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Speak No Evil (2024)
A very wild ride on a long fuse
An American family -Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis, Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) and Agnes Dalton (Alix West Lefler)- living in England, befriend a British family -Paddy (James Mcavoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and Ant (Dan Hough)- while on their holidays and agree to keep in touch after they leave. The Daltons duly receive and invitation to visit the family they befriended, on their farm in the west country. There's a couple of awkward moments as you'd expect, but then things turn very dark when the British couple's boy takes the American couple's girl into the barn...
We've all met that couple on holidays. Outwardly they're fun and great to be around. And yet the cracks soon start to show and you think..."They've got some very odd things about them." But you just put up with it because, well you just do. Some people you're happy to meet with after returning home, and some you're not. But this couple is beyond the pale...
It does make you think though...how much will you put up with before you walk away from someone you befriended? If they tell your children off for doing something normal? If they pry into your personal life? What if they simply put you down and belittle you but all in the guise of play? I've been in situations where the line hasn't been crossed, but they've danced around it very closely many times and it's difficult to know when to say that's enough. Because when you do finally confront them, they make you think everything was just a joke and it's actually you that's at fault. The first half of this film is like that. You're saying to yourself "I would have told them by now." But would you? It's a very difficult position to be in and it's fascinating watching how they play each other. But the second half of the film is very different. James McAvoy and Alix West Lefler are standout for performance and once the boy takes the girl into the barn everything changes...I gave it a solid 7 for an interesting and at times amusing film, but also a solid thriller.
Perfect 10 (2019)
A great real-life coming of age so realistic compared to sugar and pie dramas
14-year-old Leigh (Frankie Box) lives with her neglectful father on the outskirts of Brighton. She's a talented gymnast, training hard for her first competition despite her lack of confidence, some mean fellow gymnasts, and little money to pay for her fees. When an older half-brother appears at her house one night, Leigh's lonely existence is altered. Mistrust gradually transforms into exciting new feelings as Leigh receives the attention she craves. But she is also exposed to the thrill and danger of moped crime. Debut director Eva Riley delivers an assured and spirited coming-of-age story that explores with heartfelt sensitivity a sibling relationship.
There's a few things going on in this almost-real-life film. There's the growing up of Leigh with all the problems that brings. A poor parent, bullying, body image, lack of self esteem and many other things that affect young girls. You can tell she's feisty and lives in hope and yet is one bad decision away from a seriously damaged life.
The familial landscape is poor for her. Few friends, poor family relations, until a previously unknown brother turns up and she mistakes the affection and love of a sibling for something a little more romantic. Such is her need for positive regard she's keen to join her new found brother and his slightly suspect friends, especially Rob (William Ash) who seems to think of himself as a small time gangster. Interestingly her new brother also seems to be lacking love and attention. Perhaps this is Riley's nod to poor parenting?
There's also a social recognition of the kinds of behaviours and aspirations of modern young people. Crime is seen as just another way to earn money and an acceptance of growing severity of crime seem to come so easily.
They say Frankie Box has only done a handful of things and is a brilliant newcomer. While she certainly puts in a great performance, she is just being herself a lot of the time. Spend any time with kids from some inner cities and you will see this hardened attitude encasing a need for attention and love, with outward signs of rebellion or hatred. This is common in the youth of today and she doesn't need to act the part entirely. Leigh mirrors very common youth attitudes.
A great film if you like gritty show-it-as-it-is kind of films with a very open end. It was definitely worthy of a rating of 7 from me.
Wolfs (2024)
The best thing about this film is the soundtrack
A professional fixer is hired to cover up a high-profile crime. But when a second fixer shows up and the two "lone wolves" are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected.
OK, time for a bite of realism. This film is artfully produced, filmed and directed. The 'Kid' (Austin Abrams) is perhaps the most engaging actor in the whole film. The best part of the film is the excellent Sade songs, I've been a fan for many years.
But seriously, this is a perfect example of high profile stars, in a high profile film, which turns out to be not really that great at all. The film is boring, with the dialogue and scenes like something out of a 1960's private detective show. I actually found it slightly cumbersome to follow too. The supposed sarcastic and ironic humour from the two mains stars failed to hit the note for me. It was mildly amusing once or twice, but only mildly. If I was to recount the best parts of it to someone next week, I'd say how much George Clooney looks like the late Sean Connery, and how nice it is to hear Sade playing. I gave it a 5 and that was mainly for Austin Abrams and Sade.
Blue My Mind (2017)
It certainly blew my mind
15-year-old Mia is facing an overwhelming transformation which calls her entire existence into question. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, she is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than her.
Whatever I thought I was going to watch...erven in my wildest dreams, it wasn't this! There's a lot to unpack here. There's lots of social comment about how difficult it is to join a new school, make friends, avoid the bullies, get on with the work but have a great time anyway. There's also parental issues in abundance here. The parents are clearly of the type that if they shout loud enough, be more harsh, or even lash out, the child will change for the better. Sadly Mia (Luna Wedler) simply disassociates from her parents and her mood becomes much worse. To the point she even questions if she was adopted. Nothing is going right at home and the parents become more punitive as they seem to see Mia as a bad child, rather than a troubled one. Indeed they never actually learn anything at all about what is going on with her.
We see her trying to abandon herself to drink and drugs, maybe in the hope they can make her forget the changes occurring in her body? Those changes are pretty gradual but very noticeable and things come to a head when she is left unable to walk at all. I think a lot of kudos has to go to Wedler for this role. I know teens can be moody and changeable and so make quite good actors, but Wedler has a huge range of emotions she needs to go through, in many different contexts, and she carries them all off with seeming ease. I bought into her story easily, shocking though it was. It was a very sheer drop off to the end of the film, and it didn't really give you enough time to think about what happens next for Mia. It was obvious I suppose as she had few choices left to her at the end.
I very much enjoyed it on the same level of Euphoria until it turned grim, but I reckon I would watch it again. I give it a 7 for being a bold, new story, carried out well with a great actor.
The Santa Box (2020)
Droll, with an ending that goes on forever
Kallie thinks she's cursed by Christmas. For the past 5 years, something bad has happened every Christmas season. One day she finds THE SANTA BOX on her doorstep. Inside is a note that changes how Kallie feels about Christmas forever.
Where do I start? Probably the Story. The story is great. It's a fairy tale type story about a girl, Kallie ( Cami Carver) who has suffered loss so dislikes christmas, a girl who bullies others to feel better, an old man who's war experience left him wanting to be nice to everyone, and a collection of sad people who's lives were blighted in one way or another. There's even an evil witch in the shape of Nelly Green (Cindy Perez). Through the story the old man, Otto (Shawn Stevens) enables Kallie to bring every single person in the story together to be friends, and they all live happily ever after. I wish I had been able to read this story, it's a lovely one.
However this is a film and the reality is awful. The acting is B movie grade. Nelly Green is played by a surgically enhanced actress who I honestly thought was made to look like she does for artistic licence and she would look much nicer at the end. There's not a single strong performance from any member of the cast, so that brings the story down. Also, it tries too hard to bang home the morals of happiness, forgiveness, loving others no matter how they harm you etc etc. Lovely ideals but not ones that humans are capable of keeping forever. Yet there are so many speeches, with rising music as if the very voice of God was being heard, encouraging everyone to be good and wonderful. But the speeches keep coming til you get to the point of fast forwarding til you get to the next one.
As I say it is a lovely story, it would have worked as an animation, but with poor actors and poor direction and poor editing, it feel completely flat as a film. I gave it a 3 for the story alone, but I would like to see an animated version which might be better.
It Ends with Us (2024)
A story of hope for many people out there
This is the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, which tells the compelling story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents' relationship. When Lily's first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly re-enters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.
Wow what a film. First one this year to make me cry. It builds a story from first meeting, all the way to the end, and the things we see and don't see, and the things we don't want to see.
In context, Lily seems excited when she first meets Ryle, but the only things mentioned are that he is charming, persistent and a neuro surgeon. These traits of determined and successful seem to take precedence over everything: Even her Mum agrees. But choosing a partner should not be about ticking boxes, it should come from the heart, not status.
Lily was smart enough to learn from her own familial past to help her in her decisions. But these are not determined by long drawn out conversations, but just the odd question, a short answer, a memory, and some smart thinking. Sadly not everyone is able to come to those smart decisions but let's hope the film has something for certain people to take strength from.
It was a difficult watch because as soon as you see a serious red flag you should walk away. But we don't, it might be hard to recognise what's happening, but we make excuses because it's actually easier to stay, although that's just deferring the pain until later.
I didn't think Lively was a great choice for the part but she played it really well. I like that they did not choose a hot, slim, cute young thing for the part, they chose a woman who could be any woman. It was lovely to see Jenny Slate too and although her part was minimal in terms of time in the film, it was a great and sensitive part played extremely well.
The story is a beautiful story filled with hope, and so tactfully and masterfully written. And on a side not it was great to hear songs from Birdy (who's rendition of Skinny Love far surpassed Bon Iver's version) and of course the inimitable Taylor who's offering lent an atmospheric and moving feeling.
All in all an excellent film. Not one you will watch over and over again, but one you will struggle to forget. It gets a solid 8 from me.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
Sadly, the third time was the failure.
Now that Santa Claus (Tim Allen) and Mrs. Claus(Elizabeth Mitchell) have the North Pole running smoothly, the Counsel of Legendary Figures has called an emergency meeting on Christmas Eve. The evil Jack Frost has been making trouble, looking to take over the holiday. So he launches a plan to sabotage the toy factory and compel Scott to invoke the little-known Escape Clause, and wish he'd never become Santa. Bedlam erupts at the North Pole.
I was very surprised that The Santa Clause 2 was just as much a success as the first film was, that rarely happens in the movie world and that's why sequels are not always well received or looked forward to. However in going for a third shot they definitely dropped the ball. This is a very dark film which has lost the exact character of Christmas that the first two were the epitome of. It's almost like some farcical thriller and I did not enjoy watching it. It was the same people mostly, but the point of the films has been lost and I highly doubt they will make a number 4 now. They've ruined the franchise. I watched it until the end but was a little melancholy by the time the Frank Sinatra "North Pole, North Pole" number was brought out and I never really got back into it. I gave it a 4, which is really sad since the first two films scored so highly.
The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
A fabulous xmas sequel
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his loyal elves consider him the best Santa ever. But he's got problems, such as a mysterious weight loss, and then he discovers that his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), has landed on this year's naughty list. Desperate to help him, Scott heads back home, putting a substitute Santa in charge of the North Pole. But when the substitute institutes some strange redefinition of naughty and nice that put Christmas at risk, Scott must return with a new bag of magic to save Christmas.
It's rare to ever get a sequel that is truly as fun and enjoyable as the original. The last ones I recall were the Christmas Chronicles. However Santa Clause 2 must go down as one of the best now. From start to finish it is pure christmas fun and magic and the north pole is a beautiful place that I wish was real. Believing in Santa is a rite of passage, but the idea of Santa it is something that follows most people throughout their lives and the more people enjoy it the better. This film has made today a fabulous day for me and I give it a solid 7.
The Santa Clause (1994)
A really nice Santa movie
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is disgusted to learn that his ex-wife, Laura (Wendy Crewson), and her husband, Neil (Judge Reinhold), have tried and failed to break it easy to their 6-year-old son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), that Santa Claus isn't real. On Christmas Eve, Scott reads "The Night Before Christmas" and then receives an unexpected visitor on his roof. When Santa is startled by Scott's calling out and falls off, he disappears, leaving only an 8-reindeer sleigh and a suit with instructions to put it on if he's involved in an accident. Scott does so and is transported around the town dropping gifts through chimneys until he's taken to the North Pole and informed by a group, who claim they're elves, that he is now Santa. Charlie is proud of Scott's new job, though Scott is convinced it was a dream. Then his hair turns white, his beard refuses to stay shaved, he gains weight inexplicably, and he has a sudden love of junk food. Now he's accepted it, there's just one problem: how to keep it a secret from his disbelieving family.
Being a christmas lover I can't believe it's taken my 30 years to watch this film. I tend to watch the same old staples each year and only in the last few years venturing to try new films. I am so glad I did. This is a lovely film with a lovely theme and although Reinhold is the slacker on the team, the rest of the cast are great, especially Eric Lloyd. It's a magical christmas experience and perfect for a family to watch. I give it a solid 7.
His Three Daughters (2023)
There are some who will like this film
3 daughters come together to spend their dying father's last days in his home. He is under a strict Do Not Resuscitate order so they expect him to lot last more than a few days. The film follows the thoughts and feelings of the three daughters over those few days and how death -or impending death- can alter peoples' perceptions.
I can see clearly why some would love this type of film. It's very dialogue heavy, with lots of thoughts and emotions being voiced, exploring the dynamics of familial relationships under pressure: Especially with 3 very different types of people, who all share a common emotional bond. The acting is great as you'd expect from all 3, and I think everyone will easily pick out the character traits of each daughter as they are so well defined. However it is not my cup of tea at all. Grieving is a very different thing for everyone and while there are common themes, mostly you can only relate to someone else's grief in a limited way. Therefore for me there was limited enjoyment I could get from the film in terms of understanding grief. Also the dialogue is too heavy. I had to watch this in 3 separate sittings as it was too much to take in over the running time of the film. Also I recommend using subtitles as very often you simply can't hear what is said.
For me it deserves only a 5 as I had to endure watching til the end, but I do think that some will love this film.
Into the Forest (2015)
A truly emotional film
A family is having a break in their forest cabin when a power outage affects the whole country. Increasingly they run out of supplies and head to town where they quickly realise that the situation is very bad, with hardly any food left and looting taking place. The father, Robert (Callum Keith Rennie) negotiates some petrol and a few other things before they head back to their cabin. As they seek to look after themselves the power outage lasts for weeks before tragically the father is taken from them and sisters Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) find they are solely reliable for their safety and wellbeing. The rest of the film -covering about 18 months- focusses hazily on familial ties, self sufficiency, resilience etc although it's not reflected in the script. The script has been left loose so that the actors can play the scenes with emotions instead of words.
A couple of other characters come and go during the film but mostly it centres around Nell and Eva and how they manage their lives and uncertain, unmentioned future, and I doing so they help us question what familial ties mean. Is blood really stronger than anything? Can love for each other really help people survive against all the odds? I find several instances when in my head I was imploring the girls to just go and try to find other communities. But on the other hand I was in awe of them for making the best out of what they had and thriving.
At one point Eva is desperate to simple listen to some music and watch some old family videos. Nell won't let her as they would have to use precious petrol for the generator. It makes you wonder, how would you survive if there was no power? What would you miss the most? They have water from the river, they have food from the forest and their garden, they have light from the candles and heat from the log fire. What else do they need? What do any of us need? What they clearly needed at different times was each other. Nothing and no-one came between them and I must say the performances from both of them were outstanding in bringing this story to life. I think of many survival stories sort of similar, but none that focus so clearly on two people and the emotions they show and share. Quite how this gorgeous but also poignant film has flown under the radar I have no idea but I am pleased to have found it. I give it a sound 7.
Slingshot (2024)
What is real?
John (Casey Affleck) is an astronaut with the opportunity to go to Saturn's largest moon, Titan. He has worked for this his whole life but just before he leaves he meets and falls in love with Zoe (Emily Beecham). During his 1 and a half billion mile flight with his 2 crew members Nash (Tomer Capone) and Captain Franks (Laurence Fishburne) he thinks he sees Zoe on board. But is it just the effect of the strong drugs needed to go into anastasis (hyper sleep)? Or is he actually losing his mind?
I am not a fan of Casey Affleck: he's a one trick pony in acting and never really plays a part, he plays himself. At least in this film he plays himself quite well so that helps as Fishburne is also just his own normal self as he is in every film he acts in. That said it does not really take away from the film which is nicely produced, with lots of tension, lots of talking points, and lots of twists along the way.
I love a bit of good Sci Fi and while this is very much a different take on the excellent Solaris with George Clooney, it does it well, so you don't feel that they're just ripping off another story. It does get mildly frustrating that you can't figure out what is truth and what isn't, but that's the charm of the film, you don't actually know what is real and what isn't.
One of the things they did enormously well is the romance between John and Zoe. They did not go for the bodice ripping passionate sex scenes that a lot of productions seem to favour these days. Rather they filmed it sensitively so you felt the passion and emotion without needing to see graphic and gratuitous sex scenes. The whole film was produced and directed in a way which gave ultimate respect to the viewer. I really enjoyed it and gave it a solid 6.
AfrAId (2024)
A good, but unrealized idea.
Curtis (John Cho) is selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Imagine Alexa or Siri, but able to carry out tasks such as ordering food, making appointments, reading betimes stories, and even giving you therapy. It can learn all of your behaviours and needs and ensure your life is smooth and stress free with it's all seeing, omnipotent intelligence. The youngest child is diagnosed with an until now unknown illness, the teen daughter Iris (Lukita Maxwell), is saved from shame and ostracism, and the mother Meredith (Katherine Waterston) has her life made unusually easier through the interventions of this family A. I. fixer and enabler. However, things as you might expect, take a sinister turn.
So yet another film pandering to the ever present worries and concerns about emerging A. I. technologies, and how they could help and also hinder us in our daily lives. This is just another take, but really doesn't bring much to the table. It shows clearly how all the lives of the family can be made infinitely easier by allowing the A. I. to make decisions for them, (it thinks of itself as a parent) but things take a slightly sinister turn when the father wants to live a more natural and human life. The A. I. turns against them. After an extremely brief fight the A. I. wins and that's the end of the film.
So I think it did a great job of showing how A. I. can enhance our lives, but there wasn't much validation about how it negatively impacts the family. Perhaps the impact was lost due to John Cho's poor acting, or maybe it just didn't deal with a lot of issues and how they might be resolved or become worse. The only people really acting in the film to any extent are Waterston and Maxwell, so casting was a definite shame and a victim of DEI I think. Nevertheless there were a few points raised about the positive side of A. I. and it does make you ponder on what sort of world we're headed into: One straight from a Sci Fi movie? Or one where we retreat to a much more natural and human existence.
I enjoyed it on some level, mostly due to Waterston's and Maxwell's performances as the former is a favourite actress of mine anyway. It's not an awful film, it's actually OK, it just lacks substance and acting skills. I gave it a 4 anyway.
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Yet another feature of the epidemic of appalling films this year
Sam (Andrew Garfield) a slightly misguided 33-year-old who one night goes outside to see a stranger, Sarah (Riley Keough), frolicking in his apartment's swimming pool. They have a little tryst and Sam is smitten by her but she promptly disappears as if she never existed. Sam goes off to find her and thence starts the rot...
Now, it has to be said that Andrew Garfield, despite acting in one great film, is not by any stretch of the imagination a good actor. He uses his incredibly bad acting skills to devastating effect in this film, to the point you wonder why he is actually in the film at all. I tried to stick with it though as he mumbles and bumbles his way through surreal scenes and incomprehensible dialogue so meaningless that you don't even notice what is being said. I think the writer said let's make a list of some really weird and offbeat and surreal situations. Then let's film them all, and randomly splice them together. The let's make up some rubbish dialogue and edit it in. And that's what they did.
I am ashamed to say that after 1 and a half hours of this excruciatingly bad and boring film I turned it off. It was not going to get better and even if it did, why waste an hour and a half of your life waiting for a film to improve? Far rather find a better film to spend your time with right? Well that's what I did. I rated it a 3 for no other reason than Riley Keough was in it and I like her. Otherwise it would have been a 1.
Uglies (2024)
I don't care about the haters, I loved this
In a dystopian future everyone until they are 16 is prepared for their birthday, on which day they will have surgery which will make them pretty and make their DNA perfect. They will become perfect people living in a perfect world. Inevitably, a couple of teens -Tally (Joey King) and Shay (Brianne Tju) rebel against this enforced conformity and seek out the almost mythical David, (Keith Powers) who is a leader of people in The Smoke, where people try to live naturally.
Who would have thought that there was a teen Sci Fi romcom! There's not many of them going around and avid Sci Fi fans will recognise references to other Sci Fi films and computer games too. Joey king is perfect for this part, and as usual she puts everything she has into the role, committing to it 100% in order to get the best from it. She reminds me very much of a younger Chloe Grace Moretz, in looks and style, and also Elle Fanning, another actress who drops herself wholly into whatever role she takes on. The supporting cast is led by the nasty Dr Cable (Laverne Cox) who while not that great an actress, brings a volatile and evil spark to the game.
The premise is sound and mirrors contemporary issues in society about beauty being the ultimate goal, happiness and contentment and no stress in life being a much revered way to live. Similarly in society today there are people who push back against the pop culture of 'beauty is everything' and try to live a more nuanced life with experiences and emotions. That narrative is told very well right from the start when Tally and her best friend Peris (Chase Stokes) promise to be friends no matter what and despite Peris having his beauty treatment on his birthday 3 months before Tally is due, he still claims later to feel different around her, which upsets the leader of the 'new world', Dr Cable. Throughout the film there is always the narrative of good and bad fighting each other to control everyone.
The storyline is great and feels like it flows naturally, unpacking layers as it goes. The sets are fabulous but CGI could be better. It's not bad enough to spoil things, just bad enough to make you see it, but ultimately not care that the standard slipped. Joey King is as excellent as ever but the rest of the cast are definitely not poor in their roles. I love the story's arc and the characters who are reasonably well developed and I love how the film seems to run pretty smoothly without you realising how much time has passed. At the end there is a definite hint that there will be a number 2 and I wholeheartedly hope there is. I give it a royal 7 for a well done film.
Eden Lake (2008)
Watched for the third time and still enjoyed it
Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and Steve (Michael Fassbender) are having a weekend camping trip at Eden Lake before the unspoiled area is redeveloped. Their first day is marred slightly by some irritating and rude young people. But they persevere to try and make the most of their romantic stay. The second day becomes a little more difficult when they return to find their personal belongings have been stolen from their camp. The car keys have gone too and as they make their way back to the car they find that it has also gone. And now the nightmares begin...
For the budget they had this is a remarkably good film. O'Connell is no stranger to screen and stage and he brings the character Brett to life with terrifying rage. Reilly, Fassbender, O'Connell and Turgoose are all working at the top of their game here and it's a joy for such a low budget film to be so satisfying. However I must warn you, this film is pretty dam shocking. I know that's said a lot in horror films, and it's rarely true. But this one is different.
Firstly, the almost feral group of kids annoying them is pretty much accurate for most of modern UK. There are always gangs of youths roaming around the streets and parks during the day as well as night. They don't care about the law or social norms or anyone else and they can be profoundly irritating. Often they are also dangerous as they wield knives and other weapons and there is not a week goes by without another death by stabbing, beating to death, beaten to death with weapons, and shot. So for the Brits who live in areas with kids like this, this film could be your reality: and indeed it is a reality for many.
The other horrifying thing is that often the feral kids have feral parents and that's probably why the kids grow up as they do. Early on Steve has to run from a feral parent and only barely escapes. It's one thing to run from violent youths, but quite another to find an adult to help only to realise that the adults are as bad as the kids. So while the events in this film are extreme, they are based on the types of youths roaming our streets. And that's what makes the film even more chilling than normal. I suggest if feral youths are a problem in your area you don't watch this film. It had quite an impact on me as I've dealt with so many kids like them over the years, and I know many of them are 1 step away from this level of brutality. Indeed, many have exceeded it.
It's not as predictable as you might at first think, it's a very well made film and I gave it a resounding 8.
Mother, Couch (2023)
Utter trash
OK so here's what happens. Mother (Ellen Burstyn) is in a store and sits down on a couch and refuses to move. Her 3 children Gruffud (Rhys Ifans), David (Ewan McGregor) and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) all meet up at the store to chat to their mother. They are perturbed at her not telling them why she won't move from the couch. There's lots of chat, but it is inane and banal chat which doesn't mean anything and doesn't tell us anything except all 3 of them seem slightly inept at life. This continues, until the end of the film. There are no redeeming factors. Ewan McGregor is his usual low grade self, quite how he gets jobs I have no idea. The dialogue is awful, there's no explanation of development of any characters, it really is appalling.
There does not seem to be a coherent story here, the score appears to match that of a farcical comedy, the acting is well below par except for Ellen Burstyn, and the dialogue is confusing and irritating in it's banal nonsensical way.
I honestly can't tell you what it's about because it doesn't seem to be about anything. I gave it a 2 and that's solely for Ellen Burstyn's part in it.
Rebel Ridge (2024)
A very confusing plot
Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is in a race to get his cousin out of jail on bond. But a random police traffic stop frustrates his timing and the negative actions of the police mean he misses the chance to get his cousin out of jail. This could have deadly consequences and Richmond is further frustrated by the corrupt actions of police chief Burnne (Don Johnson). So begins a frustrating and twisting tale of revenge in the style of Rambo.
I don't have much to say about this film really. It's got some action, but it has twists and turns that I confess I can't follow. One cop is on his side, then she's not, then she is, then she's not again, then finally she is. They're not plot twists, it's just confusing. As is all the cops trying to kill him, until they stop trying to kill him and escort him safely to where he wants to go. What?
Very confusing to me. I gave it a 5 but I was being very generous I think.
Subservience (2024)
Could have been much better
In a world where SIMs (humanoid robots) are on the rise and taking over human duties, the film follows Nick (Michele Morrone) who is faced with his wife Maggie's (Madeline Zima) impending heart transplant. Along with the possibility of losing his job to robots, struggles to keep working, care for his wife in hospital and looking after his kids he looks for ways to keep everything together. He decides to pay for a SIM of his own as it is advertised as the 3 C's: That is, cooking, cleaning and childcare. The SIM -which they name Alice- (Megan Fox) quickly becomes almost indispensable and very much liked by the children. Nick struggles with it's cold impartiality and tries to humanise it a little, watching a film with it to see if he can make it 'feel' the emotion in the film. From that point, it's only a matter of time before things turn deadly...
So, another 'robot's gone wild' film which I can't recall seeing for a little while. I, Robot was perhaps the best known and best of genre films regarding the issue of robots becoming thinking beings, although this film is nowhere near the level of that august story. Since the rise of A. I. though, it does bring back to our consciousness the easy life we could all live if dreary tasks, and dreary but also highly technical jobs were completed by non feeling robots. But behind that vision lies the fear of the robots turning against us. Robots can already 'think', but in real terms it is not thinking, it is following computer code, so it is difficult to ever envision a situation occurring such as in this film. However our fear remains for things we don't understand and can't control.
I don't think the film does a bad job of raising all of these issues and questions regarding robots out of control and humans becoming the slaves, but I think where it fails is quite simply the robot itself. Megan Fox perfectly displays the unfeeling and emotionless, expression free robot that we want to love but also want to hate. But her makeup, ridiculous eyebrows, and surgically enhanced breasts and lips make her look more like a caricature of a person from a wannabe reality TV show than a domestic, robotic aid. Indeed as soon as she entered frame that's the kind of person I saw her as so trying to view her as a servant-robot, or an advanced AI type humanoid was impossible because she became comical, but also slightly sad to look at.
The whole film is a tad gauche anyway and I think it let itself down by having some unnecessary titillation and some crude close ups that almost bring it to the level of soft porn. But otherwise it's well presented and produced with reasonable acting from the main protagonists and a great, thought provoking story. I think it was let down mainly by Megan Fox's looks and could have been much better. As it is I think it deserves a 5 for the attempt, although I would have gone 4 and a half if they let me.
Coyote Lake (2019)
Out in the jungle...
Ester (Camilla Mendes) and her mother Teresa (Adriana Barraza) run a small motel near the US/Mexico border that hardly ever gets visitors. Until they do, and then they give a very special welcome to the few who find their way to their motel. However, one night 2 guests arrive and they quickly turn out to be not your typical guests...
The events take place exclusively at the small motel. It is an extremely easy watch with Camilla Mendes, and her and Barraza and Neil Sandilands as a DIY man for the hotel turn in very decent performances. The story is slow and somehow the impact of the shocks to come does not land as heavily as you might think. But it is easy to understand the slow grinding life and how it might bring on the events to come. There's multiple sub texts going on in this story too. How people are pushed into the lives they lead, how peoples become dogmatic about their beliefs, how vulnerable people can be so easily exploited, how trust can be misplaced, and how your own perception can be skewed by someone you love. There's a lot going on and it's all nicely packaged and yet, the direction and some of the acting is slightly lacking, hence I gave it a 5 when the story itself deserves maybe a 6. You won't beg your friends to watch it too, but you will enjoy it.
MaXXXine (2024)
A great finale to the X series
In 1985 the Night Stalker is terrifying all residents of Los Angeles, but Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) who is currently working as a porn star, aspires to be a grand movie star. However, after a great audition when it becomes likely she will achieve her aims, people start dying and her life starts to take a dark turn as dangerous characters come out of the woodwork. It seems that Maxine's past is about to catch up with her...
I don't care what anyone says I think Mia Goth, while not the best actress in the world, is at the top of the pile of horror actors, and just has that 'eminently watchable' appeal. She's clearly got some 'crazy' inside her that fuels the characters she plays, and I like that as you never know what's coming next. This is not a 'jump in your seat horror', but it is a hark back to an 80's slasher with lots of gore and a great sound track. Goth is supported by a colourful rainbow of well known names who ably assist her although Elizabeth Debicki (Bender) falls slightly flat which she always seems to do.
You can't help but love Maxine even though she is always 1 breath away from being completely psychopathic. I think it's just the appeal of the underdog and despite her slashing stabbing and shooting her way through the 3 films of the series, Goth's characters still come across as the underdog!
The film is beautifully shot and as soon as I get the DVD I'm going to have a Goth night of all e X films and maybe a couple more of Goth's recent offerings. A concrete 6 from me for an entertaining and highly watchable film.
Órbita 9 (2017)
A very decent Sci Fi with a twist
Helena (Clara Lago) is a 20 year old who was born and has spent her entire live in a spaceship, bound for a new planet, Celeste, 40 years travel away from earth. After a problem developed with the oxygen supply, her parents committed suicide so that she would be able to survive on the depleted oxygen supply and make it to Celeste. After arriving at a space station for maintenance work on her ship, she meets Alex (Alex Gonzalez) the engineer, and quickly falls for him as he's the first human she's ever seen. Alex is also smitten with Helena, but how can he coax her off her spaceship, abandon her future plans and come live with him?
From there the plots descends into madness and whilst there's only a little drama, it's still very exciting.
The sets are beautifully done, and the photography and acting is mostly good. I have to say though, I find most Spanish films sound flat and almost monotone. I first noticed this with Javier Bardem who is very expressive in English, but in his native Spanish he sounds like he is reading from a card. This is the same with Clara and Alex: you can only infer emotions as you see their body language and you can read their words, but their voices are just background noise and mean nothing without inflection and emphasis.
Nevertheless, I loved the film the first time around and I still love it. It's Sci Fi done well and with a twist. If you don't mind subtitles give it a watch, I gave it a solid 6.
Gravity (2013)
Could have been a sensational blockbuster. Could have...
Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.
I watched this on release in the cinema and I truly loved it. 2 of my favourite actors, in my favourite genre of film, with a breathtakingly exciting story. We need more space stories to get people excited and inspired about a future civilisation of humans living off-earth. It has to come as there is no alternative. However, it was only while watching it again, on DVD a year later, that I recognised just how many holes there are in the plot. I still love the film, but I see too many plot holes these days.
The main problem is the physics. I don't expect everything to be rigidly correct because, it's just a story. But I do expect things to be in the realms of reality. Almost all of the physics throughout weren't even in the realms of likelihood so that spoiled it a little for me. People who love Sci Fi will know exactly what I mean but for those who don't, do you really think a senior astronaut would be clowning around in his jet suit like Wall-E as Clooney does at the beginning? All the satellites would have been fine in the tragedy: All space craft are at different orbits. There's not a chance in hell that Kowalski could have found Stone after she first got blown away from the station. You can't just move through space and change orbits on a whim: It takes complex calculations and multiple thrusts to achieve that, you can't do it with a jet pack and certainly not with a fire extinguisher! The continual banging into things is laughable. Their bodies would be instantly broken if that happened in real life. Stone was down to 1% oxygen, yet still Kowalski keeps engaging her in conversation about trivial things. And Kowalski was saved the instant Stone caught his tether: Making him let go and somehow float off (which he would not do) was just silly. That's enough for now. There's another dozen screaming mistakes but I'll let you watch the film and spot them.
What was possibly more irritating than the plot holes was the music score. At first I thought we were going to experience the true hush of space. That would be a remarkable and wonderful thing. Instead Kowalski is constantly jabbering about nothing and playing awful music. Perhaps the most irritating role Clooney has ever done. Also there was a musical score over the film. It was supposed to (I think) excite your emotions. What it did was just spoil the film. Why do you need the racket of a full blown orchestra when someone is in space? That for me was a schoolboy error and was probably the main factor that I didn't rate the film as highly as I otherwise would have done.
In the end I still enjoyed it on some level, but it could have been an enormous blockbuster like Titanic. But ultimately it was just a good Sci Fi film. I gave it a 7 but it could have had the only 9 I am ever likely to give had it not been for the thigs I mentioned.
Wrath of Man (2021)
Love, loss, grief, hate, revenge.
H (Jason Statham) is a brand new security guard riding in cash collection trucks for Portico, the security company. He seems to come from a solid and respectable background in security, and quickly impresses everyone on the firm. But is he hiding a secret...
Statham has been called a one trick pony as violent gangster type films are all he seems to do. However, he does do them very well indeed. His cold, implacable manner suits perfectly the violent type he portrays. Come on, do you really want to see him in a rom com? He is his usual self in this one and fans of Statham, like me, will relish the build up to the inevitable chaos that we know is about to ensue. He doesn't go in for much flashy martial arts, he simply gets on with business, man to man. This film is no exception and while there's a slow build up, it's paced and directed really well so you are never bored. He is what every father would want to be. All of us in our lives have at sometime wished we were a vengeful machine. But we're not and we live in a different world so we have to live vicariously through the likes of Jason Statham doing his thing. Statham is also no stranger to working with Guy Ritchie who directs this, he also favours violent and raw films and he has a long pedigree so it's nice to see them working together again.
I actually prefer this to John Wick simply because while Statham is almost unbelievable in his prowess at killing people, he is far more believable than the immortal and never ending bullet machine that John Wick is. This is a fine example of a great thriller which is very well made and enjoyable. I gave it a solid 7.
Ava (2020)
A great female John Wick
Ava (Jessica Chastain) falls out with her family due to her father's infidelity to her mother, and heads off to become a paid assassin. After many years her father dies and she comes back to reconnect with her father. She has stirred up a hornets nest with the company that pays her to kill people and suddenly instead of the hunter, she becomes the hunted.
Come on, when have you ever seen a bad Film starring Jessica Chastain? Never? Me neither. This isn't a fabulous box office smash mind you, but it is a very good thriller. Chastain, Farrell, Malkovich, Davis, Common, they all play great parts and you can easily believe in the characters . I recently watched cate Blanchett in Borderlands where she too was a human hunter with extra special skills. But despite Blanchett being a top notch A list actor she could not pull of the role of Lilith.
Chastain on the other hand can pull off any role she sets her mind to and she 100% commits herself to the character. Despite this being in the realm of John Wick, where the hero can beat almost anyone with reasonable ease, it's not cheesy like John Wick, and you could actually believe that she is a monstrous fighter.
It's tense most of the way through and despite being predictable it's a highly enjoyable film which I just watched for the third time. I give it a solid 7.