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I am a reviewer of films and television at Spryfilm.com and I upload stories to thisissouthtaranaki.com.
  • Film review: “American Made” (2017)

    Film review: “American Made” (2017)

    “American Made” (2017)

    Comedy/Action/Drama

    stars-2-5

    Running Time: minutes

    Written by: Gary Spinelli

    Directed by:  Doug Liman

    Featuring: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jayma Mays, Jesse Plemons, Lola Kirke, Alejandro Edda

    Barry Seal: [voice over] “My name is Barry Seal. Some of this really happened. It really did.”

    Whenever I talk about a movie featuring Tom Cruise I feel I have to say that I am in fact a huge fan of his. From his early appearances all the way through to “American Made” (2017) I love watching him onscreen, I find him appealing as well as possibly at his level, one of the most fearless actors around – he will do anything to try and make a movie work, as well as fearing no genre – in fact you will find it difficult to find another person working in front of the camera today that has literally appeared in every major genre going, a rare feat indeed. Of course in saying that it does not mean that all of this work has been either a critical hit or a financial one – one need only look at this years “The Mummy” (2017) for an example of both. After a number years of action films comes what could generously be called a drama, but in fact is more an action/comedy than anything else, which is a shame as the story of pilot Barry Seal could have been to the 1980s political climate what the excellent “Three Kings” (1999) was to the Gulf War. Sadly that is not to be as the only thing that is lacking with this movie is a decent script that a strong talented director, in this case Doug Liman, and a strong star could get behind. Truly in this political climate it would have been a gift to show how little progress has been made in the US in terms of cover ups as well as double-dealing Presidents.

    “American Made” tells the story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), a TWA pilot, who was recruited by the CIA, to assist in countering the emerging communist threat that was perceived to be a serious threat in Central America. Seal’s role in this major CIA covert operation led in turn to his involvement with the Medellin cartel, which ultimately embarrassed the Reagan White House after the Iran-Contra scandal became public.

    While watching this film and reflecting on how the US has constantly interfered with foreign governments as well as setting up dictators and paying for those despots for the past twenty years, it is no wonder many people either don’t trust Americans or simply do not like them. The result of last years US election, the success of the candidate Donald Trump while the turmoil of the race relations within the US boils to the surface it is no wonder some narcissistic egomaniac like Barry Seal was able to play both sides of the coin while maintaining a relationship (although i seriously doubt it is accurately portrayed here) with his wife.

    Director Doug Liman has recruited Tom Cruise for the main part, from the outside one of the biggest egos out there to play someone that appears to be larger than life, while being able to straddle some kind of fantasy life that would make James Bond jealous. Cruise who has played plenty of characters that have outsized egos seems like the perfect fit for this role, his comic timing as well good looks make him seem like some kind of superhero in this movie, except for the fact that this is a film that at its core is about Presidential corruption, murder, illegal drugs, illegal arms sales as well as inherent corruption of not only the CIA but any number of government agencies – and we are supposed to be cheering for someone profiting out of this – I am at the age that this makes me feel uncomfortable, because there is probably any number of innocent people that have been at best wounded, at worst killed by these actions.

    So where “American Made” falls short in the biggest way is in its one note script, written by Gary Spinelli, someone who has had no experience in this kind of real life drama, that contains not only many levels of complexity but is also a period piece being set in the 1980s. Spinelli at best has written a reductive story about what it means to be a narcissus living in the US at the moment, where you are only concerned with the ‘me’ as well what it means to be able to make money at the cost of anyone or anything else, that is what Charlie Sheen called being a ‘winner’ all those years ago – it is a self indulgent story that a teenager may find great because it shows how you can get ahead at the expense of almost everyone else. This is what was wrong with Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2014), which became a mad mess as well as puerile – it doesn’t hold a mirror up to these issues, it celebrates them for all the reasons that an audience should not only be repulsed by them, but also ask why these people are not held accountable.

    With all of that said this is the movie that the producers, who count Brian Grazer and Ron Howard amount them, wanted to make, they hired the writer as well as Doug Liman to direct, so they got what they asked for. My only real reaction is that this was made for US audience as well as people who want an action comedy to watch because there is no real depth to this at all – it is all surface with no real consequences or stakes, someone who is looking for something deeper to worry about should go elsewhere – this truly is all surface and what many ‘American Made’ films have come to represent.

    As I have said Tom Cruise can act and has shown this time and again, but not in recent memory – it appears there will not be a drama in his future, but I cannot help but think of the Tom Cruise who has garnered three Oscar nominations as well as someone who can show real empathy onscreen – my hope is that he will start turning in some mature performances sometime in the future – I would rather see him turn into a Paul Newman than a Charles Bronsan type. In terms of the supporting cast, Cruise attracts quality, so we see the always impressive Domhnall Gleeson, as well as budding character actor Jesse Plemons, with bubbly Sarah Wright as Seals long suffering wife. They are all great but it is Wright who is given the least to do, except look gorgeous against Cruises lead performance – Cruise would like to think he is eternally young but she looked too much his junior for this to be as believable as the film-makers would like you to think. As usual playing the wife Wright gets very little of her own arc, her character, if it called be called that, is not developed at all, leaving me wondering if she is only there to serve some eye candy for the predominantly male audience the producers are expecting. Such a shame but the film makers seem to have forgotten that while the film is most definitely set in the 1980s, it was not made in that same decade.

    I will be the first to admit that if not for the current political climate I may have loved this movie, it is full of action as well as humor and is most definitely all surface, something that may have been a fun Saturday night blast. It is like a cross between “Top Gun” (1986) and believe it or not “Valkyrie” (2008) in Tom Cruise parlance. But because we are living in this era of what has become fake news this becomes a reflection of these times – filmmakers have to understand that if they are making a movie that is ‘based on a true story’ unless you are one of the rare directors that can straddle a fence of drama/true story/action then you should back off otherwise you end up with a movie like “American Made”.

    Something to note is that “American Made” is a Universal Pictures project which at this stage of the year is interesting, if you look since January they have had some successes with “The Fate of the Furious” as well as “Despicable Me 3” but all of their films have been  literally rubbish, all completely forgettable as well as their giant franchises showing signs of serious wear. The only great movies that they have are not even been theirs, they are only distributed by them, those being “Get Out” and “Split” which are Blumhouse productions. Its a sad state of affairs going into the last quarter of the year when your hopes for any kind of serious filmmaking plaudits is “American Made”.

    With all that said as well as a low rating from me you will still have fun with this movie but if you look past the façade it may leave a bad taste in your mouth as well as a hollow feeling in your heart. I just wish Cruise would commit and lend himself to some real dramas with real teeth, as without some ‘real’ roles as well as age and a possible fading star he is running out of time to make a real mark with some great directors.

    “American Made” is out now in theatres.

  • DVD & Blu-ray review: “Alien: Covenant” (2017)

    DVD & Blu-ray review: “Alien: Covenant” (2017)

    “Alien: Covenant” (2017)

    Horror/Science Fiction

    3-stars

    Running Time: 123 minutes

    Written by: John Logan and Dante Harper

    Directed by: Ridley Scott

    Featuring:  Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride and Demián Bichir

    David: “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

    Ridley Scott returns to the world of ‘Alien’ once again after his now classic second film, “Alien” (1979) and his not so classic “Prometheus” (2014). It appears he has some unfinished business with the franchise, particularly after killing a rival ‘Alien’ movie that was to be directed by Neill Blomkamp, as well as featuring original star Sigourney Weaver. I for one welcome any movie in this franchise, looking back I even enjoy the films that failed and still fail to connect with audiences, So it was with high hopes I entered into this film. I had watched and enjoyed the three short films that were the marketing for this movie, particularly the Noomi Rapace/Michal Fassbender “The Crossing” (2017) which I recommend you see as well. I can report that this is well worth watching as it is a real throwback to not only the Alien franchise but R-rated horror films as well.

    Of course where would an ‘Alien’ film be without a long outer space voyage, and this movie starts with one, during which the 2,000 human passengers, along with 1,140 embryos, linger in a deep-freeze sleep for several years. The giant ship, called Covenant, is headed for a very distant planet, Origae-6, which is considered a promising new home for humanity to settle. For this reason, not only the slumbering immigrants, but the crew, too, are composed of prospective parents meant to propagate and establish a new home.

    This couples-only plot point does give the movie a new feeling, it also means that when things go wrong as they were always going to, it means there is a double sense of loss when someone dies.

    Scott has done a mini reboot behind the scenes as well as on camera for this new Alien installment, we have his usual director of photography Dariusz Wolski returning as well as a pair of new screenwriters, dumping the absolutely awful Damon Lindeloff, for Oscar nominated (and “Gladiator” (2004) writer) John Logan as well as newcomer Dante Harper. All of these changes are welcome, particularly Lindeloff who seems to deflate anything he is involved with script wise.

    It is great to see Wolski return as he nailed the look of “Prometheus” with both the exteriors of the planet as well the interiors of the Prometheus itself. Wolski is one of the best cinematographers working today; he is in high demand so it is great that he and Scott enjoy working together to produce some of the best-looking movies around. Ridley too is a welcome return, there are few director working today that can command the cinematic language involved in making not only a big budget film but one that has a huge cinematic legacy, of course that legacy does have some holes in it. What I find refreshing about Ridley Scott is that he has such a high attention to detail in particular with the mise-en-scène that you never doubt any of the locations that exist in this artificial world.

    The director has made more of an ‘Alien’ movie than a “Prometheus” follow up with more scares and many more actual xenomorphs – this plays like a horror film than many of the other films in the franchise, it may even be the best entry after the first two groundbreaking movies. The movie also attempts to tackle what the previous film tried to do which was analyze what it means to be alive, sentient as well as the asking the questions about where life starts, where it stops as well as where the spark of life originates from.

    Once again Michael Fassbender illustrates why he is one of the best actors around as his David from the original film encounters the newly created ‘synthetic’, Walter. Fassbender aided buy special effects plays David and Walter off against each other. David has become a kind of Frankenstein with the alien virus from “Prometheus”, he evens says idle hands are the devil’s play things – once you start to witness his creations you will see what he means. It turns out that David has had plans since before he even went on the ill fated trip from the previous film – in an early scene with Weyland (Guy Pearce) you can see fear palpable on David’s creator’s face which is extremely chilling. David’s point of view as well as his true nature can be seen by Oram (Billy Crudup, here so excellent) who says he has seen the Devil as a child and can recognise him anywhere.

    This film moves the origin of species onwards, it is fitting to me that mankind is reaching for the star but is being bitten by something that is closer to home, than in the heavens. There is certainly an aspect of reaping what you sow, in particular in the area of technology as well as creating something that you do not know what the ramifications of which will be – something that we could lean in todays world. Of course it is not limited to technology, as well see the original Captain of the ‘Covenant’ being killed and being replaced by someone out of their depth and who finds it hard to string two words together – sound familiar.

    If you like R-rated horror films as well as science fiction movies with a great director at the helm then this is for you. If you are squeamish then maybe try something else. This is a return to form for Scott who at eighty years of age is directing movies like someone a quarter of his age – not afraid to correct mistakes of the past, but with an eye on the future – I am so looking forward to the next instalment if there is one.

    “Alien: Covenant” is out now on DVD & Blu-ray.

     

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  • Film review: “The Hitman’ s Bodyguard” (2017)

    Film review: “The Hitman’ s Bodyguard” (2017)

    “The Hitman’ s Bodyguard” (2017)

    Comedy/Action

    3-stars

    Running Time: 118 minutes

    Written by: Tom O’Connor

    Directed by: Patrick Hughes

    Featuring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek

    Michael Bryce: “I’m a triple A rated executive protection agent and you’re the most wanted hitman in the world. My job is to keep you out of harm’s way.”
    [Kincaid starts laughing, looking annoyed Bryce punches him in the face]

    Darius Kincaid: “Shit! What the fuck?!”

    Was anyone really waiting for this movie? It seems like an uninspiring idea at first glance, but in reality this is an action movie that harkens back to a simpler time that echoes action stars of the late 1980s and 1990s, before the Bourne’s and Wicks took control of the genre, when it was the force of personality that drove a movie through any plot issues, there was little time for nuance or even stories that made sense – with all that, ladies and gentlemen, I give you “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (2017).

    This is a bloody R-rated mess of a movie featuring newly minted action king, Ryan Reynolds (thanks in no small part to “Deadpool” (2016)) and his wise cracking anarchy inducing co-star, the always-affable Samuel L. Jackson, with a wonderfully energetic Salma Hayek as well as fiendishly evil Gary Oldman (resurrecting his Russian accent from his role in Air Force One (1997)) in great supporting roles. Its a killer cast featuring a script from the highly rated blacklist that takes the best unproduced scripts floating around Hollywood at a given time.

    Bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is hired to protect a Japanese arms dealer. All apparently goes well, but the dealer is shot in the head at the last minute. Two years later, Bryce has fallen into disgrace and ekes out a living protecting drug-addicted corporate executives. Meanwhile, Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman), the ruthless and bloodthirsty dictator of Belarus, is put on trial for crimes against humanity at the International Court of Justice. The prosecution is unable to make headway against him, as they cannot substantiate their allegations with physical evidence and Dukhovich assassinates any witnesses who could do so. The prosecution’s last hope is notorious hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson), who agrees to testify against Dukhovich in exchange for the exoneration of his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek), who is currently incarcerated.

    From here the plot becomes a pretty much standard chase movie with not only the henchman of Dukhovich after the duo of Bryce and Kincaid, but Interpol after them as well. The pair who hate each other on first meeting become quick allies as well as fast friends, as you would expect they solve each others problems including Bryce’s issues with his love life – its all pretty standard and would make for a pretty trite movie, except it is the winning as well as quick mouthed dialogue of leads Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson that make the enduring two hours of run time even a little bearable. If you have seen any of Reynolds’s previous movies you have come to expect an extremely quick wit as well as a quicker mouth, he is able to string funny lines together like few leading men can, while not seeming to be a routine thing for him at all. However, it is with a sparring partner like Jackson that really helps sell this relationship and so to the movie itself.

    When you are producing an action movie that has no real inherent originality it is important to cast it extremely well as well employing actors that bring some sense of identity to their roles, not only in the leads but also in their supporting cast. While this movie has employed two expertly suited actors in the lead it is the supporting cast that helps sell what could have been a mediocre action movie. The stand out in “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” as well as someone who pretty much steals the entire movie is the fantastic Salma Hayek. As Kincaid’s (Jackson) wife Hayek actually spends pretty much the entire movie in a cell spitting rejoinders to whomever she comes across, except for a flashback scene that has to be seen to be believed – I think I can honestly say I have never seen her this animated both verbally as well as physically in any of her previous roles – she is extremely fun to behold.

    It might be reductive to simply say that this is yet another buddy comedy movie that smells like any other buddy action film since “48 Hours” (1982) with a black guy and a white guy proving that after some initial bad feelings they really are two peas in a pod – but that’s what it is, and really this cast deserves so much more than that, it certainly going into it feels like there should be more to this movie than what we are ultimately left with. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” also owes a large debt to the Martin Brest directed “Midnight Run” (1988) , one of the greatest buddy comedy films of all time, which still influences action as well as comedy movies right up to this very day. Now of you are going to riff or pay homage to a timeless classic you had better do it well, unfortunately this movie lacks the reasons to do this and instead heavy handily just rips pieces straight from it, which is a shame.

    The director Patrick Hughes when looking at his past is not a director that cares for subtlety or even exploring any kind of themes within his own work, this could be down to the type of movies he has worked on or it could be a case of opportunity – one cannot really tell. In terms of the writer of this screenplay, Tom O’Connor, which is the latest in a long line of screenplays that have been produced that were atop the vaunted Hollywood blacklist. It turns out that it is not a precursor to success to be on top of that list because we have seen to many produced that have not been good at all, which again is a shame as it thrusts not only inexperienced directors but also writers into the public eye with little knowledge on what to do when their films turn out to be less than spectacular. Once again I find it a crime to have a cast that consists of Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek who are all masters of playing comedy as well as action, but this is the movie we end up with, a real tragedy.

    It really is hard to recommend actualy going out to the movies to see this, as you will probably not be rewarded commensurate to what you will have to pay for to see “The Hitman’s Bodyguard”, so I would say wait for it to come to DVD/Blu-ray or on a streaming service.

    “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is out this week only in cinemas.

     

  • DVD & Blu-ray review: “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017)

    DVD & Blu-ray review: “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017)

    “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017)

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    Action/Thriller

    Running Time: 122 minutes

    Directed by: Chad Stahelski

    Featuring: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane

    The Bowery King: “He’s offered seven million dollars for your life. seven million dollars is a lot of money, Mr. Wick.”

    John Wick: “So I guess you have a choice. Do you want a war or do you want to just give me a gun?”

    The Bowery King: “Somebody please get this man a gun!” 

    The first “John Wick” (2014) was a surprise but modest hit at the box office and had just enough of following so that this ramped up sequel was produced and so far had been the critical and box office hit that will probably lead to a Chapter three, or at least we can hop. The first film also saw the return of Keanu Reeves to a high profile action film the seemed to be what audiences were waiting for, and he was excellent as the single minded hit man seeking revenge for the death of his puppy, a gift from his now deceased wife.

    With Keanu now embracing his inner-Wick as well as seemingly waiting to make a sequel that ups the stakes without alienating the fans of the first film we see what is possible when you have a great script, a director who is not only willing to trust that script but also want to put his leading man front and centre, and finally an actor who has embraced the ethos of the genre, as well as handing his extreme talents to a director that can handle the kind of film that is to be produced. This film is a step up in every way from “John Wick”, the budget has doubled, new as well as experienced actors have been cast, the sets, cars and guns have all been upped and finally the mythology has expanded to such an extent that it is its own Universe – with a prequel television series rumoured to be in the works.

    “John Wick 2: Chapter 2” takes place shortly (about four days) after the events of the first film when Wick (Keanu Reeves) tracks down his stolen 1969 Boss 429 Mustang at a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare), brother of Viggo and uncle of Iosef, the main antagonists from the first movie. John dispatches Tarasov’s men in a violent fight that heavily damages his car. He then spares Tarasov under the auspices of “peace” and returns home.

    It is revealed that, years ago, to complete his “impossible task” – allowing him to retire and marry Helen – John asked D’Antonio for help. As a form of contract, D’Antonio swore John to a “Marker”, an unbreakable promise symbolized by a “blood oath” medallion. D’Antonio presents the medallion to demand services from John, but John refuses, claiming that he is “retired”. In retaliation, D’Antonio destroys John’s house with a grenade launcher.

    Winston (Ian McShane), the owner of the Continental hotel in New York City, reminds John that if he rejects the Marker, he will be violating one of the two unbreakable rules of the underworld: no killing on Continental ground, and Markers must be honored. John accepts his duty and meets with D’Antonio, who tasks him with assassinating his sister Gianna D’Antonio).

    To say that this film ups the ante in terms of action, violence, story and world building is an understatement, it is refreshing to find a sequel that not only increases the action and violence but also offers more of a peek into this hyper stylized universe of assassin’s that seem to populate this world.

    Screenwriter Derek Kolstad and director Chad Stahelski return from the first film to really get their teeth into the story along with star Keanu Reeves who seems really invested in the character of John Wick, as well as the way in which he embraces a philosophy that defines the world he inhabits. I believe it only assists the new film that there is a continuation of talent that moves from film to film to keep the idea of a what a John Wick film is and can be as well as how the films keep getting produced.

    The action in this new chapter has been upped as has the body count, there has also been more humor and over the top scenarios introduced just to make sure we all know that this movie is not only fictional but at times absurd in the way it treats what Wick is able to do and get away with. Both this film and the previous one have to be the greatest pure action films of the past ten years at least. They both do what primal action films at their best do, they keep moving forward and never let up, even if you think they are.

    The star here is of course Keanu Reeves, who has proven time and time again he is a force to be reckoned with, particularly where you may have a tendency to underrate him. His best performances have been in films where you may think he is not the right choice; even those films that may have been unsuccessful have more than likely aged very well. Reeves has a knack for choosing not just good but great projects to be a part of. The ‘Wick’ films are no different and with the possible announcement of a third it may mean that Reeves will have his own franchise that is not overblown with ego and special effects. One of the great things about these films is the use of CGI, there is very little which is refreshing for action films in this new millennium.

    The supporting cast sees holdovers from the first film making very welcome reappearances, Ian McShane playing Winston the father figure/mentor to Wick who offers advice as well as offering exposition to the audience, Lance Reddick as Charon the hotel manager and all round cool guy, he adds dog minder to this film and the always smart ass John Leguizamo as the mechanic and finder Aurelio. The addition of Common as fellow assassin and protagonist Cassian, Ruby Rose as mute bodyguard Ares and Riccardo Scamarcio as master manipulator Santino D’Antonio all add real value in the new characters they are portraying.

    If you enoyed the first film then this is a step up in the way this world operates, it offers more of a glimpse behind the curtain that John Wick operate in as well as broadening the existing characters and seamlessly introducing new ones. Of course the standout is Reeves but kudos need to be paid to the producers, writer and director for all the new characters and the casting of those characters. It feels to me like there are no miss-steps or issues at all. This is the action film we have been promised for years, and begs to be rewatched, it should be part of any half decent home library.

    Special Features:

    Audio Commentary with Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski

    Deleted Scenes

    Featurettes:

    RetroWick: Exploring the Unexpected Success of John Wick

    Training John Wick

    WICK-vizzed

    Friends, Confidantes: The Keanu/Chad Partnership

    As Above, So Below: The Underworld of John Wick

    Car Fu Ridealong

    Beat Down: The Evolution of a Fight Scene

    Wick’s Toolbox

    Kill Count

    Short Film – Dog Wick

    “John Wick: Chapter 2” is out now on DVD & Blu-ray.

     

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  • DVD & Blu-ray review: “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” (2017)

    DVD & Blu-ray review: “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” (2017)

    “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” (2017)

    Action

    2,0

    Running Time: 126 minutes

    Written & Directed by: Guy Ritchie

    Featuring: Charlie Hunnam, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law and Eric Bana

    King Arthur: “I’m not getting drawn into this mess! There’s an army of you, there’s only one of me! I’ll talk, I’m happy to talk. But there is NO WAY that I am fighting.”

    Either Guy Ritchie is the perfect choice for yet another visit to the world of the Arthurian legend or he is the absolute worst – it really depends on which Ritchie shows up, and how well he treats the source material. I have never had a solid opinion on Ritchie’s work, he seems to either hit in a major way or completely miss the central idea of what he may have been after in any of his movies. This has widely chaotic results, he burst on the scene with the drug/heist film about four mates in “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998), which not only launched Ritchie, but also became a calling card for the inimitable Jason Statham, producer (who can also direct) Matthew Vaughn, as well as re-launching Dexter Fletcher (who is also a hell of a director in his own right). From there he has hit the highs with “Snatch” (2000), “Sherlock Holmes” (2009 – 2011), as well the lows “Revolver” (2005) and the much maligned “Swept Away” (2002). His last movie “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (2015) failed to make an impression but I thought it was very good with strength in the casting; something Ritchie has always been able to mange extremely well in every single one of his movies.

    This movie begins with the young Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) who runs the back streets of Londinium with his crew, unaware of his royal lineage until he draws the sword Excalibur from the stone. Instantly confronted by the sword’s influence, Arthur is forced to decide when to become involved with his power. Throwing in with the Resistance and an enigmatic young woman (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey), he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons, unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern (Jude Law) — who murdered his parents and stole his crown — and become king.

    This film has had a long trip to the big screen, it was delayed by at least a year, this being blamed on scheduling but I think it may have been because the tone was not found in its initial edit – something all of the trailers have yet to nail down. Was this going to be a blokey action movie or something more serious, akin to the legend we know? Was this going to be a departure from previous scattershot frenetically paced Ritchie films or more of a steady still camera action/drama? In my opinion it has a mixed tone which makes it very messy, the language is inconsistent, some of the actors are in a completely different film and the some of the huge special effects are messy and shaky to say the least.

    The cast that has been assembled for this Arthurian outing is one you would expect to see in any Guy Ritchie movie with the addition of the American transplanted English television star (“Sons of Anarchy” (2008-2014)) Charlie Hunnam, who has yet to prove himself as a big screen presence. Hunnam you can tell really has given himself over to the role, which you have to if you are going to play a part that by its very nature is epic as well as having quite a large literary as well as cinematic history. What Ritchie has done is to give Hunnam some great supporting actors, starting with Eric Bana as his father, Uther Pendragon, who while not in the film much sets up the strong bloodline that Arthur has to follow. The antagonist of the movie is the always-underrated Jude Law as Vortigern who plays the usurper of the movie who wants to hold power and dominion over all. Rounding out the experienced cast is the reliable Djimon Hounsou playing one of the key figures, Bedivere, as well as “Game of Thrones” (2011 – present) actor Aidan Gillen as Bill – it is a shame Gillen has become primarily known for the role of Littlefinger as it disregards all the incredible work he has done over the past three decades. For me the highlight was relative newcomer Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, as the Mage that help Arthur figure out who he is as well as training him to wield the sword, Excalibur.

    With a film set that is set in medieval Britain the look was always going to be a key component and Ritchie has wisely utilized John Mathieson as his cinematographer fresh off working with the director on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (2015) remake. Mathieson also brings all of the experience of working with Ridley Scott for years, in particular the look of “Gladiator” (2000) is used n this film to illustrate the grit and grime of the time period. Unfortunately as i have said the entire film is let down by shoddy effects work as well as some uneven set work. Not only that i found some of the costuming to be baffling, Hunnam at times looked like a World War II pilot shot down over France – it was very odd.

    The last time I watched an Arthurian movie was the widely panned Antoine Fuqua film “King Arthur” (2004), which I have grown to quite like, with its odd cast that have all become massive in their own right. That film was pre-legend and involved Romans as well as Vikings, which was as historically accurate as any of the similar movies made. The last time I actually loved an Arthurian tale was the always rewatchable “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975) which serves as the ultimate touchstone to the legend – all the elements are there with some fine singing, dancing and ridiculous Frenchmen. If only this movie had some of the charm of those outings this would be a really enjoyable movie, but like Ritchie’s worse outings this one has very little charm so another missed opportunity for Arthur and his gang.

    This was supposed to be the first of a few films but judging from the reaction and the box office that will not be happening, so we don’t have even half of the characters that should make an appearance, they were all apparently held back for possible sequels – which now just seems like poor decision making and planning on Ritchie and Warner’s part. The movie is full of the tropes you come to expect but this is added to with a ‘Lock Stock’ feel that seems out of place in what was to be an epic feel – Ritchie should have either made the ‘bloke who becomes King’ or a huge ‘Lord of the Rings’ type adventure, but not a mix of both.

    If you like Hunnam or a blokey geezer film that looks like a cheap “Game of Thrones” rip off then this will be for you, otherwise maybe just watch “The Battle of the Bastards” again if you want a rough medieval feel.

    “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” is out now on DVD & Blu-ray.

  • Comic-Con Trailer: “Justice League” (2017)

    Comic-Con Trailer: “Justice League” (2017)

     

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    Months after the events of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) and inspired by Superman’s apparent sacrifice for humanity, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry, and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.

     

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  • “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (2017) – Official Trailer

    “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (2017) – Official Trailer

    The world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen [Samuel L. Jackson]. The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their raucous and hilarious adventure from England to the Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator [Gary Oldman] who is out for blood. Salma Hayek joins the mayhem as Jackson’s equally notorious wife.

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    The film will be “hitting” cinemas on August 31.

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  • “American Assassin” (2017) – Official Trailer

    “American Assassin” (2017) – Official Trailer

    AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton).  The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets.  Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War in the Middle East.

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  • DVD review: “Night Gallery” (1969 – 1973)

    DVD review: “Night Gallery” (1969 – 1973)

    “Night Gallery” (1969 – 1973)

    Anthology/Horror

    5stars_small

    43 Episodes

    Created by: Rod Serling

    Produced by: Jack Laird & William Sackheim

    Rod Serling: “Good evening, and welcome to a private showing of three paintings, displayed here for the first time. Each is a collectors’ item in its own way – not because of any special artistic quality, but because each captures on a canvas, and suspends in time and space, a frozen moment of a nightmare.”

    This month sees the release of the anthology television show “Night Gallery” (1969 – 1973) in a three series ten-disc box set, that incorporates every episode produced – just great entertainment with some good special features at a modest price.

    Night Gallery was an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1969 to 1973, featuring stories of horror, science fiction as well some humorous episodes as well. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, “The Twilight Zone”(1959 – 1964), served both as the on-air host of ‘Night Gallery’ as well as a major contributor of scripts, although he did not have the same control of content and tone as he had on ‘The Twilight Zone’. Serling viewed ‘Night Gallery’ as a logical extension of ‘The Twilight Zone’, but while both series shared an interest in thought-provoking dark fantasy, more of Zone’s offerings were science fiction while Night Gallery focused on horrors of the supernatural.

    Serling appeared in an art gallery setting and introduced the stories that made up each episode by unveiling paintings (by artists Thomas J. Wright and Jaroslav “Jerry” Gebr) that depicted the stories. ‘Night Gallery’ regularly presented adaptations of classic fantasy tales by authors such as H. P. Lovecraft, as well as original works, many of which were by Serling himself.

    Looking back at a television series from almost fifty years ago may seem a difficult prospect but Serling was such a good writer as well as arbiter of taste that the vast majority of this stories are so unique that they seem to have not aged a day.

    Highlighted episodes not to be missed:

    Silent Snow, Secret Snow (Seas. 2, Ep. 5)

    Based on a short story by Conrad Aiken, this psychological tale is the story of a young boy’s fascination with the snow outside his home; a fascination that turns him inside himself and towards insanity. This one is incredibly creepy and atmospheric, one to watch with the lights on, as well as having company with you.

    The Diary (Seas. 2, Ep. 8)

    This masterpiece, penned by Serling himself, stars Patty Duke as an aging movie star with a grudge, she enacts madness-inducing revenge on the scathing gossip columnist who shreds her acting credibility. Truly one of the more chilling and well-written episodes of the entire series, but you would not expect anything less from Rod Serling.

    The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes (Seas. 2, Ep. 1)

    In this chilling tale, a boy is given a very special gift – to see the future. As a commentary on the media’s fascination with the strange and our unearned trust in the media, this story has a very poignant message.

    You Can’t Get Help Like That Anymore (Seas. 2, Ep. 20)

    It is the near future, and people are still mean as well as bullies. At least, that’s the concept at the core of this tale. When a rich couple purchase the best robot maid available and then attempt to beat the crap out of her (like all the other robot maids before her), they get a nasty surprise.

    Sins of the Fathers (Seas. 2, Ep. 20)

    The very next episode although being painfully grotesque (hunchback dwarves, guttural screaming, turkey legs) is actually really creepy Dark Ages.

    Midnight Never Ends (Seas. 2, Ep. 7)

    Another Season 2 gem by Serling, this story is like a cross between “Groundhog Day” (1993) and “The Shining” (1980). A young woman picks up a hitchhiker on the road and the two immediately feel as though they are caught in a super-strong bout of mutual deja vous. What they find out is a truth that is more chilling than you could possibly imagine.

    Whisper (Seas. 3, Ep. 13)

    As one of the final episodes, Serling managed to saved the best for last. With a skeleton cast of amazingly talented actors, this story is a truly haunting tale that answers the question: What is the worst thing that can happen when you believe you can speak to the dead?

    The Ring With the Red Velvet Ropes (Seas. 3, Ep. 10)

    A heavyweight-boxing champion that has just won the world title finds himself on an unknown island, surrounded by sexy ladies and good food. Everything is great until he finds out that he’s not the REAL world champion until he beats an otherworldly fighter with a very long winning streak.

    The Different Ones (Seas. 2, Ep. 14)

    Once you’ve seen this one, you’ll see almost a direct connection with some of Serlong’s more notable work on Twilight Zone. In this futuristic episode, a hideously mangled teenager is shipped off to a governmental-alien leper colony. In his desire to be a “normal person,” the hero is willing to do almost anything to avoid literal alienation.

    The Caterpillar (Seas. 2, Ep. 21)

    A colonial tale of unrequited love turned sour, this is about a British military leader in the jungles of Borneo. When he can’t have the girl of his dreams, he decides to take care of her husband by using the deadly flora and fauna of the inhospitable land. One small mistake in the plan is all it takes for him to get an earful.

    A Question of Fear (Seas. 2, Ep. 6)

    A rich man makes a revenge bet with an old buddy that he can’t stay locked up overnight in a reportedly haunted house. When he starts seeing strange things (beds with knives in them, for example), he decides that the $10,000 is not worth his life. Unfortunately, the house doesn’t let him call backsies without a fight.

    The Big Surprise (Seas. 2, Ep. 8)

    There’s nothing scarier to a 12-year-old than a creepy old guy who tells you to dig a big hole. In this very short story (on the same powerhouse episode as The Diary), a young boy gets a tip from an old neighbor that something buried under a nearby tree. Thinking he has heard some kind of verbal treasure map, the boy acquiesces. His surprise is not at all what he expects.

    The House (Seas. 1, Ep. 3)

    In my favorite episode by far, a woman continually has a dream that she is driving towards an unknown house, but that she knows inside and out. After graduating from dream therapy with a “cured” badge, she actually finds the house from her dreams. Not surprising, there is a ghost haunting it, but what it’s trying to do only becomes clear in the last few moments of the story.

    The Housekeeper (Seas. 1, Ep. 1)

    As the first episode of Night Gallery, this little story comes out of nowhere and mentally screws everyone. An aging housekeeper with low self-esteem is requested for a dream job. This story is all about the consequences of being young and beautiful forever. I choose this tale for those who like their Halloween ironic.

    Tell David (Seas. 2, Ep. 14)

    I personally believe that this is the most horrifying of them all, in the traditional sense. A woman with some marital problems and a small son gets lost in a freak storm. When she finds a local house for shelter, all the strange objects that she finds inside surprise her.

    Special Features:

    This 10 DVD collection brings you every episode from this spine-tingling 1970s series.

    Penned by legendary twilight zone writer – rod serling

    Includes the original pilot episode from 1969

    “Night Gallery” is out now on DVD.

     

     

  • Streaming review: “Icarus” (2017)

    Streaming review: “Icarus” (2017)

    “Icarus” (2017)

    Documentary

    5stars_small

    Running Time: 121 minutes

    Directed by: Bryan Fogel

    Featuring: Bryan Fogel

    Tagline: “Truth is the new banned substance.”

    Since the advent of reality television there have been more documentaries made about people’s lives than ever before, but it was not until the 2004 documentary “Super Size Me” (2004) directed by Morgan Spurlock that we really saw what a documentary could be when the director/writer and the subject were the same person. Spurlock’s ‘experiment’ in eating only fast food from McDonalds was a curio; it remains so to this day, as it ultimately proved very little, although it did give Spurlock a career, which he is still cashing in on to this very today. This is important in terms of “Icarus” (2017) as the writer/director ,as well as subject, Bryan Fogel, started out with a certain intention but along the way world events overtook his concept so that the fundamental nature of his documentary changed. This change means that an interesting story about performance enhancing drugs in sports, was altered so that his story became something earth shattering in its reach, something very few films are able to authentically claim.

    “Icarus” is based around filmmaker Bryan Fogel who sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller involving dirty urine, unexplained death and Olympic Gold-exposing the biggest scandal in sports history.

    I had been looking forward to this film since first hearing an interview with writer/director Bryan Fogel about the journey that he went on before, as well as during the making of this documentary. Fogel as it turned out had a fairly successful career after co-writing the off Broadway play ‘Jewtopia’, which was one of the longest running as well as most successful off Broadway plays ever produced. After that success he had a crack at directing a film version of his play, which failed to light up the box office or even get noticed by critics. This left Fogel in limbo, after some should searching as well as all the negative press about Lance Armstrong he decided to see if the world of cycling as well as performance enhancing drugs had changed in the wake of that superstars downfall.

    I will not go into the facts of the documentary but it does start off with Fogel racing in a top amateur race where he is ‘clean’, before he has taken any performance enhancing drugs (PED) – from there he commits to taking many PED’s along with monitoring his urine for the markers that indicate he is actually taking these drugs. From here he is introduced to Russian drug expert Grigory Rodchenkov, it is here where the movie Fogel wanted to make goes off the rails, into territory he would not have thought possible – again keeping this spoiler free I will say that the truth he uncovers and is exposed to is so much stranger than fiction.

    This is a long documentary at a tad over two hours; mainly because of the twist in the story that Fogel is trying to tell, as well as the depth of the subject matter that it touches. During the last two thirds of the film we see how the Russian doping regime touches not only the summer and Winter Olympics, but also the way in which Russian politics as well as politicians are involved in the State sponsored cheating. We are also exposed to the inner workings of how World Anti-Doping Agency conducted tests, as well as how these tests were negated by the Russian FSB (the equivalent of the KGB) in stealing the tests and replacing them so that their athletes tested clean – believe me this is just the surface to this excellent documentary.

    This year has seen some real highs in terms of cinema, but has had some absolute lows as well, no studio has remained untouched by some subpar films, not only that but  the year on year box office has been down as well – this year overall has been a disappointment. Sometimes though surprises come from the most unexpected places, “Icarus” is one of those surprises. Overall any kind of cinema that uses sports as its subject are normally straight forward, full of tropes that normally lead to some kind of person or team overcoming an obstacle. In the case of “Icarus” this was going to be some kind of proving that the aftermath of the Lance Armstrong scandal had changed little.  But what we end up with is something far more interesting as well as a document that is extremely complex – there lies the greatness of “Icarus”.

    For me this is the movie of the year, it hints at greatness as well as showing sports people in a mirror that is definitely not flattering. Not only that, it also illustrates quite clearly that politics and sports are intertwined in a way that has not been seen since the Cold War, or the tragedy that took place in Munich in 1972. The difference being that there is no real way to discriminate against a sport without discriminating against a county, as well as the money and prestige that now accompany any global sporting event – you just need to see the outcome of this movie to realize some egos are bigger than sports or politics.

    “Icarus” is streaming on Netflix right now.

     

  • DVD & Blu-ray review: “Get Out” (2017)

    DVD & Blu-ray review: “Get Out” (2017)

    “Get Out” (2017)

    Drama/Horror

    5stars_small

    Running Time: 104 minutes

    Written & Directed by: Jordan Peele

    Featuring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root and Catherine Keener

    Rod Williams (Talking to Detectives): “Then he sent me some weird pictures… I’m like all man that’s Andre Hayworth… this dude been missing for 6 months.Right? So I do all my research you know cause as a TSA agent… you know, you guys are detectives, you know, I got the same training. We might know more than y’all sometimes, you know cause we are dealing with some terrorist sh_t, so… but that’s a totally different story. So look I, I go do my… my detective work, right? And I start putting pieces together. And see this is what I came up with. Their probably abducting black people, brain washing them and making them slaves. Or sex slaves. not just regular slaves, but sex slaves and sh_t. See? I don’t know if it’s the hypnosis that’s making em slaves or wot not, but all I know is they already got two brothas we know and there could be a whole bunch of brothas they got already. What’s the next move?”

    Talk about great debut films, Jordan Peele has written, produced and directed one of the great films of 2017, which is saying something as we have had some very good releases this year already. What, for me, is fantastic is that this is a good old fashioned genre film that exudes many of the specific tropes that make this genre, horror, one of the best ways to not only view society but to physically see the choices people make in their lives to ether help or hinder others. Peele was half of the great US sketch comedy duo “Key & Peele” (2012 – 2015) along with Keegan Michael-Key who after their big screen movie, the excellent comedy “Keanu” (2016) (which Peele co-wrote) have gone their own way, each doing very different things. Keegan Michael-Key seems to have decided to appear in a variety of films in some roles that are a departure from what we are used to. On the other hand Jordan Peele basically seems to have poured himself into making “Get Out” which means he has been onscreen infrequently – but this has paid huge dividends as he has created something truly riveting as well as special. This is indeed a commentary on race in the post-Obama America, now that there is an open racist in the White House.

    “Get Out” is based around African-American Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), and his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) who decide to take a weekend trip to meet Rose’s parents, neurosurgeon Dean (Bradley Whitford) and psychiatrist/hypnotherapist Missy (Catherine Keener), and her brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones). Chris is disturbed by what he perceives as strange behavior from the black groundskeeper and housekeeper, Walter and Georgina, and that night, is invited by Missy to talk about his mother, who died in a hit and run when he was eleven. As they talk, Missy hypnotizes Chris into a paralytic state with the tap of her spoon to her tea cup, sending his consciousness into a void that Missy calls “the sunken place”. Chris wakes up in bed the next morning and initially believes that the encounter was just a nightmare, but later realizes that Missy has hypnotized him to quit smoking.

    This film has made a star out of Jordan Peele as well as leading man Daniel Kaluuya, an English import who has been playing supporting roles in a variety of films. His last major role was in the well-received “Sicario” (2015) where he was Emily Blunt’s characters partner, who was the wise head amongst a bunch of emotionally charged characters. In his first real supporting role not only is he great but the material he has been given is nothing short of excellent.

    Peele has written a screenplay that reflects a post-Obama America where the white privilege that existed prior to Obama being elected the first black President has given way to a new right that has started to infect the American dream. When we first encounter Chris Washington (great last name) with his girlfriend, they are the very example of a new America, a black man and white woman having a relationship that seems great on all levels, socially, sexually as well as politically. As we move through the film their relationship seems out of step as they move closer to Rose’s parents home. It’s a sad and sudden shock for Chris to see how Rose’s parents live as well as the kind of opulence they live in with what seems like a maid and gardener – both black and seem out of another America. As the film progresses things get suddenly weird for him as we have what seems like a slip back to how slaves were dealt with in earlier times – it is a sudden and eerie thing to be in the middle of what ostensibly is a horror film, then to be thrust into a story that becomes only about race, culture, political correctness as well as what it means to be non-white in Western Society.

    As with all my reviews I am not going to give away any spoilers but this is a horror film with hints of comedy, drama and pastiche, with all these adding up to be more than the sum of their parts.

    The cast is rounded out with actors of such high caliber that not only do they have the tools to incorporate many different emotions, but also they can seamlessly disappear into their roles so that there is only each other to play off. So we have Allison Williams as Rose Armitage who offers the right amount of pathos as well as creepiness, Bradley Whitford as Dean Armitage the patriarch who also acts like an odd Archie Bunker with a PhD., Caleb Landry Jones, as Jeremy Armitage brother and so who is off the rails from his introduction and finally  the amazing Catherine Keener as matriarch Missy Armitage who has the ability to ‘prep’ the guests.

    As with many genre movies most of the antagonists are playing with duality, particularly in how they respond to the protagonist, Chris, who is unaware of any possible danger until it is too late. Much like the early days of the US where the economy was built on the backs of African Americans the way the Rose’s operate in their own ‘economy’ is similar. What Peele has done is to transplant all of the horrific practices from two hundred years ago and bring these into the present with truly horrific results.

    In the Us African Americans make up a major audience for horror films, but seldom are they ‘seen’ in these movies, particularly as the protagonist – if anything the characters that they play are for onscreen deaths or hyper stylised reflections of the popular media – how many African American jocks can be seen in any genre – not only that they are amped to the nth degree. What Peele has done is give us a ‘realistic’ view of a real African American charater, it is one of the reasons why the movie is called “Get Out”.

    This is a game changer of a film and has to be seen to be believed. “Get Out” works on many levels as all great films do. On one hand this is a competent debut from a writer/producer/director who has not shown this amount of talent prior to the release of his film. On the other hand this is a great horror film with a variety of comments on social norms as well as how segments of society trat and feel about other segments. I recommend this highly.

    “Get Out” is out now on DVD & Blu-ray.

     

  • Film review: “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017)

    Film review: “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017)

    “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ” (2017)

    Science Fiction/Fantasy

    3-stars

    Running Time: 137 minutes

    Written & Directed by: Luc Besson

    Featuring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, and Rutger Hauer

    Doghan-Dagui: “We know how humans work. They are all so predictable.” 

    Sergeant Laureline: “Clearly, you have never met a woman.”

    There are very few directors at work today making films the way Luc Besson does, he works outside of major American studios creating what can only be called concept movies that challenge what it means to be a film-maker not only in this century but last century as well. Besson has made some of the most memorable as well as intriguing characters in film, all while working mostly in a second language, something many people forget. Whilst his earliest creations were French, such as his second film “Subway” (1985) followed by the brilliant “The Big Blue” (1988), they translated so well internationally that it was not long before he made his first genre film with the stunning as well as unforgettable “La Femme Nikita” (1990), a film that broke Jean Reno, leading to his starring role in the international hit “Leon, The Professional” (1994), which featured a young Natalie Portman.

    While Besson’s narrative style is unique, so to is his visual flair, which can be seen in all of his early movies, but it was not until his Science Fiction masterpiece “The Fifth Element” (1997) that all of his sensibilities came together with cutting edge special effects so that he could complete a vision of the future, with a touch of comedy, drama as well as what could only be described as grandiosity. Of course there is a strong link between “The Fifth Element” and this months new mega budgeted film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017), that being Jean-Claude Mézières who co-created the comic Valerian is based on (Valérian and Laureline) as well as being the production designer on “The Fifth Element”, this is also evident while watching both movies – they share the same DNA. One based directly on a French comic the other highly influenced by comics as well as pop culture.

    “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is set in the 28th century, the former International Space Station has become Alpha, a city where millions of creatures from different planets live peacefully and exchange their knowledge and cultures. The humans form a special police division to preserve the peace within Alpha, including officers Valerian, a major, and his partner Laureline, a sergeant.

    While on-route to receive a new mission, Valerian dreams of a planet where a low-tech humanoid race lives peacefully. They fish for energy-containing pearls and use certain animals, referred to as “converters”, to duplicate them. As the planet is destroyed by massive debris crashing onto the planet, the natives flee to shelter, but a single female is trapped outside and manages to send a telepathic signal before dying.

    To say this movie has a sprawling storyline is an understatement but as I really do not want to spoil anything I will just say the plot is, actually fairly straight forward, as well as pretty easy to see where the characters are going to end up. The fun for me in the film was the narrative that moves around the place like balls on a pool table, you may think there is absolutely no logic but as you weave your way through the story with the myriad characters you start to see a pattern forming. I for one enjoyed the seeming randomness of where the main characters end up after a protracted journey, meeting unique as well as pretty lovable characters, the best I thought was Rhianna as a shape changing blue being called Bubble – taking advantage of all Rihanna’s talents.

    The casting in this film is interesting to say the least; it has the oddest leads in a Besson movie yet, with relative newcomer and unknown Dane DeHaan in the titular role as well as an inexperienced Cara Delavigne as his sidekick/love interest Laureline. For Besson to place the film in these two actors hands was brave as it could have been a disaster, not that they are terrible actors but to act in front of the amount of special effects could have been overwhelmingly, for the most part they both pull it off, in my mind Delavigne seems more suited as well as a spark against the out of place DeHann. The rest of the cast is highlighted by Clive Owen as Commander Arun Filitt who has never been in a movie like this, but as the archetypal villain he is well suited, it would be great to see him in more films like this, lending some well earned gravitas from his previous work.

    As you can see in the trailers to this movie, the special effects as well as the makeup of all the alien characters are extremely well realized. Not only that, but the mise en scène is incredibly dense, every frame of almost every scene has depths that are eerily similar to Besson’s “The Fifth Element”, so much so that I swear I spotted similar aliens in both. The way in which the origin of the ‘City of a thousand planets’ is not only shown as well as told is unique for a science fiction film, all done in the opening credits over the David Bowie song “Space Oddity” which, while not completely original is a great way to not only play homage to Bowie but instantly assists the audience identify with the movie – very smart move. With movies like this there can be a temptation to fill it with CGI thereby destroying some of the inherit reality that a filmmaker is trying to go for. Within this movie there are long periods of just CGI as well as computer generated characters which because of their setting, whether on an alien plant, Mül, or in Alpha, the CGI is top notch as well as quite believebale, its as good as anything in the Star Wars series, maybe even better because this is more original as well as more thought out in terms of the depth of the field of vision.

    My only real issue with this film is the odd relationship between the two leads Valerian and Laureline, where within the first few moments he has asked her to marry him, she will not of course because he is some kind of futuristic lothario who has a playlist that is full of female conquests. For the entire rest of the film his only real aim other than the maguffin of the movie is to get Laureline to marry him, I found that really strange. I mean the only relationship they have is the commander/subordinate role, but for some unknown reason he suddenly wants to make her his wife. This detracts from the entire rest of the movie, every time there is some momentum within the main narrative, it comes to a screeching halt as there is too much time put into the marriage angle. Now, I can understand if there was a subplot involving a budding romance, but to go straight to marriage is just plain strange.

    I have to say that I really enjoyed my time with this film, sure it’s a little long but that is aptly mitigated by the special effects as well as the surprise that is Cara Delevingne as Laureline who more than makes up for aspects of the story as well as the possible miscasting of Dane DeHann as Valerian. It appears that if Delevingne plays her cards right as well as chooses some roles that she can fit within, learn from some experienced co-stars she might have a nice career ahead of her, I would recommend staying away from starring roles and stay as a flashy character’s actor for now. This is a family rated movie with no real content that will offend, but it will catch and keep the eye busy for most of its run – go and take the family now.

    “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ” is out now only in theatres.

     

  • Streaming review: “The Mist” (2017 – )

    Streaming review: “The Mist” (2017 – )

    “The Mist” (2017)

    Fantasy/Horror

    2,0

    10 Episodes

    Produced by: Guy J. Louthan and Amanda Segel

    Featuring: Morgan Spector, Alyssa Sutherland, Gus Birney, Danica Curcic, Okezie Morro, Luke Cosgrove, Darren Pettie, Russell Posner and Frances Conroy

    An unexplained mist slowly envelops the city of Bridgton, Maine, creating an almost impenetrable barrier to visibility. The residents of the town soon learn the situation is even more precarious as hidden within the mist are numerous monsters of various sizes that attack and kill anything that moves.

    Episode Four: “Pequod”

    Directed by: T.J. Scott

    Cinematographer: André Pienaar

    Episode Five: “The Waiting Room”

    Directed by: Richard Laxton

    Cinematographer: André Pienaar

    Episode Six: “The Devil You Know”

    Directed by: James Hawes

    Cinematographer: André Pienaar

    Episode Seven: “Over the River and Through the Woods”

    Directed by: Matthew Penn

    Cinematographer: André Pienaar

    All I could think while watching these four episodes of the television show “The Mist” was, does Stephen King like this series or is it something he does not care about or for. The reason for my thinking is that this is not a good episodic television show at all, which I think the channel as well as the producers know as you can almost see their thinking within these four parts – attempting to right a ship that is most of the way under the surface.

    The narrative and plot have not changed from my initial review, although there is a part of one episode that has some hastily looking shot flashback scenes involving Eve and Jay as well as Jay’s brother that hints at some early strife between the couple caused by some comments from the community as well as an unruly past – it is a vain attempt to humanize both principal characters as the story they are involved in within the ‘present’ is going nowhere fast – you can’t blame the mist for that.

    After watching seven episodes my main concern as well as critique of the show is that I am really unsure of what it wants to be. My second issue is the quality of the acting, which is not great, in some cases I feel like I am watching a melodramatic soap opera. Now, I realize that all television drama no matter the genre includes elements of melodrama, comedy as well as some kind of real actual human emotion. There are some television shows that are able to over time deliver some meaningful insights into the human condition, politics as well as something about the world we live in. This show finds itself self important as well as taking what was an absolutely great idea and premise but fails to deliver any kind of result that would give some reason as to why this show exists.

    After seven of the most uneventful episodes we are no closer to discerning what the mist of the story is than when it started. This in itself does not have to be a make or break aspect of the television show, but with uninspiring characters as well as even more uninspired actors, exceptionally mismanaged tropes, the audience needs something to hang its hat onto – because at this stage we have nothing. I feel the need to compare this show to the movie of the same name, even less than a quarter into that film there was some kind of explanation about the phenomenon and where it possibly originated from – if only we even had a hint of where this mist came from it would keep me interested, but I am going to finish the season then see where it ends up – I am not expecting a second season at this stage.

    It is unfair to compare the film “The Mist” (2007) to this version of the same short story, that film was written and directed by one of the supreme talents to ever translate not just one Stephen King work to the screen, but multiple ones, successfully as well as Oscar nominated. However when you do decide to take a work already translated to the screen you had better have a great idea as well as an even better execution of that idea – this show has neither.

    It even began to play on my mind that perhaps “The Mist” film had not been as great as I remembered, so I went back after watching seven episodes of this, viewing the  black & white version just to test myself. I can tell you now that even with a relatively minor budget (US$18 million) some extremely ropey special effects it is not only one of the greatest horror films this century but one of the great King films ever produced. The main reason I love this film is because it is about fear, plain and simple. The fear of the unknown as well as the known, the fear of how we live as well as how we want to live, it was about the environment in which it was made, it can also be seen as the environment that we live in now.

    Why mention all of this? Simply put, this series has nothing to say, at all, about anything. Actually scratch that, it does have things to say but most of them are hollow, vacuous, and meaningless as well as being a small part dangerous. Wait did you say dangerous? Yes I did and it’s all about the ‘Episode One’ revelation of the possible rape of Alex by Adrian that has not yet been resolved, I don’t think it ever will be. What this storyline, which is endemic of the show, is saying is that a girl is raped but the event is so small and overshadowed that it will not be a big deal if she is not only trapped with her rapist but she flirts with him, invites him to stay with her, then seems to want to be with him. That seems to be a male fantasy played out large on the small screen, one that should be killed in its tracks – just for the record there is one female writer on staff out of eight, and people wonder where these sexist storylines come from. There is also the storyline involving Eve about her ‘sordid’ past which is so hokey it hurts, either she is being slut shamed by her small town, or being conniving and gung ho about her situation, there is no realism to her or her family. These are just needless sexist archetypes that shouldn’t exist in modern horror or television; they are lazy as well as pathetic attempts to make audiences feel certain ways as well as offering titillation where none should exist.

    While the look of the show should be commended the locations of the shoot as well as the sets themselves are fairly amateurish, they look like they were put together by school children working on a project for school. There is no feeling of world building or an authentic small town feeling to it. Almost all sets are one level, the mall is the worst, the people there are low on food but I don’t think I have ever seen a mall that did not have a supermarket attached to it, especially when almost everyone refers to the mall, it must be the major shopping center. I am not going to go into all the plot holes and inconsistencies, as this would be superfluous, its just safe to say that if you have not watched this series yet or were going to I would give it a miss.

    “The Mist” is streaming now on Netflix.

    Eve Copeland (Alyssa Sutherland) r tries to protect her daughter Alex (Gus Birney) l safe from the dangers both inside and outside the mall when a mysterious mist arrives in their Maine town in Spike TV’s THE MIST, from a story by Stephen King. Episode 3 of THE MIST airs on Thursday, July 6 at 10 pm ET/PT.
    Frances Conroy stars as Nathalie Raven a modern day ecological martyr and prophet with a little knowledge and a lot of faith in Spike TVs THE MIST, based on a story by Stephen King, which premieres on Thursday, June 22 at 10 PM, ET/PT.
  • Film review: “Logan Lucky” (2017)

    Film review: “Logan Lucky” (2017)

    “Logan Lucky” (2017)

    Action/Comedy

    images

    Running Time: 119 minutes

    Written by: Rebecca Blunt

    Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

    Featuring:  Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston and Sebastian Stan

    Joe Bang: “I am in-car-ce-ra-ted.”

    Jimmy Logan: “Yeah, we got a plan to get you out.”

    Joe Bang: “You Logan’s must be as simple minded as people say.”

    Jimmy and Clyde: “Do people say that? Why?”

    Did anyone really believe that Steven Soderbergh was actually going to stay retired after his last film, the very good medical thriller “Side Effects” (2013), which was closely followed by the television movie “Behind the Candelabra” (2013), based in part on the life of the late entertainer Liberace? Of course between that retirement and now, he worked on the now ended television series “The Knick” (2014/15) featuring the Clive Owen. When I first heard that the Oscar winning director was making another film I was exceptionally pleased, after the huge success with his ‘Oceans’ movies it seemed fitting for him to revisit the heist genre to re-launch his film-directing career.

    This movie also marks the fifth time that Soderbergh has teamed with superstar Channing Tatum, who offers something quite unique for what has become Soderbergh’s way of not only directing, but also the way he shoots, edits and produces his movies. One of the amazing points about Soderbergh is the way in which he makes genre-defying films, that whether or not you can reduce them to a genre, they always break their own molds. “Logan Lucky” (2017) for example is not just a straight heist movie; it has elements of comedy, drama as well as the absurdity of a ridiculous idea, the redneck agenda that encompasses tropes of the Southern States. Not only that but this film is probably the closest that the director has come to brushing up against what the Coen Brothers do so well, amplifying character traits as well as their own myopic actions, much like the fact that “A Serious Man” (2009) was the closest the Coen’s came to creating a Soderbergh film.

    “Logan Lucky” concerns a family attempting to reverse a family curse, siblings Jimmy (Channing Tatum), Mellie (Riley Keough), and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina during Memorial Day weekend.

    There are many moving parts to “Logan Lucky”, something it has in common with all the Soderbergh oeuvre; he can assemble killer casts, he shoots his own films (although this is controversial as the DGA do not allow their members to shoot and direct films), edits his own films (these last two under pseudonyms) and he has a view of the business that has always been unique. Also, after directing almost every genre, winning Oscars as well as making hit films and creating a franchise he has nothing to prove to anyone – he is a true auteur as well as one of the few mavericks still working within as well as without the Hollywood studio system. He takes the old adage of making one for ‘them’ and one for ‘you’ by just making great films.

    As already mentioned Channing Tatum leads this cast which as you would expect from a Soderbergh film is extremely deep, even two time Oscar winner Hillary Swank only makes a brief experience. What is great to see however, is one of the stars of last years amazing “American Honey” (2016) Riley Keough in a key role alongside Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel Craig, she is easily holding her own in the scenes they have together, something not easy to do, as they are all playing hyper stylized characters. You are witnessing character flourishes not normally seen from them, particularly from Driver. Someone who I love to see in movies, as well as someone many people actively dislike is Seth MacFarlane almost unrecognizable under make up shows why he is such a comic genius playing a true character, something he should embrace as like in this movie they are the actors that really help sell a film like this, with many quirks.

    As you would expect from Soderbergh this is expertly directed, one thing he has proven over the years is that he can direct almost anything, doing so as well as anyone, ably drawing out performances that most would kill for – his talent is never in question. What is interesting is that this film is written by a newcomer, Rebecca Blunt, who believe it or not does not exist – at all; the name is a pseudonym, but nobody knows who for, although there are some suspects, it could be Soderbergh himself, his wife, Jules Asner or even a third party John Henson – both of these last two work on the E! Channel. Whoever wrote it they need not worry, as it is one of the smartest scripts in recent memory, it is up there with Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” (2017). This is almost an anti-Oceans movie, where this one juxtaposes with that trilogy in that everything is clockwork perfect, all the moves are made in advance of every possible decision – its like a visual Rube Goldberg machine, nothing is left to chance. With “Logan Lucky” however everything that could go wrong does, but the lads seem to make it through with some kind of lucky rabbits foot getting them out of trouble – it is hilarious carried off with a great script, even better direction with actors that you have no trouble laughing with as well forgiving their crimes.

    What is great about this film is that it is a treat to see in cinemas, the same way Soderbergh’s previous project “The Knick” could only have been made and seen on television. Soderbergh knows exactly what he is doing and what medium works best for whatever project he is working on. This is perhaps why he has returned to film but has not yet ruled out once again returning to the small screen. He has few real contemporaries (maybe Richard Linklater) that can boast a filmography like his, even when he has had a perceived failure time is on his side such as the brilliant “King of the Hill” (1993) or the misunderstood “Kafka” (1991) – but it seems that for the past twenty years we have all gained from having Soderbergh creating his independent as well as studio fare. What I loved about “Logan Lucky” was that I didn’t know going into it what to expect but I knew leaving the cinema how lucky I was to see a master return to the art form he so deservedly should be working in.

    I cannot recommend this movie highly enough it has enough of a plot combined with drama, action as well as a heap of all different types of comedy to keep you interested, once you see it i am sure you will agree this is one of the best films of the year so far, it is also great to see it being released in the Summer movie season as it deserves the widest possible audience.

    “Logan Lucky” is out now only in theatres.

     

    LOGAN LUCKY | Official HD Trailer (screen grab) CR: Bleecker Street
  • Film review: “Annabelle: Creation” (2017)

    Film review: “Annabelle: Creation” (2017)

    “Annabelle: Creation” (2017)

    Horror

    3-stars

    Running Time: 109 minutes

    Written by: Gary Dauberman

    Directed by: David F. Sandberg

    Featuring:  Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Anthony LaPaglia, and Miranda Otto

    Linda: “Janice says she’s seen your daughter.”

    Samuel Mullins: “My daughter has been dead for a long time.”

    I have gone on record to say that 2017 has been a very good year for the Horror genre, in particular for the low budget horror, the most obvious examples being “Get Out” (2017) and “Split” (2017), with no coincidence at all that these are both Blumhouse productions, to a larger or lesser degree. However, with the release of this week’s sequel to “Annabelle” (2014) we see a different approach from producers James Wan and Peter Safran, as they have created an entire Universe spun off from the hit horror movie “The Conjuring” (2013). Within that first film was a ‘cameo’ from a doll called Annabelle which was followed by a warning that she was never to be touched as it was pure evil – audiences were curious as to her story and so the first “Annabelle” was produced, it was almost as big a hit as “The Conjuring” so a sequel was always on the cards – three years later it has arrived in the form of a prequel – turns out that was a wise decision.

    When “Annabelle” was released to much fanfare it was not as well received as its parent film, or its sequel “The Conjuring 2” (2016) which upped the scares as well as story, once again introducing a character known as the Nun – we will see that spinoff film in 2018. With this sequel the producers have followed a similar pattern to an earlier Blumhouse movie, “Ouji” (2014) which failed with critics as well as audiences, instead of forgetting about it the producers went ahead with a sequel “Ouji: Origin of Evil” (2016) which was both a critical as well as box office hit. Blumhouse wisely hired a director, Mike Flanagan, who had a string of independent horror successes to bring his own originality as well as create a prequel for the series – here Wan and Safran have done a similar thing with their Annabelle series, by bringing in David F. Sandberg who had his own huge hit with “Lights Out” (2017) which was received extremely well – we shall see if this gamble worked or if this is the end of the creepy little doll.

    This movie revolves around Samuel Mullins, a dollmaker, and his wife Esther, whose daughter died twelve years earlier, open their home to Sister Charlotte, a nun, and several girls from an orphanage that has been closed. The dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle, sets her sights on the girls turning their shuttered shelter into a storm of terror.

    Over the years there have been many horror movies devoted to the ‘doll as a conduit’ for evil forces as well as unleashing these forces on unsuspecting victims. The most obvious as well as most successful are the ‘Childs Play’ (1988-2017) films where a villain has his consciousness transferred to a child’s doll, from there havoc is unleashed and has been over seven pretty successful movies. I grew up with that particular franchise but I never found it that scary, more humorous than anything else, however the ‘doll’ film that scared me the most, and still does, comes from a television movie called “Trilogy of Terror” (1974), which contained three stories, the most frightening named ‘Amelia’ written by genre legend Richard Matheson, about an African doll that comes to life and terrorizes actress Karen Black – it is thoroughly excellent, frightening and to this day I find it hard to believe it was ever aired on television.

    So we come to the latest in the possessed doll sub-genre that has originated from another movie, as has been stated. This doll is different to other doll movies where the doll Annabelle, is based on ‘truth’ (although the Warrens who have this doll have pretty much been discredited) in that this doll has a demon attached to it, that hunts for human souls and seems completely indestructible. The figurine acts as the maguffin of the first “Annabelle” which may have been an error as there is an over reliance on its looks as well as a fairly vapid family that then relied on tropes that have been used since the very first horror films, in actuality the first film seemed like a copy (not a good one) of the melodrama that worked so well in Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968).

    What this sequel does different as well as I might add better, is to put the physical doll to one side for most of the film while concentrating on the being that is behind the power – the demon that has made itself at home within firstly, the family unit then, in the wider adopted family that comes to live in the large spooky house. Making this a prequel was the best thing to do, then the film could concentrate not only on the demon but also the relationships between the girls that live in the house, as well as the grown ups who are supposed to be in control, which is what gives the story any real weight for the audience to draw on – which is good because this is not a perfect film, although it is a step up from the first entry.

    There is no doubt that director David F. Sandberg although short on experience is a very good director as well as being able to execute a script with some real flare. He produces not only some real scares not relying on jump scares or cuts by building as much tension as he can through long sequences where as an audience member you are not totally sure where he is going with it, which is refreshing. It also harkens back to his “Lights Out” movie which utilized some of the same techniques. I do not give away spoilers but I did enjoy the fact that this movie starts off on one character that you may think is going to be the hero of the story but there is a twist on the familiar that I found welcoming, which leads directly into the storyline of the first film, which makes that first film now seem a little better through this linking.

    Of course this is not the most perfect film, I was let down by some of the situations that either were too much of a leap, or simple logic problems which seemed either too weird or coincidental, or just defied how people behave in given situations – it also relied heavily on tropes, which in itself is not a totally bad thing, but when you rely on them to push your story forward seem rather silly. In my mind this is down to the writer, Gary Dauberman, who unfortunately wrote the first “Annabelle’, so all the negative things about that film have been transferred to this one, albeit they seem to have been mitigated by the new director – which just shows you how important it is to have a director that can transcend the script as well as being to make an impact with shot selection as well as using framing devices.

    To be honest it wasn’t until I had a think about this movie that I decided I did actually like it, but in comparison to the previous film as well as “The Conjuring 2” this was quite refreshing and unique, particularly in an R-rated movie. The reason for this from my point of view was to make the children in the film feel believable in particular the two younger girls who turn out have the pivotal roles – which is refreshing, more so in the horror genre than any other. I recommend this movie for not only the people who love horror, but for those that were fans of “Lights Out” as it does show a progression from the low budget to the mid budget level, it bodes well for Sandberg’s next movies.

    “Annabelle: Creation” is out now in cinemas only.

     

  • DVD & Blu-ray review: “Going in Style” (2017)

    DVD & Blu-ray review: “Going in Style” (2017)

    “Going in Style” (2017)

    Drama/Comedy

    3-stars

    Running Time: 97 minutes

    Written by: Theodore Melfi

    Directed by:  Zach Braff

    Featuring: Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Joey King, Matt Dillon, Christopher Lloyd and Ann-Margret

    Joe: “These banks practically destroyed this country. They crushed a lot of people’s dreams, and nothing ever happened to them. We three old guys, we hit a bank. We get away with it, we retire in dignity. Worst comes to the worst, we get caught, we get a bed, three meals a day, and better health care than we got now.”

    It may be difficult for some to remember but director Zach Braff, star of the now defunct television show “Scrubs” (2001 – 2008), was once the bright light of independent cinema with his first film the always re-watchable “Garden State” (2004). Then came the extremely underwhelming “Wish I was Here” (2014) which showed he may not be up to the task of holding a story together – now comes his third feature “Going in Style” (2017), what seems like a copy of recent “old man” movies, like “Last Vegas” (2013), “Old Dogs” (2009), “Wild Hogs” (2007) and many many more. These simple films seem like the place where old A list actors go when original roles have dried up. What is unique about this film however is that the three principles Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin are still appearing in A list movies for A list directors, which indicates that this may have more to it than those previously mentioned movies. Spoiler warning: It does not.

    This film is based around three characters Joe, Willie and Al who are senior citizens and lifelong friends. During an unpleasant appointment at the bank, Joe is one of the victims to witness a robbery in progress carried out by three individuals wearing black gas-like masks. When the company they worked for is bought out, their pensions become a casualty of the restructuring. Joe is hit particularly hard and finds out that he, his daughter and granddaughter will be homeless in less than 30 days. Willie finds out he’s gravely ill from kidney failure and needs a transplant. Willie’s frustrated because his financial situation forces him into a long-distance relationship with his daughter and granddaughter. Desperate, the three friends decide to rob the bank that holds their pension funds and take back what is rightfully theirs.

    The film, on the surface, has some nice pedigree with the cast being great (the three main actors all being Oscar winners), as well as being written by Theodore Melfi who is hot of an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for the excellent and massive hit “Hidden Figures” (2016). Melfi was also nominated as a producer for the Oscar for Best Picture for the same film. From that recent success you may infer that this film will be a drama with a big dose of hunour, particularly seeing the cast and what they are capable of. There is no doubt Melfi knows how to write while giving a big dose of dramatic realism with that promised humor, I just wonder if at some point he was attached to direct, as I find he is an extremely good director of his own material. The writer in his short career has proved himself not only a very good director of the elements of his own writing, but also of actors both male, female, legends and ingénues. To me this is what is missing – his deft hand.

    Braff on the other hand while an able comedy actor, which he has proved in his television show, is not able to come to terms with the material, as well the amazing cast. This film should have come off more like “Wild Hogs” which was a great comedy with an amazing cast, but also cut across the lines of what it is to be a little older as well as being a little uncool than everyone else – but illustrates through visuals what is unique about that. What this movie does is take three older guys, forcing them to be something they are not, while making them smarmy as well as a little unlikeable – that’s where subtly is – these three actors don’t need to prove themselves – they are legends. There is also an over abundance for almost every character to remind the audience that these guys are old – I’m not blind, I can see they are old.

    The build up to the end of the film to the heist that takes place feels mostly tedious, although there are some laughs to be had. It also seems to me that there were a lot of scenes left on the cutting room floor, there are some abrupt cuts, as well as jumps in the story that make little sense – with some characters having a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn in their personality and motivation. The internal logic of the film makes little sense, as does the day to day running of retirement, banks as well as bank staff. The movie makes some serious comments about the economy but on a basis that makes little sense to anything reflected in the real world – such a missed opportunity – a better director may have been able to link these together.

    The movie actually has some scary Trumpian logic to it – if that is a thing – and not an oxymoron. In the movie an American owned steel plant is closing shifting jobs overseas, not only that but the pensions that these people have worked for will cease, on top of that there is a ham fisted coincidence that the guys bank is going to carve these up. What I could see happening (and what hasn’t happened yet) is the new President saying, “See… this is what’s happening – this isn’t a fictional event it’s a documentary.” Be careful what message is being sent to audiences as this is what Fuhrer Trump warned us about. This is a sad indictment of the Melfi script, a good example of why he may have been better to direct.

    Anyway letting go of the plot holes, as well the vague aimless politics, I would say that if you want a nice afternoon at the movies with some laughs, a heist film where its fun and games, then head along to this, you could do worse. It is definitely worth streaming but maybe not the deep dip for a purchase.

    “Going in Style” is available on DVD & Blu-ray now.

     

  • Film review: “Atomic Blonde” (2017)

    Film review: “Atomic Blonde” (2017)

    “Atomic Blonde” (2017)

    Action

    stars-2-5

    Running Time: 115 minutes

    Written by: Kurt Johnstad

    Directed by: David Leitch

    Featuring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones

    Gray: “Lorraine Broughton, an expert in escape and evasion. Proficient in intelligence collection and hand to hand combat. That’s an impressive set of skills.”

    Lorraine Broughton: “Talents can be overrated.”

    Reducing this weeks new action film to just a “John Wick” (2015) clone with a gender switch would be dismissing this film unfairly. Of course there is the link in that David Leitch, director of “Atomic Blonde” (2017) was the co-director of Wick. The origins of each movie are different, “John Wick” was an original concept with a world and mythology built around the central character brought ably to life by star Keanu Reeves. However “Atomic Blonde” is based on an existing property, the 2012 graphic novel ‘The Coldest City’, which is less about the world building than it is about a plot. Unfortunately that might be where these two movies are so different, whereas Wick was concerned with continuously moving forward using action as a narrative, Blonde tries extremely hard to bring a cohesive plot to bear; that is its biggest mistake – it lets the movie down to a point that this does feel like a bit of a pale imitator.

    The narrative is told in flashback that feels tacked on to give more exposition as well as to explain to the audience what is going on at any given time, even though this plot should not be hard to follow – which it is, as well as being extremely toped filled which makes this also feel dull. No amount of steamy looks, a fairly unexciting been there done that soundtrack does little to invigorate what should have been a home run of  film.

    After “john Wick” I can see the appeal to striking out on your own, David Leitch has not only directed this but is currently shooting the sequel to “Deadpool” (2015), I see that as more in his wheelhouse, although he is an unproven director of humor, which is partly what made “Deadpool” such a huge success. What Leitch does bring is the ability to direct action as well as highly choreographed fight scenes, with the vessel being a highly charged and motivated Charlize Theron. This is another missed opportunity with the action being too spread out over the almost two hour running time – at least half an hour too long in my mind – i found myself clock watching at one point, hoping I could take a nap.

    The film is set in 1989, on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, MI6 agent James Gasciogne is shot and killed by KGB agent Yuri Bakhtin, who steals ‘The List’, ( a tired plot point from almost any spy film) a piece of microfilm concealed in a wristwatch that contains the names of every active field agent in the Soviet Union. The day after Gasciogne’s death, Lorraine is dispatched to Berlin to recover the List and assassinate Satchel, a double agent who has sold intelligence to the Soviets for years and who betrayed Gasciogne.

    As with many modern high concept movies, “Atomic Blonde” has casted superbly, and really who would not want to make a movie with Theron after her incredible performance in “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) where she combined a great performance that dove tailed with plot as well as huge action set pieces. Not only that after what “John Wick” did for Keanu Reeves profile David Leitch would have to be a draw for other possible cast members as well – including Theron herself. The biggest difference being that it was Reeves name above the title in his film, but Theron has to share this billing with James McAvoy – this seems a bit disparate as the title of the movie refers directly to Theron’s character as well as look, not only that the entire marketing campaign is built around her image, seems a little unfair, no?

    So we have some of the greatest character actors that are working today, with the likes of John Goodman, Eddie Marsan and Toby Jones all lending their talents and elevating the material well above its surface quality. However it is James McAvoy who like most films he appears, in whether as a supporting or lead actor, is able to throw himself into his role. Much like the excellent “Split” (2017) from earlier this year he is playing against type by really acting as a main support to a female lead. One of the keys to McAvoy’s performances in almost all of his roles is that he seems not to mind the size of the part, but instead recognizes that he can contribute in some unique way with his own talents – he is actually a wonderful actor to watch, much like his X-Men co-star Michael Fassbender. In this instance I would not say McAvoy steals this movie by any stretch, in fact if anything his performance is uneven – it would not surprise me if his storyline changed during shooting as well as in the edit.

    As mentioned, as if you did not realize, Theron is a superstar, after receiving her Oscar she propelled her career into high gear avoiding the curse that often befalls people who win the major award. She has gone from strength to strength with her chosen roles, leading her own action movie seemed to be the next tick in the box. It is too bad that she as well as her cast are the best thing about this mess of a film, it bounces around like a dropped Ping-Pong ball, struggling to find a home. Theron has covered almost every genre in her oeuvre, except maybe a musical, but that is a set of skills not everyone has. After the success of her Imperator Furiosa I can see the appeal of playing action in another period film, while maintaining the lead of the movie, but it is the talent behind the camera that lets her down here. I do think there will be enough of an audience to make this film some kind of success, the question is will more be made, or will it be one and done?

    The real failure of this movie has to be down to screenwriter Kurt Johnstad whose career has been choppy to say the least, on the surface of it he is better with films that require little plot as well as narrative competence. The films Johnstad has ‘written’ are the plot less messes of “300” (2006), “Act of Valor” (2012) and “300: Rise of an Empire” (2014) which all have issues concerning theme, plot as well as being heavy on action, that has been interpreted by heavy handed directors. You can hide many issues if you are willing to spend the money as well as paste action over almost every scene. It is unfortunate then, that “Atomic Blonde” has such a modest budget, otherwise the same thing may have happened here. It is no easy thing to create a film that is so unfairly compared to “John Wick” (its unfair on Wick as it is the far superior film) but that movie had a concerted effort to streamline both plot as well as introduce a new type of action, much like Reeves was a part of with his ‘Matrix Trilogy’.

    This is a period piece as it is set in the Cold War of 1980s Germany, there is an inherit tension between East and West – recently personified in the excellent “Bridge of Spies” (2015) – here we have the opportunity to create a truly signature look for the film, while cinematographer Jonathan Sela attempts to bring a ‘cool’ look, his inexperience shows through, he is a shooter of many music videos, but his only success has only been, yes you guessed it, “John Wick” – there seems to be a common thread here. There is little difference in the look of the movie from “John Wick”, it seems that this movie owes a greater debt to that movie than first thought. I did think that the experience from the success of “John Wick” might be a stepping-stone to a new movie with the added twist of a new setting both in geography and time, as well as that excellent cast – that is not the case, this is a poor cousin indeed. In fact director Leitch seems more interested in trying to impress with camera tricks, as well as some tired gunplay, as well introducing twists you can see a mile away.

    The bottom line with this movie is should it be seen in cinemas or be watched at home later in the year. Whilst I would not recommend this movie as a must watch, it is entertaining even with the convoluted plot. The cast is excellent so if you enjoy watching any of them onscreen you will be entertained. The setting of the movie in the 1980s as well as in Germany is inspired as it immediately lends itself to a certain tone as well as (attempted) political intrigue. As well as all of this it is being released in a season where fatigue of superhero films as well as reboots and sequels could drive you to seek something new out, after all this is a relatively new property which is actually a big plus. However if I was to actually recommend a movie to see this weekend I would say go and see “The Big Sick” (2017), it is a truly unique movie as well as the easily the funniest comedy released this year.

    “Atomic Blonde” is in theatres now.

    Atomic Blonde (2017) Charlize Theron
  • “Stephen Kings IT” (2017) – Official Trailer

    “Stephen Kings IT” (2017) – Official Trailer

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    New Line Cinema’s horror thriller IT, directed by Andrés Muschietti (Mama), is based on the hugely popular Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades.

    When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

    IT stars Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant, TV’s Hemlock Grove) as the story’s central villain, Pennywise. An ensemble of young actors also star in the film, including Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip), Sophia Lillis (37), Finn Wolfhard (TV’s Stranger Things), Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chosen Jacobs (upcoming Cops and Robbers), Jack Dylan Grazer (Tales of Halloween) and Nicholas Hamilton (Captain Fantastic).

    IT releases in New Zealand cinemas on September 7, 2017.

    stephen king IT
    stephen king IT
  • SUBURBICON – Official Trailer Debut

    SUBURBICON – Official Trailer Debut

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    SUBURBICON is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns …the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon.

    SUBURBICON is directed by George Clooney and stars Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Noah Jupe and Oscar Issac.

    SUBURBICON releases in New Zealand cinemas on November 2, 2017.

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  • Film review: “The Big Sick” (2017)

    Film review: “The Big Sick” (2017)

    “The Big Sick” (2017)

    Comedy

    5stars_small

    Running Time: 124 minutes

    Written:  Kumail Nanjiani & Emily V. Gordon

    Directed by: Michael Showalter

    Featuring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar and Anupam Kher

    Terry: “Let me give you some advice, Kumail. Love isn’t easy. That’s why they call it love.”

    Kumail: “I don’t really get that.”

    Terry: “I know. I thought I could just start saying something and something smart would come out.”

    This has not been the greatest years for comedies; they have been high on concept but low on results. The laughs this year seem to have been delivered by action films with comedic moments, the funniest arguably being “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), that is until now.

    “The Big Sick” (2017) is a love story, comedy with drama sprinkled over the top, to give it some risk as well as peril for its cast of characters. Oh yes, its also based on a true story, being written by real life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. This is a film that focuses on their real life relationship, their meeting and the realities of a mixed culture relationship, that had real consequences for both of them – it makes compelling story-telling as well as reliable and constant laughs throughout this movie. It is also expertly directed by Michael Showalter whose last film was the excellent Sally Field starrer “Hello, My Name is Doris” (2015) – he is also a talented and in demand television director.

    The movie revolves around Kumail is a comedian living in Chicago trying to make it in the industry while driving for Uber in his spare time. His entire family is from Pakistan, so they are Muslim and regularly set Kumail up with various Pakistani women in hopes of continuing the tradition of an arranged marriage, much to Kumail’s annoyance. During one of his shows, he is heckled by Emily, a woman in the audience. After the show they hook up and begin to date.

    If you have never heard of the principal Kumail Nanjiani who hear plays himself in the movie, you are missing out on an excellent stand-up as well as a very accomplished character actor, he can be seen on the HBO hit comedy “Silicon Valley” which is in now in its fourth season, and there he plays Dinesh Chugtai, one of the mainstays of the how. Nanjiani has also appeared in many other television shows as well as movies, he is extremely talented as well as a podcaster. In fact he hosted a podcast about the X-Files that he is a self confessed fan of, he even appeared in an episode of the revival series. This is heighted in “The Big Sick” in really nice ways that act as a homage to this love. However in his first real starring role as a Chicago based Pakistani stand-up, playing a version of himself he hits it for six.

    Seeing this film described as romantic comedy as I have read is a bit if a misnomer as it is so much more than that, it has elements of comedy as well as romantic tropes, but it also contains a hefty bit of drama as well as, of course, biography. So it is reductive to describe it or limit it to one genre as this film is so much more than a typical romantic comedy – this actually elevates the genre to a new level as it also combines what it is to be stranger in a strange land as well as being seen as not only the eternal outsider but possibly some enemy of the state, that is always seen as the metaphorical ‘other’ in society.

    Now while this is a story about a relationship, as well as family, the acceptance of new cultures as well as how people behave when they are trying to please almost everyone else but themselves, this story is also exclusively told from the point of view of Kumail, and almost nobody else, in fact everyone else’s experience is told through Kumail eyes so we are only seeing what he sees and everything else is really a mystery. This is a vital difference between other films with similar narratives as we really begin to understand why Kumail keeps the different strands of his separate, he has commitments to his family which he is being dishonest about as well as trying to keep up with some kind of commitment to Emily, who he is also being dishonest to. This becomes important as the story takes hold and we start to see the kind of scrutiny and pressure that Kumail has been put under but also the kind of pressure he has put himself under. At times it is not an easy watch to see the main character come under real threats emotionally but this story does have a happy ending – and if you have missed it this is co-written by Kumail and his wife, Emily.

    The director of this feature is Michael Showalter who has been given a cracker of a script, so he does have his work cut out for him, in fact the director whose last film was the excellent “Hello, My Name is Doris”, does something here he did there, that is build the film around an untested leading man by giving him some great supporting actors to work with who know how to play drama as well as extremely funny comedy. At the top we have Zoe Kazan who inhabits her role as Emily, who never seems out of her depth playing her part, then we have Ray Romano and the great Holly Hunter as her parents. Hunter and Romano both play their parts with equal part humor as well as dramatic as any part could be. Hunter you would expect to be great, but Romano is the one that is the real surprise as a typical clueless Father who relies on his wife for answers as well as decision making, a typical male who befriends Kumail while everyone else shuns him. Adeel Akhtar who plays Kumail’s brother Naveed has little screen time but when you see him he is nothing short of fantastic – over the years Akhtar has been stealing movies in everything he has appeared in, this is the case with “The Big Sick”, he is priceless as Kumail’s traditional Muslim brother – who really only wants what’s best for the entire family, even if its at Kumail’s expense.

    “The Big Sick” deals with many issues that face not only Muslim Americans, the interaction of mixed cultured relationships, the politics of the present in the US as well as what it means to be a man, and a child of immigrants – surely the most American of stories. What is great about this film is that it doesn’t answer any of those questions, instead it asks those questions of everyone within the film. What this film may be trying to say is that there are no easy answers to these and more of societies problems, but there does need to be understanding in the way we as a society look at each other no matter religion or politics. There is also something to be said for the way we look at what is the truth, as well as how as people we react when the truth comes out. This is no more apparent in “The Big Sick” than when Kumail’s family history comes out, he reacts in a way that is familiar to all – he gets mad, in so doing destroys the relation ship that means something to him – this will be familiar to all I am sure.

    This is a very good film, one that contains many different messages as well as a very healthy amount of humor, which will appeal to most people. Not only that the situations that occur between Kumail, Emily as well as their respective families will be familiar to all, because if you have not been in their situation you are probably aware of people who have. In short this has some universal truths about not families as well as how we treat them but how we view each other. I can recommend this to all and you will have a great time sitting in an audience watching this film – it is also a great antidote to the bloated US Summer movies that are hitting our shores as I write this. Go and search this out you will not be disappointed.

    “The Big Sick” is out this week only in cinemas.