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!
After being tasked by a mysterious woman to track down a specific person on an evening commuter train, Michael MacCauley (Nesson) is in a race against time to unravel this conspiracy, or risk danger not just to himself, but his family as well.
Liam Neeson and low budget action movies always prove to be an enjoyable time. You pretty know what you will get, what to expect, and how the story will pan out. Neeson has already wreaked havoc on a plane in 2014’s Non-Stop, this time, his kicking ass and speaking intensely on phones (it’s a trend in his films!) on a train, in The Commuter.
The Commuter is a perfectly satisfactory feature length movie. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who had also taken charge of the aforementioned, Non-Stop and The Shallows, a thrilling shark attack film. Pretty much the entire story take place on the train, and the film can be divided into two parts. The opening and middle chapters are more focused on the mystery of who he must find, tracking down various clues to help him locate the target. It’s a nice concept, and considering it’s a busy New York commute, the train is packed with a range of people, all of which could be who he must find. It’s a nice change of pace, from the action packed finale, and even has the audience constantly guessing who it may be.
In my opinion, the deduction parts of The Commuter, are its strongest moments, you do have the occasional action and fights, but they are really just there to stop it getting a bit to mellow for a Neeson movie! The finale is a lot of the typical over the top action and CGI fest that you would expect, the intensity is ramped up by a hundred, and it gets pretty messy at times. Though Neeson is still pretty adept at looking far more dangerous than most people at the age of 65, the special effects are pretty obvious. The train crash from the trailers still looks as laughably bad in the final cut!
Liam Neeson obviously holds this movie together, but Vera Farmiga as the calculating Joanna, who is pulling the strings on board, and Patrick Wilson, as Michael’s colleague, Murph. Both add a bit of shine to the film. And it’s always good to see Jonathan Banks, of Breaking Bad fame making an appearance too!
The Commuter is a straight forward movie, it’s not amazing, nor is it awfully bad. If you’re a fan of the Neeson style thrills and dangers than The Commuter won’t leave you feeling short changed. At under 2 hours, it doesn’t drag on either. If you got nothing to do, and want to catch a decent film, this is worth a watch, otherwise, just wait for it to come out on demand!
Pixar have a habit of constantly releasing critically acclaimed hits, and their latest venture, could prove to be their greatest triumph yet. It’s taken Coco a few months to arrive on these shores, but the wait has been worth it.
The Day of the Dead, is our main focus here, the Mexican holiday in which people come together to celebrate the lives of the members of their family who have passed away. Miguel, our young protagonist, yearns to be a musician, but due to a complicated family history, the art of music, in any form, has been prohibited in the family. But in his attempts to emulate his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz,, the greatest musician of his time, Miguel finds himself trapped in the Land of the Dead, seeking his hero for a way out.
Considering the theme of film is pretty morbid, the movie itself is surprisingly vivid! It is probably one of the most resplendent settings in any Pixar movie, with the festival ambiance providing a fantastic backdrop to the story. The visuals are stunning, and has some of the best animation the studio have produced.
Pixar movies are always an emotional ride, and Coco delivers. The recurring themes of death, grief and family are mentioned throughout the film. So it’s not too much of a surprise that there is a certain level of poignancy to the plot. But the final third of Coco is so well done, it should move most people to some degree! Without spoiling, it packs a punch!
The cast are thoroughly enjoyable. Hector, a charming, witty trickster who accompanies Miguel on his journey is a wonderful character, he’s just not there for comic relief though, his story arc plays out to perfection. Ernesto, our pompous superstar, is just about the right level of irritation & arrogance! Considering there are two sets of families, one alive, one passed away, there is an abundance of names and faces, not all of whom are important to the plot. But it plays a vital role in pushing through its message about family.
With it being a Disney production, the musical score will always be a crucial factor. With Coco, the soundtrack delivers a wonderful blend of music, will the effervescent flamenco/latino party rhymes, to the sombre melodies. ‘Remember Me’, the recurring track that plays throughout, not only carries a great level of poignancy, it also plays a vital role within the film.
Regarding negatives, there really isn’t much to say against it, but if you were to knit pick, the opening 1/3 is rather slow to kick on. It’s really not too clear where the movie is going with things, but the remainder of Coco is so good, you’ll let that go. Also, there really isn’t a villain in the film, it doesn’t really hurt the enjoyment, but if you like a movie with a clear antagonist, this may bug you a bit.
That being said, these are very minor flaws in what is already one of the candidate for film of the year! A sure winner for the Oscar for best animation!
Jackie Chan is not usually seen in a serious tone in his movies over here in the West. Although he may be great as a comedic actor, he is also well known for his more dramatic roles back in the East. So fans were intrigued to see that the latest Chan movie to be released here, was a shift away from the norm here, and places him in a far more melancholic surrounding.
The Foreigner directed by Martin Campbell, is a fairly typical revenge thriller. Quan (Chan) is a worker, living a simple life in London, but following an IRA terrorist bombing, he loses his teenage daughter (Katie Lueng). Using all his military expertise from days gone past, he sets out on a relentless pursuit for answers, and to find the people responsible. This leads him to the doorstep of the deputy minister for Northern Ireland, Liam Hennessy (Brosnan).
Taken, this isn’t, but The Foreigner is still an enjoyable movie to sit down and watch. It’s far more interesting to see Chan as the broken down father figure, rather than what he is usually type cast as, and all his scenes carry great intensity. There are several action scenes that make use of Chan, but they are not as vibrant as they usually are, it’s far more visceral and calculated. Brosnan is excellent as the charming deputy minister, bringing a strong gravitas to a film that really isn’t flooded with big names. His witty exchanges with his fellow cabinet members and staff still exude that 007 aura he had, even down to getting his hands messy if needs must. The cat & mouse interactions between Quan & Hennessy are by far the most fascinating parts of the movie, though Hennessy insists he was not involved, Quan is adamant he must have known something, considering his powerful political position.
Where the film struggles is the overall story arc, the entire IRA subplot really does slow down the movie, and it gets drowned in a lot of dialogue and conversations. The plot attempts to be far more intricate and layered than it really should have been. Any scene which does not involve Chan or Brosnan really feels like a drag. The whole affair plot line has a resolution, but even then, it feels like it could have been written in a much more captivating manner. Also, there could have been more scenes with Chan, as that really is the film’s strongest points. Seeing Chan take out elite soldiers in the woods is far more interesting than political power plays. Quan is almost a secondary character compared to Hennessy. As good as Hennessy is, most people would be tuning into this for Chan, and they really didn’t make the most of that factor.
Overall, the movie does seem to drown itself with its plot at times, but the star power of Chan and the charm of Brosnan has enough to make The Foreigner worth a watch.
See our spoiler-free review if you have not seen this film!!
(Though if you haven’t seen it by now, come on, what are you doing?)
Be sure to comment any points I may have left out.
So it is the long awaited arrival of the second installment of the new Star Wars Trilogy. There has been a large amount of hype for The Last Jedi and unfortunately for me I allowed myself to be dragged into the chaotic chorus of high expectations. After a nostalgic and interesting setup in The Force Awakens, an unrelated yet enjoyable Rogue One, and a tasty exhilarating trailer (with Porg goodness) I think we can all agree we were expecting good things. I, however, was less than fulfilled and found myself severely disappointed and close to anger on leaving the cinema. Probably not helped by the fact that my friends and I had been to the double-bill feature and had left the cinema at 3am after being there since 9pm!
Before I get into a laboured account of the negatives let’s start with something positive…
THE PORGS
A Porg stows away on the Millennium Falcon
Yes they may be unnecessary and not at all relevant but it was an inventive solution to a problem and a creative reflection of the true location. Ahch-To, aka Skellig Michael, is just off the Southern Coast of Ireland and was the perfect location for the remote Jedi monasteries, what with the abandoned monasteries already present on the Island that were once home to Christian monks some 700-800 years ago.
Also present on the Island at certain times of year were PUFFINS! As the Island is a nature reserve, it would be wrong to remove the vast number of birds (not to mention logistically incredibly difficult), and to digitally erase the native birds would be hugely time consuming; so it was decided that they would have to roll with it and create a new indigenous species. Just like on the island, these birds get EVERYWHERE in the film (but thankfully not to an annoyingly obnoxious level) and even have an actually funny interaction with Chewbacca when he tries to eat one of them.
REY AND KYLO
This storyline was genuinely intriguing as you have a bridge between two characters who are still unsure of their paths and roles in the upcoming story (aren’t we all).
Friends or Foes?
Each is trying to win the other to their side, while being slightly confused as to whether they are light or dark themselves. A mind bridge is created between the two characters by Supreme Leader Snoke, an ingenious plot to lead Rey to them and turn her to the dark side. Rey falls for this and seeks Kylo out as she still sees good in him. This plan back fires on Snoke, resulting in his death and an impressive fight scene between Kylo and Rey, and the Praetorian Guards. I personally enjoyed this fight, the style being a favourite of mine, mainly because of the way Rey and Kylo interact and fight alongside one another against the guards (however tentative the link between the two and how little they know of each other’s fighting style). Ultimately, they go their separate ways and leave the arc open to perhaps continue in Episode IX…
YODA
I liked it! Some people said he looked weird but I was glad to see him, being my favourite Star Wars character. Not only that, he is still schooling Luke even after being “dead” for decades and pushes him past this nihilistic stage of his life. Still the most subtle and natural laughs in the film and humbly awesome.
Forever the Master
Well that’s me being nice…moving on!
SUPERMAN/MARY POPPINS/LEIA ORGANA
Right, I get she is force sensitive and there may be precedent for this scene in other obscure pieces of lore, games or series. But COME ON? Really? Also, I get this was filmed before she passed away (RIP, love and respect) but I really thought this was going to be it for Leia in the film. And it could have been so beautiful! I could feel myself tearing up as she gracefully floated through space in a dignified end to a powerful and forever rebellious character. But then she reached out her hand and force pulled herself back?!!? To a door that was not an airlock!! Which did not seem to bother anyone?! Except shields blah blah. NO! Some may say that it was an interesting twist and wasn’t expected but I believe it was just Disney rubbish and I wholeheartedly disagree with this scene. Not only that, now Leia’s death will either be reduced to a minor mention in the opening scrolling text, or some hurried and heavily CGI’d scene in Episode IX. I just can’t…
I know Carrie, I know
SLOWEST. CHASE. EVER
I think this was just a plot device whose sole purpose was to legitimise a pointless, convoluted and bloated sub-plot. I’ll get to this. A very long and drawn out plot device. Which also included an unnecessary deception from Vice-Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) again, purely a device to allow Finn and Rose to go on their redundant side-mission. They could have evacuated the ship and headed to Crait while the Vice-Admiral light-speed destroyed the First Order fleet, giving more time for a battle on the surface of Crait. This could have allowed more speeder vs. AT-AT battle, a ground siege of the base, and a more interesting utilisation of Phasma. Again, I’ll get to this.
Laura Dern does look stunning though!
I suppose Holdo’s light-speed attack came as a last minute realisation moment to save the fleet, and I will also submit that it was a visually impressive and made for an emotional scene. BUT even the prospect of an 18 hour snail-paced space chase when it was first mentioned made many people in the audience groan. It drew the pace of the film to a grinding halt and just seemed to me like a bit of a half-baked idea in order to give Finn a quest of his own. Speaking of which…
CANTO BIGHT SUB-PLOT
During the slowest chase in history Poe, Finn and Rose formulate a plan to find an individual named the Code-Breaker, stow aboard the First Order ship and destroy the tracking device inhibiting the Resistance fleet’s escape. Finn and Rose travel to Canto Bight for what turns out to be more of moral journey for Finn; as well as a display of the subtle effects of living under a fascist First Order and how easy it is to spread hope through the galaxy. I do understand the relevance of this scene and when Finn does take a closer look at his extravagant surroundings to the injustice lingering just beneath the surface it does pluck on a few heart strings. However, the execution felt forced, the message rushed and probably did not require as much dialogue as we were given, which collectively dampens the intended impact.
Look closer
After exploring the casino settlement for a while, they manage to get themselves arrested ultimately due to a parking violation. In their cell they meet DJ (Benicio Del Toro) who they dismiss as some hack criminal. They escape with the help of children, fathiers (space horses), BB-8 and DJ who they then decide to bring along in place of the Code-Breaker. This backfires when DJ betrays them to the First Order, teaching them a valuable lesson about a) trusting strangers they meet in prison cells, and b) about the people who play both sides in war. The First Order Dreadnought is fortuitously destroyed seconds before Finn and Rose are to be executed, allowing a short face-off between Finn and Phasma. This is a gross misuse of both Benicio Del Toro and Phasma; who, although we were promised a grander role for this bad-ass Storm Trooper captain, was barely used and swiftly removed.
FINN AND ROSE
They had ZERO chemistry! And yet she decides to save Finn’s life and confess her love to him? No. Just no. He started out as a deserter and has a change of heart, wait…doesn’t that sort of happen in The Force Awakens? No, it’s all for Rey, always. Could we have a little character development please? The justification for most of his heroic actions is so that Rey is able to return to a safe and protected rebellion. Up until he calls himself “rebel scum”. I must admit I chuckled. Regardless, none of this explains why Rose would inexplicably fall in love with him. They never show anything resembling attraction to one another and yet she sacrifices herself to stop him from sacrificing himself. It felt forced and like so much of their storyline, unnecessary.
WASTED TALENT AND CHARACTERS
I have touched upon a couple of these points already but I think I should re-visit them in a little more detail. As the sub-title suggests, this film has failed to utilise both actors and characters that were presented to it. Top of the list for me, personally, was Supreme Leader Snoke. He could have been an immensely superior bad guy, resembling the Palpatine/Darth Sidious kind of presence; and yet, we learned nothing of his history, back-story or motivations. What makes this even more disappointing is that Andy Serkis gives a great performance, typical for his calibre. The scene where he finally meets Rey is interesting, he was at least given the chance to display some of his own power and I liked that he had orchestrated the mind bridge between Kylo and Rey. He’s a more stable villain than Kylo Ren and is way more sinister in my opinion. But he is killed-off in an instant in a way that an all powerful being should have seen. No matter how sneaky Kylo was being.
Battle for Supremity
That does not look pleasant
Speaking of Kylo Ren, I believe this character has so much potential but in both episodes VII and VIII he is a little whiny for my taste. I understand that he is conflicted about whether he is light or dark, but he could be played as a little less emo-teenager; having tantrums and hissy fits doth not make a Supreme Leader. I also understand that this is likely down to script and direction rather than Adam Driver’s portrayal, which is very good given the material he has received.
Captain of Chrome
Another First Order character to lose out in this film was Captain Phasma, Rian Johnson has inexplicably risen her from the jaws of trash compactor only to give her an insufficient amount of screen time and a second apparent death. The new films are quite saturated with antagonists, what with Snoke (Darth Sidious), Kylo Ren (Darth Vader), General Hux (Grand Moff Tarkin), Phasma (Boba Fett?) is more in the background but then why hype up the character so much? Why put a prominent actress under the mask? And not just for the lulz like with the Princes and Daniel Craig. It was just a waste of quite a sinister, mysterious character, a great actress, and a waste of bringing her back.
Still more screen time than in the movie
Moving swiftly through to the next underused talent, Benicio Del Toro as “DJ”. Firstly, DJ isn’t even the “Codebreaker” Finn and Rose were sent to find, they decide that it would be a GREAT idea to recruit a man they meet in a prison cell and are then SHOCKED when he eventually betrays them to the First Order. Showing once and for all that War is an endless cycle with an area of grey between the opposing sides full of indifferent people profiting from the spoils. Although this is a great a message and something we haven’t seen before in the Star Wars movies, the creators could have focused more on the character’s back-story, motivations and given Del Toro more room to actually perform, rather than the over-edited scenes of Canto Bight we were actually exposed to. Again, I get the relevance of Canto Bight in Finn’s development from “I must help Rey” to “Rebel Scum”; but this could have been done using DJ as the “Codebreaker” to perhaps further delve into the deference, corruption and greed seen in that Casino town. But then where would we fit in space-horse racing?
CONTINUITY DOES NOT EXIST
J. J. Abrams gave us a nostalgic return to the Star Wars franchise with The Force Awakens in 2015; although many people criticised it due to it’s uncanny resemblance to the Episode IV plot (doesn’t seem so bad now doesit?), I very much enjoyed this instalment and many times found myself squealing and fan-girling in my seat. Unfortunately, Rian Johnson has decided to ignore most of what the previous film gave us and almost create a stand-alone movie.
First Order be like… “Meh, didn’t like that base anymore anyway. Just gonna bring up this mega-fleet and Dreadnoughts we never mentioned”.
The fact that the Resistance destroyed the Star-Killer Base in The Force Awakens seems to be of little consequence to the First Order, as they are now chasing the Resistance to the ends of the galaxy. This is a recurring theme even within The Last Jedi, even though Holdo destroys much of the First Order fleet with her light-speed attack, the First Order still have an army with which they can launch a ground assault on Crait. Furthermore, we still aren’t really sure where the First Order have come from and why they arose. Sure we have the maniacal ramblings and speeches from General Hux in both films, and the Opening Crawl text describes them as “risen from the ashes of the Empire”, but no real explanation as to where they came from and how they have amassed apparently infinite numbers of followers in just 30 years since the Empire was destroyed. If you read a little bit deeper in to the story outside the movies, you find out that Hux’s father was part of the previous Imperial movement as an overseeing officer at Arkanis Academy. But you need to look online or watch the Star Wars Rebels series to find out any of this.
It’s OK Rey, we’re sad too
This sort of comes under both continuity and characters but I decided to put it here as it’s another example of Rian Johnson’s complete disregard for the events of The Force Awakens. Rey’s parents. Her family was introduced as a mysterious enigma, a premise that had the fan theories going wild all over the internet. Is she a Solo? Is she a Skywalker? Is it going to be another obscure character from the numerous films, literature, games, or series? Nope. They’re nobody. But we all knew that in our hearts, right? I, like so many other people, hope that Kylo was lying so that he might destabilise her and draw her to his side. Please J. J. Abrams??
I wanna just circle back to Phasma for one second. A trash compactor?! But it’s OK! She’s fine! The chrome suit is just that strong! It will probably save from that fire too…
DO YOU REMEMBER EPISODES IV, V AND VI? DO YOU? DO YOU?!
There are quite a few of these so I’m going to bullet points these:
Rebels have been found by first order and are escaping their base aka Hoth
Ahch-Too aka Degoba
Black hole on Ahch-Too aka dark tree on Degoba
Rey sees her reflection, Luke sees himself in Vader
“I feel the good in you” spoken by Luke to Vader and Rey to Kylo
Obi-Wan, A New Hope – “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”. Luke, The Last Jedi – Pretty much the same thing
The Emperor, Return of the Jedi – “Come, boy, see for yourself. From here, you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant rebellion”. Pretty much the same as Snoke’s scene with Rey where he tells her to watch the destruction of the Resistance.
LUKE
Over the last few weeks we’ve heard a lot about whether Mark Hamill loved or hated the film. Also seen a couple of “Not my Luke Skywalker” posts.
“What the hell did I just read?”
I didn’t hate the character entirely, again these points go across sections so I made a special section, but I didn’t appreciate the injection of comedy and the very uncomfortable space-cow scene. It also seems strange to me that he can be so trusting and sure of the good in Vader during the original trilogy, but toys with murdering Ben Solo (before Kylo) because he’s sees a little darkness. The real issue we’ve had is the inconsistency; in The Force Awakens, we are told that Luke left a map behind so that the Resistance can find him if they find themselves in great need. But now he acts stubborn and obstructive when he is found by Rey. I understand why he would be reluctant to train Rey (at this point I turned to my friend and said “Too old, yes, too old to begin the training” nearly right) but he should be more supportive of the Resistance. I see the shift from Hero to Hope they are going for in this film, but it doesn’t quite match up with The Force Awakens, and will it progress into Episode IX?
Last but not least SPOILER Luke’s death. It was very creative the way they hinted at his projection by not leaving the red indentations on the planet Crait; however, would it have been cooler if Luke had actually been there? Sure there might be a timing issue (how’d he get there so fast?! A la Batman in Dark Knight Rises) but if he’d have actually deflected that attack it would have been an incredible display of power! Or, if he’d had projected himself, then NOT died, that would also have been good. I think him allowing Kylo Ren to defeat him would have been way too similar to Obi-Wan in A New Hope.
Overall, I guess you could say I was disappointed. The Last Jedi looks and feels like a Star Wars movie but lacks conviction, continuity and emotion.
Looking forward to the next movie, in the immortal words of Master Yoda: Failure is our greatest teacher.
If you agree, disagree, or think I’ve missed something, be sure to leave a comment and follow our Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
Based on the novel of the same name, Molly’s Game is based on the rise and fall of Molly Bloom, who in her 20s, was hosting the world’s most exclusive Poker tournaments in both LA & NYC. Attracting the biggest names in Hollywood, sports and business, her game was rolling in millions, before inevitably getting the unwanted attention of organised crime & the mafia.
Before taking up her place in law school, Molly Bloom (Chastain) decides to take a year out, taking up part time jobs to support herself. During this time, while working as an assistant, she gets introduced to the world of underground Poker, planning the logistics for her boss’s poker nights. It’s not before long, she uses her wits & smarts to get her foot into this lavish lifestyle, and has her own business running. But after falling foul to the law, she needs to rely on her charismatic defense attorney, Charlie Jaffey (Elba) in order to avoid the full brunt off the law.
The film has been referred to in the same breath as The Wolf of Wall Street, and in a sense, it is a similar story, they both start from nothing, earning millions, before the collapse of a mighty empire. But unlike TWOWS, where all the activity was clearly illegal from the start, Molly does her best to keep things as legal as possible. Chastain is brilliant as Molly, bringing a certain likability and dynamism to the character. Though the business she takes partakes in, is morally askew, for most parts, she stays on the right side of things. Her monologues are full of wit and sarcasm, which makes her character thoroughly entertaining. Her interactions with Elba are also highly amusing, both characters are intelligent and charming, so their verbal sparring is great fun to watch. Their characters also avoid the trap of falling into a clichéd romance, which was a nice change for once.
Jessica Chastain in MOLLY’S GAME
The most captivating parts of the film are obviously all the Poker scenes, where they flashback to the events prior to her arrest. You don’t have to be an expert in Poker to know what is going on, as the movie explains everything in an engaging fashion. Not to mention, the real life addition of a big time Hollywood celebrity (whose identity can be easily found out with a quick search online!) adds an interesting dimension to the story. These are the parts of the movie you’ve come to see, and Chastain carries all of them with supreme grace.
Though most of the film is compelling to watch, the film really suffers in the final act. With her relationship with her father (Kevin Costner) playing a pivotal role. The film grinds to a halt, and adds an unnecessary 20 minutes to the entire movie. That really is the only real flaw that could be said about a film that for most parts, it’s mighty enjoyable. Of course some liberties are taken from the source material, in order to make the film more enjoyable, but that’s to be expected for any book that is converted for the big screen.
Coming out of New Year, Molly’s Game is a perfect way to start the year at the cinema! Yes the finale is underwhelming, the majority of the movie is riveting.
When Jumanji : Welcome To The Jungle, was announced, it was met with much derision from fans. Was this really necessary? Will it ruin the fond memories of the original starring Robin Williams? Jumanji, unlike Dwayne Johnson’s previous attempt to revive some 90s nostalgia, Baywatch, Jumanji :Welcome To The Jungle is an exuberant joy ride from start till end!
Dwayne Johnson in JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.
The story here has been shifted to the current millennial age, and in order to fit this time, the Jumanji board game has become a retro video game, basically evolving to survive in a time when board games are of little interest! Our protagonists, whom are all the usual high school stereotypes, end up digging out the video game while being thrown into detention together. The twist here though, is unlike the original, where the game came to them, here, they get sucked into the game!
To make things even more interesting, our students end up in the bodies of the avatars they selected for the game. Spencer (Alex Wolff), the nerdy gamer is now in the body of Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Johnson), a 6″5, 250lb hero, with no real weaknesses. Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), the school jock, is the diminutive Franklin “Mouse” Finbar (Hart), who is essentially Bravestone’s assistant. Bethany (Madison Iseman), the selfie obsessed cheerleader, ends up as she says ‘a middle aged fat man’ in Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon (Black). Martha, our shy, introverted teen, is now the confident & dangerous Ruby Roundhouse (Gillan).
The story is simple, get the Jaguar’s Eye, a magical gem, back to its resting place, to save the jungle, though it’s not as east as it may seem. Each of them are limited to 3 lives, and not only is the jungle trying to kill them, but the villainous Van Pelt (Cannavale) is also in a deadly pursuit of the gem.
The body swapping angle is really what makes this film shine. With most of our all star cast playing roles that they don’t play. The Rock, is someone who is the opposite of the charismatic mountain of muscle that he is. Jack Black is having a blast playing the bratty teen diva, and Gillan is still an insecure teenage, even though in the game she is a beautiful lady who can also kill you swiftly with her deadly martial arts skills! It’s really only Kevin Hart doing his usual routine, but even then, his interactions with Johnson is golden. Finbar, who in reality, is the athletic, tall, confident jock, has to come to terms that in the game, he really is none of that, and it’s in fact Spencer, who he looks down upon, who is the real hero. All four of the cast work great, and really excels the movie to something more memorable.
Kevin Hart stars in JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.
The video game plot also adds plenty of laughs for all the gamers out there. From NPCs, cut scenes, and character strength & weaknesses, there are various little details that give the film a charming gloss. This really makes the film stand out from the original, so they really cannot be compared directly.
The only thing that really does bring the movie down, is the laughably poor villain. Van Pelt really wasn’t needed, and could have been removed from the story altogether. All it did was extend the run time, and remove the excitement from the film whenever it cut back to whatever he was up to. The story line would have worked perfectly well if it was a simple task of going from A to B, with the jungle trying to defeat you. The villain was just a distraction, and never really proved a threat. Villain aside, the film doesn’t really make the most out of the 3 lives gimmick, at no point, do you ever really fear for one of the main characters biting the dust, considering the menacing environment they are in.
Jumanji : Welcome To The Jungle is amusing holiday film, with a wonderful cast, humour, and surprisingly intense action scenes, it really is a blast. Only downside to it really is the mediocre villain, who helps bloat the movie to over two hours. Even with that, the film pretty much stands on par with its 90s counterpart.
With 2017 coming to an end, it’s that time again to look at what films bring shame to the year! This is a list of the terrible films that I watched myself, can’t watch every movie! So if I’ve missed anything, leave a comment! 🙂
So in no particular order…..
Rings
Somethings are better left in the past, and Rings is a perfect example of this. One of the aspects that made the original so eerie was the vintage feel of the VHS tapes, with their disturbing static images. It loses this vital aspect when the story is moved into the present time of digital media. That aside, Rings was still an appalling reboot, riddled with all the cliches that haunt many poor horror movies. With a story that becomes a random investigation, that takes way too long during the middle act, it feels all over the place. The CGI on Samara is also overdone, making her look like a video game character, when the effects looked more chilling over a decade ago, it’s not a great sign.
Deathnote
Following on from the lamentable Ghost in the Shell remake earlier in the year, Deathnote was the latest Manga incarnation for the West, and being produced by Netflix, fans would have hoped for a respectable adaptation. Moving the story to America may have irked some fans, but this was not the biggest problem, moving it the US would make the film more appealing to the Western market. The issues were several fold, it ruined the main protagonist, who went from a smart calculating student, to an emotional stroppy teen driven solely by his hormones. The cerebral nature of the source, is reduced to hardly anything, and the directors choice to make this into some sort of tribute to Final Destination, with it gory over the top deaths made this comical.
The Mummy
A film so highly panned by critics and audience alike, it’s pretty much destroyed the hopes of Universals ‘The Dark Universe’, an extended monster-verse using the likes of The Mummy, Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, before it even began! If it felt like DC were rushing their progress to The Justice League, The Mummy attempted to do everything in one movie! Even the star power of Tom Cruise could not save a film in which The Mummy is a supporting character, the hero and his love interest have zero chemistry and a detour in the middle of the film in which the entire movie is bought to a halt, just so they can tease future movies! A shocker!
The Snowman
This was by far the most underwhelming movie of the year for me. The Snowman is almost laughably funny, for a film that’s supposed to be shrouded in the gritty Scandinavian crime noir vibe. What we end up with is a hilariously predictable & tepid villain (seriously, they never explain why they were obsessed with snowmans), plot lines that literally go no where (oh hey there random winter Olympics bid) and characters making shockingly bad decisions for the sake of creating any sense of drama. Though it had a strong cast in Michael Fassbender & Rebecca Ferguson, both are utterly forgettable. Even the talented J.K Simmons is reduced to nothing here. Hard to see the movie follow up on a sequel, that it was teasing at the end of this dire movie.
Special mention to……
Sleepless
Something about Jamie Foxx being undercover for 5 years, mixed with some scenes from Taken. Pretty much all the time I shall give to this mundane thriller!
Flatliners
Flatliners can’t decide if it’s a medical drama, thriller, teen dorm comedy or just everything! What starts off as a unique concept, becomes so corny, you just don’t care!
The Force Awakens was a nostalgic action packed throwback, that helped the franchise get back on track, following the thoroughly underwhelming Prequel trilogy from the Early 00’s. Since then, we’ve also had the well acclaimed spin-off, Rogue One. So expectations were sky high for the latest instalment in the saga, Episode VIII, The Last Jedi.
One of the biggest criticism of TFA was the fact it stuck pretty close to its guns, and essentially, it was a rehash of the story from A New Hope, with a fresh coat of paint. In all fairness, it was a safety first approach, but it payed off, but with the sequel, the studio would have to be brave and shake things up. To keep this spoiler free, this review will be pretty concise!
TLJ carries on straight after the end of TFA, as Rey (Daisy Ridley) tracks down the reclusive Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). In search for the guidance she requires to help the resistance fight off the imminent threat of the First Order, led by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), and a bemused Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), having suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Rey last time around.
What TLJ does right, it does supremely well. The space battles as always are stunning to watch, the opening scenes of the resistance taking down a dreadnought, not only shows us the underdog nature of this war, but also the morbid consequences that follow even after the battle has been won. The final act, that takes place on the salt plains of Crait is a visual treat. Star Wars is a franchise that rarely uses blood, so the red marks left on the surface of the plains makes it a great method to show the brutality of the situation without resorting to the red stuff!
The dynamic between Rey & Kylo is intriguing throughout the film, both of our characters are conflicted in their own ways, and seeing them try to understand each others motivations adds a new layer to a story trying to play it different. Luke is also another highlight of the show, Mark Hamill has always been the one who engages the most with his fans regarding Star Wars, even to this day he still loves the fact he is Luke Skywalker! The battle scenes are as strong as ever, though the light-saber action is a bit on the downside here, the show down in Snoke’s throne room is wonderfully choreographed and shot. There is also a surprising cameo from a well loved character from Star Wars past, which will have the fans smiling.
This movie has been controversial to say the least, with fans having a far more scathing assessment than the largely positive critic reviews. To be honest, there are several flaws that really do effect the enjoyment of the movie. To avoid any big spoilers, these will be listed in a vague way, to avoid revealing too much of the story! The whole Finn & Rose arch feels very unnecessary, a way to simply pad out the already bloated run time. Finn is also reduced to very much a side character, which is a shame, considering how charismatic John Boyega is. There are several plot points from TFA that just seem to disappear, Rian Johnson, taking over from J J Abrams, seems to have struggled to weave the two movies together seamlessly. There are also decisions made by the some characters that really make no sense, seemingly only done to create another plot narrative, such as Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern), whose peculiar decision making serves no real purpose apart from creating tension.
Overall, I found TLJ a bit disappointing, The usual Star Wars shine is there, with its outlandish characters, charm and familiarity. TFA may have been some more of the same, but it still provided the audience with enjoyment, and a tidy plot. TLJ is unfortunately riddled with plot holes, character motivations and frankly some bizarre scenes (to be discussed in the spoiler review!).
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!
Starring Emma Stone & Steve Carell, Battle of the Sexes is the dramatization of the real life events in 1973 which lead to the creation of the WTA, the Women’s Tennis Association.
Battle of the Sexes takes a look back at the monumental clash between former men’s Number 1, Bobby Riggs (Carell), in the twilight on his career. Up against one of the top women’s players at the time, Billie Jean King (Stone) in an open challenge to the Women’s tour. Back in the early 70s, the Women’s game was highly disregarded in the male dominated game, with far less pay and recognition than their male counterparts. So the consequences of this clash would go far beyond the court.
Though the subject of the movie may be Tennis, the film takes a greater look into the inner conflicts and demons that our two protagonists are facing. King is struggling to deal with her sexuality, and the pressures of being away on tour from her husband. Whereas Riggs is trying to balance the end of a career with his increasing gambling addiction, which is causing immence strain in his relationship with his wife.
Battle of the Sexes is a slow burner, as the first hour focuses mainly off the court, with both Stone & Carell excelling in their performances. Though the role is far more serious than what he usually does, Carell still brings his trademark flair to the role of Riggs, bringing sympathy to a character who revels playing the pantomine villain in this show.
The struggles faced especially by King, against a system which simply does not treat her colleagues as a serious threat and the credibility they deserve provides the movie with an antagonist we can all get behind, the USLTA commsioner Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman). Sarah Silverman also shines bright as the resourceful & sassy manager of the breakaway LTA organisation.
Battle of the Sexes is a must watch for any fan of Tennis, as the influences of this event still reverberates today. It may feel like it does drag on at times, and the actual showdown isn’t as hyped up as it could have been, it feels like the drama on the court could have been built up far more greater. The 2 actors are not known for the physical roles, so it probably was expected to reduce the on court scenes in a minimum. However it’s the players personal battles off court, that soar above their battles on court.
After all the anticipation, DC’s Justice League finally hits the big screen, with all the pressure of the entire DCEU on its broad shoulders, how does it preform? It is a roaring success like Wonder Woman, or more of the same, like Suicide Squad?
The Good – Wonder Woman & The Flash
Wonder Woman proved to be a monumental success in the Summer, and it’s no surprise that she is by far the most relevant & interesting member of the group. Her role in BvS was disappointing, considering the power that she wields, but here, Gal Gadot shines again as the beacon of hope. With everything she does, she could easily be the de facto leader of the team, and does put Batman in the shade.
Justice League also sees the introduction of The Flash, to the DCEU movie-verse. With Ezra Miller providing a large chunk of the films laughs and wit. Playing the social awkward Barry Allen, The Flash jumps at the opportunity to join a super team, and most of the memorable set pieces revolve around him. His reactions to most things are pretty much how the audience would react; a solo movie for him would be largely appreciated! His inability to make friends is slightly overplayed, which can be a mild irritation!
The Bad – The Appalling CGI
For a movie that reportedly cost near $300m, the CGI here is frankly inadequate. Cyborg, who is entirely CGI, bar a part of his face looks pretty laughable at times, looking like a character model from an old PS2 game! For a character who is a major player in the story, it’s a shame he looks like a joke at times!
Then there’s the curious case of Henry Cavill, and his now infamous mustache. Due to the re-shoots that took place, following the departure of Zack Snyder from the project, Cavill was recalled to film some of his scenes, the problem though; he was contractually obliged to grow a mustache, for his upcoming role in Mission Impossible 6. With Paramount studios unwilling to break their agreement with the actor, the team at JL ended up embarrassingly having to remove the ‘stache post production. Leaving Cavill looking comically bad at times!
The Good – The Insane Action
Among the various criticisms of BvS, the lack of action & intensity was a massive flaw. Considering the film was about two titans clashing it spent far more time dealing with the inner struggles of Superman, and the plans of an irritating Luther! Justice League corrects that, and has far more action and fights, which is after all, what these huge movies should be about! There is one confrontation in the middle of the film which is pretty amazing, and works well as a treat for comic fans. There is also a spectacular sequence in Themyscira, where our villain Steppenwolf takes on a legion of Amazonian warriors, as he attempts to steal one of the motherboxes. As wave after wave of warriors try valiantly to slow down his charge.
The Bad – The Plot
This was expected, seeing as the film is essentially the work of 2 directors. Zack Snyder, who started the project, was eventually replaced by Joss Whedon, following a family tragedy. Whedon called in reshoots, after initial feedback from the movie was looking poor. Both directors have contrasting styles, with Whedon far more into the fan service and humour, as seen in Avengers Assemble. The plot revolves around our antagonist, Steppenwolf trying to gather 3 ‘Motherboxes’, which were spread across Earth, in order to take over the world, blah blah. It’s all very generic, offering nothing new or interesting. There are sporadic shifts in tone, the film will go from serious, to banter. You will have scenes such as Wonder Womans appearance in London, which went nowhere plot wise. Then you have illogical decisions, like our heroes just leaving the last Motherbox in the open, unguarded, Steppenwolf just sneaks in, and runs away with it! It’s all very abrupt. There’s also an aimless plot regarding a Russian family, which has next to no payoff! The shift in tone is so inconsistent too, in BvS, Superman was portrayed as a threat to humans, but here, everyone cares about him and is mourning. Going off the previous film, it doesn’t really flow well.
The Good – Humour
This is probably where Joss Whedon made the biggest changes to the DCEU formula. It’s clear to see that he bought in some of the magic he used for Avengers Assemble. There is great chemistry between all the team members. The Flash & Cyborg are great together; Cyborg & WW have their moments. Aquaman prefers to be the lone wolf of the team, but he still has his lines to bring out the laughs. BvS and Man of Steel were far too dreary and grim, JL is far more enjoyable to watch, and essentially, so much more fun. The mid-credit scene is typical Whedon, and all fans will laud it up!
The Bad – Batman, Aquaman & Steppenwolf
Firstly, Batman, who assembles this team, is by far the most redundant member of the team. This is a vital flaw, as in the comics, Batman, Superman & WW all have pretty much equal say in the JL. Batman’s lack of physical strength, is made up for, by the intelligence and logical thinking he brings to the squad. Here, Bruce Wayne constantly gets beat up, does nothing of any importance, and could really be left out altogether! His cerebral advantage is never shown here. He is all brawn, when they should focus on his ‘best detective in the world’ trait.
Aquaman, though portrayed amazingly by Jason Mamoa, also suffers a lot as a character. His back story is summed up very quickly, so that leaves things open for his solo outing. But his contribution to the team is pretty small, bar some moments of fun. His prime weapon is his association with water. With the battle taking place on land, he is pretty much second fiddle. He is also reduced to comic relief at times, for The Flash, this works, but for the King of the Ocean, not so much.
Steppenwolf is a major disappointment, a copy & paste villain, who at the end, is dealt with far too easily. He pretty much suffers from the same flaws the effected Ultron in Age of Ultron. A very tepid villain.
The Good – Cyborg
Unless you’re a diehard DC fan, little was known about Cyborg, played by Ray Fisher. As it turns up, Cyborg ends up playing a vital role in the movie, without him, their plans will fail. So it’s strange that he got next to no build up. His origin story is a curious one, thought the film doesn’t go into much detail, barring the fact he was in an accident. He also plays off well with The Flash, and his vital role in the team makes him far more interesting than Aquaman, and even Batman.
To sum it up, Justice League is nowhere near the epic levels of Marvels superhero ensemble, but it is a vast improvement on the likes of BvS & Suicide Squad. While the action is top notch, it inconsistent and plodding story-line, and not fully utilizing all its cast, puts Justice League in the middle of average.
Silver Screen Show 