Review: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

The story of the making and battle to release this film is worthy of being a film in itself.
This has been in production for quite some time now, and it finally got its debut at the Cannes Festival back in May.

I'm always intrigued by a new Terry Gilliam film. His style may not always work with me. But he's never afraid to go against the conventional way of story-telling and yet still get a wide release that finds an audience.

I love his work with Monty Python, love Twelve Monkeys, really like Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, admire Brazil, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus and even enjoy The Brothers Grimm.

I think the long wait was worth it as this is a great piece of work. His style is clear to see early on and the way develops gets gradually more surreal. By the time the final act arrives, its gets totally bonkers and really tests if you're willing to take the extra step and commit to the story.

What I think worked the most is that no matter how stranger it gets, it still manages to entertain. Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce fitted the tone perfectly and their relationship blossomed really well in the end. I also think Stellen Skarsgaard, Joana Ribeiro, Jason Watkins, Jordi Molla and the always gorgeous Olga Kurylenko.

If you're a fan of Terry Gilliam's works, then you'll really enjoy this. If you're aware of his style, then this could definitely work for you. Sadly, I think most general audiences will find this quite surreal viewing, like most of Gilliam's films.

I think seeing enough of Gilliam's back catalogue helped me enjoy this a lot. I think Adam Driver did a great job and his chemistry with Jonathan Pryce was great to see develop. The wonderful production design that you always get in a Gilliam film is still as impressive as ever.

When it works you just embrace the bonkers nature of it all. When it doesn't, it can confuse you but also intrigue you if the whole structure that you believed it to be has totally changed with a sudden revelation.
But I felt it worked on the whole. It leaves a lot to the imagination and easily warrants multiple viewings. Not just to answer more questions, but to further appreciate the level of detail in its production.

I was fortunate to see this. But I really hope this eventually gets a wide release after the long journey its had.

Rating: 8/10

Review: A Private War

After seeing the documentary Under The Wire, I felt perfectly prepped to see the feature film about infamous war correspondent Marie Colvin.

Despite being a regular reporter for The Times, I knew nothing of Colvin let alone her reports in some of the most dangerous places in the world.

The documentary gave me so much that I can totally understand why this story is worthy of being made into a feature film.

It honestly took me a while to see this as an exceptional piece of work. Most of what I was seeing was good. It was moving along nicely, the story enhanced well and I think the structure of the plot worked well. But as the stakes got higher, the more tense I got and the final act was what got me emotionally and made me realise that I cared for everything that was happening. I felt the dangers, the stakes and the risks are characters were taking and the pay-off was very impactful.

A lot of it is thanks to Rosamund Pike who did an excellent playing Colvin. You can see she did her homework and transformed into the lady herself. I was really happy to see Jamie Dornan gives us a memorable performance playing Colvin's main photographer after being involved in the pretty bad Fifty Shades trilogy. Also, Tom Hollander did a solid contribution as he always does in the type of role we always seem to see him in.

Other aspects that made this a really good watch was the strong production design and the frenetic camerawork and editing when required.

The strength of Rosamund Pike's performance and the level of authenticity of portraying the dangers are characters were involved made this a very dramatic and intense piece of work that I think everyone should check out.
It certainly portrays Colvin's achievements well on screen and the way the camera moved around certainly made me feel like I was by her side dodging all the bombs and shootings.
The character study aspect certainly gave us plenty of content to understand why Colvin did what she did and even her softer side in the middle of all the darkness around her for most of the film.

Rating: 8/10

Review: If Beale Street Could Talk

When I first heard about this coming out, I instantly remember when I saw director Barry Jenkins' previous film that won Best Picture, Moonlight.

I remember being quite underwhelmed by it, which is always expected with the film that at the time of my viewing was an Oscar contender. I appreciated the craft, the performances were brilliant, but the story was just well made and never blew me away.

With it being another personal story from Jenkins, I was expecting more of the same. That is exactly what I got.

However, I found this to be a more intriguing watch. The look of it and some of the camerawork felt more experimental that peaked my interest.  The story instantly had me and like Moonlight, there was some great performances. Stephan James and KiKi Layne were wonderful together. Their chemistry and relationship felt genuine, and it wouldn't if they were a couple in real life.
The build-up talk for the Oscars has involved Regina King as a heavy favourite for Best Supporting Actress. While I thought her performance was fine, there was nothing that shouted "awards winner" to me. I have to mention Ed Skrein who played a scary looking character that reminded me of Will Poulter in Detroit.

I thought this was an expertly crafted drama with a very well-told story with strong performances from everyone involved.
I'm still not going nuts for Jenkins' work as I don't feel like watching this or Moonlight ever again.
But this latest release made me appreciate his talent much more then his Best Picture winner.

There were many more impactful moments that made me remember this long after seeing it and felt more deserving of awards success. I hope Jenkins does something more off-piste to see what his range is rather than telling something that is more personal.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Mary Queen Of Scots

Bit of a strange build-up as there wasn't a large amount until probably within a month of its release.

A film with a historical story rich in discussion and research over the years, I was expecting a mammoth sized marketing for it for months on end.

That for me means that it has not captured the critics imagination enough to be one of the years best.

That being said, with the always amazing Soairse Ronan and Margot Robbie leading the way, I still felt that this could be another feature where the fans saw what the critics never got.

Now that I've seen it, I can see why there was not that critical hype surround it.
While I thought the film was pretty solid, I did end up somewhat disappointed at the same time. With the calibre involved in this famous story and the release being in the hotbed of awards season, I think the hype had me expecting so much more.

There was nothing wrong with it at all. The production is strong, the Scottish settings were gorgeous to look at on screen and the score gave it some grandeur and enhanced the importance of certain scenes. But outside of that and maybe Soairse Ronan's continuing high quality of executing accents, I felt nothing else was exceptional, just serviceable.

The story just moved along at a perfectly fine pace, and as soon as the credits rolled, I would probably struggle to recall scenes from the film.
Even when they bent some of the historical accuracies, I felt nothing towards them. I just took it for what it was and carried on.

Despite my disappointment, I do think certain audiences will like this, and possibly love this. For me, I felt this was a perfectly fine historical period piece, but with few strengths to make it a memorable watch.
I think I'll stick to the 1971 version with Vanessa Redgrave.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Boy Erased

We do occasionally have almost identical films get released by different studios in the same year. Like for example, I remember 1998 saw two end-of-the-world films get released at the same time in the form Armageddon and Deep Impact.
I also recall two Snow White films coming out in 2012 in the form of Snow White And The Huntsman and Mirror Mirror.

Now in 2018, we get the most random coincidence of the lot. That's right, we have the release of two films involving conversion therapy.
This controversial practice seems to be associated more with America then anywhere else. I'm not aware of any in the UK. But I am aware that this is a big thing in certain regions of the United States.

Earlier this year, there was The Miseducation Of Cameron Post which I felt to be a very good indie with strong and honest performances and having a profound feel to it throughout.

With Boy Erased, this looks to be a more serious and impactful take on this topic and that is gunning for Oscar success. One notable giveaway is the casting of Lucas Hedges who seems to be the face of any Oscar contender. Recent examples include Manchester By The Sea, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and Lady Bird.

The execution of seeing a highly religious family slowly fall apart was very well executed. With the mix of seeing this particular conversion therapy camp, you get to hear many dramatic stories and minor characters have their moment. Some with more emotional results than others.

I think director and actor Joel Edgerton has a done a great job and continues to show what a fine actor-turned-director he is becoming and that he is not afraid to do different genres. He did a great job with The Gift, and he has another top piece of work with Boy Erased.

Lucas Hedges shows that he can carry a film as well as support with this very memorable performance. Nicole Kidman continues to showcase her A-level talent with a top support for Hedges' character and shone more and more as the film went on. Sadly, I felt Russell Crowe to be a bit wasted and I was unsure in the end as to the reasoning for his cast except to just up the calibre of the ensemble when it came to Oscar season.

If I had to compare with Cameron Post, it's a tough call. I have many aspects favouring either film. But while I would rather watch Cameron Post again, I would give Boy Erased the edge. The performances are stronger, the tone and vibe of the film is more showy and portrays the world of conversion therapy to how I think many expect it to be.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Green Book

Like most people, the buzz from the film festivals is what had me first hearing about this film.

When I heard of the calibre involved in the cast and one half of the Farrelly brothers as director, this had me convinced of seeing this sure-fire Oscar contender.

To put simply, without the performances of Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, this highly entertaining comedy drama would no be where it is today.

The themes and story structure all scream Oscar-bait, and unlike some people, I am fine with that. If it's Oscar-bait it usually means that it plays to the masses with broad-strokes in its story-telling and when it done it rightfully deserves to be part of awards season.
This particular film does rather well. That added level of serious topics it covers while giving it a light-hearted tone made it a very pleasant viewing.

The introduction of Mortensen's character sets us up nicely for where his character is heading. But it is the arrival of Ali's character is when this film catches fire, and their comradery is terrific to watch.

Fans of the Farrelly brothers will notice that director and co-writer Peter has given enough of his style of humor to please fans of his previous work.

It may be one of the least radical films in recent memory. But its a pretty universal film with timeless themes and is presented in way that can make easily successful with the general cinema-goers.
This is a very enjoyable piece with Mortensen and Ali giving us incredible performances that more than carry this film. Along with sharp and funny dialogue, everyone should check this out.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Mid90s

We have a London buses situation in regards to skateboarding films. I can recall very few skateboarding related films I have ever seen. Then suddenly in the space of just a few months, I see the pretty good Skate Kitchen and now Mid90s.

From the opening scene, it was already showing enough references to let you know that we were heading back to the 1990's.
It was great seeing all the trends and pop culture plastered all over the screen.

But that was quickly sidelined for a pretty powerful, funny and sometimes brutal story about adolescence, friendship and underestimation of judgement.
Leading the way is youngster Sunny Suljic, who I remember playing a minor role in The House With A Clock In Its Walls last Autumn. He truly portrayed the struggles of a young boy wanting to just age a few years to experience what all of his peers are experiencing.

I think that was helped massively by the direction of Jonah Hill who is making his debut behind the camera as director. Even though Hill has found plenty of success as an actor over the last decade, it looks director could be his true calling card.

As well as Suljic, there were plenty of impressive performances from fellow youngsters Na-Kel Smith, Olan Prenatt, Gio Galicia and Ryder McLaughlin. I have to mention the casting of Katherine Waterston and Lucas Hedges. Waterston showed great maturity in her role and gave a nice little sub-story of her characters struggles throughout the film. As for Hedges, while he may not have had much screen-time, his impact was noticeable that helped the themes of the story enhance even more.

I thought this was a very well made piece of work with many rewarding results, especially a final that will just make you smile. The story may be one we have seen, but the large amount of well developed characters on offer with strong performances by young actors along with the beautiful cinematography gave it a refreshing edge that I can see this becoming an indie favourite.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Eighth Grade

It's taken a while for this film to head over the Atlantic and be released here.

For what seems like almost a year, I have heard nothing but great things about this American coming-of-age drama. So I was psyched when I managed to catch an early screening of this.

I have to say, I was pretty impressed by it and can see what all the fuss is about.

Throughout, there were constant moments that reminded me of when I was at high school and the many situations I experienced and encountered of social awkwardness and the struggles we were facing at that age as our body, behaviour and attitudes were changing.

Perfectly portraying all of that on screen was Elsie Fisher as our central character. At first I was dreading having to supposedly feel sympathy for her. But when the film delved into how she truly thinks and lives, then it was pretty easy. It was a wonderfully executed look of the modern teen.

While I don't think the other performances were exceptional, they all played their part in helping the story of our central character. However, I will give particular props to Josh Hamilton, who gave a particularly strong contribution in the final act that will melt hearts.

The level of authenticity is clearly the films biggest strength. With that added modern edge, it gave a pretty genuine and honest look at the current state of schools and how kids behave and feel about the world around them.

I felt the viewing experience to be a pretty memorable one. The story-telling was strong, with memorable characters, with very believable dialogue written by a team that knew how kids speak and there were plenty of powerful moments that never felt afraid to add a bit of occasional comedy as well.

Rating: 8/10