Review: The Greatest Showman

The first time I heard about this film, I was pretty excited to see this. Especially with it being a musical and Hugh Jackman leading the way as he is a wonderful actor with a strong musical background.
I have also wanted a film about the character of P.T. Barnum, as I find the history of the birth of the circus to be one that needs to be put to film.
The closest we have come is 1952's 'The Greatest Show On Earth'. While I know that film is seen as one of the worst Oscar 'Best Picture' winners, I still see it as a really good film.

While it the film did attempt to cover the topics I was hoping they would, the film itself only just about delivered and left me somewhat satisfied.
The first half moves along nicely and we get a solid arch with many characters and stand-out set-pieces.
However, in the second half. The momentum does slow down as the story goes down routes that contradicts its own message. That for me was slowly deflating my emotion for it.

This was a passion project for Hugh Jackman and his screen presence is still as strong as you would expect. His song-and-dance experience worked well in this and did enough for me in his performance how much of a pioneer Barnum was.
It was great seeing Zac Efron go back to his musical roots and he was a pleasant addition to the cast.
I was happy to see Rebecca Ferguson be involved in this, as I think she is a great talent. But I didn't think her characters involvement added much.
Michelle Williams was massively under-used. For someone of her quality should not have been casted for something so small. However, she did well with what she was given.
For the rest of the cast, they did a pretty good job. Especially with the big dance numbers.

A big part of this film that needs to work, is the music. I managed to like it on the whole. However, the poppy and almost X-Factor style of music felt out of place at times with the period. Also, the timing of them felt odd and if you told me to sing one of them back to you, I would struggle to remember. But thankfully, it did manage to work at times. So much so, that those moments were my high points of the film. Those moments also had crowd-pleasing choreography.

I was surprised at the over-use of visual effects. There were plenty of times where I felt the use of the technology was unnecessary. While there were scenes where CGI is needed, I expected a period piece to have more practical sets and the set-pieces to be always be genuinely done by performers.

A small mention to the script. While the dialogue was a bit on the nose, it did not feel obvious enough to downgrade my feeling of the film.

So while I was disappointed with several aspects, I enjoyed it enough to give it a decent rating. I think the commitment by everyone involved helped a lot, especially when it was working for me.
I think what they did right, was show how much of an exaggerater the character of Barnum and show-business always has been and contain enough moments of the Circus spectacle and razzmatazz.

But it was a shame that they did not seem to concentrate on the parts that I and many others are expecting to see. When they did show those parts, those were the scenes that I enjoyed the most. If they did that, then I think we would have a true spectacle of 'The Greatest Show On Earth'.

It's crowd-pleasing message does lose itself in the second half. There is also a romance going on in there that felt forced and had no reason, except that the people involved are the two most popular people in the film within the teenage demographic.

I can totally see why it is not winning the critics over, but the general public seem to be happy with it. The glossy execution of the story definitely plays to a mainstream crowd. So if you're looking for a thorough account of P.T. Barnum and the beginning of the circus and how we see show-business, you will only get it in small doses.
The way they showed Barnum almost reminded me of how Walt Disney was portrayed in Saving Mr. Banks. They do show his true nature if you look closely. But on the surface, they sanitised his complex personality.

To end this on a high note, I will say that I hope this story becomes a theatre production. I say that because I feel it had plenty of moments that would work really well on stage. So fingers crossed this is given the Broadway treatment.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Molly's Game

It's not often that we have a film with Aaron Sorkin doing the writing. But when we do, it is usually a high-quality and memorable experience. However, as well as being the head of writing, Sorkin is now making his long-awaited directorial debut.

Like a lot of people, Sorkin for me is the best writer in the business right now. His slick, fast-paced and in-depth style of dialogue is a feast for the ears and enhances films in such a way that have made some of them my all-time favourites.

It is really is quite the true story. You swiftly get introduced to the situation at hand and Chastain's screen presence is instantly gripping. As you get back to loving Sorkin's dialogue, the story is getting more and more out of hand, but in a really good way.
Then as we were approaching the final act, it manages to enhance the human part of the story rather well and that gave it that extra edge over similar stories.

Jessica Chastain is nothing but an absolute powerhouse in the lead. I have always been a big fan of hers, since I first saw her in The Help. Most of her performances see her as strong, powerful and sexy all at once. In this, she is hitting all those notes to the highest quality possible. I would not be surprised if she gets nominated in the major awards.
I think Idris Elba was solid enough for me. But I don't think he was that engaging to possibly steal the show from Chastain. If it wasn't for the strong writing from Sorkin, then I think he may have been disappointing. But Elba's execution of the dialogue was perfectly fine to get by and it never detracted my enjoyment levels.
Chastain and Elba's together was a strong point and the execution of the comedic moments worked well.
It was great seeing Kevin Costner and I felt he was a pleasing addition and contributed well when needed. I was expecting this, but I liked the performance of Michael Cera. He is probably one of my most hated actors. But seeing him in this and 'This Is The End', I was engaged and invested with his character.

I was only aware of the character of Molly Bloom through her sporting background and the success of her brothers as well. So it was fascinating to know about this story and I think Sorkin and his team have told really well.
I think this is a highly entertaining watch with great performances and obvious vintage writing from the man himself. The impressive performance by Chastain and the way she executed the dialogue made this one of the best performances of the year. The support is not exceptional but solid all-round nervertheless, the pacing is fairly fast and slick in its style. It also gets emotional in the perfect amount of doses.
It may be 2hrs 20 mins, but it certainly does not feel like it. I hope to see Sorkin branch out into more directing roles, whilst also remaining the head of writing of course. If you think the art of writing in the movie industry is dead, just check this out and you can still find some high-quality writers.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

What is now becoming a regular event now, mid-December every year now means a new Star Wars film is coming out.

Now while I did have fun with The Force Awakens and enjoyed it every time I watch it, the safe approach and similarities to A New Hope was too much to ignore. So that's why I consider Episode VII to be good rather than great. So I did come into this new installment with some trepidation, but still some excitement. One reason for this was that director Rian Johnson has been set for the next trilogy once this one has included. That obviously shows that the studio is happy with his vision for the future of the franchise.

Well one thing is for, is that Johnson has gone for a unique approach with many bold choices and new routes for the main saga to take. There is a lot going on and the information that you're having to digest will probably take a fair amount of time to get your defined opinion on the film. It could very well require another viewing, if not more.
My feelings throughout were very mixed. There were plenty of entertaining moments in-between the unsure and problematic moments.

From the cast, there were a good amount of strong performances. The connection between Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley could well be the strongest part of the film. As for the individuals, Hamill was great. It's as if he has never been away and he never seemed to miss a beat of the Luke Skywalker we all know. For Ridley, I think she enhanced Rey really well and it felt very believable and I continue to be a big fan of her character.
Andy Serkis did a great job as Snoke. He gave him such a presence and a force to be reckoned with. Plus the visual effects on him looked incredibly real and felt more like a practical effect.
I'm still unsure what to make of Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. The performance was fine. It was the character and the conflicted route that he's taking that is making me question whether to care for him.
Carrie Fisher did a solid job in her final role as Leia. It was certainly sad seeing her first moments on screen knowing that this is the last time we'll see her. But like Kylo Ren, there were times that her character went to a place that I struggled to get on board with, but in a more extreme way.
John Boyega did not feel that memorable for me. He was fine, but nothing more. His sub-plot with a new character that was well played by Kelly Marie Tran was solid for the most part. Then there was certainly a forced moment that I did not agree with at all.
I really liked the addition of Benicio Del Toro's character. From his introduction, I could tell this was a character I needed to know about. It certainly gave us an insight to another part of this galaxy that is playing their part in this war.
As for the other notables, Oscar Isaac I felt did a solid job, I liked that Domnhall Gleeson was less involved and tone down his over-the-top performance from The Force Awakens and Laura Dern did not give me much as this character I'm afraid. Had no real impact, except partly contributing to a pretty cool moment just before the final act.
One final thing I will mention was that I liked the use of C-3PO in this film. Did not come off as annoying as I felt he was in the final act of The Force Awakens. The way they used was very reminiscent of his characters chemistry with Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back.

For the most part, I liked some of the choices that were made. The execution of those moments were either solid, good or very good. One thing in particular that I don't think will spoil the film is the light-sabre sequences. They were great to watch. There were moments that I have been wanting to see in a light-sabre battle that I got to see in this one. I was completely satisfied with that aspect. But there were plenty of unsure moments, and were certainly some moments that completely did not agree with at all.

The lore and mythology has certainly been expanded and evolved in this one, and it will definitely spark debate. But I think it will do that in a good way. Lots of it I was finding it difficult to make a instant reaction to. So maybe over time, I will form an opinion and the expansion of this part of the story.

I liked the humor for the most part. There were small moments when it didn't work and there were certainly times where it felt like it shouldn't belong in a Star Wars film.

While I did enjoy many moments and set-pieces, I found it hard to get fulfillment of the entire story, and I think that might be something to do with the flow of the film. I think the pacing matched well with the tone. But it was the flow that did not work that much. To me there felt to be scattered transitions between scenes or moments. Dare I say it felt all over the place.

John Williams is back with composing the score, and I honestly don't know what to make of it. It just felt a lot of familiar pieces and hardly any new ones.

Sadly, there are plenty of other things I would like to comment on. But to avoid spoilers, I will say no more.

What I will say is that, I admired the risk and boldness Rian Johnson and his team took with this one. I wanted something totally different, and I certainly got that. Did it work? Did it end up being a cohesive story? I'm not sure that it did.
There's a healthy amount of rich content. I liked the chemistry and development between Luke and Rey, there were cool light-sabre moments, I thought Serkis as Snoke was very menacing and he felt like a genuine formidable villain, there are some cute new small additions and I really enjoyed Benicio Del Toro's character.

But I have many unsure feelings about it as well as problems. You can certainly feel Johnson's love for the material and trying to expand this universe into many different places. But I think they were trying to cram too much new information that they forgot to create a well-rounded story that felt like it could stand by itself. I fear this might just be a platform/set-up for us to process these new details in preparation for future main saga films. Marvel did that with 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' and it definitely felt like Star Wars did it with this. My enjoyment might get elevated after a 2nd viewing, as it gives you very little time to breathe. But I highly doubt it.
Plus the 2hrs 32mins run-time felt a bit unnecessary. It did not feel it deserved to be that long. There were plenty of sub-plots that were pointless, went nowhere and could have easily been cut from the film.

Thankfully, I did like enough of it and I welcome further ballsy approaches to the next installments. You're bound to hit a home-run with one of them. With Johnson being the director of a new trilogy that we don't know where in the timeline this will take place, I will approach them with caution but excitement as to what he will give us next.
As for episode IX, there is something that they're building up to, but episode VIII did not get me as excited as I feel I should be.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Stronger

Since the tragic incident at the 2013 Boston Marathon, movies involving stories from that event have started to come out.
The very end of last year saw Patriots Day, which presented how the breakdown of tracking down the two bombers. I really liked it and was universally well praised.

Now we have a more human story about the most publicized of the survivors, Jeff Bauman.

While it was a hard time, Boston really showed the world how much of a community they are. I have noticed that during my couple of decades of sports viewing, especially with the Red Sox. While I don't support any of the Boston teams, I did feel somewhat happy when one of them succeeds, except the Patriots. But that's story for another time.

As for the film, I was rather impressed by it. On paper, it sounds formulaic. But its structure felt really authentic, convincing, believable and honest as well as emotional. It does not mess around with the situation at hand, and then it moves at a gentle pace as we see the struggles our characters are facing.
I like it that they showed the bleak side of being a local hero that the media does not usually show. But as we headed towards the end, it does hint at heading the route similar to that of the strange and not that good 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'. But thankfully, that's all it ever did and we were quickly got back on track to an emotional finale.

Jake Gyllenhaal is great as usual. I have always admired the films he chooses and his style of acting is never the type that wants to get noticed. I never feel like he's acting. He always looks like he is just in the moment and being a real person, and you can really feel his characters vulnerability throughout in this one. There is one completely gripping and tense at the very end of the first act, that is really powerful stuff, and that was thanks in part to Gyllenhaal.
Also, his chemistry with Tatiana Maslany was pretty strong, genuine and was engaging to watch. Apparantly Maslany is more known for her TV work. But I hope this pushes her movie career and I really enjoyed watching her. Miranda Richardson did a really good job and became quite integral and highly memorable, especially in the first half.

The only thing I had a problem with was the ending. I can see the this part of the film being heavily criticized for it feeling too Hollywoodized and cliched. I will agree with that for the most part, but there some genuinely emotional moments in that segment, and I felt everything that preceded it made me a bit more lenient with their execution of the final act.

But on the whole, I really liked this. It never felt like one of those inspiring road-to-recoveries like in a Rocky film. The journey this story took felt very real and it did not pull any punches. It made you feel the pain our central character was feeling when adjusting to this dramatic change in his life, plus the people around him.
Jake Gyllenhaal alone is worth the price of a ticket as he continues to expand his strong back catalogue, and I will forever be excited for any of his future projects.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Disaster Artist

When news appeared of this film being made, so many people have been wanting to watch 'The Room', the film that inspired James and Dave Franco to create this.

I have been aware of 'The Room', the 2003 film being that has been labelled as 'the best worst movie of all-time' for quite a few years now. But it was only recently until I decided to sit down and experience it, and it is most certainly that. The Room is clearly one of the worst films of all-time. However, it manages to be something that you cannot take your eyes off, has many scenes that need to be seen to be believed.

Since it's introduction to culture, it has gained a huge following and has many regular screenings across the world, including a monthly midnight screening at a cinema in London. It has been talked about for quite some time, and thousands of people including myself quickly catching up and understanding why this truly awful movie has become the cult classic that it deserves to be.

My instant response after seeing it, was that the film and the story manages to be as insane as you would expect it to be. They do a great introduction of Tommy Wiseau and you just can't take your eyes off him. There were so many scenes that people who have seen 'The Room' would get great excitement of knowing how crazy certain moments will pan out. You see incredible re-creations of scenes from the film.
By the end of it, you realise that Franco wanted to give this story some humanity and emotion whilst also celebrating the legacy that this film has left.
I was hoping that this wasn't going to re-create the film and make it funny for the sake of it. Thankfully, they didn't. They showed how endearing this story is whilst also remembering the wonderful flaws the film that they are making has. This film definitely does not laugh at Wiseau. You do feel pity and be inspired for the people involved. It is a wonderfully dramatic celebration for the fans of the film.

James Franco totally transforms into the mysterious enigma that is Tommy Wiseau. The first time you see him on screen and the anticipation of waiting for Franco to do Wiseau's mannerisms is highly exciting.
While James is playing the character everyone is coming to see, it is Dave Franco who shines. With the story being adapted from a book written by Dave's character, seeing the story from his perspective gives him a strong amount of depth and you can easily get invested with him as much as James.
It was cool seeing Seth Rogan and Joss Hutcherson be involved. There is also an almost unrecognisable cameo that has one amazing scene that might have stolen the entire film.

I have to sadly admit that there were times where it slightly over-does it, especially just before the credits which lingered the ending a bit. Thankfully, it was not enough to degrade my overall enjoyment of it.

This could have been as much of a disaster as 'The Room', but it was a thoroughly satisfying time. This really shows how special 'The Room' has become for so many people. It can make a great companion piece with films like Ed Wood, Saving Mr. Banks or even The Producers.

The performances are spot on, it's consistently hilarious and the screenplay and production design is really strong. It almost felt like an actual documentary during the filming scenes.

Whether you've seen 'The Room' or not, I think you can still enjoy this film as there are not many 'private joke' moments. But it would obviously help to watch 'The Room' beforehand to understand why this film has been made.

I must mention that there is a fun post-credits scene that gives it a nice final touch to a fun viewing experience.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Wonder

The first I heard of this film at the start of the year, it sounded like an Oscar bait film that would feel rather schmaltzy and over-sentimental.
But after getting highly positive reviews a few weeks ago from America including a few mentions of Oscar contendership, the level of marketing has jumped considerably and is getting a much bigger release then I had anticipated.

I was enjoying the opening as the tone seemed to be one I was hoping it would be. Then I started to see why it was getting the high-quality praise. It really enhanced every aspect and drove its message to be worthy of tearful and uplifting.

What I liked about it the most, was that it wasn't all about the central character. The way they structured it, meant that they heavily developed all the main supporting characters and it moved me in the right way that it intended to.
It managed to be more complex then you would think when approaching this. I also expected the makers of this to aim for a tear-jerker. But in the end, it's more uplifting then anything else. Yes it has its sad and depressing moments, but you feel like punching the air and skipping out of the screening room.

As mentioned before, the character development was aplenty and the performances capitalised on that opportunity. Jacob Tremblay was in leading role. His performance in Room was nothing short of phenomenal and I will never forget it. In this latest role, it was another top bit of acting. His screen presence is something quite incredible. You instantly get the sense of his characters struggles. There were plenty of times where he was basically playing himself due to the character having similar interests to himself.
Izabela Vidovic really shone and was the stand-out performance from the supporting roles. Her story ended up being as strong and engaging as the central focal point of this film and that was helped by memorable contribution.
As for the two big names in this film, Julia Roberts rolled back the years and was almost channeling Erin Brockovich and reminded us how strong of a talent she is. As for Owen Wilson, he fitted into the tone rather well and has a charming presence throughout.
There were a lot of child actors in this one. Outside of Tremblay, Noah Jupe was the most notable. He did a good job and certainly had his shining moments.

The big danger to avoid in this type of story is not over-do the emotions. There were obvious moments of sugar-coating, especially towards the end. But thankfully it was not enough to degrade my overall enjoyment for this.

While most films of this ilk are rarely exceptional, this was one of those films where it really did work. The story structure has a great amount of depth that certainly makes it a more memorable viewing experience and gives you many memorable characters.
There's many good comedic moments and the references it uses was pretty cool to see take place. But there are also several expected emotional scenes that will certainly cause a few tearful moments.

I must finally mention that with this film having a PG rating, this is great time to show this to kids as it will send an important message.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Brigsby Bear

There are plenty of films that come out of Sundance Film Festival that I would never usually go out and see. This particular film must be the very definition of a festival film.

This passion project by director Dave McCary and leading actor Kyle Mooney, have moved on from their adventures on Saturday Night Live, and have made something that is getting nothing but high praise throughout the festival circuit this year.

The beginning of the movie is hard to work out what is going on and is almost surreal. I was seeing comparisons to Room or 10 Cloverfield Lane early on, and was fearing this would be too strange and quirky for its own good.
But when events started unfolding and you start to work out the situation, you managed to be embraced with the story at the same time. Once that is settled, you are along for such a memorable ride and one highly enjoyable viewing experience.

The cast all contribute beautifully to the cause, but it is the lead Kyle Mooney that is dominating the screen. It is easy to forget that a lot of comedic actors can play drama really well. The best example has always been Jim Carrey, whose best work for me is in two dramas 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' and 'The Truman Show' despite being associated more with this comedies such as 'Dumb & Dumber', 'Ace Venture: Pet Detective', 'Liar Liar' and many more.
Mooney's performances was so genuine that you almost that what we're seeing is a real-world situation unfolding right in front of us. I hope this gives him the breakthrough into many more film roles.
While I think everyone in their supporting and minor roles were great, I wouldn't say there were any particular stand-outs. The strongest and most memorable one probably came from Greg Kinnear. He's given enough content and conjure up scene-stealing moments.
It was also great seeing Mark Hamill in something outside of Star Wars. If people know about Hamill's amazing voice-work in various animations, then you'll be please to know that they make clever use of those skills that he possesses.

The films strengths are definitely in its originality, which is enhanced by its strong writing. It instantly reminded me of how important your upbringing and influences define you as a person.

I don't even have negatives to mention. So it's all about the strength of the story and how much it affected me.

So while the story is so strange, it ends up being so sweet, charming and utterly wonderful. It is film that wonderfully portrays the art of film-making, story-telling, imagination, creativity and that is well-written, and told at such a gentle and jolly pace. Mooney is just brilliant and gives us one of the most delightful and sincere performances I have seen for years. There are plenty of laughs to be head. They might not be clever on like an Edgar Wright level, but it works every time.
If you think there is a lack of refreshing new stories, this will bring back your love of cinema.

I strongly recommend you go out of your way and check this out, as its films like this that deserve a strong box-office. Plus, I think maybe the less you know about it, the better. You won't instantly get into the story, but when you do, just can't help but smile and laugh along with these wonderful character. You see this phrase on umpteen posters, but I truly think this could be the feel-good film of the year.

Rating: 9/10

Review: Justice League

Despite the success of Wonder Woman, a new DC film string brings a whole heap of nerves from me, the audience and its hardcore fans.
It's safe to say that the road to getting to this point has been pretty bumpy.

A lot of studio executive power has forced changes into the majority of their films, that it has completed ruined the viewing experience.
We started with Man Of Steel, and while it was not exceptional, it was still good enough I felt.

Then came 'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice'. Some nice action, but a story that was incredibly messy and went off down strange tangents that virtually made no sense. 'Suicide Squad' was a big let down. I saw so much potential in this, and yet it managed to inflict itself and become a disappointment. 'Wonder Woman' came out earlier this year, and it is universally seen as DC's best film. It is well told story with many interesting and well-written characters, and it became a pretty action-packed and fun viewing experience.

Now we come to the franchises first team-up feature that is supposed to be a culmination of the studios first phase. Fellow superhero franchise studio Marvel did a great job in 2012 with 'Avengers Assemble'. I'm afraid, the the errors of 'BvS' and 'SS' have returned.

It's a great big rush at the start trying to fit everything in. Thankfully, the fun value keeps this moving despite the obvious problems this has with its telling of the story and its editing.
The action set-pieces were fun to watch, especially one halfway through. The team comradery was working enough for me and despite many forced jokes that on the whole fell flat, it ended up being passable entertainment.

The ratio of good performances from bad from the cast, managed to get a positive out of me. Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck remain to be the great choices as Wonder Woman and Batman.
Gadot shows great leadership in this, and it will take quite an effort to topple her performances in any future DC films.
Affleck is doing some solid work in this and his chemistry with Jeremy Irons as Alfred is still fun to watch.

I was pleasantly surprised by what they did Ray Fisher's character Cyborg. Going into this, he was easily the least known superhero and therefore the one we cared the least. Plus the CGI on him looked awful in the clips building up to this. But not only did the design of him looked better, the character was given some good development and came off as fairly interesting and pretty integral to the team.
I was not impressed by Jason Mamoa's efforts with Aquaman. We got very little about the reasoning for him being there, his history and the character came off as a bit of a dick. An under developed dick may I add.
Ezra Miller as The Flash was incredibly annoying by the end. His introduction gave some promise. But every gag fell so flat and his general creepy presence might it either comfortably or annoying when another forced comedic moment was cringe worthy. Dare I say it was almost on a JarJar Binks annoyance level?
The villain voiced by Ciaran Hinds was very forgettable, non-threatening and even more disposable then most of Marvels antagonists.
Amy Adams and Diane Lane were pretty irrelevant, and while it was nice to see J.K. Simmons in this as Commissioner Gordon, he was also given very little to do.

There is an appearance of one character that I won't mention to avoid spoilers. But all I'll say this, their entrance and opening exchanges were extremely odd and creepy. But on the whole, it was ok at best. There is been a fair amount of discussion on CGI on this particular character. It certainly looked noticeable for the most, and it did look great. It reminded me of the mouth movement of youn-Jeff Bridges in 'Tron: Legacy'.

I noticed in the credits that Danny Elfman did the score for this. You can certainly hear hints of the his 1989 Batman theme, which was cool to notice. I also heard bits of John Williams' Superman theme done differently. As for the score on the whole, it was romping, pretty enjoyable and it might be the films strongest aspect.

I wasn't too impressed however by the visual effects. There is a high amount of CGI infested scenes, and too much of it looked cartoony in its look and sub-standard.
I always go back to Jurassic Park. That came out in 1993, and that will forever looks as real as practical effects. How can some studios show that we're going backwards with this technology?

So while it is clearly as messy in its attempt to make a coherent story as 'Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice' and 'Suicide Squad', the fun value and memorable enough characters makes this a better viewing then those two.
I just want the studios to stop messing with every directors vision and quit rushing everything to get us into the landmark team-up features. I know this one had some changes that were highly unfortunate and out of their hands. But it still had too many high-powered people poking their opinions in to add or remove certain things that just ruined the flow of the story. It might not matter to the people that have read the comics and are aware of the graphic novel. But how are you supposed to introduce these characters to the general audience and make us care for them?
If I see more and more the same mistakes, then I can see this franchise die sooner than you think. Don't be surprised if we see an 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past' type of movie where everything is erased and we begin a re-boot.

As expected, DC have given in and basically copied Marvel's way of post credit scenes. There is one early on in the credits that supposed to be funny, but isn't. However, I was intrigued by the one at the very end of the credits. I'll be intrigued to see where that goes.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Since debuting at the Venice Film Festival, the amount of buzz and praise for this has made this the Oscar front-runner.
From the last few years, the first film labelled as the favourite to win Best Picture usually does not win as the level of hype surrounding eventually wears off.

That being said, I was still hugely excited to see Martin McDonagh's newest feature.

Ever since seeing the brilliant dark comedy 'In Bruges', I have been highly impressed by his tone and style of entertainment. The next film he did was 'Seven Psycopaths' and while it didn't match my love for his previous work, it was still a brilliantly written and entertaining film.

His newest feature is a wonderful piece of work. While understanding early on that the story is sad and depressing, you just can't help yourself laugh at the dark gags that are taking place.
You get instantly invested with the characters and they all have a such a strong presence. The gags keep working, the story is developing so well, and there are even some of the most shocking imagery you will see in any film this year as well.

The acting across the board is phenomenal. Give Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell the Oscar for Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. McDormand is an absolute bad-ass in her role. It is no-nonsense, gets straight to the point and is right up there with the strongest female characters of all-time. As for Sam Rockwell, he has always been seen as one of the best supporting actors of our generation, and I think this could very well be his crowning achievement. The development that his character has in this film to wonderful to see and the end product is the films shining star.
Woody Harrelson is having quite a surge in bringing his A-game in the last few years, and this is another memorable outing for his Hollywood legend. There are plenty of other memorable performances in the minor roles. One huge stand-out was Peter Dinklage. Every thing he did stole the show in whatever scene he was in.
It was great to see Caleb Landry Jones in another big project. Since his breakthrough in X-Men: First Class, he has been appearing in big projects on a more consistent basis this year.
Other notable performances came from Lucas Hedges, John Hawkes, Samara Weaving and McDonagh regular Zeljko Ivanek.

Despite the film concentrating more on the performances and writing, a fair amount of the technical side is noticeably strong. The cinematography by Ben Davis is really well done, especially at the time when there is some long-tracking shots.
I was really surprised by the score by Carter Burwell. It almost plays out like a western in certain scenes and felt like a welcomed addition to enhancing certain scenes.

I don't have any major negatives. However, I wasn't too hot about the ending. I have warmed to it eventually and understood what the director was going for. But in the moment of watching it, it kind of disappointed me.

But as I have come to terms with it, I feel that it is wonderfully crazy. McDonagh is a master of balancing the tones of hilarious comedy with lots of clever uses of swearing as well as dark and shocking drama. He pulls off the timing of the transition between those emotions perfectly. It's mad to think how much and enjoyment you can get out of a story that is actually rather dark and depressing.

I can definitely see winning a healthy amount of major awards, and this could be the film I'll be supporting during awards season.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Wonderstruck

Since I saw 'Carol', I have always been keeping an eye on any of director Todd Haynes' future projects.

His style of directing really appealed to me and I would happily check out what projects he wants to explore next.

This particular one I noticed was based on a novel from the same author that wrote 'The Invention Of Hugo Cabret', which was made into a film by Martin Scorsese called 'Hugo', which is one of my favourites of this current decade.

While it is sadly massively inferior to Hugo, I felt pretty entertained by it. When you look at Scorsese's 'Hugo', you can see if directed the wrong way, it could have been far too melodramatic and over-sentimental. Sadly, the director seems to concentrate more on the schmaltz when it comes to the story.
But from a technical side, it is very impressive. The film splits off it two completely different genres to fit into its respective time period. I makes great use of silent cinema story-telling in one half of the story. There were some strangely powerful scenes in that portion of the tale.
There is also a funky and yet dirty look in the other, and it felt far too accurate to be true.
The story does move along pretty well and it kept me interested throughout, despite it almost touching the same amount over-sentimentality of something like August Rush towards the end.

I thought the performances by the kids especially were really good. Millicent Simmonds was the stand-out. She perfectly fitted into the period her character was in and was a delightful screen presence. Simmonds could be a land-mark breakthrough in the acting profession. Once you see the film, you'll know why.
Oakes Fegley gave a strong and heart-felt contribution in his role and was impressive for his age. His chemistry with fellow youngster Jaden Michael was enjoyable to see develop.

Despite Julianne Moore being the biggest name in the cast list, she did not have much to do and was perfectly fine and yet unremarkable at the same time in her role.
There's not many other performances to speak of, apart from that I noticed Cory Michael Smith have a small role in this. You may know him from playing Edward Nygma in the Gotham TV series.

Haynes designs technically brilliant films, and this one is no different. The level of detail, the mechanics and delicate style of editing of his films are fantastic to watch.
There is a use of models in certain scenes towards the end, and it looks impressive in its creation.

Sadly, it's weakest department is its story, and that brings my rating for it down as that usually a films most integral aspect. As I said before, Haynes and his team do go for a more schmaltzy approach. It's not totally sugar-coated. It's not at the end, where its at its most melodramatic.
It's also a bit on-the-nose at times, which is why it was obvious how it was going to end early on.

Even though you I could see where it was going, the adventure and journey getting there is fairly enjoyable, sweet and heart-warming for the most part.
It's a film where its craft and technical achievements are superior to the story. So there is a lot to like. But sadly, the story is nothing exceptional. But the other things happening around are really good to watch.
One thing I noticed is that I think kids can get really into this. It's definitely suitable for family viewing, and this would be a great way to open their eyes into other ways of telling stories in films rather than being a loud and bright feature with simple messages.

Rating: 7/10

Review: You Were Never Really Here

Outside of the hype this was getting from other film festivals, I was also intrigued by this feature as it stars Joaquin Phoenix.

The 3-time Oscar nominee is definitely one of the most talented actors around right now.
I like it that he seems to pick and choose his projects and seeing him feels like a treat.

I think that's enough of a briefing. I'm just going to go straight into the film, and I think this is what we call in the industry, a 'hot mess'.

It took a while for me to fully get what was going on. By the time I could tell how this story was being told, I was beginning to appreciate it a lot more. But it's slow-pacing and minimalist style in telling its story frustrated me and made this annoying to watch.

Joaquin Phoenix is doing his damnedest to makes this an interesting watch. He is clearly playing a much troubled character with a dark past and seeing his mental breakdowns was certainly presented in unique way. While I think it was as good as it could have been, it was not captivating enough to soften the blow.
That's really all I can say about the performances, as the rest of the cast had very little contribution. I did like the small moments involving Ekaterina Samsonov and Judith Roberts. But this film is all about Phoenix.

There were some good action scenes that varied in its approach in regards to the camerawork. That included one stand-out scene in a motel room that certainly gripped me.
It is also well shot throughout, and I liked the general shock value at various times.

I'm glad I found some good aspects, otherwise this would have been a disaster. I'm afraid I felt it was dull for the most part despite only being 1hr 25mins long.
The story has potential to be interesting. But it's as if it was trying to confuse itself and it felt like I was a watching a badly executed Nicolas Winding Refn feature or a self indulgent version of Taxi Driver.
The director has gone for a minimalist approach to the dialogue as well as telling what's going on. When this type of story-telling works, it's great to watch. But for me, the atmospheric tone did not work for me. Not even the unnecessarily over-emphasizing score could help improve my opinion of this.

Despite this strong negativity, there is just enough good content to barely give this a pass rating and Phoenix's performance is pretty good.

But this also felt like a big disappointment. It had lots of content that could have been gripping and exciting. Instead, whilst I did appreciate what they were trying to do, it frustrated me.

There is definitely an audience for this. But I'm most certainly not one of them.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Blade Of The Immortal

This is being billed as the 100th film by legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike. I technically see it as his 91st, as the marketing department seem to have included his TV work, and anything where he has only directed a segment in a film.

Either way, this has been getting quite some buzz just from the action-packed trailer alone.

I have only seen two of Miike's back catalogue, but both have been great. My first experience of his works was the disturbing slow-paced horror Audition, followed by the enjoyable 13 Assassins.

Now that I have made this a third Miike viewing, this could very well be my favourite of the three. In a nutshell, this is the directors vision of True Grit but in the style of those samurai films from back in the day such as 'The One Armed Swordsman' and 'The 8 Diagram Pole-Fighter'.
While I did a see lot of True Grit in here, it was originally a manga comic.

If you are aware of the classic western story of True Grit, then you will be aware of the set-up. If not, then I would recommend checking out the John Wayne version before seeing this to understand the influences this film and the manga comics had.

Despite the story being a familiar one, it still felt refreshing as the fun and exciting action and characters with a cartoon sensibility gave the story a great samurai edge to it.
The set-pieces kept growing and the body count kept climbing, and the epic showdown had me thoroughly entertained.

While there was no real depth to any characters, they certainly looked as if they had jumped out of a comic. So I assume they are keeping to the source material rather well.
Takuya Kimura did a great job as the central male character. His bad-ass no-nonsense style his character gave him freedom to just own his scenes, and his multiple comedic one-liners would have made Arnold Schwarzenegger proud.
Hana Sugisaki did a good job as the leading female. However, her character seem develop in reverse. We see her at first being a strong-willed female doing things that normal Japanese girls shouldn't do. Then as the story moves along, she seems to be unsure of herself. I can sort of see a reason as to why the character seemed to back-track her determination. But I think maybe going in a positive direction would have better enhanced her character.
As for their chemistry, it was great. It felt like a big brother, little sister relationship.

All of the other performances, are pretty much physical based. So in terms of the execution of their action choreography, Sota Fukushi, Hayato Ichihara, Erika Toda, Kazuki Kitamura and the many extras did everything that was expected of them.
I also noticed Chiaki Kuriyama have a minor role in this. Some people may know her from Battle Royale, and most notably as Gogo Yubari from 'Kill Bill Vol. 1'.

It's biggest positive is most definitely the action. When samurai set-pieces work, they are cinematic magic. From the choreography to the cinematography, the execution of these scenes were spot on. While it is over-the-top, it was supposed to be, and with the amount of extras in this, Miike and his team gave this film a great amount of scale that gave the film such realism.
With lots of action comes a high body count and it never got boring or tiring.

A couple of minor problems I noticed. The first was the sound timing issues and continuity it had in its action scenes. But with everything going at break-necked speed, you can sort of let this go.
Also, there were are a lot of condensed sub-plots that were quickly introduced as well as ended.
It is always going to fit everything from something that was originally a novel of any kind. So I think maybe making this a 3-hour film might have enhanced this story developments and made them feel more important and necessary.

Despite those setbacks, I had a great watching this. It sets you up perfectly in a dramatic opening scene for what type of film you are going to get.
The action is strong, the characters are fun and the script is similar to a mindless action blockbuster. That just gave it a nice fun element and I felt it never de-graded this story filled with bloody samurai violence.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Fixed: The Science/Fiction Of Human Enhancement

Despite being released in 2013, this film documentary could only be seen at three festivals since its release, as it has never had a distributed release.
The high praise and synopsis made me want to make the most of this rare screening.

Sadly, while it did cover some interesting topics, most of it was something I was already aware of. To be honest, it was content that I think most of society is already aware of.

They do expand there initial discussion by asking some well thought out questions. But they were never fully explored, and only touched upon.

There were some recurring characters that had a story to tell and were pretty engaging. On the surface I was willing for it to develop. But it never really did.

For something to be an hour long, you would expect it to get it's point across, hard and thorough. But the only thing that blew me away was the opening and ending image of a child in a wheelchair scuba-diving by themselves. The image of someone in a wheelchair basically swimming in this coral full of various species was quite captivating.

Apart from that, it just felt like a mildly interesting video that would be better suited to being shown to a high school or college class.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Brimstone & Glory

When you think of a film documentary, you expect a lot of narration, people being interviewed and either lots of still images or reconstruction sequences.

With this particular one, there is very little conversation with the people involved and it is just a serious of images and you are along for the ride.

However, the imagery is spectacular, the music is rompy and the scale of the event is impressive.

There are regular usages of head-cams which give you a great perspective on the dangers involved and it could greatly effect people with fear of heights in certain sequences.

As for the danger and risk involved in the event that this film is focusing on, let's just say this a film that health & safety officers were hate and it would never take get passed in this country. The stuff that people do in this film takes that line of either being incredibly brave or stupid.
Those feelings coming from this preventing me from giving it an exceptional score.

I also would've liked to have seen them get more in depth with the people involved.

A great example is a similar film called 'TT: Closer To The Edge' which is about the motorbike races on the Isle Of Man. They talk to a lot of the people asking them why they love watching an event that people have died or been seriously injured at. Their general consensus as to why, was that for them living on the edge is best way of living.
This film does explain, but not in nearly as much depth or heart.

That being said, it still looks like the type of festival you have to experience, but from afar to avoid risking your own life and making this as a film documentary might be the safest way to watch this.

Rating: 7/10

Review: It's Not Yet Dark

I'm not sure, but I think this might be my first review for a film documentary.

If it is, then I'm surprised it's taken me this long. The documentary genre has now become part of every other film category. They have become very cinematic and get regular theatrical releases.

With this documentary, it is quite the story and it is executed really well whilst being brilliantly narrated by Colin Farrell.

I think what made this film documentary exceptional, gripping and emotional was that the people involved with this terrible disease were educated in the art of either film-making or story-telling and they knew the best way to express their feelings. With the right words, you can tell that it came from the heart.
The determination of the central character reminded me of a similar film documentary called 'The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson’. That never-say-die attitude that gave it that feel-good vibe despite covering a serious matter.

Some documentaries can have inspiring stories, but are never told in the right way. This had it all. It excellently portrayed what they were truly feeling and that just enhanced the astonishing achievement at the end.

It's stories like this that make want to live your life, because if they can do what they did with their boundaries, then I can with my fully abled body.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Bad Genius

I can't recall seeing a film from Thailand before. So here's another box being ticked off.
It's already been released throughout Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. It's now been doing the festival circuit across several festivals in Europe and America.

Based on its reviews alone, I wanted to check this out and obviously went in pretty cold knowing very little about and not seeing a single second of content from its trailers.

Oh my! What a fun film and such a refreshing take on the heist genre. I was instantly seeing similarities to 21, with the feel-good vibe of Ocean's Eleven and a touch of comedy similar to an Edgar Wright feature. But obviously not as clever as the man himself.
I even noticed the editing was very ‘Wright-esque’ with its particular brand of sharpness within its cuts. Another similarity was the score. It reminded me of a much more heightened version of the music from The Social Network.
As I was understanding its concept, I was just loving how they were executing it. What was making it even more impressive, was that the film was managing to up itself three times over. Ironically, it felt genius every time they pulled it off in telling this story.
To further add my love for this was the great characters. Two really well developed leads and plenty of supporting acts that felt integral, highly memorable and scene-stealing.
Sadly after all the excitement, gripping tension, many laugh-out-loud moments, I did not like the ending.

It's amazing to found out that this was inspired by many true stories of similar incidents. It really makes you think about how the education system is run, and I felt it was pretty accurate from an international students perspective. The pressure from their parents, and the lengths people will go to get the right grades.

The cast were tip-top and with the actor playing the central character being a fashion model and that this is her first film role, I was even more impressed at how she performed. Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying looked as if she had been doing this for years. She was very believable, was given lots of development and became a fully-fledged character. Chanon Santinatornkul really shone in the second half and competed well with Chuengcharoensukying for the lead.
The comedic support by Eisaya Hosuwan and Teeradon Supapunpinyo were great value, got a lot of laughs out of me and were consistent throughout. There were a couple of minor roles that stole a few scenes. Pasin Kuansataporn was a memorable minor character that just further enhanced the comedy.
As for Thaneth Warakulnukroh, he gave the film some necessary dramatic moments and became a much more important character that initially thought.

Despite having so much fun with this, I did mention that I was into the ending at all. I didn't see the point of it and it just felt like it contradicted everything that happened in the rest of the film. But I can see why some people might like how it finished. So it is not completely irredeemable.

While the pay-off prevented me from giving it a spectacularly high score, I had a great time with this. I loved how they constructed the story and the execution brought out lots of laughs and terrific excitement in its tense scenes. I was never bored and the dramatic and emotional moments never felt out of place and were as integral as every other part of the story.
It currently does not have any general release dates in the western world. But surely, it's only a matter of time?

Rating: 8/10

Review: Only The Brave

True story disaster films have been doing rather well lately.

Films like Everest, and the Peter Berg trilogy of Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day have been critical successes and highly praised by audiences.

Like Deepwater Horizon, this one explores a profession I know very little about. As I live in a country that as far as I can remember, has never had a forest fire. However in America, it can be fairly common in certain states. This film centres on a group within a fire department, whose primary function is to prevent wild fires from spreading.

If you had not told who directed this, I would have instantly said this was another instalment from Berg. Instead, it is from Joseph Kosinski. I don't mind him as a director. While his debut with 'Tron: Legacy lacked in a coherent story, it is fantastic from a technical standpoint. His only other directed feature was Oblivion. Despite this bringing nothing new to the sci-fi genre, it was a lot of fun and very well executed.

This one can definitely feel at home with the rest of the aforementioned films, as this is a pretty good piece of work. The aspects that work are the similar ones that made the others highly memorable. That sense of brotherhood, a family connection and strong teamwork that makes you really care for these characters.
As we get to know them, we are also experiencing the real danger of this profession and as far as I could tell it looked real. But if it is visual effects, then that is some impressive CGI.
The finale is very well deserved. The development got us the investment to feel how the real people felt after those events.

It's quite an ensemble cast and they were all great. Josh Brolin is front and centre and plays that commanding leader and father figure-esque character really well. Miles Teller plays the relatable character that is developed nicely and helped us a viewer understand the training required in this work.
Taylor Kitsch is becoming a regular in these types of films and was a great support. He plays really memorable characters, had good enough comedic relief and felt genuine. Another performance I could fit into that category is James Badge Gale, who like Kitsch seems to be making quite a living with similar stories to this one.
Jennifer Connelly gave the film a nice balance of drama and her chemistry with Brolin gave the film its heart and passion.
While Jeff Bridges and Andie McDowell had little to contribute, they had enough execution of their star-power to make their appearance in this mean something.

There were moments of melodrama that slightly down-graded it. But there was reasoning it for those scenes to take place, and I was fine with them.

It was scenes like that that made me think it was as strong or effective as similar films that I mentioned earlier in this review, but it is still a welcomed addition to this genre that is having quite a surge in quality story-telling.
This movie did a lot of things right. What makes this film succeed, is the strong character development and the comradery between our ensemble cast that keeps your investment in the story and makes quite a memorable experience. It gives you a great insight into the work and training that is required for a job like this and how it effects their personal lives.

But on a fitting final thought on this is how inspiring it is. It shows you who the true heroes are around the world and it showed off the true dangers of this job and how scary wild fires can be.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Journeyman

Boxing is a very well decorated sports sub-genre. You can list off a number of high-quality films from this category that have received high praise from the audience and been given a number of major awards. Two of them have even won Best Picture at the Oscars, Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. But nowadays, I think it's tough to make a really good one now. I feel it as a bit of a worn-out genre. There's not much else you can do different with it.

Now that I've seen Paddy Considine make and star in his own Boxing drama, the story certainly concentrates outside of the ring rather than in it. That's definitely a root that might refresh this genre.

But I felt to be really torn with this one in the end. It starts off with some potential. But I think the pacing of it and general look to it made it look pretty ordinary and dare I say more of a TV drama.
The second half does get better and by the end of it it was a heart-wrenching finale and that was all thanks to Considine.

Paddy Considine was great. It's hard to know what to think of his performance at first. But by the turn of the second half, that's when he truly shines and we get a couple of really emotional moments that did not have a dry eye in the house by the end of it.
Jodie Whittaker was a solid support and had great chemistry with Considine. But sadly, like with a lot of this film, her performance felt better suited to TV.

I've briefly mentioned this already, but the major problem I had with this film was that none of it felt cinematic. It felt more like an excellent one-off TV drama that would win many National TV awards. The story does fall into the trap of a what you expect in a TV movie, the forced themes and melodramatic presentation.

It is a real shame, because Considine's performance comes out really strong by the end of it and enhances everything around him.

Despite the high praise for his acting, there was very little exceptional content outside of that I'm afraid to say. After his incredibly powerful directing in Tyrannosaur, it pains me to say that this did feel disappointing. It's certainly made with good intentions and I think it is still worth seeing for Considine's acting. But maybe wait until you can access it from your home, as that seems to be where you get the best viewing experience.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Arcadia

This was my shot-in-the-dark purchase at the Leeds International Film Festival.
From what I read on the synopsis, it sounded like a documentary. But it was more like a feature film using lots of unseen archive footage.

It's only 1hr 18mins long and it was fascinating watching lots of old footage of various British activities such as farming, celebrating some of more obscure hobbies or festivals such as Morris dancing, maypole, the famous cheese roll at Coopers Hill. But was most fascinating, was the directors presentation.

To me, it felt like the director was showing the different sides of British society through the ages with religious tones told in a way similar to a fever dream. Seeing it done in that way makes me think that this director needs to collaborate with Darren Aronofsky in future projects as the aggressive nature to this reminded of things like ‘Requiem For A Dream’ and ‘Mother!’.

But I think the main theme was showing how our society has treated are landscape and rural areas over time, which was book-ended by a character witnessing all of this from afar.

Whilst showing signs of some of Aronofsky's previous works, it also reminded of a film called Baraka that is a collection of clips showing human life and religion around the world.

While that was a more impressive presentation, this was still a enjoyable yet unique experience. I liked it's almost haunting way of showing its images with the accompanying score. It was presented in an almost aggressive manner, which could put people off as the director seems to be shoving his message down our threats.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Battle Of The Sexes

I follow a lot of sport, and Tennis is the one I follow in most detail. With that, and seeing the 2013 film documentary of these events, I was pretty excited to see how this would turn out as a feature film.

The story of this match from 1973 is so historic and pivotal that it really elevated women in sport and make Tennis the premier women's sport that it is today.

I was loving the casting choices of Emma Stone and Steve Carrell as our two leads, and with Stone collecting an Best Actress Oscar earlier this year, I was hoping her hot-streak would continue in this.
Also, in terms of the timing of this release, it is spot on. Given whats been going lately in the media in regards to equality, this could not have been any more perfect.

I felt pretty satisfied with this in the end. It touched on all the correct things that happened during that time. So I was happy that it will make people understand all the critical moments that got us to where we are today. I was enjoying Stone and Carrrell perfectly personifying the characters personalities.
The second half of the film starts to show you that it's the type of story that you would not believe was true. I had forgotten so much of the general circus-esque antics in the build-up to the match itself.
Then as we get to the match, it really transported you to that time period. From the costumes, sets and even the way it was shot looked like genuine archive footage. It was almost scary how exact they got everything to look how it did back then.

While Billie Jean King is the central character, it was Steve Carrell who was the stand-out as Bobby Riggs. He showed the true spirit of Riggs. While he purposely came across as a chauvinist of the highest order, it was purposely emphasized to put on a show, and that's what he did well, and Billi Jean knew that. That's what made them great together, especially in the press conferences.

Emma Stone was good as Billie Jean. It's not going to win her any awards. But I was happy the way it turned out. It showed her characters intent on what she wanted out of this event really well and I think the real Billie Jean would be happy with this.
There were a few very pleasing supporting performances. Particularly by Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming, Bill Pullman and Elizabeth Shue.

I'm going to harsh now in this portion of the review. While I did enjoy it, I think it did play this rather safe. I think people might have problems with it. I can see people going into this expecting a serious drama giving what's been going on lately. While it does have moments of that, it does come off as being a bit fluffy in its presentation. I think what people need to understand, is that the true events had a big 'show' element to it and the two people at the forefront of this, especially Riggs, embraced it. The dark side of this match-up were the people behind all this razzmatazz.

There was also an interesting side-story happening behind closed doors involving Billie Jean and her personal life. I think if it delved a bit deeper in that aspect, then maybe this would have been a bit spikier in its themes.

Also, I think the Tennis scenes might not feel gripping enough to non-followers of the sport. It is documented perfectly and looked exact to the real match itself. But in terms of being cinematic, I don't feel it worked. I think it would have been tough to make it work on both sides. So at least, the route they went down looked as good as it could have been.

Despite all that, I enjoyed it and I was happy with the execution. Stone and Carrell were great together and were the top choices for playing King and Riggs.
I hope a lot go and see it and not just to be entertained by it, but to understand the history around it.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool

I had not heard anything about this film until the buzz it was getting from Telluride Film Festival.
Also as a Merseysider, I was intrigued to see a film that would heavily feature the city of Liverpool.

Also, the cast featured many safe pairs of hands that you can always get strong performances out of.

I liked the structure it was going for at the start, and even the impressively slick editing did make it hard to adjust at first as to what was a flashback and what was present. The romance, comedy and drama was developing nicely throughout, and it ended with a fairly strong and well deserved tear-jerker.

It was great seeing late 70's/early 80's Liverpool being portrayed on screen. From the dress-sense to the outrageously low prices for a pint, it was a very well executed portrayal of the city at that time.

Annette Bening was top dollar in the leading role. It has been a bit of a resurgence in the last few years for Bening. Her character showed a great mix of Hollywood showbiz, but also having a mysterious persona. She made me smile, laugh, sad and feel huge sympathy for her. There were many aspects to her character to get invested with.

This is the best I've seen of Jamie Bell in years. While it's partly to do with being given a much more prominent role then he has had in recent years, his chemistry with Benning was also particularly strong throughout.

While those two could have easily carried the film by themselves, there were a couple of notable supports. Julie Walters is always good value and has many crowd-pleasing and laugh-out-loud moments. It just further labels her as a national treasure. Stephen Graham is also worth watching, just for the hair-piece alone.

I don't often mention this particular department when reviewing, but I was pretty impressed with the editing. It was a very inventive way of transitioning from its flashbacks to its present. The last film I can think of that did a similar style was last years 'Hunt For The Wilderpeople'.

It might not have quite matched my excitement for it. But I still felt pretty entertained by it. Bening and Bell's chemistry was great to watch and never made this film boring. It looks great and the pacing was spot on. 
Sadly, I don't think the story was strong or memorable enough to be seen as one of the year's best or an awards contender. If it did, then I would say Bening's performance or maybe the editing would be its best chance.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Florida Project

After the critical success with director Sean Baker's breakthrough feature 'Tangerine’ that was shot entirely on an iPhone, many indie film fans were anxious to see what his next project would be.
I heard the amount of buzz this was getting since it debuted at Cannes, and this became a dead-cert for checking out on general release. 

The trailer does suggest those type of indie dramas that the major awards usually nominate and general audiences don't care for. I honestly had subconsciously thought that as well. But I have taught myself to look beyond the trailer and always go in with an open mind, and what I saw was very powerful viewing.

It's a story told from a children's prospective. You get introduced to characters that at first seem totally brattish, mischievous and sometimes utterly despicable. But as the film goes on, you feel a sweetness about them, the stuff they say is absolutely hilarious and there is a real sense of community in an environment that America tries to un-see and not mention to tourists.
All of that gives you enough sympathy to make you get heavily invested in these characters.
As for the story, you can tell from the very first scene and general pacing of the film that it something bad is going to come out of this. It's as if was slowly boiling up to something tragic or unspeakable. Then we get to the end, and........well, we'll get to the ending later.

The performances are fantastic. Everyone plays their part perfectly and there were three major stand-outs. The star of the show from minute one is youngster Brooklynn Prince. Aged at just 7-years old, she is an absolute revelation. To be honest, the kids on the whole are wonderful, but Prince is the star. The director really humanises the cast, and Prince's character is leading the way. Yes, she may come off as a major trouble-maker. But she street-smart sense of living and hilarious dialogue she is given makes you just warm to her and make extremely watchable. The stuff her character comes out may end up being the funniest lines in any movie this year.
Playing the role of her mother is Bria Vinaite in her first feature role. A bit like with Prince, she is the type of person that would feel insulted by their behaviour in real-life. However, unlike her characters daughter, Vinaite's is just the worst. But while you get disgusted with her characters behaviour, I never ignored the strong and raw performance she was giving. It is the personification of the society in America living in the slums and desperate for money to keep moving on in life.
A third stand-out is Willem Dafoe, who gives a career-best performance. His character is almost like the guardian angel to all of this community and while he is doing his job of authority, there is that sympathy that he has for these people and wants to help at the same time without showing true emotion.
These three performance are certainly worthy of any major awards nominations.

There's not much to talk about outside of the script and cast. It is shot beautifully. If you have seen Tangerine, then you are aware of the directors quality of camerawork with the smallest amount of recording equipment. The Florida skyline and the brightly coloured architecture really gave you a sense of the world these people live in, especially one the many gloriously tracked wide shots.

Now we come to the ending as I mentioned before. While I'm giving this a high amount of strong positives, I was put off by the very final scene. The build-up was leading us to something I could sense throughout the entire duration. There was a strong moment that made me and pretty much the entire audience I was with overwhelming and then suddenly we get was something completely out of tone in every department. Even the camera work and use of score was like this came from a completely different film. I guarantee when you see this, you will say something along the lines of "is that it, is it over?". It's clear to see that this was purposely done. So I don't know what made the director do this. I'm sure I'll find out in the end.

It is a real shame the very final scene left a bitter taste. The pay-off needs to be pretty strong as that will be the moment you'll be thinking of the most when leaving the screening. While everything before it was of the highest quality of story-telling, that ending really changed my mood.

Despite that disappointing ending, I felt the film to be very impressive. This part of society definitely seems to be the directors wheelhouse in getting their point across with such rich characters and sharp dialogue. Baker also shows great metaphor and contrast between the rich and poor due to its location.

I hope to see success for this film in the awards I look forward to see what Baker and his team do next as he will probably continue to get more money for the budget of his future projects.

Rating: 8/10