vanquished in this one.

I have some reservations. It is too long, being about an hour longer than the first film. The supernatural element is also a bit muddled. In "All Hallows' Eve", Art was clearly supernatural. In "Terrifier", you could just about believe that he was human, except for right at the end. In this one, there are supernatural things throughout, but there's never any rules established. I know that film-makers like to keep audiences guessing, but the guessing game is more fun if we have clues to go on. The magic in "Terrifier 2" feels a bit too random to make you wonder what's supposed to be happening.

Still 8/10 for the pure horror, despite those reservations.

All Hallows' Eve 2 (2015)

Weak

[3/10 · 5 October 2019]

I first saw the most recent film in this series, "Terrifier", and liked that. I saw the first "All Hallows' Eve" and found it decent, but not as good as "Terrifier". I thought that this film was far inferior to both. It felt almost like the material that wasn't good enough to put in the first one.

There are eight short films (some very short) that make up the film all together. The wrap-around sequence is similar to that from the first film in that a young woman all alone is left a VHS tape, but there is no babysitting this time. So little of the film is dedicated to the wrap-around that it is hardly worth including. The ending is absolutely pathetic, especially after the first film had such a shocking ending.

Of the eight films, the best ones are "Descent" and "Alexia". These two justified the three stars. "Mr. Tricker's Treat" seemed to be doing well, but it ended so soon that it didn't feel very satisfying. I felt bored during "The Offering". "M is for Masochist" was so short that it was pointless to include.

One last point is that there is a lot less gore in this film than in either the first "All Hallows' Eve" or in "Terrifier". It still has an 18 certificate here in Britain, but I can imagine that some people might have found the other two too gorey to stomach. I can stomach a lot of gore, but I thought that I'd mention it for those who are not so keen.

Child's Play (2019)

An original take on the story

[7/10 · 22 June 2019]

I've just seen the film in Leeds. I found the first half-hour very intriguing. The story of how Chucky becomes evil is almost believable. The voodoo in the first film was not my favourite part and the part about possessing the body of a six-year-old boy would probably not be allowed these days.

Instead, a man in a brutal sweatshop in Vietnam is told to finish the doll that he is working on and then he is sacked. He decides to take revenge and removes all safeguards from the doll. I can almost believe that this would happen, although it's odd how he was working in a sweatshop when he knew about computer coding.

The relationship between Karen and Andy Bradley continued the theme of a struggling single mum from the original, but Andy is older. She buys him the toy to cheer him up and he's initially not interested. Chucky is defective and calls him "Andy sup" at first, but then he learns by observing. The first half of the film actually makes an effort to explain how Chucky becomes violent (he learns by watching) but this gets ignored in the second half. Chucky somehow becomes an evil genius very quickly.

It takes a while for the killings to start, but there is a lot of blood once it gets going. There seemed to be some influence from the "Saw" films with the more creative and sadistic killings. The end of the film is very intense. Intentionally or not, there is a moment at the end that is similar to the end of "The Babadook".

Although I enjoyed the film overall, I had some reservations. The main Black child character (Omar) felt like a very crude stereotype to me, and there was also a "big momma" Black character. All the kids in the film wear hoodies in virtually every scene. I liked the strong girl (Falyn) who was needed given that Karen somehow gets bound and gagged by a doll.

Another (2014)

I'm surprised that this got made

[1/10 · 24 August 2014]

This is a film about a pretty young lady (Jordyn) who was told that her mother died when she was born. She has been brought up with her aunt, and has two friends (whose appearances in the film are as props for the horror rather than as part of any proper plot). Her aunt is a former nun who dies at the start of the film. Jordyn is haunted in various ways after her aunt dies.

I struggle to find any upside to this film. There is hardly any plot. The horror starts early on and carries on at almost the same pace throughout. A good horror film has changes of pace. If the horror is continuous, then you don't get that shock that makes you jump up in your seat. There's nothing very original here. Many of the scenes are reminiscent of other films in the horror genre. The attempt to include religion was very clumsy. In addition, ridiculing Christianity feels a bit old-fashioned now. We're not living in the 1960s any more.

Daria: Boxing Daria (2001) Season 5, Episode 13

Good episode but very sad

[10/10 · 16 July 2013]

I love the series Daria, but one of its problems is that it darts around a lot. Some episodes are just zany antics and are not trying to be based in reality. Other episodes deal with serious social issues and stir emotions. This episode stands above all the others as the darkest.

It seems to have a slow start, with a new fridge being installed and a lot of talk about a cardboard box left in the garden. Daria remembers playing in a box as a kid. She gets upset when her mum says that she doesn't remember Daria doing much playing at all. Bit by bit, Daria remembers how she put stress upon her parents' marriage by her unusual behaviour and her difficulties with making friends.

There are two parts of this episode where I felt Daria's pain. The first came when Quinn remembers the same story about their parents' fight. The second was when Daria hugs Jane, which did not happen in any other episode.

It's a good story, and provides more information on Daria's childhood and inner turmoil. This was the last in the series of regular episodes, but there was a light-headed TV film to wrap everything up. I can't help but wonder whether they only made the TV film because they decided that this episode was just too morbid a note to end on.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Way Down Mexico Way (1993) Season 2, Episode 10

Perhaps the most offensive B&B episode

[7/10 · 15 July 2013]

Well, this episode contained a plot of drug-smuggling, racist depictions of Mexicans, and cruelty towards children and animals. The only episode of B&B that I think can compete with this one in the sickness department is "Heroes".

However, this is a much more entertaining episode than "Heroes". It has them going on an adventure. There are some funny moments when their tacos are too spicy and when they're being interrogated by the border police.

It must've taken a while for them to animate the walking. In these early episodes, they walk in a very strange way. The animation's not great but it's not the worst. It's not like "At the Movies", where you can hardly tell what's going on.

This Sporting Life (1963)

I don't understand how this won Oscars

[3/10 · 10 February 2010]

I was born in and went to school in Wakefield, where this film is set. I was surprised when I heard about it at age 22; no one had mentioned it in Wakefield.

After I watched it, I could see why it's been forgotten. It's very boring. The plot is almost non-existent. I don't know why Frank is in love with Margaret, as she doesn't do much to entice him and doesn't have much character. The rugby and the romance elements are like two completely separate stories that you switch between throughout the film. The accents are ridiculous: this was set in Yorkshire, yet Frank has an Irish accent and Margaret has a south-eastern English accent.

To say a few good things, there are some good scenes in the film. It's vaguely amusing when Frank makes a lout of himself in a restaurant. The scene at the night club, where he does a bit of karaoke and has an unfortunate discussion with the rugby club's owners, cooks up a good atmosphere. Those scenes get three points.

Apparently the film was a commercial disaster when released, and it's barely remembered even in its own home town anymore. Why did it win Oscars?

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

It's brought a lot of pleasure to people

[4/10 · 6 January 2010]

This has been ridiculed on "The Canned Film Festival", "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and "Cinematic Titanic": the only three to be mocked on all three bad-film programmes. Everything about it is so tacky that you can't help but laugh: a Santa Claus with a pipe who says "No Sirreee", a melodramatic Martian ruler, a polar bear that would be unconvincing in a pantomine. Still, the fact it makes you laugh means that it's not that bad. It wouldn't been on all three of those programmes if there were not a lot of fun to be had from laughing at it. I'd rather own something like this than, say, Richard Harris's first film "This Sporting Life", which is so boring that there is no way of getting any enjoyment from watching it. This is a bad film with a bad plot and it does get boring in parts, but it'll cheer you up on a bad day.

1 Day (2009)

A new spin on the gangland genre

[7/10 · 27 October 2009]

Seeing as we have plenty of drugs gangs in Britain, it was inevitable that someone would make a film set amongst drug gangs in a Black community in an inner-city. This film follows Flash as he tries to pay off a debt to a drug dealer. He must also deal with three children from three different women, and his mother, who is a very bossy sort. There is some rapping in the film, especially in the first half. At one point, it felt like a musical: the gang go into a takeaway, the customers reach for their wallet and look nervous, and the gang start to rap about how they're not out to burgle everyone. There is one rap between two women towards the end, which I felt disrupted the flow of the film as he neared its climax.

There is not much violence in the film, although the subject of guns is discussed at length in parts. I'm glad that it tried to be different from the numerous US gangland films. The film is made more distinctive through the slang used, which is typical of the Black community in Birmingham. It's worth seeing, but I've given it just 7/10 because it lacks a clear meaning. There's no special kick that makes it stay in your memory.

Il Divo (2008)

Well-acted, well-shot

[8/10 · 7 October 2009]

This is a political thriller. It follows the story of Giulio Andreotti from the time of the Red Brigades' terror in the 1970s all the way up to his trials in the 1990s. The film takes the line that Andreotti did associate with mafioso and other disreputable characters, but he is presented as a cold and calculating figure who never made mistakes.

The film grabs your attention at the beginning with a string of violent incidents: looking back now, it is unusual how little violence there is in the rest of the film after the bloodbath at the start. The acting is excellent all around. It's difficult to play Andreotti considered how dry he seemed, but Tom Servillo plays it so that you see the ruthlessness behind the calm front. The soundtrack is sophisticated and provokes associations with high society. The camera work is good.

Any complaints? Well, I couldn't help but think all the way through, "Did this really happen or is it exaggerated?" Maybe that's just me, but there are some scenes (one interview in particular) in which I felt the directors were making their own speech to prove Andreotti's guilt.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Great all-round film

[9/10 · 21 September 2009]

This film was a huge success because it has something for everyone: romance, violence, humour, adventure and a good narrative. You need to pay attention to slot together the flashbacks to the answers that the main character, Jamal, makes in the Indian "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game. The film shows the numerous setbacks and challenges that Jamal has had during his life, which is a theme everyone can relate to somehow.

On a second viewing, I concluded that the torture scene at the start was unnecessary. It can be hard to see how it fits with the game-show at the beginning, and it does seem unrealistic that Jamal would have been tortured so brutally before being sat down for a nice chat. They should have cut the torture scene out.

Breakin' (1984)

Easy-going, fun film

[6/10 · 18 September 2009]

Most of this film is dancing. It's good to see how break-dancing started out: these people make you want to take it up as a hobby. The film came out in 1984, when hip hop was still a very small phenomenon. The whole scene is portrayed as safe, clean and fun. There is no gangsta rap in anywhere. It's sad that the positive image projected by this film was ruined by the gangsta rappers in later years. Ice-T makes an appearance as an MC here, but he was making deliberately outrageous music ten years later.

Many people criticise the plot. It's certainly not a classic plot, and the ending doesn't leave much of an impact. There are several scenes that demonstrate class differences or gulfs in understanding between different dancing cultures. The break-dancers with their scruffy clothes don't fit in with the smart jazz and ballet crowds, leading to some amusing scenes. That sort of culture-shock has been done in dozens of films since then. I'm not sure whether you can say that Breakin' influenced the following films, seeing as it's not very well-known anymore, but it was definitely amongst the first to do that sort of scene.

Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943)

Most things worth banning are also worth watching

[8/10 · 19 February 2008]

I do not watch cartoons normally, but I genuinely enjoyed this. The music and rhymes are quite clever. Everything fits together to make an impressive production. The story is different enough from Snow White to avoid feeling like a rip-off. The racial stereotyping is extensive. It shocked me in a way but, in another way, I thought that it was not all that different from Dave Chapelle shows or gangsta rap films. I wondered to myself, "What if I did not know that the maker of this film was White or Black?" It is very strange how the stereotypes in this film are still used today by mainstream Black comedians and entertainers. However, the slogan of the Murder Inc. firm is definitely racist against the Japanese.

Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)

Funny. Better if you're British. Bit amateur though.

[5/10 · 22 August 2006]

I seem to think about this film a lot. It is very funny, and seems to be make entertaining material out of very ordinary topics. Although sex is mostly just alluded to in the film, the desperation that the three main characters feel for a "jump" is a good thing to explore.

Someone said that the film was just another "grim up North" film. I'd like to correct this by pointing out that this was made in 1986 - before Brassed Off, The Full Monty, Billy Elliott, Little Voice. Kes had been made before, but it was all-but-forgotten by now. Northern films have become a bit of a genre now, and I understand that people find them a bit samey. However, you must remember that this is a film that creates the stereotypes in the public mind rather than reinforced them.

I do have reservations about the film. One thing is that it has one of the most blatant plot inconsistencies ever. Early on in the film, Sue works for a taxi firm, where she first meets Aslam. Later on, she is in a discussion with her parents about how she doesn't work at all. She also goes to school, and does babysitting. I can't believe that the scriptwriters didn't notice this! They must have just thought that the film would not be remembered 20 years on for things like that to be discussed. Also, the intro music is diabolical; 90% of it is just repeating the title over and over again. Then there's Black Lace. I'd give this film the title of worst soundtrack ever.

Still, you can withstand that to enjoy the film. Watch out for the mad old man in the background at the start of the film! He makes an amusing appearance later on in the big fight scene.

Carrie (1976)

So sad and so brilliant

[10/10 · 9 July 2005]

First thing to say is that, even if you don't like the film, the music is absolutely brilliant. It's hard to describe; classical, but heavier than normal. I've never known anyone who doesn't like the music.

The story of a girl who is bullied at school and at home is heart-breaking and Sue Snell recognising her duty to help Carrie gives the film an uplifting part. What Carrie does for revenge is wrong, but she does not gain anything out of it. It's a very, very sad film overall, where nobody gains and all the tragedy could have been so easily avoided. The mindless brutality of Carrie's classmates have disastrous effects. The insanity of the mother is not as over-the-top as in the novel, which I personally thought was an improvement. Sissy Spacek is really good as Carrie. The scenes when she acts nervous and scared are best; she looks a little unusual and this suits the character.

I've read the book too. The film is a fairly faithful rendition, but there are bits that are different. It's not quite as sad as the book and there are bits of humour here and there. Tommy Ross is less of a character here and the part of Carrie's infancy is missing (because the scene went wrong and they didn't have enough money to film it again).

I love this film, although I'm not sure whether someone who was Popular at school would find it so effective.