Review: Sicario 2: Soldado

This sequel is certainly not one anyone was initially expecting?

The first Sicario back in 2015 was a really well directed crime drama with top performances and some amazing cinematography by Roger Deakins. It was directed by the brilliant Denis Villeneuve, and his style certainly enhanced the viewing experience along with the top performances by Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, who for many people including myself stole the show.

But this one is without Villeneuve and Blunt. The reasons for not having Blunt in this makes sense, as her character was basically playing the audience and being introduced into this world. Now that is done, there was no need for her character to be in there. As for not having Villeneuve, I was already going in with expectations of it not being as good as the first film.

But a part of me remained hopeful as writer Taylor Sheridan came back, and I see him as one of the best writers working in the film industry right now.

The first half is really well put together. The set-up is intriguing and the story well and made me excited for how it was all going to turn out. There are were also some well executed action sequences that reminded me of Hell Or High Water, which is another film that Sheridan wrote a few years ago.
Then something happens in the second act that lost me and went down a totally different route. There were decisions made by the characters that confused me and I wasn't sure if there had been a betrayal somewhere and if people had switched sides. It almost became a completely new story. The end of the final act had parts that shocked me and had me intrigued but also partly unfulfilled at the same time as to how they left it.

There were three stand-out performances. Benicio Del Toro continues to be a bad-ass in the sequel and for me is still the best part of this newly formed franchise. You truly believe that he is playing a stone-cold killer that is very hard to get rid of. Also, his chilling delivery of his lines will never get boring.
Isabel Moner was a great addition to the film. She felt like a breathe of fresh air, gave us a strong and capable character and had good chemistry with Del Toro throughout.
Josh Brolin was a strong and solid lead and finished what was a pretty good 2018 for him.
A brief mention to Catherine Keener who played a small role in this. It was to see her involved in this film series, even though she felt under-used for me.

While the film may have lost Roger Deakins, the camerawork by replacement Dariusz Wolski is still one of the films biggest strengths. It's obviously not as strong as Deakins' work, but Wolski gave us many wonderful desert landscape shots that just added to the brutality of the story.
Also, the score by Hildur Gudnadottir built the tension well and followed on from the tone used in the original film by the late Johann Johannsson.

The only weakness to mention have already been stated earlier in my review. Some of the choices made during the second act lost the flow of the film for me. Plus, almost everything just lacked the style Villeneuve and his team created in the first installment.

To conclude, I kind of got what I expected. You don't get the same impact or smart story-telling from the first one. However, what I liked was that there is still enough brutal content in there that will shock you, make you tense and make it worthwhile viewing. It's made with great efficiency and has good re-watchability.
The tone and vibe almost felt like crime drama's of the 1970's. That grungy colour palette this film had would fit perfectly into that era of films.
You really get that sense of paranoia that is totally relatable in the real-world situations of this particular topic the film is covering.

It is a story that we have seen multiple times in crime dramas. But I think the strong writing and development, well executed tension and high-quality performances certainly makes this above average at best when you compare it to films covering the same topic.

The film does leave it open for a third chapter. I will be checking out how they move this story forward or possibly conclude it. Was it a sequel that we needed, not sure. But was it a worthy sequel? It's certainly better than most and any film that is better than you expect gets a thumbs up any day of the week.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Leave No Trace

Another hit from the Sundance Film Festival here, and that alone should get you excited to see this.

When I heard that it had Ben Foster in the lead and the story having a Captain Fantastic vibe about it, I was psyched to see this.

This comes from the same director who did Winter's Bone, the film that launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence. From the opening shot, it already has a similar landscape to the directors previous films. From then on, you are transported to this world that you believe in right from the start and the struggles of character that you quickly get engaged with and feel true sympathy for their struggles. After that introduction, the film just elevates those feelings on multiple occasions.

I was so happy to see Ben Foster be in the lead role for this. He is one of the best actors out there that I feel is not being fully utilised. Foster always shines in the supporting role. But he is rarely given the chance to take the lead.
In this one, Foster makes the most of it and gives a great performance. You can feel his characters struggles throughout and heartbreaking to watch from start to finish, even though you know there is a sinister side to him that could come out at any moment.

But amazingly, Foster is not the star of the show.

It's his support in the form of unknown Thomasin McKenzie that steals the plaudits, and the film ends up being her coming-of-age story. This teenager gives a performance that will break your heart. The amount of powerful and innocent moments she has on screen, especially with Foster is jaw-dropping and I was just amazed at how good she was. Plus, she has a face that has a such strong presence about it as you first see her on screen. A true star in the making, and most likely one of the big snubs at next years Oscar nominations, as I can see this performance getting lost by the time the big contenders come out.

Elsewhere, I noticed there were so many understated performances from the minor characters around our main two. So much so, that they felt like non-actors to me.

What I liked about it the most, is that director Debra Granik and her team leaves a lot for you to work out for yourself. There is little explanation given to all situations, and the film-makers respect your intelligence.
This is a great story. There are many scenes where you really feel for the characters involved, you believe their situation they are in and the family themes are strong on-screen and are very relatable.
Granik brokethrough Lawrence and this film could do that for McKenzie.

While I did enjoy this, I think the slow pacing and constantly depressing tone just fractionally prevented me from giving this an exceptional rating. It has become a common theme I have with Granik's films. So it's nothing new for me. The tempo started to show towards the end, and also I don't think there were enough strong or powerful moments for me to take over the line.

However, there is still plenty to enjoy and talk about afterwards. The story is really interesting to see develop, the woodland scenery is gorgeous and also punishing at times when you relate to the characters situation. The performances by our two main characters are top quality and alone are worth the price of a ticket.
If you're in the mood for a chance of pacing and vibe with it being the summer blockbuster season, then check out this indie treat.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Happy Prince

I knew very little of Oscar Wilde before seeing this film.

I know he was a famous playwright, and I knew he did The Importance Of Being Earnest and The Picture Of Dorian Gray. But he was never a major figure that was explored or talked about when I was at school. So I only knew him from any mentions in pop culture.

So I was up for picking up a lot of knowledge in this viewing, whilst also having a memorable experience. Also, with Rupert Everett billing this as a passion project, I know we were in safe hands as I was already aware of Everett's love for Wilde's material.

Well I certainly found out a lot more about this troubled character and it ended up being a rather nice watch. Early on, I was already getting an image of the life this man had lead and I was amazed at how relevant this story is in today's society.
I was also noticing some strong construction in the film-making as the production looked top-notch, there was a lot of picturesque location shots and I noticed some very nice editing in its sequences.

It goes without saying that Rupert Everett gives a great performance as Wilde. It's quite the transformation, I felt it was a career best performance and you can feel that he wanted to do the man himself proud and it his performance that carries the film. It was the role that was made for him.
It was great to see Colin Morgan be involved in this. He's mainly known for playing Merlin in the BBC TV series of the same title. Morgan certainly did a good job, felt convincing and contributed well, particularly in the second half.
Another Colin was involved in this, that being Colin Firth. You know what to expect with Firth, and that's what you get with his performance. It's not a stand-out. But it fitted in nicely when required.
I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of Emily Watson in this. While her role sounds important, the amount of screen-time felt like a bit of a waste for an actor with such high talent.

It's a purposefully sad story, and it managed to work the right emotions with me. I truly felt that I was watching a great man being ridiculed and being on his death bed, both professionally and literally.
Throughout the film, you get a true sense of how our main character is feeling and for me that was thanks to Everett's performance and the strong directing.

However, it does lose itself at times and flirts with being self-indulgent. But I think the film refrained itself in the end.

If you're looking to see Wilde at his finest, then this is not the film for you. I think the choice of telling his final years was the right one, as the topics covered are more relatable to whats being discussed in society at the moment.
I felt the passion within the story, the characters, actors and people behind the scenes in the final product. It ended up being a fairly good viewing experience with top acting, a solid story and a noticeably creative construction in its technical side.
It might not be the type of film I would watch again. But it remains one that I would recommend.

Rating: 7/10

Review: In The Fade

This Golden Globe winning crime drama has certainly taken its time to be released here in the UK.

The first I had heard of this was towards the end of 2017. It was getting really good reviews, and the people involved and awards it was getting at the start of the year was enough to be intrigued by this.

It has a clear three act structure, which is helped by his chapters that it shows on screen. The first two acts are certainly intense and devastating. The content is well covered with a powerful execution and when it changes location in the second act it certainly ups the ante in different ways.
As for the third act, while it manages to change its look once again, the impact did not feel as long-lasting as its previous acts. But nevertheless, it did not majorly detract the high-level of film-making.

Diane Kruger gives a top performance and was well deserving of winning Best Actress at last years Cannes Film Festival for this role. For me, she always seems to deliver in her roles and she easily carried this film. Her screen presence is of the highest quality and her multilingual skills shown in this film just enhances her talent as a brilliant actor.

On paper, it sounds like a revenge film. But it definitely does not play like a typical one. It's got a much more brutal story to it and has more heartbreaking consequences. Actually in the end, it's more a powerful drama than a genre film which is where revenge films fall under.

The visceral nature of it all prevents it from being a genre film and has those universal themes that can bring in a bigger audience. To be honest, the revenge segment was a bit generic and slowed the film down a bit. Whilst it as still solidly executed, it just did not match the same impact from the first two acts.
This is certainly worth watching as the story is well told and the performance by Kruger is brilliant.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Sweet Country

It's always fun going into a film knowing virtually nothing about what you're going to see. From what I had seen or heard about it, I was expecting a Western.

What I got in the end certainly had a Western vibe. But instead, we had a crime drama in the Australian outback in the early 20th century.

I noticed the deliberate slow pacing involved and I was fearful that it would take me out of it as this style does not always win me over. Thankfully, the execution of the content involved was gripping me. The story had many powerful moments and was brewing up nicely.
By the end of it, I felt pretty satisfied and have already thought about it long after seeing it.

The performances were all highly memorable. None of them felt like stand-outs. But like ingredients, they all worked when they came together.
You could feel the struggle and sympathy for Hamilton Morris and Gibson John's characters, Sam Neill shows us he's still got many more memorable roles in him, Ewen Leslie just oozed evil and was top notch throughout, Bryan Brown was like an aggressive version of Tommy Lee Jones' character from No Country For Old Men and Matt Day contributed well to the strong final act.

The cinematography by Dylan River and Warwick Thornton also needs to be commended. It's wide camera angles gives the film such striking imagery that makes the environment an extra character. You felt transported and could feel the punishing heat that the Australian deserts have.

Also, I noticed a nice little nod to a 1906 film called 'The Story Of The Kelly Gang'. For those of you that don't know, this is first ever feature film ever made. When you read about its release, the historical accuracy is pretty solid within this story.

I thought early on that the pacing would bore me and just take me out of the film. But that did not end up being a negative of the film.
However, I wasn't too much into the flashback moments. That for me was a bad choice by the director. I might have expected a few uses of it. But it certainly was overly-used and became pointless at times.

While it was a slow-burner, it's strong construction, powerful imagery and impactful situations made this good viewing.

The themes reminded me a lot of Wind River, and like said comparison, the environment also felt like a character in itself. It's message was in the right place and it will speak to a lot of people as it especially covers topics that I feel will be continuous, especially in Australia.

All of that as well as the great performances and top character development made this a powerful watch. I began being unsure about it due to its slow pacing. But it managed to hook me in and I became quite engrossed with every bit of its creation. A nice surprise.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Hereditary

A film that gets a huge buzz from the Sundance Film Festival at the start of the year, and is produced and distributed by A24, a studio that over the last few years has become a big favourite with indie fans, you know you just have to mark it done on your watchlist for upcoming new releases.

I'm always up for an A24 film. I feel that this studio goes for more variety and takes chances on some really peculiar projects. Many have pulled off nicely such as The Spectacular Now, Locke, Ex Machina, Amy, The Witch, Green Room, The Lobster, Swiss Army Man, Free Fire, A Ghost Story, The Florida Project, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Lady Bird, The Disaster Artist and my personal favourite, Room. Some are still being heavily discussed like Under The Skin and Enemy.

But when it's a horror, I still have a small sense of caution as it's a genre that I find little success in. It's strange because horror films have had many intriguing concepts and has more directions it can go with. Much like my favourite genre, sci-fi. But most of them end up being so generic and predictable. But there are enough horror films every so often that hit every mark and it becomes a classic.

Even with that in mind, I have been pleasantly surprised with horror films over the last few years. I have really enjoyed horrors such as The Cabin In The Woods, It Follows, The Babadook, Get Out, The Witch, I Saw The Devil, Black Swan, Don't Breathe, Kill List, Lights Out, Under The Skin and many others.

So I was going into this with a fair amount of excitement, despite my overall history with this genre.

There is an amazing opening scene sequence that really gives you a hint at what you're about to experience. There isn't anything that scary looking in the opening act. But the way it is made, you can feel the tension and that something is not quite right.
As we get into the second half, there is a moment where I wasn't into the overboard exposition moments that was basically showing us some integral information and shoving it in front of our fences. I know how important this aspect in story-telling is within any film. I just felt it could have been better executed.
By the final act, there were many great sequences that terrified me and that I felt was thanks to the directing and camerawork. However, there was still something missing that made me fully care for the story. I feel I was more impressed by the construction of it rather than the story.

The performances were great all around. Toni Collette for me has for the most part being under appreciated. She's pretty good in this, and I would not be surprised if this performance gets mentions come awards season.
I can see some people seeing her performance as a bit over-the-top. But for me, there was a nice mixture of realism and emotionally heavy reactions that fits in nicely within the horror genre.
Milly Shapiro did a great job in her first acting role in a feature film. Right from the get-go, her character made me feel uneasy and I knew that either something bad was going to happen to her or to somewhat else by her.
Alex Wolff did a good job, especially towards the end. His reaction to certain sequences made it for a chilling experience. There was also a nice little unexpected performance by Ann Dowd that's worth watching out for as well.

As I said before, I was most impressed by the construction of the film. So by far its biggest strength is its technical aspects. It is certainly an impressive creation. From the creative camerawork, to the imaginative production design and editing to the chilling and atmospheric score and sound design. This has a lot going for it in these departments, and they should be commended.
There were great moments, especially in the second half where there are things in the corner of the screen and even when nothing is happening, it still sent chills down my spine. The choice of showing them for such a long time on a wide shot was a brave, but top decision.

I think what brought it down for me was the story. While it was interesting and very well developed, I just did not care enough for the story to be gripped by it. There was too many more interesting parts of the film going on, and the intrigue of the story got left behind.

That being said, this is quite an impressive feature film debut by Ari Aster. This director has done a bunch of shorts before this, and looks set to venture out into feature projects.
I hear it's being billed as this generations The Exorcist or Rosemary's Baby. For me, it reminded more of the pacing and vibe of It Comes At Night, and a final act similar to that of The Witch.

For general horror audiences, there aren't that many jump scares. The final act is where you'll get the most chilling and unsettling moments. The first two acts I can see being a slog for some demographics. Fear like every other emotion is subjective. This will find its audience, it just may take some time. It's one of those horrors that I think you will get more out of, long after you've seen it.

For me, I did feel unsettled throughout. However, the slow pacing throughout did make it tough at times and some of the spooky moments did not feel that impactful. But I think the commitment that everyone involved had in this won me over in the end, and I feel the strength of the final act made me really appreciate this. There are some scenes that I will certainly not forget anytime soon.
It has a terrific direction by Ari Aster and his team, and as mentioned before the technical side of this film is brilliant to see in its finished product. I will certainly be up for Aster's future projects.

Rating: 7/10