Reviews | Previews | News Cinema | Est. 24 March 2016
Following the overwhelming success of the last film, the new Jumanji crew find themselves back inside the dangerous video game, but surely having beaten it once, the second time should be a doddle?………….
Directed by Jake Kasdan
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Kevin Hart & Danny DeVito
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The Blue Blur speeds back onto the big screen after a quick makeover to fix some…….problems. Sonics’ peaceful life on Earth is suddenly disrupted as he is pursued by the sinister Dr Robotnik……
Directed by Jeff Fowler
Starring Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter
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After almost 20 years, we have the next chapter on the Bad Boys saga………is it just a cheap cash in, or do Smith & Lawrence still have that magic? Here’s our review!
Directed by Bilall Fallah & Adil El Arbi
Starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens & Joe Pantoliano
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Following the resounding success of Thor Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returns with a surprisingly emotional yet satirical adventure of Jojo Rabbit , a young German growing up in Nazi Germany. Who discovers a dark secret within his home leading to a test of his loyalty to his family and country, with a little bit of help from an imaginary friend……. A worthy winner of an Oscar!
Directed by Taika Waititi (and starring!)
Starring Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie & Sam Rockwell
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What starts off as a simple family initiation ceremony with the in laws………..soon turns out to be a bit more sinister than your usual game of Monopoly. With an all star cast and plenty of dark humour to spare, it’s a nice Halloween treat! That ending though………
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Starring Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell
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It’s a clash of two worlds as everyday man Stu, picks up the wrong customer in his Uber. A rugged vengeful cop drags our reluctant hero into a crime fuelled escapade. It’s good honest fun!
Directed by Michael Dowse
Starring Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, Natalie Morales, Iko Uwais
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The Summer of Meh continues with another average remake. The latest in line is the latest chapter of the Men in Black franchise, can Hemsworth & Thompson recapture the chemistry from Thor Ragnarok?
Directed by F Gary Gray
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson
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Seeing as it’s Halloween, it’s only appropriate to look back upon one of the slew of horror movies that have come out this year, but one in particular stood out, and it was so shambolic, it’s pretty much nailed on for one of the worst films of 2018!
Slenderman was all over the internet 4-5 years ago, the myth, the memes, the buzz, about our suited up stalker in the wood was at its peak, and of course there would be a movie cash in for it. It’s now 2018, and the chance to capitalize on this trend has long gone, and unfortunately, it’s a horrendous effort that really should have been buried away in the archive room.
A group of teenage girls decide to summon our friend from the occult after hearing the rumors going around school. After one of the group suddenly goes missing, the friends realize maybe it wasn’t a prank after all.
The main issue with Slenderman was that it was coming off the Slenderman murder case which took place in the States back in 2014. With the film being released as that case was coming to a close, meant the studio was in an awkward situation. What ended up happening is that vast chucks of the movie were removed. The trailers for this film are far more sinister and dark, compared to the toned down mess they ended up releasing, with key scenes missing, the film simply jumps all over the place, and they don’t even bother filming even the smallest of scenes to explain the jumps. You can see in the video below just how much of the film is removed.
Our main protagonist, Hallie, is totally unlikable, even while her friends start to go missing, she is far more interested in hooking up with her crush and making sure she looks cool. Wren, her best mate, who ends up being driven mad, does her best to at least solve things at least, but Hallie, just yells at her to move on, ignorant to the ominous threat that her close friends are suddenly dying. While another character shows signs of being stalked/possessed, and everything builds up to a particular scene at school, but nope, nothing happens, and you never see her again. From the trailers you can see there was supposed to be a moment of dread here, but its cut, and the character is never addressed again! The scares are awfully weak too, if your neighbor was checking to see if you are safe, why would they be moving around the house in a creepy murderer like fashion? For drama?
It seems like the studio only had permission to film in the woods nearby, so the film spends a large chuck in the forest. School, forest, home, forest, school, forest. It’s almost comical how often they always end up back in the woods for some other reason. Slenderman himself is ok, but once he reveals himself totally, he loses all sense of dread, and is a CGI mess by the end.. He is far more sinister as a character when he is hovering in the background, looming. The movie also thinks showing clips of the clouds in the woods is scary, and constantly uses it as a transition between scenes!
All in all, there really isn’t anything good to say about this movie, but it’s worth a watch if you really want a scare on Halloween!!
Starring Patrick Bateman & Rachel McAdams, as a super competitive, game loving couple, their weekly game nights with their friends takes a turn for the worst. What was meant to start off as a murder mystery night, soon becomes entangled with smuggling, law enforcement and organised crime!
What on paper, looks like a pretty generic comedy, turns out to be a witty & amusing ride. We have our leading couple, Max (Bateman) & Annie (McAdams), who regularly host a weekly game night with fellow couples. you have the typical childhood sweethearts couple, Kevin & Michelle, played wonderfully by Lamorne Morris & Kylie Bunbury). They are also joined by Ryan (Billy Magnussen), a young and charming chap, though he may not be the brightest, his the one who brings a different date every week. Following the visit of Max’s brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), whom Max feels overshadowed by, from his successful career to his lavish lifestyle. His brother decides to step things up one night, and instead of the usual board games, ups the anti to a murder mystery night. Though it’s not before long, that things end up taking a more sinister turn!
Game Night by far surpasses any expectation you may have coming into it. All the characters play off excellently off their partner. Bateman and McAdams both have such enthusiasm in their roles, you warm to them right away, their interactions are hilarious, especially during their impromptu backstreet surgery! Ryan’s date for the night, is not one of his usual Instagram addicted models, but the rather well educated, and well spoken Sarah. Their polar personality clash works perfectly here. There is also one hilarious ongoing joke that runs throughout, between Kevin & Michelle, and a certain famous movie star. Jess Plemons as the creepy recently divorced neighbor Gary is an absolute scene sealer whenever he appears, he by far brings the most laughs to this flick. There’s also appearances from Micheal C. Hall and Chelsea Peretti adding to the fun.
A quick shout out to the cinematography, which is surprisingly sharp for a routine comedy film. The director makes fantastic use of tilt shift, to make the drop down shots look like pieces on a board game, and the car chases also include some pretty nifty camera work!
While the humour is pretty much on point, the story line at times does feel for more convoluted than it really should have been. It’s OK to have one or two twists, but any more, and it starts to all look for more messy than it really should. The story would have worked perfectly fine if there was just one huge revelation, rather than the constant double bluffs. Once there are several layers to the plot, the obvious plot holes start to reveal themselves. The film also suffers from showing pretty much all of its best jokes in the trailer. Fortunately, I never had a chance to see this trailer, so enjoyed all the jokes first time, but if I had, it probably would take away a lot of the effect. I can understand trailers trying to sell a movie they may think is a risk, but certainly they could have cut some of the better lines and scenes out the teasers.
Game Night is a perfect mix of comedy, wit and cringe, and works pretty much is a similar format to The Hangover, group of mates trying to figure out whats happening, with the involvement of criminals! The story-line may have become slightly entangled by the finale, but it has enough to keep you laughing throughout (Cyberdyne reference!) and is a great way to spend a night out!
The Room is widely recognized as one of the most bizarre films ever created. With it’s eccentric acting, plodding story line and bizarre script, and funded by $6m of Tommy Wiseau’s mysterious fortune. The Room is shrouded in a cloak of mystery, which has earned it a cult following of fans online!
Tommy Wiseau is the star of The Room, directing, producing and writing this surreal piece of cinema. The Disaster Artist, starring James & Dave Franco, is based of the book written by Greg Sestero, who co-starred in the 2003 cult hit, and takes a look behind the story of how The Room came to be!
The Disaster Artist follows Greg (Dave Franco) , as a young, aspiring actor struggling to find his feet in a competitive career. He meets the outlandish Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) at a local acting class, and they both decide to go all in, move to Hollywood, and make their dreams become reality.
Though the film does show some of the scenes that took place while filming the now infamous movie, The Disaster Artist is actually a movie that does surprisingly well to show us the trials and tribulations that Tommy especially went through, in order to create this. Greg was no where the finished deal, but he was still bagging minor roles in his life in L.A. Tommy on the other hand, was seen as an outcast, with not many big names in Tinseltown wanting to associate themselves with him. It was mainly this shunning, that lead him to produce something by himself.
You don’t have to have watched The Room to enjoy this movie, but having prior knowledge of it will exponentially improve your enjoyment of this movie. The scenes on set are by far the stand out moments of the film, capturing the frankly surreal situation the cast & crew were put under. There are stand out guests stars, such as Seth Rogan, playing the exasperated script supervisor and Zac Efron has the insanely intense extra on set! There are several scenes that are paid homage too, but seeing the chaos behind the infamous ‘I did not hit her!’ dialogue is hysterical. Oh hi Mark….
James Franco does exceptionally well in capturing the unique mannerisms of our oddball Tommy. It’s just not the comedy he does well, but you can also see the anguish on display as he see’s the initial reaction at the premier of the movie in front of a packed theater. Dave Franco is fine as Greg, but it’s Tommy that really steals the show.
There really isn’t too much to say in regards to negativity. You are expected to know the story behind The Disaster Artist, so unless you have utterly no idea what to expect, you really won’t be left disappointed by this eye-opening story about frankly horribly made film!
This is a story that you might find difficult to believe. Adapted from a book written by Sharabani Basu, which is based on the journals of Abdul Karim recently discovered in India; we see an unlikely friendship develop between a common Indian Muslim man, and the Empress of India and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
I personally don’t think there’s a cast or director out there who could have done a better job portraying this particular story. Dame Judi Dench (James Bond, Philomena, Mrs Brown) once again takes on the role of Queen Victoria, alongside Ali Fazal (Furious 7) as Abdul Karim; surrounded by other brilliant actors (Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Piggot-Smith, Olivia Williams) playing the members of the court disgusted and insulted by the development of this relationship. All led by the director Stephen Frears, who was present for a Q&A after the screening, his most recent successes include The Queen with Helen Mirren, Philomena with Judi Dench, and Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep.
The film begins in India and follows Abdul’s journey to England to be involved in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee; after some actions deemed highly inappropriate by the court, the Queen decides to keep Abdul close and begins to learn much about India and Islam from the man the court repeatedly referred to as “one of the Hindus”. She confides in Abdul, revealing her more vulnerable side to the audience, regarding her feelings towards her position and life in general. Although the beginning is quite humorous with many good laughs from both Dench and Fazal throughout, the film takes a darker path as we continue to learn about the Queen’s difficult life, and the court’s ignorance and prejudice against Abdul.
It is a difficult time, with Muslim-led mutinies against British rule breaking out in India, and some deceptions by Abdul does not help his case against the accusations by the court and Prince Edward or “Bertie” (Eddie Izzard). Regardless, the Queen keeps him on as her “Munshi” (teacher), she describes herself as being truly happy for the first time in a long while, and likely as an intentional provocation. Despite numerous attempts to discredit Abdul and blackmail the Queen, Abdul was in the service of the Queen for the final 15 years of her life. This, along with many incidents in the film, appear to be close to the real events that took place over 100 years ago.
I believe that the performances in this film were emotive and believable. It was quite a different kind of performance from Eddie Izzard than what we are used to, but he gave a strong and compelling portrayal of the jealous heir to the throne. One character who may not get as much notoriety is that of Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar), he is the other Muslim, Indian man involved in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. However, he is not lucky enough to have captured the Queen’s attention and is kept in England against his will and in detriment to his health. Nevertheless, he remains faithful to his Indian brethren despite attempts of the court to get him to disclose information about Abdul. Of course, Dench and Fazal are touching in their representations; you laugh when they laugh and you cry when they cry. You feel as amazed as Abdul does in his new experiences, and you feel as trapped and depressed as Victoria does as monarch.
The Q&A with Stephen Frears gave an interesting insight into the making of this film. He was very blunt and to the point in his answers, extremely matter of fact. We found out that it only took 10 weeks to complete filming and it was the first production allowed to film inside Osbourne House, a former Royal residence on the Isle of Wight. He admitted he enjoys making provocative films that test the waters and opinions of the time; despite this fact, we were told the actors were professional and generally of a liberal mindset, this meant the idea of pushing any boundaries or causing controversy did not phase anyone involved.
In conclusion, I highly recommend seeing this movie; it’s fun, silly and emotional, with stellar actors who perform to a high standard. The story is simple but not one that’s been told before, and will make you want to more about this beautiful, heart warming, and unlikely friendship.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to the premiere of the British made “Eat Locals” at FrightFest in Leicester Square. I met the director, producers and cast, and got to watch their hilarious creation.
With a low budget of just £1.6 million, you are not expecting “Tchaikovsky” as first-time director Jason Flemyng put it in our interview, you are expecting a fun piece of cinema lovingly put together by a group of friends. And that’s exactly what we got. After quite a sincere start, you soon realise that the actors are not taking themselves so seriously, creating a more laid back (and surprisingly realistic) environment than any other modern vampire movie you will have seen – until the violence commences.
In a quiet country farmhouse, 8 British vampire overlords have met to discuss matters of feeding quotas and territories. Following the death of one of their own, they will also decide whether to turn or kill poor, unwitting Sebastian (Billy Cook); led to the farmhouse by sexy vamp Vanessa (Eve Myles). Before they can carry out their verdict, the vampires are interrupted by a team of Elite vampire-killers sent by the Vatican and under orders from Captain Bingham (Robert Portal) and Larousse (Mackenzie Crook), chaos and blood shed ensues.
The dialogue in the vampire meeting is natural but quite serious (with a slightly eerie and ominous soundtrack), making reference to some current events and expressing a few opinions on such matters (from a vampire perspective of course). The conversation devolves into quite a grim scenario, but with the introduction of Sebastian humour is injected into these scenes. This is later followed by what sounds like a pretty horrific scene between the vampires and some soldiers. This variety of scenes display a contrast of character and a breadth of acting ability; they attempt to be both modern, civilised individuals, and the viscous vampires they are. Others are just viscous vampires *cough*Tony Curran*cough*.
Converse to Tony Curran’s crazy portrayal of vampire “Peter Boniface”; Charlie Cox, having been temporarily poached from Netflix and Marvel, plays a slightly softer vampire than some of the others. His character “Henry” is a vampire who refuses to feed on humans, and tries to keep the peace between his fellow vampires and keep young Sebastian alive during the battle. Between martial arts proficient Chen (Lukaz Leong) and sweet old Alice (Annette Crosbie) with an assault rifle, there’s plenty of action for everyone to sink their teeth into. And with Jason Statham directing the fights, it maintains a good level of ridiculousness.
You grow to seriously dislike “Captain Bingham” and “Larousse”, which is always key to making good villains and gets you rooting for the vampires; however, even though he was on their side, I liked “18” (Johnny Palmiero). He was terrified of the vampires and sympathetic to the Thatchers (Dexter Fletcher and Ruth Jones) who own the farmhouse, both of which make him smart and a good person, which I like.
There’s a few twists and little surprises, and many, many, MANY laughs. Everyone in the cinema was laughing along, cheering for their friends when they came on screen, and woo-ing whenever anyone did anything cool. Eve Myles was sat in front of me and believe me she was LOVING every minute of it.
If you want something that is easy and fun to watch, and are a fan of something a little silly, you definitely need to watch this film. But ensure you begin with no expectation of this being a masterpiece of film making. The cast and crew have clearly had a fantastic time making this and we all had an awesome time watching it with them.
It’s also nice to meet people who you’ve been watching on screen for years and find out they’re genuinely nice, funny people.
And Jason, as promised, I think I’ve been pretty nice 😉
Check out the Live coverage and interviews here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYUi79fR1no
Silver Screen Show 