Review: Ready Player One

I have been waiting a long time for this film. No, I've not read the book. I'm talking about the first Steven Spielberg film with a blockbuster sensibility for several years.

Lately, he seems to be concentrating more on serious biopic dramas. One exception being The BFG, which to date is only Spielberg that I did not like.
I have had my suspicion that maybe Spielberg is losing is high-quality touch. While a lot of his recent films are really good, none have ever had the same magic that most of his films had from the mid 70's to the early 2000's.

As for the book, I've never read it. But I had an idea on what to expect as it contains a lot of pop cultural references. Nostalgia particularly from the 80's is a huge thing right now in many popular films and shows. So the timing of this film release could not have been better.
My Dad really enjoyed the book, and so all of this excitement had got me labelling this film as my most anticipated for 2018. So I think you can tell that from my perspective, a lot was riding on this. That is if it's great, then we're onto a winner with it being a Spielberg film.

Firstly, I adore the ideas within this story. It's like a mix of Avatar and The Matrix with the concept of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. It's a film and video game nerds dream of.
The visuals are so striking, and I was in awe every time we get transported into this virtual world. As you get to understand the world we have been transported to, I loved how integral pop culture is to making the story move along.
It took a while for me to get invested with the characters. There was a particular high point that had me at my peak investment with the story and characters combined.
Sadly, it never went past that when going into second half. However, there was still plenty of rich visual content that kept me entertained right through to the very end.

The performances were pretty good on the whole. But the lack of depth in their backstory and development prevented this from being an all-out classic that can compete with Spielberg's best work. Films like Jaws, E.T. or Jurassic Park were never about the monsters or creatures. It was about the characters.
None of them were bad. It's just when I think back to this film, I think about the visual spectacle first, and then maybe the characters after that.

Tye Sheridan was a solid lead and the carried the film well. His chemistry with Olivia Cooke's character was strong and very believable. I have been a big fan of Cooke after seeing her in films like Me And Earl And The Dying Girl, as well as The Limehouse Golem. She is an amazing talent, and this is just another kick-start into opening many more doors.
I thought Ben Mendehlson really embraced his role as the main villain and had enough threat to be creditable in the main story. I really liked him in Rogue One, and I can see him doing similar roles like in these two films.
To be honest, there were not many other exceptional performances. But thankfully, none of them were bad whatsoever. However, it was great seeing Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg feature to give them some star power.

I could tell that there was a lot in this story to cram into this film from its source material. But from what I could see, it seemed to work for the most part. There was one segment however just before the final act that seemed to just leap forward and explain a lot of development really quickly so we can get back on track.
The third act is noticeably bloated. Some people will feel that it drags. However, whilst I could tell it was dragging, I was still gripped and intrigued by what was happening on screen.

The technical side is really on point and is masterfully made. I can certainly see this being in contention for many of the major technical awards next year. There are so many amazing action sequences filled with dazzling visuals.

Also, it goes without saying that this will be an incredible gave of 'spot the cultural reference'. There seemed to be an unlimited amount of references to keep your eyes out for. I saw more than plenty to keep me smiling. But I am sure there were many small ones that you can find on multiple viewings.

I think I can safely say that my high expectations were met. I had a blast watching this, I was never bored and it was just great watching a Spielberg film that made me see the magical side of him that people associate him with the most. This is probably his most enjoyable blockbuster film since probably War Of The Worlds or Minority Report.
It is a wonderful crowd-pleasing experience that is certainly worth paying good money for to see on the big screen. I would not quite rank it amongst Spielberg's very best due my problems with the lack of character development. But it's pretty damn close.

I was concerned about this story being over-blown with pop culture references. But I felt almost all of the ones mentioned felt integral to the development of the story, and thankfully the 80's inspired soundtrack was never over-used.
I do fear a lot of people won't get certain references, and that will just lose their investment in the story. But I guess if you remove that, then you're kind of losing the source material. So this could be seen as a niche movie, or certainly one of the nerdiest. However, with a lot of the most popular shows revolving around nostalgia, this could very well be a financial success worldwide.

I was somewhat disappointed however with the lack of a post credits scene, as a film that contains Easter eggs, you would naturally expect one.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Isle Of Dogs

A new Wes Anderson film certainly brings out a certain type of fanbase.

I always appreciate the craft of so many of his films. I just rarely get moved by them due to the story being too strange and quirky for me. However, there are some exceptions where I can embrace it and get a lot from it. Most notably The Grand Budapest Hotel, which I think could be one of his most accessible films.

If you have seen a Wes Anderson film and did not like it at all, then you might as well not try any of his other works, as his unique style is consistent in his entire back catalogue.

From the dramatic opening prologue, you are already mesmerized by the creations of the characters and the sets, what with it being a stop-motion animation. This technology is always impressive to look at, and with the level of detail Anderson puts into films, this one was particularly well presented.
As for the story, it's as outrageous and quirky as you expect with Anderson's films. It goes down some strange tangents. But eventually, you can't help but embrace this films particular cute, and sweet vibes about it for the most part.

While the voice-work is star-studded, none of it felt exceptional. But a few of them enhanced the characters really well. Ones that were worth mentioning were the characters voiced by Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton and at times F. Murray Abraham.

As mentioned before, the technical side is very strong. Don't be surprised if you see this get Oscar nominations next year in categories such as Production Design and maybe Cinematography.
Another could be the score by Alexandre Desplat, who continues to create pieces that I would happily listen to again and again. This particular score is very dramatic when it needs to be and really enhanced the story and the environment we have been transported to.

If I was being nit-picky, I would be most confident in picking apart how Anderson did the subtitles. I think the choice of a limited amount of subtitles for certain characters made me lose investment at times and made us not get into the motivations of certain characters.

But I feel on the whole that while I don't think the story was strong enough to keep my complete investment, the impressive technical achievement kept this moving along and made it a very good watch.
I felt connected with a lot of the characters, particularly the many dogs involved. The stop-motion is stunning and incredible to look at on the big screen. The level of detail and presentation in the creations of the characters and sets are wonderful to look at. I think this will be one of the few Anderson films I would happily watch again.

A final note that I thought was worth mentioning, is that this film seems to be appealing to kids at certain screenings. Wes Anderson is certainly not the type of director that I would call family friendly. But I guess kids who liked his only other stop-motion animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox, would naturally be hooked in seeing this.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Unsane

The second film directed by Steven Soderbergh since his supposed retirement. I guess he has found a new lease of life in film-making.

I think on the whole, Soderbergh is a solid film-making with a few high-quality projects to make him a highly regarded him within the industry. My particular favourites of his are Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven, Che, Contagion, Side Effects and Logan Lucky. So I was fairly intrigued to see what is making have a second life of sorts.

While the first half was intriguing and exploring interesting topics, I felt getting there was a bit quick. I felt like I wanted to know more about the main characters backstory to get more invested into the situation at hand.
But gladly, the second half rectified that and I felt we were back on course for an entertaining thrill-ride. It also shifted its tone at almost 180 degrees, which surprised me in a way.

Leading the way was Claire Foy, who continues to show her strong range into playing anything, and in many different genres. You could feel her emotions and experiences throughout, especially one great at the start of the final act. She is thoroughly captivating.
Foy is mainly known for her TV work, and doing particularly well in The Crown at the moment. But she is certainly spreading her wings into films. Most recently in the very good Breathe.
I liked watching Jay Pharoah. It is great to see an actor known for his comedy work be involved in a serious role, and Pharoah's presence felt really comforting. It was nice to see some sanity be brought to the table.
I have to mention Juno Temple, who was criminally under-used in this. She is a top talent that always brings her a-game into any project, no matter how small. Her character seems to almost channel Brad Pitt from Twelve Monkeys. But I think her lack of screen-time prevented us from seeing an interesting fully-fledged character that could have stole the show.

I have to mention the cinematography. It had a style which I don't often see. I would usually see it in low-budget projects. But apparently, it was all filmed on an iPhone. I never would have thought that. It was mainly because I was too gripped in the story to even consider or notice it. A few films have attempted this with strong results in the last couple of years. I think it was a bold and refreshing move from such an established director, and it will be interesting to see if this has a future and that could compete with the blockbusters.
A brief mention of the score by Thomas Newman. While I don't think I will be listening to it after seeing this, I felt it was well utilized at the right times.

No real major negatives. However, the shift in tone was partly problematic. So I guess the deciding factor on my rating, is how strong its positives are.

In the end, I did enjoy it. It's a respectable piece of work that explores and partly covers some interesting topics that are similar to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Shutter Island such as, who are the actual sane people in this story, turning a sane person into a insane person, who are the doctors and who are the patients etc. But the second half seems to quash those ideas, and instead go for a stalker/slasher thriller by the end of it. While the execution of both of those halves were perfectly fine, I would have liked some consistency.

I wouldn't quite put it up there with the best films involving a mental institution, as there weren't many great mysteries to be solved. It felt naturally progressive, and there were few surprises. But despite not much of it being challenging, it is certainly engaging and entertaining enough to be solid viewing.

Rating: 7/10

Review: A Wrinkle In Time

While it has been getting A LOT of promotion in America, I don't think many people here in the UK are as excited or aware of this latest Disney product based on the successful book.

I'm not much of a book reader. But I have heard this story has been labelled as unfilmable. Whenever I hear that, I always hark back to Cloud Atlas. That film in my opinion ended up being one of the greatest films of all-time. So with Ava DuVernay being director, I do have some expectations of this being a highly memorable watch.

This is a really strange one to review. There is so much to admire, and yet very little to get invested in. It starts off with some promise. But when the fantasy element enters the arena, the execution of it just felt wrong. One big reason was the characters reaction to certain things. It just did not make sense. You would naturally be shocked or mesmerized. But instead they just reacted as if they had seen that sort of thing before, and just carried on.
The rest of the film continues that streak on impressive things happening on screen, but lacking that impact for the audience to experience themselves. There's a lot of minor similarities I noticed to films like The Wizard Of Oz, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tomorrowland: A World Beyond, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story and even The Lady In The Water.
I think if you can stick with it and commit to it as much as you can, I think you can enjoy the strong finish it has. Many of the films shining moments were in the final act. But I don't think it was enough to ignore its problems in the build-up.

There's a nice mix of experienced and brand new in this cast. Storm Reid was a pretty solid lead for the most part. She seemed to handle the emotional parts of the story well, but not with the surprise fantasy moments. I don't know if that was bad directing as the stuff she was reacting strangley to was CGI based, and therefore she is seeing nothing. That being said, I saw great potential in her and I hope she gets more opportunities.
Deric McCabe was a real star in this for me, especially in the final act. He showed surprisingly great range and was an interesting character to watch. With all of this coming from someone who is aged nine, I think he could be a strong child actor for the next few years.
There was some nice performances from minor roles played by Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. Witherspoon has still got it for me. She felt very committed to her role and was almost channeling Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. As for Pine, I feel he is a super under-rated actor. People will know him from Star Trek, and not much else. It is a shame he is not used for a lot of projects, as I think he is terrific actor, particularly for blockbusters and in this one.
I thought Zach Galifiankis and Michael Pena had some nice moments in their short time on screen. Sadly I felt Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Levi Miller were either underwhelming or under-used.

There are quite a lot of striking visuals throughout, which was helped with with the cinematography. But there were times you could tell they were in front of a green screen, which kind of made it look hokey at times. The gorgeous location choices of New Zealand was a top choice also.

There is certainly a lot to be intrigued about this one. You can see a great film in here. I was impressed with what was happening on screen and there are many touching moments. But something was missing from making me caring or getting wrapped up in the story. It seemed to lack that punch to make this impactful viewing. I felt like I was watching this from afar, rather than feeling like I was getting involved. There were also many jumbled portions of the film, particularly in the middle.
I think it was a combination of story-telling and writing that prevented this from being a strong piece of entertainment and making sense of everything that was happening.

Also I'm not sure if kids will fully appreciate this. I think certain kids that will get the most from this are fans of the book, and kids that are high in their creativity and imagination.

They really aimed high with this. But it just didn't quite work. So to call it an honorable failure would be a fair conclusion. But respect goes to Ava DuVernay and her team for this project.

I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a cult hit though, as I can see kids from this generation praise this as they get older. A bit like Return To Oz from the 80's or Hook or A Goofy Movie from the 90's.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Pacific Rim: Uprising

While the first Pacific Rim film had over-the-top characters and was very silly in tone, it had great action, stunning visual effects and was really fun. That was mainly thanks to Guillermo Del Toro being director.
But with a new director at the helm, and the trailers suggesting more of a Transformers film, I was second guessing myself whether to give this a chance or not.

From the start, you can tell that Del Toro's touches and style is more than gone from this sequel. However, the opening action sequence is pretty cool and slightly put me at ease thinking we are least going to have a fun time no matter how ridiculous, which is what the first film essentially was.
It gave us a decent introduction to a couple of sub-plots. But in the end, it just seemed to not care about developing it into something interesting.
Even the with the story becoming more flawed and ridiculous, the fun continued. I was enjoying the fight scenes, which still remind me of every finale of a Power Rangers episode. I even managed to notice comparisons to Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
It did sadly end on a sour note, as the very final scene reminded me too much of 'Independence Day: Resurgence, which is never ever a good thing.

Instead of Idris Elba, it is John Boyega being front and centre of this story. I think this was a good performance by him. It is certainly up there with his efforts in Detroit and Attack The Block. You can really feel his charisma throughout this. Sadly, his comedic moments did not work at all, and almost felt awkward at times.
It was a respectable performance by youngster Cailee Spaeny. She felt more than capable of playing this strong female character and showed great potential in being used in many future projects. I would be on the look-out for more of Spaeny's upcoming roles. However, I was surprised as to how under-used she was in the second half, especially when the first half suggests that she is going to be the main character.
Charlie Day was ridiculous and unintentionally funny in his role. I don't think it was entirely his fault as the stuff he was given to do just did not feel right for someone of Day's style.
As a fan of the TV series Torchwood, it was nice to see Burn Gorman reprise his role from the first one.

As you may expect, the visual effects is its biggest strength. What I liked the most is that a lot of the fights take place in the day-time, which is such a nice refreshing change. So many big action scenes take place at night, and can be tough to tell what is actually going on as the filtering for some reason wants to make it even darker.
I was very happy to see everything happening clearly, and I'm sure many people will echo that statement.

So like I said, it may be stupid and it may be silly, but it is a lot of fun. So much of it is over-the-top. But there is an air of charisma coming from each department that makes it into solid entertainment.
It did have the action, but none of the style and creativity that Del Toro did to make this more than just robots fighting monsters. But I think if you go into this knowing that it will not surpass Guillermo Del Toro's original, then I think you can have a good time.
Outside of the action, there's not much else to write home about sadly. The characters have small or basic development and it does not have any interesting topics to cover or explore. It is purely action based, and thankfully they make it perfectly watchable. But none of it was jaw-dropping enough to compete with its predecessor.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Mary Magdalene

Even though I'm not a religious person, I am always intrigued with films about it.
I love the biblical epics of the golden era such as Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments. Major studios heavily invested in those stories back in the day, and they certainly did not spare any expense in every department.

These days, they are rarely seen and not many work well with audiences and critics. I feel The Passion Of The Christ is probably the last great success within this sub-genre in terms of box-office. As for the quality of the film, I admired its risky and bloody approach to it and thought it admirable enough to be solid viewing.

This latest release is directed by Garth Davis, whose previous film was his debut with the terrific and Oscar-nominated Lion. As soon as I saw Lion, I was up for anything this director would make and I had pretty decent expectations for this, with the high-quality cast also being an influence.

While I did feel somewhat disappointed by it, there are many things like in various departments. From the start, you can tell that it's beautifully shot with some striking and very believable choices of locations. The pacing is slow, but quite rewarding in chunks.
I gradually got swept away in the world you are transported to, and got invested in a few strong scenes that are both intense and heartfelt.

I thought the performances were fairly good all-round. Rooney Mara for me is still bringing out the best of her abilities as the title character. Since her breakthrough role in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in 2011, Mara has gone from strength to strength. However for me, I only really got captivated in her talent in 2015's Carol where herself and Cate Blanchett both had powerful performances. Then I felt her beautiful screen presence in the weirdly wonderful A Ghost Story last year. Now, I feel I can love anything she does now, and I felt this one to be another solid addition. I felt she tackled the role and gave us a strong female character.
Joaquin Phoenix gave us an interesting portrayal of Jesus. I have always been intrigued in Phoenix's methods in various stages of his career and I felt he did a good job in this one. He certainly gave us that air of mystery around his character and certainly made me invested during any time he was on screen.
Chiwetel Ejiofor was a bit disappointing, in sense of me expecting more from someone of his stature. His performance his fine. But giving what he has done recently, you naturally have fairly high expectations for him.
It was to see Tahar Rahim do well in this one. I only remember him being the leading role in the really good 'A Prophet' from 2009. I felt he was the best and only memorable performance from the supporting roles.

As mentioned before, the cinematography and choice of locations were very good. It is entirely filmed in the mountains in southern Italy, and it is wonderful to look at and really added to the time period. So from a technical perspective, it's quite strong.
The score by Hildur Gudnadottir and Johan Johansson really enhances its more memorable scenes really well. I must mention that this Johansson's last piece of work as he suddenly passed away just over a month ago. It is a sad loss as he was only 48. He should be remembered fondly for his works on films such as The Theory Of Everything and Arrival.

I think the only notable weaknesses was maybe the story-telling, as it did seem to lack the impact you might expect from it. The pacing is slow, and the flow just prevents it from being a great piece of work.

But on the whole, I thought this was a solid attempt of showing a famous story told from a different perspective. There are moments of high profoundness, even though it does not quite have the impact that it is trying to have.
It's shot beautifully, it makes great use of the landscape and the performances all work to a satisfactory level. I can't see myself remember this for too long after seeing it. But I still think it is worthy addition to the religion film genre and is probably one of the best in recent years.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Tomb Raider

For just over 20 years, the Tomb Raider video game franchise has become one of the most iconic and well known within the industry.
So much so, that we are now having a third film released that based off the video game series.

Whilst I was completely aware of the pop culture towards Lara Croft, I had never played the game as it was exclusively on Playstation and Sega, and I was a Nintendo guy.

As for the films, the hype surrounding the first one in 2001 was insane. The casting of Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft was a master stroke. She had the perfect likeness of Croft, and Jolie was certainly at the peak of her powers. There was also a sequel in 2003. The films themselves were not that great, but they had a lot of campy fun to its tone which made it a guilty pleasure for some people.

Will this modern re-imagining of the this franchise work, or will it fall under the curse of video games that continues to expand. Just for the record, I don't think there is a curse anymore as I really like Warcraft: The Beginning and it's a shame that never got the box office it deserved. Apart from China where it did amazingly well.

Like I said before, I have never played the game. So I did research a little bit of research once seeing it. It seems they are using the story from the 2013 game as a foundation. With that in mind, onto the film.
I found the set-up part of the film fairly intriguing and there is one set-piece that is shot really well and gives you hope for the rest of the film. There are some action moments that reminded me of Peter Jackson's King Kong.
As for the rest of the film, it was nice seeing an adventure/expedition film as it is certainly a sub-genre that we rarely see these days. Outside, there was not that much else that really struck my eye. Don't worry, there was nothing wrong with film. Just very little that inspired me to talk about afterwards.

From an casting point of view, I was cautious having Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, as they seem to be taking the character from a different angle compared to Angelina Jolie. That being said, I thought she did pretty well. The physical side of her performance was pretty strong. Vikander coped well with hand-to-hand combat moments and they gave her plenty of screen-time to show us her strength and determination. It also gave us a lot of vulnerability to her character that I could get on board with.
Sadly, there wasn't that much else to comment on. It was great seeing Walton Goggins as I remember him well from The Hateful Eight. As for this, he felt like a generic villain with little or no threat and barely a backstory for us to care for him. I'm not sure if they knew what to do with him.
Dominic West I think did what we expect of him. He's a pretty solid actor. But I have rarely see him do anything exceptional.
I felt Daniel Wu's character had the potential of stealing the show in his supporting role. But in the end, it just felt another character to do satisfactory support for Vikander.
A final mention goes to Derek Jacobi and Kristin Scott Thomas. It was great seeing some genuine class in this screen. It's just a shame that are in for about a handful of scenes.

It's biggest strengths are definitely from its technical team. The romping and heavy beat score by Junkie XL maintains his recent reputation and is a welcomed addition with some of the best such as Mad Max: Fury Road.
The production design looked pretty cool. There are some nice practical sets mixing in with its segment that take place on natural landscape. Also I felt the CGI merged in well with the practical parts.

However, its weaknesses are lead by its writing and character development. The script is as factory standard and cliched as they come. Compared to many films based off a video game, it's pretty solid and functional. But if I put it up with every other film, it takes no risks, it just did everything to a passable level and it did not amount to much.

As a video game adaptation, it seems that the film-makers have been pretty accurate from what I've heard. As a film, it's not great and nothing ground-breaking. However. it is pretty solid from start to finish and serves its purposes at the very minimum. Vikander is great and there was just enough sense of adventure to keep my interest.
But with a lacking script, everything being predictable and every character outside of Vikander being pretty unmemorable, it was no more than functional.

The mythology of this world never really hooked me. However, I would not object to a sequel just yet, as this certainly has the potential to be up there with Indiana Jones. It's just a matter of having the right high-quality film-maker and screen-writers on board.

Speaking of a sequel, with this film using the plot from the 2013 game, don't be surprised if the potential sequel is called 'Rise Of The Tomb Raider'. This is due to it being the next game in that particular era within the franchise.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Annihilation

Now I would have normally talked about director Alex Garland and this being his first film since Ex Machina, as well as talking about his writing career.

However, it is the films distribution that has been making the headlines. Apart from USA and Canada, this film is surprisingly getting a Netflix release. Apparently, this was due to the studio executives believing this to be "too intellectual" and "too complicated" for cinema audiences. I find this to be just pure nonsense as many brain-busters in the past have not only got a theatrical release, but a highly successful feedback from general audiences.

So adding to those reasons for its distribution, that just enhanced my already high anticipation for this as well as myself really liking Ex Machina. I did have a feeling that this could be another sci-fi hit with many aspects to think about.
I turned out to be fairly correct, and yet still felt unprepared for what I actually got.

From the very start, I certainly got a similar feeling that I got from Arrival. So I was already stoked as to what was to come. There are some nice little nuggets that the camera focuses on, but you're not sure why at first. The first two-thirds do go at a slow-burning pace. But the strong and colorful visuals and high levels of imagination kept me engrossed, whilst also getting to grips to ideas this film was presenting.
I think once it got really creepy, that is when I started really enjoying this. Then like most mind-bending films, the final act is what is going to make or break the film for everyone. For me, this was the peak of my enjoyment. There is a lot to get to grips with and I was seeing many comparisons with various sci-fi stories that helped contribute my own theories to what was happening. Then the ending that is most certainly open up for interpretation just opened up more windows of possibilities.

I feel that the aspect that people will get the most out of, is the concept. A lot of you will probably know that I love a film with ideas and that can be real think-pieces that you are still undecided on long after seeing it.
I saw many topics being covered, such as our levels of perception, identity, the differences between suicide and self-destruction and many other things.
I also liked that this reasons for the actions happening in this film may also end up happening for no reason. That therefore also covers the topic of the randomness of the universe.

The cast is pretty solid all-round, but none were what I would call award-worthy. Natalie Portman carries the film well and makes us become her character trying to work out what is going her. Her strength really shines in the second half especially. Another good performance was Oscar Isaac. While he is not in the movie for long, his contribution was very memorable.
I felt Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson contributed well when required.

I have to give huge props to the technical teams in the making of this movie. It has very colourful visuals that whilst I love seeing it, I was also gutted I would not be able to see this on the big screen. The environment managed to be both beautiful and menacing at the same time. You will notice that in the film with a lot of things, and not just the landscape.
The sound design and score by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury are pretty cool.

There were no real notable negatives as so much of it was open for interpretation. However, there was a minor sub-plot that did not really add to the story. But I get why it was there.

I got a lot out of  this and I can definitely see myself liking this the more times I watch it. This is because, I am not quite going nuts for it just yet. I think it's because on paper it would sound a lot better. But the slow-burning execution of the first two acts were pretty good, and not as completely gripping or captivating as it's finale.
From a film-making and story-telling point of view, I was attached more to the concept rather than the characters. It almost hits every point that its trying to cover in a big way. So I think while it probably will just miss out on my top films of the year, it's ideas and deep-thinking themes will still see me give it an exceptional score and probably become the film I have thought about the most from 2018.

The first two acts are a pretty good jungle adventure with some psychological segments. Then the final act really tests your level of imagination and experience in the sci-fi genre and what you can make of it.
If I had to give similarities to other films, then this feels like the Prometheus film we should have got. I also saw a lot of similarities to Arrival as well as Aliens, Predator, the Mirkwood scenes in The Hobbit, various Doctor Who episodes but one in particular and even Jurassic Park III, Evolution and The Prestige.
I can see this film beginning lots of discussions on what everyone got out of it, particularly its themes, messages and theories to the ending. I think even if you didn't get the ending, the strong visuals will nevertheless captivate you and will make you want to understand more about it.

If you feel stupid for not getting it. Don't worry, because I'm pretty sure no one has totally got it. Plus, that means the film has done what it was supposed to do, and that is challenge your mind.

This is the type of film that you should take a toilet break beforehand as you need to keep up with it, and it won't wait for you to catch-up.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Mute

Since his directorial debut in 2009, Duncan Jones has given us some of the most influential films within the sci-fi genre with a couple of mind-bending stories.

It started with the brilliant British indie 'Moon' which broke new ground for sci-fi films in many aspects.
Then came the complex and thrilling Source Code which saw him come into the mainstream world.

2016 then saw Jones direct a big love of his, and that is the world of Warcraft. I really enjoyed it and I hope a sequel is eventually made. But sadly, the undeserved lower than expected box office might prevent from happening.

Now we have another sci-fi feature. However, it is Netflix that Jones is going for in regards to its release. This route of film releasing is slowly becoming more common. In some ways, it's a positive more. But for many others, it isn't.

However, now that I have seen the film, I think I think of one reason as to why we won't be seeing this in cinemas.
It started off pretty well with some striking visuals that is very similar to Blade Runner or even the Rouge City segments from A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The set-up and introduction to the characters and story was promising and I felt we were gearing up for an impactful neo-noir. There are even some nice easter eggs in here for fans of Jones' previous works to look out for.

Sadly, the second half is all over the place. It's biggest problem was that the character motivations suddenly change at 180 degrees flip. There were also scenes that felt more like deleted scenes as the flow into the next segment just did not make any sense.
You can still see the potential as it deals in some really dark issues. But they were never fully resolved or explored.

With it being a sci-fi with a fair amount of grandeur, its biggest strengths are most certainly is visuals. Added with the strong cinematography, I was fascinated by the look of this world and there were many shots that felt reminiscent of the many vintage noir's of the 1940's.
Another strong suit that I loved was the imagination in the technology. It was fantastic to watch and there were so many that I have never seen before that I could realistically see being used in our actual future. With it being a sci-fi with a fair amount of practically, you expect some lavish costume design. It certainly has that. There was a surprising amount of vintage and current costumes in here as well, which still managed to seam well with the environment.

But despite it being a strong film from a technical standpoint, the story really lets itself down. It's a real shame as someone of Duncan Jones' stature, you do expect something special and some deep story-telling. But in the end, it was just a hot mess. It had the potential there and I really wanted to get on board with this. But it's extremely messy second half just made it a frustrating watch by the end of it.
Despite not likely giving this a second watch, I will remember it for its concept and look, and I will still keep an eye out for any of Jones' future projects. He still remains to be a top director with many ambitious ideas. Whether they work or not, I will still watch anything he makes.
I feel so bad for Jones, as this was such a personal project. So much so that he dedicated the film to his parents.

Rating: 6/10

My Top 10: Sylvester Stallone Films

It's been over 40 years since the iconic breakthrough of Sylvester Stallone in the Oscar Best Picture Winner, Rocky. Since the, the man know as 'Sly' or 'The Italian Stallion' has been labelled as one of the most popular action actors of the late 20th century.

He has been in action blockbuster of the 80's, 90's and early 2000's, as well as several franchises. But While he may not regularly churn out award-winning films, Stallone has always had a strong fan-base that always turned for his films.

Age may be getting the best of him and we might not see many films involving him. But we can still remember when Stallone was the face of action films for well over a decade.
My list does contain some of his big action hits. Along with his occasional award worthy features.

One particular honorable mention that just misses out on my top 10 of his, is Cliffhanger. I was not expecting to not only like this, but have fun with it. This adventure thriller sees a mountain climber get caught up in a failed terrorist heists that is taking place on a plane as it's flying across the Rocky Mountains. These are definitely the type of Stallone action films I expect to see.

Out of his 59 films, I have seen only 35 of them. I will all of the ones I have seen, and give a short review of each of my top 10:

35) Spy Kids 3: Game Over
34) Zookeeper
33) Rocky V
32) Rambo III
31) Cobra
30) Over The Top
29) Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
28) Demolition Man
27) Judge Dredd
26) Rocky IV
25) The Expendables 3
24) Tango & Cash
23) Assassins
22) The Expendables 2
21) Rocky Balboa
20) Bullet To The Head
19) Daylight
18) Escape Plan
17) Escape To Victory
16) The Expendables
15) The Specialist
14) Rocky III
13) Rambo: First Blood Part II
12) Lock Up

10) Get Carter - While it is clearly inferior to the Michael Caine original, it's still plays out as a fun mystery action flick.

A mob enforcer returns home to investigate his brothers' mysterious death.

It may insult some Get Carter purists. But I still felt I was entertained by this crime drama.

9) Rambo - While I think the second and third Rambo installments were getting a bit silly and over-the-top, this long awaited 2008 sequel gave us a gritty send-off.

John Rambo is back, and this time he is helping out some mercenaries rescue a group of Christian aid workers in war-torn Burma.

The action and story is solid and it gives you faith that you can still re-boot dead franchises.

8) First Blood - An action drama that was kind of off-beat for the early 80's.

It sees a former green beret ran out of town by a tyrannical sheriff, forcing him to survive by using his combat skills.

I personally can't quite put into that cult status that it has been given by many others. But it is still a solid feature that shows Stallone's range.

7) Oscar - A really nice surprise. This gangster screwball comedy has consistent comedy throughout and is a really fun time.

It has a lot of old school comedy tropes that are executed really well.
It sees Stallone play a gangster leader keep a promise to his dying father of leaving crime and going straight.

It has quite an impressive cast and everyone contributes beautifully.

6) Cop Land - The Sheriff of a New Jersey town slowly realises that the mob runs his town.

This is cool crime drama that has a slow brooding pace that makes for quite tense viewing.

This is also a surprisingly poignant entry for Stallone, and the rest of the stellar cast and directing by James Mangold further enhance that.

5) Creed II - Sly is back for another chapter in the life of Rocky Balboa and he is back training Adonis Creed. His opponent this time, is the son of Rocky's former enemy Ivan Drago.

A pretty good sequel, with a solidly executed underdog story with another top performance by Stallone as Boxing's biggest movie star.

4) Rocky II - One of the most anticipated sequels of the 1970's.

After the events of the first Rocky film, Balboa is struggling with family life after his bout with Apollo Creed.

But with this opponents consistently goaded him for a re-match, Rocky has no other choice.

It is a worthy sequel that maintains the spirit of the first Rocky.

3) Antz - The first big competitor since the birth of Pixar, and also the first animated feature from Dreamworks.

A rogue ant tries to break away from his colony whilst trying to win the heart of the queen in-waiting. Stallone voices a muscular worker ant who is best friends with the central character.

A surprisingly mature family animation that I don't think gets the credit it deserves.

2) Creed - Director Ryan Coogler and his team gave this once tired franchise the perfect re-boot with this high-quality dramatic addition.

It sees the son of Apollo Creed be trained by his dad's former opponent, Rocky Balboa himself.

There are so many strong aspects that gave current audiences the same feeling people had in 1976.

This certainly felt like my Rocky.

1) Rocky - The film that broke Stallone through into the Hollywood scene, and will forever be his definitive role.

It sees a small-time boxer get the rare chance of fighting the heavyweight champion of the world.

Whenever a new Boxing film is made, this will always be the benchmark and it was worthy of its three Oscars that included Best Picture.

Review: Red Sparrow

I am always up for a new Jennifer Lawrence film, whatever the story. Ever since breaking through the blockbuster world in The Hunger Games, Lawrence has gone for some very ambitious projects whilst still being on the mainstream scene.

Her most recent project was in the very divisive 'Mother!', which I enjoyed immensely and became one of my favourites of last year. After seeing that, I was confident Lawrence would be up for doing any outlandish story.

With this one, the trailers did suggest the potential for some aspects to be out of the norm. The early buzz from America suggested many talking points, which just intrigued me even more.

I'm still a bit unsure as to what to make of this film. Thankfully in terms of the talking points I was anticipated, it certainly had me thinking.

I think Jennifer Lawrence was as captivating and committed as you could be with this type of character she was given. She really goes all-out with this one. However, her Russian accent was a bit inconsistent. But as her accent was a subtle one, it never felt like a major negative.
I still love it that Lawrence continues to choose very challenging films, whether or not they work out in the box office sales. I will still be interested in what she does next.
Joel Edgerton was pretty solid in this one. He's a very capable actor that I liked in most of his films. This was nothing exceptional, but not one to criticise over.
I was happy to see Matthias Schoenaerts lead the way in the supporting roles in this, and he continues to show that he is a great actor that I don't think is used enough, especially in big films.
Charlotte Rampling had a scary stone-cold presence about her throughout the short amount of screen--time she had.
Sadly, I felt Jeremy Irons was under-used in this for someone of his stature. He has a more inconsistent accent then Lawrence and I'm not sure why he was cast in this to be honest. I could probably say the same for Ciaran Hinds, who is this even less.

I think the films strongest aspect came from its tone and production design. It has a pretty stylish look, especially in its action and violence, which was accompanied well by its cinematography.
The level of brutality in the violence and awkward moments in certain scenes would almost make you think you were watching a Paul Verhoeven erotic thriller. You could say it's like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy meets Showgirls, which is a comparison I never thought would be created.
Thankfully, I felt none of the violence felt glorified. But I would not surprise if some pathetic articles are written complaining about that content in our age of trying to not offend anyone and everyone.

With saying that, it's biggest strength could also be its strongest negative. This is what is going to make or break the crowd.

A couple of other problems to speak of, is I think a lot of people will be unsure of where the central characters allegiances lie. That alone could be hard for a lot of people to get invested with the rest of the story.
It also remind me a lot of those Cold War spy thrillers, which a lot of them had slow pacing and it shows in its unnecessary 2hrs 20mins duration. However, it only started to lag for me as we got into the second half. So if the first half can grip you, then you should be fine with the rest.

Those parts are what is preventing me from giving this a strong review. However, the film itself is good enough to get a fairly respectable rating.
The first half is pretty solid. It opens up well, the story moves along nicely and it sets you up well for the second half. After that, the momentum started to slow down. Thankfully the ending had some nice twists and has a solid pay-off.
I think if the writing department concentrated more on the psychological side of our main characters new origins, then this might be quite a memorable spy thriller that is also a thinking-piece.
This could make a great book, as I can tell there will be a lot of writing dedicated to the internal thoughts of Lawrence's character.

But I think the biggest reason for this film to not be as strong as it should be, is that the unsure nature of our main character. We can't tell if we should be supporting her, or if we should be sympathizing, empathizing or something else.
The story is intriguing, I liked its style and its fearless execution of not holding back on the wince-inducing moments. But to be honest, I think it will be difficult for a lot of people to know which characters to root for at all.

On an interesting final note, I can see why some people may label this as the origin movie to the Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we'll probably never get.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Game Night

So here we have a straight comedy, a genre which I rarely review or even pay money to go and see. So you know, the marketing team have already done something wrong in intrigue.

Plus, the fact the writers were also part of Horrible Bosses and Spider-Man: Homecoming and the casting of two likable leads had parts to play in my decision in seeing this.

Also, the concept sounded like it could really work and the people involved behind the camera could give us an absolute treat.
Now prepare yourself, because I really liked a lot in this.

From the opening scene, I could already hear a really cool synthesizer-heavy score and see strong early development of the realism of how people do game-nights.
After that, the laughs came and never stopped. As the stakes in the story kept getting higher and higher, the execution of the set-pieces were really impressive. After seeing a few of those action-packed scenes, you can feel the commitment that the director and his team have given to this film. They have given us so much in this film that we just don't see in comedies, as the technical department really come into play to enhance those situations.
It does have moments especially at the end, where I feared like most comedies do, get over-blown with the ramped up action. But it gets just crazy enough for it to still feel organic and make me believe that what is happening on screen feels believable. As for the violence, there is a fair amount of it and it manages to never make it not-funny.

Not only are the performances strong, but they are perfectly developed and written. I am just so happy as to how good the writing and character development was. Not one character felt wasted, they all were given a solid story-arch that made us clearly understand them and they were all given enough screen-time to have several memorable scenes.

Jason Bateman I feel is a pretty good actor, and more than capable of carrying a comedy. He is perfectly functional job in this performance and shows his experience by carrying the film well. As also does Rachel McAdams. It is easy to forget how good she is at comedy. She has done a fair amount of serious dramas and has been very good in them. But don't forget her memorable performances in comedies like Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers and the under-rated Morning Glory. McAdams is great in this and her timing is spot-on at all the crucial moments. I continue to be a fan of hers, and I hope for more comedies involving her.
With them being both leads, their chemistry needs to be strong and it certainly does. The comradery works throughout, and the development in their on-screen relationship was highly believable.

There are plenty of stand-out supporting performances, which again was helped by the vibrant writing that was given in their character development. I am proud to say one of them is Jesse Plemons. He has shown us his potential in several films as a minor character. Now he is becoming more of an influential support. The dead-pan tone of his character gave the comedy some refreshing variety and the twists his character takes was a really nice surprise.
The same can be said for Billy Magnussen. I've apparently seen him in a few films. But the only one I remember seeing him in was Into The Woods. This is a much different style of acting needed, and he was great. The timing of his characters stupidity contributed heavily to the laughter count and has some great shining moments on screen.

From the acting aspect, I must mention that there is a cool cameo towards the end that I know will get a lot of people excited. I don't watch this particular show that they're known for. But I could hear many whispers going on in the screening I was in when this person appeared.

I was not expecting and incredibly surprised to see a strong contribution come from its technical apartment. There are some impressive p.o.v. camera-shots that almost make you feel like you're playing Grand Theft Auto. Whilst also seeing that, I had thought during the film that it actually does play out like a video game. I'll be interested to see if you notice that as well.
Speaking of the cinematography, there is a very cool one-take action set-piece that takes place that always gets a smile out of me. Long one-take shots are a crowd-pleaser to film lovers, and this is just another thing I was expecting to see in this.
Also, the score is great. Lots of cool synthesizers that enhanced the pacing of the film really well. I reminded me a lot of The Neon Demon, which I adore that score. Then afterwards, I looked up as to who the composer was. I could not believe it, it was Cliff Martinez, who did, yes you guessed it, The Neon Demon. I was in such positive shock, it makes so much sense and I will be listening to this score again. Now that is a sentence I never EVER thought I would say about any comedy.
I even noticed some cool editing moments that felt very Edgar Wright, which is always a winning formula in my book.

I don't really have any negatives that are worth mentioning. So as comedies go, this is probably one of the strongest I have seen for quite some time. This movie had me laughing way more than I thought. I don't think I've laughed like that at a straight comedy since probably 21 Jump Street. So that alone makes this a must-watch from me. I think the gags for the most part will work with everyone. There a few references that they make that I don't think every demographic will get. But there is certainly something for everyone in this I feel.
There is a lot going on this film. The pacing is pretty frenetic. I almost had a gripe with the final act as it felt it was going for generic ending. But some neat twists were executed to give a memorable send-off.
This film will be ideal for couples, as you could call the film a 'couples-comedy'. So I don't often say this, but this most definitely a very good date-movie.

If you haven't seen the trailer, avoid them. Go in cold, and you will have the best enjoyment possible.

I am just so happy to champion a comedy. I had almost forgotten how good modern comedies can be. Go see this and cherish it, because we might not see one like this for quite a while.

A final note. I was aware that there was a post-credits scene, and it was totally worth it. The first half of the credits is this really cool sequence that just adds to the story that you just saw. Then the short scene at the very end of the credits is pretty funny and just leaves you with another well-deserved chuckle to add the already impressive tally.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Lady Bird

This film is being billed as the directorial debut for Greta Gerwig. She has already been credited in the writing of a few films and co-directed a film in 2008 called Nights And Weekends.
But in terms of being a solo director, this is indeed her debut.

If you aware of Gerwig's work, then she is pretty much as indie as they come, both in her acting and general personality. The only one of her films I have seen is Frances Ha, which I felt to be a pretty good indie rom-com. Now, we have a feature that is becoming a major Oscar contender and has already won several awards elsewhere.

I was quite surprised as to how I felt after seeing this. It's starts as something I expect in most coming-of-age comedy-dramas. However, it quickly quashed that feeling out of me with a lot of nice surprises and twists with many rich characters that are brilliantly developed.
All of that built-up nicely into a really strong final act, and possibly one of the best of 2017.

All the actors give really strong performances and the ensemble cast is possible one of the strongest of 2017. Saoirse Ronan continues to be so god damn good in everything she does. She shows such versatility in all of her roles, and I hope to see her eventually win an Osar for whatever she does in the future.
Both Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts were right on the money with their performances as the central characters parents. The on-screen relationship between Ronan and Metcalf's characters is the key to this films success, and it works perfectly as Ronan's scenes with Letts. It's all really touching and is emotionally strong.
Timothee Chalamet and Lucas Hedges continue to be cast in awards nominated films, and they both do a great job in their supporting roles. I think whatever they are doing next, do not be surprised if we see them feature against during awards season.
It was not until afterwards that I realised how integral Beanie Feldstein's character was in the film. She gave off a really great spark in her scenes and just further added to the realism this whole story had. Also, it was great seeing Stephen Henderson in another film, after remembering him well in last year's Fences.

Everything about it does scream coming-of-age drama, and, yet it's not one that you expect, especially one where the central character is female. These types of films usually have a romance as its main focal point. However, it explores so many more and relatable situations that someone of that age would realistically experience. It felt very fresh and extremely satisfying to watch.

There aren't any negatives that are worth effecting my score. However, I will mention that it doesn't have that conventional style of story structure where one scene flows into the next one. This one seems to be more about showing moments. It may seem odd at first. But once you get accustomed to its style, will make sense of what is happening on screen.
It's not the type of story-telling and editing that I prefer. But I was fine with it as the strength of the story made me not care to much for that particular aspect.

I really liked this. It felt like such a honest and real depicition of coming-of-age. I might know very little about its Sacramento setting. But I can understand some of the problems our characters face.
This film really shows how Greta Gerwig thinks, as it apparantly does hint as to what her teenage years were like.

I think its biggest quality, is that it never falls into cliches. You totally don't know what's going to happen next throughout, and the strong performances and story-telling keep you interested right through to the very end. It does start off at teasing you that it could do down this generic route. But soon after that, the surprises just do not stop. I got wrapped up in their lives and got completely invested with them. When you forget you're watching actors and seeing characters instead, that means the film has totally worked.

It almost felt like a John Hughes coming-of-drama. But this one seems to show more intelligence on a surface level. By the way, I'm not saying Hughes' film weren't intelligent. His films were more centered on comedy. Whereas, this one is more drama based with good moments of comedy.

I don't think this will re-write how coming-of-age dramas are written. But it certainly breaks new ground into this sub-genre.

Rating: 8/10