Review: The Hate U Give

I was quite late to the party with this one. But after hearing very little about this upon its release, the strong reviews for this had me finding some time to check this out.

I ended up finding surprisingly remarkable and it could be one of the most important films of the year, or even decade.

The first act really opened my eyes as the dialogue was amazingly current with its teenage slang. That shock caught me off guard and took me sometime to get used to the dialogue and trying to make sense of it.
Once I settled down, the rest of the film was quite moving. There's plenty of dramatic scenes that each one sends out a huge message to its target audience, which I would think are teenagers, particular of an ethnic minority. However, this certainly has the appeal of a much wider audience.

The performances are pretty strong on the whole. Amandla Stenberg did a great job in the leading role, carried the film well and shone throughout. It's a pretty good breakthrough year for the young American and she'll certainly be around for a few more.
Elsewhere, it was great to a predominantly African-American cast contribute throughout the film and showed great representation.

If in the wrong hands, this could have been a schmaltzy, over sugar-coated straight-to-TV movie that would have been instantly forgettable. But they managed to send home its message with a well written and solidly structured story and gave us plenty to use as to why this deserved to be shown on the big screen.

Big props to director George Tillman Jnr. and his production staff as well as writer Audrey Wells for a brilliant script. I really enjoyed this, and was impressed with they made every scene feel important and integral to its themes and message.
I can see this doing really well when it becomes accessible on the small screen.

Rating : 8/10

Review: Creed II

As mentioned in some posts in the past, I feel Boxing is one of the most restricted sub-genres in the filming industry. That phrase of "you've seen one, you've seen them all" feels quite apt. However, there are a few exceptions such as the first Rocky, Million Dollar Baby, Cinderella Man and The Fighter.

Another one is Creed. The style of director Ryan Coogler for me is what made it quite a powerful viewing experience that for me gave us this generations Rocky. Sadly, Coogler is not taking part in the sequel and instead it's the relatively unknown Steven Caple Jnr. taking the reigns. So whilst I was mildly exciting to see it, I kind of expected to be disappointed as Coogler's style was a big reason for the success of the first Creed. Also, with it basically re-visiting Rocky IV, I did have some caution that it would just settle into the bog-standard Rocky formula.

It starts off well as we get straight into the Boxing and it was nice Michael B. Jordan back in the ring. After that, we then get some nice set-ups and introductions to our characters as well as the sub-plots and character archs that were being explored in this sequel.
While it moved along as I expected, the content on screen was making me care about the storylines from both the Creed and Drago characters and what both of them have had to go through to get to this point.
I liked that they never relied on the history of Drago and Creed. The sub-plots were becoming more noticeable and this made me invest in the big set-pieces more than I expected. All of that made me excited enough to get into the final act and there were certainly moments in that ending that gave me goosebumps when everything fell into place.

All the performances were pretty solid, but nothing awards-worthy this time in my opinion. Michael B. Jordan continues to have a very likable presence in anything he does and fits the mould of a boxer beautifully and proves to everyone that he was not just a one-off.
It might not be the Oscar push for Sylvester Stallone this time, but I think it is still another memorable showing from the acting legend. This stage in Rocky Balboa's life I feel is still bringing the best out of Sly.
Tessa Thompson was a great support and continues to have strong chemistry with Michael B. Jordan.
I never thought I'd ever say this, but Dolph Lundgren was pretty good in this. I think it helped that I felt quite invested in his story arch in this film, how that ended and he also had a memorable scene with Stallone.
I think Florian Munteanu was good with the physical side of his character, but not that much on the acting side of it sadly.

Obviously one aspect that has to work is the actual Boxing, and that was all done well especially the big showdown at the end. I didn't feel it had a stand-out fighting moment like its predecessor had. But it went as well as you would expect with this type of film. I felt the punches and the blows, and caring for the characters helped with that as well.
Another thing you expect with Rocky films, is a montage. There is one in this, and its pretty good. It does get you hyped for the match and the build-up certainly enhanced this particular part of the film pretty well.

I had no major quarrels with the film except from a personal perspective. It does move along at how you expect to. So it therefore brought nothing new to the table and there were times where I was waiting for the next bit that I knew would happen.
I was a bit disappointed with the score. The score did have those similar notes you feel in Rocky films, but the way it was used was more sombre than anything else. It does have its rompy moments in small doses including one during a well executed montage. But it was more about the use of a slow piano more than anything else. It does match with the themes of reflection and ancestry sins. But it wasn't really a score that I would re-visit.
Also, the duration felt a bit too long for me. It's just over 2hrs long, and I think 1hr 50 would have been more suitable. There were scenes that felt a bit long-winded and I think having a predictable story structure did not help the situation.

While it does hark back to some of the Rocky sequels and tread similar ground. There was enough content in there to make it feel somewhat refreshing and still give us a pretty solid story that I liked.
I think the character development was what kept this from being just a cash grab of something we've seen before. I like where we were heading and still making the Boxing itself entertaining made it worth watching.
I don't think this needs to have a third chapter to be honest. It ends with enough of a heartfelt note and I think if we do see a Creed III then I feel it's just going to go down the same route the Rocky franchise did.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Ralph Breaks The Internet

It's been just over two years since are last film from Walt Disney Animation Studios in the form of Moana. That classic studio that we all know and love that began with Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs over 80 years ago is back with its 57th instalment.

The wait for a sequel from the brilliant 2012 hit Wreck-It Ralph was pretty high. So high that it became one of my most anticipated films of the year.

I was intrigued by the idea of the sequel and the endless possibilities the studio could go for in this film. I went in with high expectations and another welcomed addition to Disney's surging modern golden era.

The first half I must say was probably one of the strongest openings I've seen for a long time. It gives us a little catch up on what's been happening while we've been away, and where we're going next.
The build-up to seeing the internet was pretty cool to see and then once we got in there, goodness me was I amazed.
On paper, it sounds like a tricky thing to evolve such a large digital world and make it into a living thing, portray it on screen and make it feel relatable for the viewer. But what the people making the film do is do that brilliant of making it super-clever and yet simple at the same time. It's a tricky thing to do, but the end results when it works is like lighting in a bottle.
The film was moving nicely, it was incorporating moments of the first film well, it was making me laugh with its smart gags and I was having a right old time with it. Just when I thought it couldn't get better, there was a fantastic Disney section in the story that made me feel like a kid in a candy store. References everywhere, some self-referential humour and some nice Easter eggs for the Disney nerds like myself.
However, I did realise at one point that this film is missing an antagonist and I began to be concerned as what they're going to do about that. It came in the end, and whilst it does kind of slow down and match my enjoyment of the first half, it still gave us a solid ending.

What I liked about it the most was the look of it, the high-level of creativity and imagination and the large number of references used that made the geek inside me go nuts. The look of it was like a lot of Disney films. Lots of vibrant colours and the matching energy to the editing made it a highly positive viewing experience.
I was in love at how the internet was portrayed. Everything about it felt incredibly relatable and I would imagine so many others would feel the same way. Each new bit that they introduced on screen I was instantly on board with and just admired the cleverness and simplicity with each aspect.
With the film being set in the world of the internet, there was bound to be many references to several popular products and franchises.
With me being a Disney nut, I was in heaven with the amount of references mentioned in several scenes. There were even some nods to even the most obscure Disney films which pleased me.

The only problems I had with it were small and all in the second half. There was definitely one point in the film where you can see film-makers saying "Oh yeah, we need a villain", and they certainly tried their best to introduce some form of an antagonist.
So whilst the villainous side of the story was good in the end, it just could not match extremely strong first half. That for me made the final act never have that strong send-off like Wreck-It Ralph had.
Also, it touches on certain topics that explore the dark side of the internet that the younger generation experience. But sadly, they only ever touched it and never went delved deep into it. It almost seemed pointless to do it as they knew they had to concentrate on the story. So I think they should have committed to these points or not at all instead of dipping their toes into it.

But like I said, my problems were only small ones and it's easy to see that I really enjoyed this. It expanded the world our characters were in really well and shows where this could go if a third part ever went in the works.
The camaraderie of Ralph and Venelope was great to see develop and I was pleased to see they were never afraid to go down challenging routes for our characters to face. I could be cruel and say the story is nothing original. But it's still a well told story with themes you expect to see in a Disney animation.
As mentioned before, the way they put the internet onto screen was nothing short of fantastic, and the amount of references put into this made it feel like a game and see how many I could get. A few of the subtle may go over the general audiences heads. But the more advanced experts should get all of them and amazed and how much they crammed in without ruining the flow of the story.
While the momentum does somewhat slow down in the second half, it still moves along enough to give you well told story with lots of goodies for fans of Disney, anything topical and mainstream animated films. That is certainly the film The Emoji Movie could have been if it actually tried.

There a couple of bonus scenes during the credits. The first one halfway through was rather funny, and the one at the very end of the credits was particularly clever of teasing the audience and ended up being a wonderful homage to a classic internet sensation.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald

I've had very little to care about this film going into it which felt rather strange.
I've enjoyed all the Harry Potter films. It's one of the few franchises that managed to get better the more films it made.

But once the Harry Potter saga ended, this current spin-off storyline has had me feeling rather ordinary.
The first Fantastic Beasts while decent overall, had me feeling somewhat disappointed. There were many aspects that just made me not caring that much for the story compared to the Harry Potter films. I was struggling to remember the character outside of Newt Scamander and the general story seemed to have too many sub-plots that were as forgettable as the next.

So it did feel strange having very little expectations for the sequel. However, I did feel partly optimistic as I know this has the potential to be as great as the Harry Potter films.

Firstly I must say there is a huge amount to take in. It was a negative start for me as the opening action set-piece was really tricky to see and work out what was happening. With the combination of very dark images and quick editing, that opening did not fill me with much confidence for the rest of the film.
Thankfully, the rest of the film was never like its opening and I could see everything that was happening. In terms of making sense, well, we'll get to that later.
I could tell early on, then I think a bit of extra concentration would be required for this story and it ended up being a very wise choice.
There's a lot going on, and that looked to be its biggest downfall and the reason I could see why the general consensus was rather mixed. But despite that as the film was moving along, I was never bored and I was liking but in a rather strange away.

The performances on the whole were pretty good and my biggest stand-out was quite surprising. Playing a young Albus Dumbledore must be tricky with the amount of pressure and expectations surrounding it. So I think Jude Law did a very good job in this role. I was unsure at first. But I eventually warmed to him and felt Law to be a safe pair of hands.
I was happy to see Eddie Redmayne and Dan Fogler sort of play-down their characters from the previous installment. They both felt more down-to-Earth, have a more engaging presence and utilising their development well.
Despite Johnny Depp being the title character, he didn't heavily featured. But his performance I thought was perfectly fine, but never exceptional.
Like Law, Zoe Kravitz was a nice surprise and I felt her character to be the most interesting out of everyone.
I liked how Alison Sudol utilised her characters story and development in this film. It certainly made me invested in where she was going in this story.
Sadly, I'm still unsure about the casting of Katherine Waterston and Ezra Miller. I don't know if it's their performances or their characters. But whatever it is, I'm just engaging and possibly not even caring for what eventually happens to them.
You can tell that there are a lot of characters in this. So I'll give a quick round-up of a few others. I liked finding out Claudia Kim's character, I didn't see the point of having Brontis Jodorowsky's character, it was great seeing Jamie Campbell Bower despite being in it for only one scene and I feel youngsters Thea Lamb and Joshua Shea did a great job in what was my favourite scene of the film.

As expected, the technical side was of high-quality as it has been throughout the franchise. The visual effects were particularly strong especially in its creature designs, the costume design was as lavish and heavy detailed as usual and even the impressive practical sets and props were very noticeable even with it being surrounded by green-screen.

Sadly, there are many obvious problems with the film. The biggest one is that there is too much stuff happening. The amount of sub-plots going on is making the story structure feel uneasy and jerky with its flow. It seems they preferred to just explain the plot and further enhance the world instead of giving us a story that I could enjoy, make it feel accessible for all types of fans and make it feel like a fun time instead of an essay.

A minor problem I had was that I wasn't quite sure the title reflects what I saw on screen. I went into this fearing we would have little Redmayne action as having 'The Crimes Of Grindelwald' in huge letters and 'Fantastic Beasts' in very tiny letters was enough for me to say that the studio has lost faith with that aspect and instead just link as much of it to Harry Potter.
Thankfully, I was proved wrong in a way. There was a lot more new creature designs that were great to see and I'm glad we still had plenty of Fantastic Beasts to discover. But I don't feel there was enough Grindelwald action except in the final act to warrant the title being what it was. To be honest, with the amount of storylines taking place, I'm not sure what the sub-title of the film should be.

While I don't think this was a totally coherent story, the information that I processed during the film was rather good. So I did like it, but in a particular way.
This is definitely a film for the hardcore fans, as they will probably make the most sense out of what the film is trying to say. For the general fans however, I can see them losing patience with this. I could probably say the same for the younger fans. The tone is probably the least enjoyable and fun of the franchise and unless they are heavily invested with the wizarding world already, confusion will quickly kick in and therefore boredom.

There just seemed to be too many sub-plots fighting for screen-time and from a story-telling point of view, it got rather messy and really convoluted.
But as I'm personally heavily invested in this world already, with a bit of added concentration, I felt the film ended up being rather rewarding in terms of information that we were given.

There is a lot to process, but there is plenty to talk about before the next installment. It will certainly begin many discussion topics on Pottermore and various other outlets for the hardcore fans to express their opinions. To end on a positive note, I feel more confident with there this is going than say compared to the Star Wars franchise. I can see a plan being formed and I can see myself potentially liking this film a lot more once I hope everything make sense after part three takes place.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Shoplifters

I'm always unsure what to expect when seeing a Palme d'Or winner, as I don't always go nuts for them.

Most of the recent winners I have found to be really good, so a part of me was excited to see it. Especially, when I was see this at a film festival as the closing film, which last years closer won the audience award.

It starts off with a cool opening scene that what I felt to set the tone. But it would be a while before the pacing would match its beginning.
Most of the film was a slow-burner, but not a completely effective one.

But whilst there were a healthy amount of sweet character moments, some of its supposed heartfelt moments just weren't impacting me enough to be totally won over.
It certainly went in directions I was not expecting and there was a certain amount of profoundness. But only up to a point.

I think pretty much all of the main performances did a pretty good job. All of them had enough development to shine and every protagonist made the most of it. I liked Kirin Kaki's attitude and love for the other characters was great to see, Lily Franky's coolness was shown rather well with many memorable scenes and I also felt Sakura Ando and Maru Matsuoka made good use of the development they were given.
But by far the stars of the show were kid actors Jyo Kairi and Miyu Sasaki. Their innocence, sweetness, chemistry together and strong emotional moments made them easily the most engaging aspect of the story.

What I definitely liked the most outside of the performances was the general camaraderie between our protagonists. It was sweet, funny, inspiring and sympathetic. I just wish there was enough coherent content involving them which would have made me care for them even more.
I liked how the look of the film portrayed the situation our characters were facing really well. You could feel the cramped space in their living quarters and some of the jobs they were forced to take in order to get some money. It made it easy to root for them and the addition of the effective script made them very likable and relatable people.

The main reasons for me not feeling the same way about the awards that it has won, was probably the pacing and the lack of fulfillment in the themes. It has a slow vibe and that doesn't always work with me. This particular film was not a total failure, but there were plenty of times when the momentum of the film was lost with me. As for its themes, I was fine with it. But I think the level of profoundness was not as grand as it thinks it was. There were noticeable moments that we were meant for feel emotional in them, and I just did not quite feel  enough of that vibe.

So while there is good stuff in here, I liked but didn't love the overall product. It doesn't help when there are a fair amount of stronger films in my opinion that were nominated for the Palme d'Or and lost to this film.
The strength within this misfit family was good to see with some great sweet moments between the kid actors.

However, I think the pacing and structure of the film does did not make me go nuts for it. It was slow at times and the disjointed pacing never made me heavily invested in the story. But thankfully, the performances gave me plenty to like about it and give it a respectable rating.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Old Man & The Gun

This film being billed as Robert Redford's last acting role is the easiest hook in my opinion. He almost 60 year career span has seen him give us so many memorable performances.
Whether you've been brought up with his films or have never seen any of his work, seeing this film will pretty much urge you to see his older films.

It starts off with an opening sequence that was liking watching any 1970s film. The style of it right down to the style of the font of the opening titles and the grainy look of the image made it feel that this was produced back then and had only been unlocked and discovered this year.
Also, the charm of Redford's character and the slick pacing already had me smiling and chuckling.
After that, I felt in safe hands and the film moved along at a smooth and gentle pace. There were some moments that almost paid homage to the style of 1970s films and even some of Redford's previous films.
By the time you could feel the end was coming, the emotions to the hype surrounding this gave us a satisfying ending.

This film is all about Robert Redford, and for good reason. He portrays this anti-heroic central character so well and the motives reflect Redford's real career so well that his casting for this was similar to Michael Keaton in Birdman.
His charm just oozes out of him and it's a joy to watch from start to finish.
While I wouldn't personally give Redford an Oscar nomination, I would be fine if they gave one to him. It is a very fun performance that will charm and please the crowds and you can tell Redford had a good time playing this role.
I also enjoyed his relationship with Sissy Spacek's character. It reminded me a lot of Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn in On Golden Pond. Both of them really rolled back the years, and they both did a great job.
Casey Affleck looked great and fitted the period perfectly. His performance was solid and his character being the chaser in this story gave it a nice comparison to Catch Me If You Can.
I also have to mention Tom Waites who while he did not have much screen-time, has one hilarious scene that steals the entire film.

From a technical side, it's rather well-made. As I said before, the 70's look in every department was great to see. The camerawork was pretty slick especially in its tracking shots. The costumes were on point with the period and with the film involving heists and disguises, the makeup was particularly noticeable.

I'm afraid I have to be cruel with this film, despite enjoying a lot of it. The whole film has very little depth and little to no substance. It's very straightforward in its story-telling and there feels to be no high risk or stakes. I agree that sometimes you need a film like this when you don't want something challenging. But when it comes to rating it with other films, it's a no-contest against some of the years best.

However, I am still happy to say how much of a fun, pleasant and charming watch this is. It certainly gives Redford a nice send-off. While it may not have much depth or substance, it's constant positive vibe gives you a good time to just relax and enjoy seeing Redford work his magic for one last time.
I loved the old school look to it in every department and it was almost refreshing to have something that wanted this story to be fun. In different hands, it could have done what almost everyone else would have done and it give it a dark and gritty tone and make it feel like everything else.
If you feel like that with a lot of films, then check this out if you just want a fun viewing experience.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Wildlife

The people involved was more than enough for me to check this out. Not only did it have the brilliant Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal, it also has the directorial debut for Paul Dano, who himself is a very talented actor.

Early on, you could tell this is going to be a slow film. Now while I'm fine with slow-burners, there are times when I'm just not in the right mood for these types of films.
But luckily, the strength big the early character and story development had me along for the ride.
I was appreciating the authentic 1960's look and my enjoyment of the film kept growing as I noticed many noticeable striking imagery.
About halfway in, I was totally into the film and totally invested right up to the very satisfying third act.
Then the icing on the cake was a super-sweet final scene. From what I've heard about this final shot, this is the moment that director Dano saw in his head that inspired him to create this film. Now that I've seen it, I can totally see why Dano felt inspired.

The performances by our three main characters for me was what made this film great instead of good.
Despite having two major actors, it was youngster Ed Oxenbould that stood-out for me. While the chaos is happening around him, the innocence he portrays and the coming-of-age story arch he is given was the most engaging bpartbof the film.
As for Mulligan and Gyllenhaal, they were both really as good as expected. Mulligan gets a lot of screen-time and does a good job at showing us a troubled character that is at a major crossroads in her life.
As for Gyllenhaal, it's nothing to shout about. But his contribution was still essential and fully capitalised.
It was a shame that they did not habe many scenes together. But when they had, it was great to watch. You could feel each of their struggles and it reflected many areas of America during that time.

I also have to commend the overall look of the film. The cinematography was strong. I liked how many wide shots there were that embraced the vast landscape, whilst also reminding about this small story right in the middle of it with some frequent intimate close-ups.
Another strong aspect from the technical side was the authenticity of the 1960 setting. With the help of the location not changing its architecture for many decades, the addition of the classic cars and amazing costumes and hairstyles, you had instantly transported back five decades.

Surprisingly, I had no problems with it from a film-making perspective. However, the type of story and the pacing of it won't give it strong re-watchability for me.

Yes, it moves at a slow and gentle place and a lot of dialogue is softly spoken. But I think if you get into the story and tone, then this will be rewarding viewing.
The story is very well told, the turns our characters make was great to watch, it's shot beautifully and the period setting and sensibilities were on point.
It's certainly not a 'showy' film. But I feel the strength in the performances and writing elevated this small-looking story into a gripping  and moving drama.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Girl

When I first heard about this, I thought this was a documentary. But it turns outs it's a feature film.

After being quickly briefed of its success at Cannes and London, the accomplishments it has had expecting some high-quality content.

The film is a slow one, but I was noticing constantly rich story content. You can feel the struggles our central character was having and it's capped off by many brutal scenes including a totally horrific one almost at the very end.
Whether you ending up liking it or not, there is certainly moments in here that you will find it tough to not feel emotional towards it.

The story is all thanks to the performances. Leading the way is Victor Polster who gives a terrific performance. To find the right person for this type of character must have been tricky. For it to all fall into place and giving us a such a genuine performance is a huge achievement.
I also liked the moments his character had with Arieh Worthalter, who almost looked like a young Oliver Reed.
The rest of the cast weren't exceptional. But they all played their part and contributed really well.

Not much to say from a production side except for the cinematography. The way the camera moves with the character in certain scenes made it feel more dynamic and personal. I also liked how at times it made you feel like a fly on a wall.

No major problems to speak of. However if I was being picky, the pacing is slow and did become noticeable at times, but it may feel more of a drag for others. Also, I think some character relationships did not feel fully utilised.

This was such a heart-breaking and powerful drama that was all helped by the transformation of Polster's performance. For a directorial debut and from a director still in their 20's is impressive work. So I would keep an eye for future projects by Lukas Dhont.

The almost intimate camerawork made this quite frenetic at times, especially during the ballet sequences. There are many tough scenes to watch, which goes with the territory and they all felt expertly executed.

In an age when stories like this are more acceptable with wider audiences, I hope this gets the recognition it deserves.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Dawn Wall

When I heard that this was being shown at the Leeds Film Festival, I thought this was a new title for film documentary Free Solo. It turned to be another story about the famous American rock formation El Capitan.

So while I've been hearing great buzz by Free Solo, this was the first I had heard of The Dawn Wall. So I went into this still optimistic despite preferring wanting to see Free Solo.

I was so happy to be thinking non-stop about this particular film documentary afterwards. The non-linear story structure opened the film well and gave us an intriguing insight into the story from two particular chapters.
After that, it is great mix of character background as well as the climb itself.

Then once the backstory was sorted, it was all about the task our characters were taking on. The content shown was expertly shot and some of the sequences felt so nerve-wracking that a fictionalised version of this story would look inferior in its execution.

What I think made this story work on screen was showing the immense skill and passion our central cast had.
Once we understood that, it just elevated the tense climbing scenes as we felt their drive and determination, and pulled for them when their climb was at its trickiest.

This was an absolute thrill-ride that was shown in the best possible way.

The people involved were given thorough backstories and made them easy to get invested. Also, the camerawork really made you appreciate the task at hand and we got some amazing shots that made the viewing experience a tense and gripping one.

It will be interesting to see how Free Solo goes in over a month's time. Now that I've seen The Dawn Wall, it will be a tough to ask to topple this from a story-building and film-making point of view.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Happy As Lazzaro

Going into this film, I knew this was going to be one of if not the last of the films I'm seeing at the festival to be seen by the general public, as it's not out till March.

I also did hear some good buzz from fellow festival-goers earlier in the festival. So there was some form of high expectations going into this, whilst still being pretty cold about the knowledge of the story.

After feeling like I've travelled the world within this festival, it's now  off to Italy with this charming yet surreal fantasy drama.

The first half is a gentle pace look at rural life not that long ago. I noticed a strong community of characters that I was enjoying their company, particularly bthe central character. The developing relationship between some characters from different hierarchies was interesting to see.

But it wasn't until the huge tonal shift of the second half that I started to realise the directors message.
It was quite a shock at first to see certain twists in this type of film. But I think as the film got quirkier, the more charming and invested I was with every aspect of the story.
There were certain moments at the very end that are abrupt in its execution and initially left me totally stumped.
But after a quick bit of internet reading after the screening, I feel I've got enough of the message at the end to give a justifiable review.

There was an outstanding leading performance by Adriano Tardiolo. With many comparisons to Forrest Gump, Lennie from Of Mice and Men, Rain Man, Tom Hanks' character in Big and even Jay Underwood's character from The Boy Who Could Fly, this performance just screamed innocent.
It was a very endearing performance despite his character showing little emotion and like he was there for the ride and totally oblivious to the revelations happening in the story.
While the rest of the performances weren't exceptional, they all played their part very well.

I liked the decision to go 16mm and curved edges for the frame ratio. It certainly incorporated into the themes of the first half and it was interesting seeing it clash with the second half.
It is also shot really well. Seeing the Italian landscape was a joy and some of the trickery used during the fantasy sequences was cleverly done.

No negatives from me in terms of the film-making. But I think with the film and narrative not usually being my cup of tea, it may not have strong re-watchability.

This is certainly a film that's not for everyone and it's one that I would not have seen at the cinema outside of a festival.
But I think being in the festival mood had me in the right frame of mind for this strange tale that constructs it's themes in a challenging way that general audiences will most likely leave clueless. I ended up really enjoying this and fell for its charm and challenging tone shifts.

I liked how the director showed the development of Italy's economy from a negative aspect and how the two eras of Italy clashed and the use the fantasy elements enhanced those themes.

If you give this a chance and embrace the tone you can still enjoy the quirky charm it has, no less from Tardiolo's strong performance.
Then like myself, with a bit of post-film reading, you can understand and appreciate the themes and mesages a lot more and maybe organise a second viewing not long after the first one.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Burning

This year at the Leeds International Film Festival has seen explore a fair amount of the successful features from Cannes.

This particular feature won two wards including the Competition Prize for director Chang-Dong Lee. I am aware of Lee's slow-burning style of film-making after seeing his previous film Poetry which I saw a few years ago and really enjoyed.

It starts off well with strong chemistry between our two main characters. That was more than enough for me to get invested in the story.
It develops into intriguing directions with obscure execution. The strong performances still had my interest, no matter how slow the pacing was.
But when the ending, I did feel disappointed even though I knew what was being implied and what the director was saying.

The strength of the performances by Yoo Ah-In, Jeon Jeong-Seo and Steven Yeun is what made the majority of this film extremely watchable. Yoo as the central character was easy to be sympathetic with and had a great every-day man persona that felt easily relatable.
Jeon instantly had a striking screen-presence and looked absolutely gorgeous. I liked the innocence her character had and there is one particular scene that is very hypnotic and a big scene-stealing.
Yeun is showing everyone that he is aiming to leave TV and commit to the big screen after seeing a week ago in Sorry To Bother You. The introduction of his character felt well-timed and had a constant mystery about him that made him gripping viewing.

Others things I liked about it was the cinematography and score. There are so many gorgeous wide-shots that give you a vast landscape to appreciate and many gorgeous sun-set shots.
The score fits perfectly into the mystery aspect and almost felt like something you would hear from Atticus Ross and Trent Raznor.

So as well as the mentioned problems I had with it, I liked the film for the most part. But my let-down of the pay-off gave me a bittersweet feeling once the credits rolled.
The performances were good and I liked how the tension built-up. But the over-longed duration and the somewhat disappointing ending left me frustrated of what could have been.

There is some really good aspects, plenty of content to give praise to and this film will be enjoyed by certain audiences. But it just didn't end up being the total package for me.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Birds Of Passage

A Colombian film usually means one thing, it's going to be about drugs. For this film, you'd be right.

I don't get that excited for a drugs film for main two main reasons. One, it's not a topic that I really want to know much about and they all usually end up in the same way.

For this one, I noticed it managed to not only approach the drugs aspect in a different way, but make it more than just about the drugs.

It starts off my exploring the culture and in an indigenous way which was interesting to see and be explained.
Then once the drugs got involved, it did rather refreshing look at the impact of drugs effects this particular community and how it changes certain characters.
But while we get the expected tropes, the foundations that were built-in made this a second half and finale that had my interest and just made the ending mean something.

All the performances were pretty good and all looked be natives which was great to see. Carmina Martinez played a vital part to the story and did a good job of when her character needed to shine.
Natalia Reyes was a stand-out in the first half and was effectively the character of the audience to aid us into this criminal world.
There is little other info I could find about the cast. So that's all I have.

The Colombia locations gave it effortless authenticity and it gave us time to appreciate the story even more.
The score was not massively impactful. But it certainly had its moments that enhanced certain scenes.

But in the end, this film is all about the strength of the story. For someone who is not a fan of drugs-related films to momentarily convert me has to be commended.
Directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra and their team have done a great job in refreshing this sub-genre. This unique approach was nicely developed, it got me invested and all of that hard work in the build-up gave us a memorable finale that gave us a well-rounded story and many fleshed-out characters.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Beautiful Boy

I was particularly excited to see this one. This was mainly due to this being billed as an Oscar-contender and Timothee Chalamet was front and centre.

Chalamet is becoming quite the accomplished actor. After a strong showing in Call Me By Your Name and solid effort in his minor role in Ladybird, I could see Oscar come this guy's way. So I was hoping this was just Oscar-contender and nothing more.

It started off well and sucked me in early on. But I knew the topic it was covering might not totally win me over.
But as the film went on, the way it was structured and the high-quality performances made me understand about this topic a whole more from a psychological level.
All of that just built-up my emotions in what was one incredible finale and one of the most satisfying pay-offs of the year.

A lot of that is thanks to the performances. Timothee Chalamet was fantastic in the lead. The story-arch felt complete and the struggles Chalamet showed was absolutely spot-on and while you felt disappointed in his character making certain decisions, you were still appreciating the performance at the same time. I also have to give props to Kue Lawrence and Jack Dylan Grazer who portrayed younger versions of Chalamet's character.
Steve Carrell also gave a strong performance and his chemistry with Chalamet and became a big cog in this metaphorical wheel.
Both are definitely Oscar-contender worthy.
Other notable performances that are worth mentioning were the ones by youngsters Christian Convery and Oakley Bull.
I have to mention the casting of Maura Tierney. I don't think I've seen her for about 10 years. Most people will know her from being in the E.R TV series and/or playing the Mum in Liar Liar. The performance wasn't much to be honest. But it was just nice seeing her on screen.

Another positive was the writing. I think the way the story was structured was very impressive. They cover a dark and depressing topic, and they executed it in a way that anyone can understand and feel. That was a top move to make and that could see it become more of an Oscar-contender than expected, because broad strokes mean bigger appeal.

I also noticed that the way it was edited was a bold choice. It jumps between its timeline in such a risky way that it could ruin the film. But as it comes from the same director as The Broken Circle Breakdown, I felt more at ease as I know that a lot of brave editing choices. But once I got used to it, it managed to work really well to the story.

No real negatives to speak of. The only thing that might prevent it from being one of my films of the year, is that the story is not one that I would not naturally go for.

It's tricky to make a down-beat drama still feel totally gripping. But this one for me really hit the spot. It's definitely a tough watch with many depressing moments. But I feel the strong performances, the well-crafted story structure and impactful outcome made this extremely watchable, very engaging and portrayed this real-life danger in a way that everyone can understand.
This will be an Oscar-contender in various categories for sure and could end-up in my top 10 of the year.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Loveling

Here is another festival film that I went in knowing nothing.

Early on, I noticed I would be seeing a Brazilian film and we would be watching a family. Traditionally when a film about a family works, it can be gold. Watching a family develop can be such rich content as it can appeal to so many demographics.

In this particular drama, there were already scenes that had me laughing, invested and just enjoying how this family works.
I liked the way the story moved along and while there was nothing too amazing happening on screen, the grounded realism of the plot gave it a noticeable sweetness and affection.

Easily the best part of this film is the performance by Karine Teles. She plays the mother and is the central character in this story, and does it brilliantly. You notice that natural motherly instinct throughout and her character can break your heart, especially at the end where her character is at her most motherly.
The rest of the performances were pretty solid. However, I would have liked more content from Otavio Muller's father character who I felt was under-used.

To be honest, there wasn't much else that was exceptional. But certainly, none of it was bad.
It was well shott and the general look of it felt like I was in Brazil. It's just hard to talk about in depth as all of it pretty self-explanatory and none of it felt like a stand-out.

I found this to be a rather enjoyable drama. The family dynamic is great to watch, Teles was a fantastic lead and it was fun seeing all the trials and tribulations take place of a very engaging group of people.
There's a lot of positive energy throughout and enough laughs along the way to make this a memorable watch.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Sauvage

This current Leeds Film Festival has seen me witness so many different types of genres and there's few genres that I have yet to see. Cue a Franchise gay romantic drama.

What I noticed early on was a fair amount of shocking and graphic content that introduced me to a world that I usually try and avoid.

The story moved along at a gentle pace and I remainded intrigued as to where this was going.
But the longer the film went, the more frustrated and uninterested I was getting. The main character was becoming very unsympathetic and became someone that I was constantly getting disappointed by.
The decisions made by some of the central characters just made me think "Why should I be interested in these people if they're gonna keep doing the same mistakes in their lives?"

That being said, there was still aspects that I most definitely noticed the hard work being put into this.
Felix Maritaud was very impressive in the leading role. I may not feel much for his character, but I cannot criticise the performance as he made the character that was intended. Maritaud was committed and had a very strong screen presence.

The cinematography by Jacques Girauld has to be commended as it was very well shot. The minor shaky-cam gave it much a grounded and realistic look to it.

In the end, I think I've said enough negatives to prove that this was a hard one to get into. While it is well made, has strong performances and shocking at times brutal content, there is very little to get invested in.

The main character can feel sympathetic at times. But on the whole, he just felt like someone that I could not connect with.
The world we're transported to is not a pleasant one. While insightful, it wasn't one that had me wanting more.
Plus, the story has very little momentum and felt like a drag more than anything else.

There is probably an audience for this type of story. But this wasn't for me. But the craft of the film did plenty to make me appreciate it and give it an acceptable rating

Rating: 7/10

Review: Overlord

The way this film was marketed had me intrigued with the mixture of war, horror and having an unapologetic 18 rating.
Plus, with J.J Abrams as one of the producers was a big sell.

The first half is pretty solid. We get put straight into the action, get introduced to our characters well and already saw some strong chemistry with our actors and felt the positives vibes coming from this team we would be with for the next hour and a half.

There is a mystery that builds-up nicely with some fairly well executed tension set-pieces. But after the reveal of the mystery and the concept, it felt as if it would just resort to gory action. I'm fine with that up to a point. But with everything else just going through the motions and it just never felt give us a memorable final act.

I think the cast all did a good job. Jovan Adepo really surprised and more than held his own as the lead. After showing a lot of promise in Fences, Adepo showed great maturity in his role and showed everyone that he can carry a film.
Pilou Asbaek was good value as this cartoony villain. You can tell he was just embracing the tone and was fully committed to the performance. This for me shows that Asbaek can do as good on the big screen as he has been doing on the small screen.
Wyatt Russell gave us a nice mystery to his character and felt like someone I could feel safe.
Mathilde Ollivier was another top choice in casting. Much like Adepo, Ollivier felt more like an experienced head in this cast with a very mature performance that a lot of strength and composure. I would happily see her in more blockbusters.
I was also happy to see Iain Dear Caestecker who I like of Agents Of SHIELD.

What I also liked about was the strong production design, the gory make-up and the score.
Everything about the look of the film screamed gory, dark and disturbing and the strong make-up blended in well with the setting.
As for the score, it was composed by Jed Kurzel who I remember enjoying his pieces for Macbeth. There were some cool pieces especially in the first half. It really gave us those thrills and elevated the mystery that are characters are trying to solve.

There a few fundamental problems with this film. Most of them became noticeable in the second half.
After introducing us with an interesting concept, they did not explore it any further. It just resorted into something we've seen so many times.
The ordinary script and character tropes just got enhanced as my investment in the story got less and less.

In the end, I thought it was fine. It has a solid start and I liked how they were building up to the mystery aspect.
While the second half was saved by its action, the rest just gave up by the end. The story became formulaic and the horror that was being marketed seemed to never fulfill its purpose.

While it doesn't do much wrong, it also ended up being a film that was not that memorable. It never made the most of its concept and the predictable story structure just made it feel very ordinary.
However, my admiration for gory action made this enjoyable enough to be a decent watch. But this could have been so much better.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Silver Branch

I usually go into  documentaries at film festivals with some ease as the style of story-telling gives you time to relax and just embrace the story. This is due to this genre not really having the option of opening it to interpretation.

So it's all a matter of making the story engaging and constructing in a way of making it cinematic-worthy.

It started off pleasantly with some gorgeous Irish landscape and showing the simple life of this local community.
The tone had a dreamlike quality and that seemed to enhance my enjoyment.

I noticed some sweet family moments and some story developments that showed us the real reason why this got made.
Finding that bit out got me too appreciate the story more and root for our main characters. After becoming aware of that, it became a very satisfying experience.

This managed to be a pretty good watch. They made the most of the County Clare landscape and the overall feel of the film made it quite a dreamy and spiritual experience.

The story and characters were engaging, easy to root for in this true story that I went in knowing nothing about. It certainly made me want to visit Ireland after never having that much of an interest beforehand.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Won't You Be My Neighbor?

The name Fred Rogers is a name that we do not know that well over here in the UK.

I am only aware of him from small clips that are shown of his show from the first two Home Alone films.

From that, I assumed he was this popular kids TV show presenter that seemed teach them a lot about life lessons.
That in a nutshell seems to be case after seeing this film documentary that I gave been eager to see all year due to it getting a large amount of praise.

Despite never being brought up with Mr. Rodgers, this film showed me in thorough detail as to why he touched so many hearts for many generations of Americans in the second half of the 20th century.

It explained the origins of his show well, along with the purposeo of his characters that accompany his show.
He felt like a real-life Mary Poppins or that scene towards the end of Mrs. Doubtfire when she gets her own show.

Seeing the way he thinks, how he talked to children and how he influenced some important media decisions was so surprising.

From someone such as myself from the outside looking in, the film-makers from this documentary, they made me understand why he is the American treasure that he is.

I really enjoyed this, it was put together really well and certainly made me captivated by many moments throughout. Had I been brought up with him, I would probably be loving it as much as America is right now.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Ray & Liz

When I realised the story was working-class centred, I felt optimistic as there is plenty of highly acclaimed films within this sub-genre that have been made in the past. The most notable directors making these are probably Ken Loach and Mike Leigh.

This film sees the directorial debut from Richard Bellingham, who seems to be showing his childhood from his upbringing in Birmingham.

What I liked about it the most was authentic look it had in every department. From the surroundings, to the sets, costumes and performances.
I was intrigued by the decisions in jumping from two timelines as wells as it got me wanting to know how the journey was going to develop into destination that we see in the opening scene.

The tone had mixes of comedy, strong British drama and some disturbing despicable moments.
The latter made it feel tricky to root for any characters as I just pityed them for the remainder of the film.
Then while the final act did mildly fill the gaps in the story from the opening scene, I just felt it could have been executed better and maybe be more impactful.

I didn't think much of it in the end. It is fairly solid throughout and there was nothing wrong in terms of the production department. The authenticity of the time period was the most impressive aspect and it was an interesting enough working-class story.

But finding it hard to feel sympathy for the characters and not feeling the story being completed made it also look a bit unfulfilled.

With many stronger directors out there showing similar stories, this particular feature I think could feel lost. But there is potential for a strong story to come out of Richard Bellingham both as a director and as a writer. So maybe see this a film as a work in progress.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Night Comes For Us

This has been on my radar for a few years now. So I was glad to see it finally get completed.
I was a bit gutted this never got a theatrical release. But that's the way with some films these days.

If you aren't aware, then Indonesian action films have been making an unreal impact within the genre this decade. The big breakthrough was Gareth Evans' The Raid back in 2011. It gave us a whole way of making the goriest of fight scenes look so stylish, entertaining and expertly choreographed. After that, they keep managing to better itself. After that came, the brilliant The Raid 2 which Evans came back to do. A couple of years, we then had Headshot.
Now this year, we have the writer and one of the Headshot directors Timo Tjahjanto return with the poster boy of all these films Iko Ukwais be in the cast.

I think like with Headshot, the story is like one we've seen in many action films. But you know, you've come here to see what fight scenes they created for us this time.

If you've seen all of the films I've mentioned, then like me you're probably thinking "How can they keep getting better?" But trust me, once you see this, they most certainly can.

The film is 2hrs and I already feel worn out after 40 mins. But it manages to give you enough down-time to prepare for the next series of frenetically shot set-pieces with the most imaginative ways of killing off various disposable characters.

I was pleased to see the introduction of Julie Estelle, who like Jesus is a regular in these films. Estelle never fails and gives us many memorable sequences.

The whole cast pull their weight and all did a great job. No major stand-outs except I have to credit Joe Taslim who did well stepping into the main antagonist chair.

While the unoriginal story and straight forward charachter development marks it down from being on the level of The Raid 2, this is still an absolute blast.
The action is pretty much why we're seeing this and it does anything but disappoint. It's relentless, brutal whilst also being graceful in its movement in the fighting and the camerawork.
This is another high-quality addition to these Indonesian action films that I hope one day eventually become a mainstream event.

Rating: 8/10

Review: In Fabric

I'm always up for a new Peter Strickland film. While I never go nuts for them, I always admired the style and ideas Strickland has in his features.

Early on, I was getting a feel Child's Play meets The Twilight Zone or Doctor Who with a bit of The Neon Demon in there with regular readers will know that that comparison can only be a great thing. It also reminded of those trashy x-rated horrors of the 70's that would have the most ridiculous sounding title.
It was fun trying to work more of it out and with the director doing a lot of 'show, don't tell' moments, I could the respect Strickland was giving to his audience.

There was also a lot of cleverly dark comedy that on the whole was put to good use, especially by two characters.

It does lose its way in the second half. Some scenes dragged a lot and the story kept covering old ground. But at the same time, I liked how it was intertwining itself and teasing us many theories of the reason for all these strange occurences happening.

The cast did a pretty good job with this. Marianne Jean-Baptiste was a nice stand-out and gave us a wonderfully sympathetic character that had a great every-day quality that we could root for.
Fatima Mohamed totally transforms into this mysterious character, makes great use of the dialogue and in the end was a very memorable character.
The combination of Julian Barrtat and Steve Oram was a top casting choice as their scenes together was clearly the funniest in the film.
It was great seeing Hayley Squires as the last time I saw her was in her breakthrough role in 'I, Daniel Blake'.
Despite not being given much to do, having Gwendoline Christie gave it some nice star-power. One scene had me going back to my childhood as Kim Benson from '2point4 Children' came was involved in this, which quite the surprise for me.

As well as the style and score that I mentioned earlier, another notable positive was the writing. It just fitted in nicely with the tone. For a lot of the time, it had me laughing in disbelief at the dialogue that would never be used in day-to-day conversations. In my head, I was going "Who talks like that?!" The dialogue reminded of the way Jake Gyllenhall's character talked in Nightcrawler.

I did have a good time watching this. I liked the overall strangeness to the whole story. Plus, the incorporation of the 1970's trashy horror style and score made it quite hypnotic and mesmerising.
The performances are solid and the dark comedy also worked wonders. But all the good stuff was just that and it never jumped to the levels of great. The lack of emotional impact and the sometimes messy problems it had in the second half prevented it giving me an exceptional rating.

I would still check this one out. I liked how it tries to tackle the themes of consumerism and if you're a fan of Hammer Horror films, then I think you would get the best possible experience out of anyone.

Rating: 7/10

Review: November

Another film where I'm going in pretty cold. All I know is that it's an Estonian production, and it's doing well on the festival circuit for over a year.

After the opening scene, I was quickly saying to myself internally, "You should have prepared yourself" as I witnessed some of the strangest images put to screen I have ever seen.
I was fearing the worst that I wouldn't get this. But as I have it a chance, I did notice many striking images, wonderful cinematography and great use of filming in black & white.
I am happy to say that managed to get a grip this world that I've been transported to, and from then on I was enjoying almost all of it.
There was still some surreal moments that I don't think I'll ever work out the reasoning for it. But on the whole, I was pleased get invested in what is essentially a fairy tale.

All the cast were pretty good. But it was only Rea Lest and Jorgen Liik that were stand-outs. This was just on the basis of how they executed some of the films more moving scenes and their performances truly enhanced it.

As mentioned before, the technical side is very strong. The cinematography makes every shot look like a painting masterpiece, the score makes great use of the woodland location that almost made it feel like a horror.
The striking visuals was what was keeping me going in the first half, and there was plenty to keep me invested.

So once I understood the tone and lore of this land not so dissimilar to a fairy tale, I got really into it. It was quite captivating in the end.

Parts of the story for me still look random and weird. But there was still plenty of plot going on that had me invested in this strange tale of love, obsession with little bits of comedy that flirt between quirky and black. It almost had a Shakespearen tone to it.
But I would also see it as Ingrid Bergman's version of The Witch with hints of The Village.
With all of that as well as the spectacular imagery, haunting and eerie score and wonderful utilisation of showing it black & white gave me quite a surreal yet rewarding experience.

This is most definitely not for mainstream audiences. But if you want something that's odd, challenging and that you want to commit to try and understand it, then this is definitely worth your time. It's films like this that keep showing us how out-there you can go with a story but still get the same sort of love as a big budget blockbuster would.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Anna And The Apocalypse

I have been super excited to finally see this film for some time. After doing the festival circuit for just over a year now, I have managed to check it out.

When you hear what the concept is, you just can't help at least take a peep at if will work. For those who are still reading and aren't aware, this is a Christmas musical in Scotland.....with zombies.

So with the knowledge of the unique mashing of multiple genres, that shock factor of realising what was happening was gone. However, the instantly catchy songs, engaging characters and very laughable gags put me right atceasecin the first act.
After that, those aspects just got stronger and stronger. I was seeing many scenes paying homage to Shaun Of The Dead, including one that look expertly executed.
I also saw obvious similarities to High School Musical and Nativity along the way, and even a bit of Attack The Block.
While the final act did enhance their noticeable problems, there was still enough content to make it a memorable finale that had myself and everyone in my screening giving it a round of applause.

So many positives to speak of. It's so much fun from start to finish. They commit to the concept, pay homage to the films it's taking inspiration from and really played around with it in many memorable set-pieces whilst the cast are singing songs that I would happily listen back to.

Also, the performances weren't too bad either. Ella Hunt was a solid and capable lead, Malcolm Cumming had a nice charm about him to make him easily rootable, I like the bas-ass nature of Sarah Swire's character, the relationship between Christopher Keveaux and Marli Siu was fun to watch and Ben Wiggins made great use of his character including one scene-stealing moment.

Having the experience of Mark Benton and Paul Jaye was a great choicecof casting as well. While I enjoyed Benton's moments with Hunt's character, Kaye stole the show for me and I could tell was having great fun with his over-the-top antagonist role.

Despite having so much fun with its strengths, I still noticed a few notable weaknesses. The story structure and it's themes is very predictable and falls under my clichés that we've seen before and are executed in a very satisfactory way.
Also, the level of depth in the story and character development is very much on a surface level.

So while my rating does get notched due to those problems, the fun factor, strong re-watchability, catchy song and well well executed gags still makes this a viewing experience that is well-worn your time.

Rating 7/10

Review: Widows

A director's first film after winning Best Picture with their previous film is always a tough predicament to be in. The hype naturally goes into overdrive and you're likely to be in a lose-lose situation and it's rare to go back-to-back Best Picture wins.

That being said, I was still excited to see the story sounded interesting, the cast is strong and it's it's
it' on a Gillian Flynn book, who also wrote Gone Girl, my film of 2014.

It starts off strong with a pretty intense scene and I was already seeing McQueen's style being incorporated with the long tracking shots and the impressive practical effects.
After that, it was scene after scene of major actor being introduced that amazed at the ensemble list that was involved. The way the story kept branching out gave us plenty to get our teeth into. It certainly had me intrigued to see how it would all come together.
After everything boiling up, we get to the point that everyone is here for. It's most definitely tense, thrilling, dramatic and with a satisfying finale.

As mentioned before, the cast is quite cast and all did a great job in intensifying the story. Viola Davis was a strong lead and her screen power continues to make have a very engaging presence.
Elizabeth Debicki was a nice stand-out. After seeing her potential in The Cloverfield Paradox earlier this year, Debicki is starting to fully utilise her talent in this latest venture. Also having a breakthrough year is Cynthia Erivo. After many seeing her as the stand-out in Bad Times At The El Royale, Erivo showed a different kind of strength she possesses in this. The quality Erivo showed in this could see her become a major action star.
It was great seeing Daniel Kaluuya play such a despicable character. There was an intimidating presence about him and his ruthless intent of getting what his character needed was great to see. Kaluuya is showing great variety and is becoming one of the top British actors of the our generation.
Colin Farrell may not have been exceptional. But even him being good is plenty to be entertained by. He played the manipulating politician really well. You can tell that it was a role that he could do in his sleep.
Bryan Tyree Henry was a great addition. I've never seen him in anything and his memorable performance wanted me to see more of him and will in a few months in 'If Beale Street Could Talk'.
Also doing a solid job were Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Needing and Robert Duvall.

The rest of the positives mainly came from the general look of it. Giving it similarities to Gone Girl is too easy. But I feel it still needs to be commented on. Gillian Flynn looks to adapted well into the making as striking as her successful novel. I always welcome authors contributing to making the transition of their source material to different mediums.
I was surprised to notice the general look of the film was similar to Gone Girl. With David Fincher directing that, and McQueen at the helm of Widows, I was not expecting to find so many comparisons with. Either that, or maybe Flynn has more an influence then in just the writing department?

No major negatives to speak of, just a few small ones. As much as the final act was impactful, it did feel rushed for me. Cutting down the already stretched first two acts I feel would have made the final act more memorable and maintaining the steady brewing flow we had in the first two-thirds of the film.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this tense and thrilling crime drama. The story was well crafted with some nice twists and many strong set-pieces.
All the cast were great and McQueen played to his strengths well. It's not quite up there with the best of the year, but it came very close. But don't let that previous comment put you off. This is still a highly entertaining piece of work and another strong addition to McQueen's high-calibre back-catalogue.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Capernaum

The only thing I knew about this film going into this was that it did rather well at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Winning three awards including the Jury Prize and nominated for the Palms d'Or had me feeling positive. Yet I still had no idea what the story was or if it sounded like it would be something that would appeal to me.

It starts off fairly well. It introduced me to the setting and characters well. I noticed surprising moments of charm in what was a story surrounded by bleakness.
It wasn't until almost halfway through that I realised that something special has been made as there were moments on screen that I heavily engaged and could feel me heavily rooting for our protagonists.
After that, the story got strong in its content and all the characters both leading and supporting were becoming fully-fledged. By the end, I was just so impressed with the overall product of this powerfully-told story.

One of the films many strengths comes from the performance by not just the leads, but pretty much everyone.
The star of the show is child actor Zain Al Rafeea. The strength, confidence and cockiness he puts into his character gave us a engaging protagonist and the performance suggesting he had been acting for years. But no this is first ever role.
His chemistry with baby actor Boluwatife Treasure Bakole throughout the second act and most of the third was an absolute joy. Some of the decisions made my Bankole were so sweet and hilarious that I would love to know how they directed that as Bankole looked to be no more than a toddler.
Yordanos Shifarew did a good job as the main support for these two youngsters and played the natural mother fatigue really well.
Kawsar Al Haddad and Fadi Yousef also played off as these despicable characters really well. I also have to mention Joseph Jimbazian, who came off really well as the minor comedic relief.

Other notable strengths were directing, production design and writing. The dialogue had a nice balance of heart-warming emotion, street-smart insults and untrustworthiness. The script became a huge contribution bin elevating these characters.
As for the production design, from early on, you could already feel the dirt of the slums that these characters are having to live with. Instant transportation is always a big plus for any film.

I wasn't too hot on the decision of mainly going for the 'shaky-cam' approach. But as the translation of the original title is 'Chaos', I didn't become a major drawback. Plus, I could still work out what was going on and the moments when the camera was at its shakiest incorporated the situation well when it got to its most chaotic.
Also, if I was being picky, there were moments that I think cut have been cut down. But like I said, this is just me clutching at straws.

I was pretty blown away by this. It's always a great feeling seeing a film and not expecting it to be this good after going in with no expectations at all.
This is a wonderful human story full of agony, triumph, laughter, sadness and struggle. Zain Al Rafeea is a revelation and gives a powerhouse performance. His chemistry with baby actor Bankole is some of the best I've seen in a while.
All of that has to be commended by director Nadine Labaki and her team for giving them the direction is giving us such engaging characters.
This a wonderfully crafted film with the most touching story and I hope this becomes an Oscar contender outside of the Foreign Language category.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Die Tomorrow

There was only one reason I wanted to check this Thailand drama out, and that was the casting of Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.

After seeing her in the incredible Bad Genius last year, the Thai model-come-actorcreally shown in one of my films last year. So I felt intrigued to what she would do next.

I was disappointed to discover when watching it that her character is only in a prologue segment.
So after an early disappointment, I came into with a different approach. Early on, you can tell that you are in for a depressing experience with death being the theme of the film.

However, I still felt mildly intrigued by it with the structure involving a series of shorts covering this topic.
While it is obviously a bit of a downbeat tone, it shows death in many different ways that I admired.

Each short story had a fair amount of emotional impact and most of them worked rather well.

However, I think it could've been flowed better at times with swifter cuts to maybe the garden the emotional blow.

On the whole I admired it more than anything else. The overall product didn't quite work for me. But there was enough strong moments that made me see the potential in a film with these particular themes.

I just hope that the director now makes a sequel called 'Birth Yesterday' and that it ends up being the happiest film of all-time.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Other Side Of Everything

My first documentary of the Leeds International Film Festival, and it covers a certain bit of history that I know very little about, War torn Serbia in the 1990's.

I know that part of the world had tough time during that particular decade and that for many people, it hasn't ended for them.

So I went in hoping to at least get an idea of those conflicts and feel the people's struggles during that time. I did get that up to a point.

The first half introduced us to the people fairly well, and gave us a nice little feel of life in Serbia and Yugoslavia.
But it wasn't until the second half where I started to feel the struggles as they showed numerous clips of huge gatherings and riots that quite astonishing to watch.

But I don't feel the film did enough for me to truly feel the trials and tribulations. For a film documentary that's about 100 mins long, it felt rather slow for me. It almost felt as if they were stuck for content to fill the time. I can't believe that that would be the case, as there has to be a lot of rich content to show on screen.

I think maybe the style just didn't get me heavily invested into the story.

That being said, I felt there was enough there for me to picture their lives at the time. I could feel the strength in our main character and the chemistry she had with her daughter who was also the director was rather sweet.
If there was more impactful and controversial content, then I would probably be giving it high praises.
But at least it showed me enough to want to know about this time in history.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Penguin Highway

At the Leeds International Film Festival, I always book to see at least one Japanese animation and this is my one per list.

On paper, I was already intrigued as it sounded completely ridiculous, and the film is most definitely that.

It does everything you expect in an outlandish fantasy anime. The mythology surrounding the strange fantasy moments are totally insane. But the well drawn-out characters gives it a certain charm that makes it integral watching.

As usual, the animation is totally gorgeous and there was plenty of laughs along the way.

However, despite enjoying the story, I saw many incoherences. There were a few noticeable story developments that never stopped to explained itself. It just happened. Also, there were discoveries made by characters that came out of nowhere. It's as if the writing crew had no idea how to develop this, and instead it just happened to move the story along.

That being said, this is still a lot of fun and one that will please many of the anime followers.
It's a well-made coming-of-age story with unpredictable imagination, striking visuals and a story that had a nice mix of comedy, romance and emotional drama.

Rating: 7/10