KalStradling Reviews

Upgrade (2018)

Surprisingly fantastic. Venom but good.

[9/10 · 25 July 2019]

When I headed to the cinema, I had no idea what we was about to watch. We chosen a random action sci-fi film that had one cool camera angle in. Honestly I thought that would be it, the plot would be lazy and the script would be disappointing. But WOW, this film blew my mind completely. Whannel quite clearly focused his budget on the film rather than the advertising. You'd be forgiven thinking this was a rip off of Venom (2018) but it is simply so SO much better. If you was disappointed by Venom, give Upgrade a watch, I urge you.

Now lets talk about the cinematography, specifically that moving camera shot that focuses on Grey (Logan Marshall-Green). During the first fight sequence after STEM takes over Grey's body, the camera follows Grey in the middle of the screen, rather than the camera be stationary. Even if you don't enjoy action sci-fi films, I'd recommend just watching this shot over and over.

The plot is a fantastic take on the action sci-fi drama. Although a little predictable, the film allows for a significant amount of enjoyment from the technical aspects of the film.

The dialogue of the film was gritty and realistic whilst also being extremely comedic. The pacing is perfect, you never feel left behind the plot with boring, pointless dialogue. It flows very smoothly, this felt even better with the fantastic performances from specifically Logan Marshall-Green, who playing a quadriplegic gives a compelling performance.

I won't give away the ending of the film as I feel people should feel the utter despair and shock I felt in the final act of the film. WATCH THIS FILM.

I'd highly recommend watching Upgrade and giving it a chance over Venom. The plot feels a lot smoother than the action filled Venom, and with Upgrade not really following a super hero plot rather a real sci-fi plot, it is a fresh take on the genre that has been losing is popularity over the years.

9/10

The Lion King (2019)

All that's missing is David Attenborough.

[8/10 · 24 July 2019]

Now I never felt the need for a remake of the classic Lion King, I've understood Disney's desire to recreate the classic films for a new generation and allow them to feel the magic many people felt as children, and to a degree this was successful. When I went to see it, the cinema was filled with children and their parents. This is wonderful and all, however I feel the only real improvement upon the original is the animation...

And how amazing it was. The animation team at Disney managed to keep up with the expectations and surpass the quality I felt a fully animated film could ever be, it felt almost real. Every part of the camera work, from the animation to the cinematography to the editing. Simply impeccable.

Furthermore with the technical elements of the film, the sound design was simply fantastic. But what else could you expect from Hans Zimmer and Elton John? Both of whom retain their roles from the original Lion King. Not only was the score amazing, but the sound editing and mixing captivated me, making it feel like I was there on the plains of Africa. The voice recording from the characters felt open, I didn't feel like they was simply in a recording studio reading from a script, this allowed for even more immersion into the African wilderness and away from a dark cinema. It would not shock or anger me if this was to be nominated for an academy award for the sound editing and mixing, mark these words.

Now if I can sell you The Lion King with anything, it'd have to be the silky smooth voices of James Earl Jones as Mufasa and John Kani as Rafiki. The South African creole Kani uses voicing Rafiki really brings the character alive on the screen. The whole cast provided an above average performance, however certain characters fell short on me such as Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari and Eric Andre as Azizi. With the nature of these characters, the film makers must make a decision, 1- make them overly funny and less scary and kept the same actors (I'd prefer this as I believe Key and Andre are brilliant actors), or 2- Kept the same darker tone and hired less comedic actors to take their role. Other than this small complaint I believe everyone from Beyonce to Seth Rogen gave a captivating performance.

Overall, the Lion King allowed for a captivating , emotional and glorious experience in the cinema. It felt consistently like an episode of Blue Planet. All that was missing was David Attenborough.

8/10

First Man (2018)

A film that focuses more on loss than gain.

[9/10 · 24 July 2019]

First man, although driven by the astonishing events of Apollo 11 and the greatest human achievement, focuses primarily upon what was lost in order to go to the moon, for all of NASA, the individual astronauts and the families if the men who gave their life for us to go to the moon.

To begin with, First Man is a beautifully crafted film that accurately displays the events of and leading up to Apollo 11. Chazelle uses the fearful emptiness of space as the metaphor behind the film emphasising what was lost on the journey to the moon. The original score from Justin Hurwitz not only shows the talent if this film duo, but how a soundtrack can develop a plot. The visual effects used fully deserved the Oscar it won, the film felt so immersive it is almost as if you are there with them. Technically this film was impeccable, everything felt in the right place and felt true to life. Simply fantastic.

The plot of First Man focuses fully on what was lost when humanity gained a new frontier. I feel it was a beautiful direction for the film to focus upon Armstrong's daughters death, and later on the moon this allows for a beautiful moment of reconciliation with Neil and his daughter. Throughout the film, there are more nods towards the mental factor of going to the moon and the toll it has upon the families who face the difficult task of waiting for their loved ones to return, and not knowing if they ever will.

First Man should be respected to the same extent as Apollo 13, both films have creatively immersed the viewer, however I believe First Man is an emotional drama rather than the adventurous plot of Apollo 13.

9/10

Inside No. 9 (2014–2024)

Simply unbeatable.

[10/10 · 24 July 2019]

Ever since watching the first 3 seasons of Black Mirror I felt an empty gap in my free time for a gripping anthology series, I expected I wouldn't be able to find anything as captivating, enjoyable and damn scary as the prior series... until I scrolled onto Inside No. 9.

Now I will admit I came into this quite late (Between series 3 and 4) but I felt driven to watch this back to back for a couple days. The entirety of all seasons have the most impeccable writing and direction I have ever seen in a low budget television show. Each episode comes with a different genre to the last that follows the common tropes of said genre. However the real pay off for each episode is the dark twist that relates to either the characters, location or narrative... or all three. This provides an excellent re-watch value that gives the series its impressive hook.

Although each episode has its own characteristic element that makes it fantastic, each season still contains episodes that are so impeccable that it requires a second watch to fully appreciate it.

Within season one, my personal favourite was Episode 2, A Quiet Night In. This episode is a brilliant creation of a small heist drama, however the brilliant element of the episode is how there is no exposition spoken throughout the episode. How Pemberton and Shearsmith interact using only body language builds an impressive comedic element of the episode, this allows for our expectations of the episodes final act to be turned on their heads.

Season 2 contains one of, if not the most outstanding episode of not just Inside No. 9, but British TV as a whole. Episode 2, The 12 Days of Christine follows Christine as she goes through what appears to be her day to day life. Upon the first watch, most of the little details go by without the viewer taking much notice (This is common throughout Inside No. 9!) it's not until the final part of the show where it all comes together. This episode drew the biggest emotional impact from myself throughout all of Inside No. 9. The ending, that was built up to in all the little details of the episode, delivers a heart stopping twist that will bring a tear to even the strongest of hearts. This episode should be hailed as a holy text and studied in schools for the rest of time. I cannot explain how perfect the writing to this episode is. Overall, season two was a dramatic increase from season one, possibly due to a higher budget or Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith being allowed to reach their creative limits.

Season 3 seemed to be the season Pembeeton and Shearsmith decided to create multiple different genres in the season. It ranges from a comedy over a restaurant bill to a director reviewing an old 80's movie. My personal favourite was episode 3, The Riddle of the Spinx. Something about this episode drove me to watch it 3 or 4 times, showing each of my family members with a giddy feeling in my belly. The plot to this episode is entirely written into a cryptic crossword, every twist, every move, every characters roll is derived by what the crossword says. I feel everything is in this episode. Even Shakespeare has a mention in this episode. Although this episode is not as emotionally captivating as the 12 days of Christine in season 2. I believe the cryptic writing of this episode is the strongest of all seasons.

Finally I come onto season 4. For me this season had a fantastic first 3 episodes, but the plot of the final 3 drop in comparison to the first half. Episode 1, Zanzibar, is an episode that is fully written in iambic pentameter. The episode follows the packed floor of number 9 in the British Hotel Zanzibar. The acting from the two writers Rory Kinnear and all the cast is fantastic. It feels as the most enjoyable to watch episode for me as all the exposition rolls along like a song. I don't want to explain any of the plot as I feel this episode is best to go into blind, but all I will say is 'Spaghetti Bolognese'.

Overall, Inside No. 9 is, what I believe, the best writing a human can create. Each episode is as good as the last (excluding certain episodes) and each episode is so easy to watch and take in. If you like television, you will love this. Every person I have shown this to has watched the entire series within a few weeks of me showing them. So I hope you will give this fantastic show a watch, it deserves all the attention Black Mirror has received and more!

10/10.