Review: Jojo Rabbit

Taika Waititi has become quite the powerhouse director in recent years. After initial success with indie darling 'Boy', then to a breakthrough hilarious mockumentary with 'What We Do In The Shadows' and 'Hunt For The Wilderpeople' to direct a major superhero blockbuster in 'Thor: Ragnarok'. The New Zealand has certainly put his style of comedy and film-making on the map and create an ever-growing fan-base.

On paper, having a story involving the Nazi's and it being a comedy would have you naturally being unsure whether this would work. Missing the mark in its execution could ruin this film. But with a man like Waititi at the helm and the trailer selling it for me, I knew I was in for a comedic treat.

I feel I can confidently say I was very satisfied with what I saw. Right from the get-go, Waititi's style has already got me laughing and it just never stopped. Virtually every gag was working to the highest quality and had me and pretty much everyone else in my screening howling with laughter.
While the comedy was working, the story was gradually taking the limelight the longer the film went. Then it was the second half that was showcasing Waititi's intentions for this project and it ending it up rather delightful and sweet in its execution. I was almost getting a 'Son Of Rambo' vibe about it.

The performances overall were extremely strong in what was a high-calibre ensemble. Unknown child actor Roman Griffin Davis was a revelation as the lead. Big props to Waiti and his casting crew who found this wonderful talent. His performance felt pure, innocent, authentic and his execution of his comedic moments for me got the biggest laughs of the entire film. I would be hard to a find a better first ever acting role by anyone else.

I think it helped having Waititi himself play a big supporting role for Griffin Davis to bounce off and that lead to strong chemistry between the two.

Another child actor that did a great job was Archie Yates. Like Griffin Davis, Yates is a wonderful natural talent, has great chemistry with his fellow child counterpart and also got a lot of laughs.

I had no idea that Thomasin Mackenzie was cast in this. It was such a delight to see her be part of another project. If you haven't seen Leave No Trace, please do. Mackenzie is wonderful in it and it was a breakthrough role for her.

Sam Rockwell continues to be fantastic in another one of his many supporting roles. He fitted the tone perfectly and got a lot of laughs out of me.

I feared Rebel Wilson would drop the comedy down a bit as her style rarely works for me. But I'm glad she contributed well and got enough laughs out of me.

Another cast member that I wasn't sure would work, was Scarlett Johansson. It was certainly out of her comfort zone. But as her character was more for the heartfelt part of the story, it worked to her advantage.

It was also nice seeing Stephen Merchant make a small appearance and he certainly made the most of it with a very funny sequence.

I was surprised to notice that a lot of the cinematography, tone and even character tropes at times almost felt like I was watching a Wes Anderson film. I hope I'm not the only one that picked up on this.

I honestly don't have a notable negative to mention. If I was being nit-picky, then I think maybe the gags could have been sharper, wittier and then generally cleverer.

But while comedy may not be layered or deep in its themes and the gags may in the end be forcing cheap laughs. It made sense to me as the story was from a child's perspective.

This is an absolute hoot and great comedy with a lot of heart and playful mindset. The cast are nothing short of brilliant. Griffin Jones and Yates showed their talent to the fullest and I look forward to see their future blossom.
While a lot of people will remember this for the gags, there is a really sweet story that develops with a highly satisfying ending.

I can see myself and many others give this multiple viewings and the re-watchability factor may be the strongest part of the film. The talent of Waititi continues to grow and I cannot for his next project.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Genesis

It's not often that I don't go nuts for a film that is heavier on ideas then it is about its surface level and story-telling.
But this had me feeling that way.

The two stories it was focusing on were perfectly fine in terms of its pacing, development, execution and were carried well by the two leads.

Both Theodore Pellerin and Noee Abita showed great authenticity and innocence in their performance and perfectly enhanced the films themes of adolescence, and yet both were done in different ways.

Whilst Pellerin was expressing the more conventional way we see said themes, Abita's character went the more modern and alternative route. In the end, I felt Abita to have the more interesting content and dealt with it very well for a memorable performance. I hope to see of Abita in future projects.
As for Pellerin, there were a few memorable individual scenes where he could show his characters cheeky side, which certainly worked especially in the opening act.

While the performances do enough to keep me interested in what was happening, there was not much else that had me wanting to check this out again.
There's definitely nothing wrong with the film. I think it might be the pacing, tone and directors style that just lacks that re-watchability factor.

While it may be a good one to discuss as it projects its themes rather well on screen. As a piece of cinema and entertainment, it was a bit uneventful and at times too sombre for me.
It moves along at a pleasant pace. The performances had strong moments, particularly Abita with many memorable scenes that was purely to do with the look she was giving. But I didn't feel there wasn't any juicy goodness to get your teeth into.

The topics it covers such as teenage adolesence, young romance and puberty is a good one to go for. But I have seen it done better, covered more thoroughly and had a more impactful viewing experience with other films.
As for this one, it's perfectly fine. There's nothing bad about it. There was very little that made it live long in my memory and entice me to see it again.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Judy

The life of Judy Garland has been one that I have been fascinated by. Mainly due to the fact that I have always been intrigued by the life of a child actor, especially as far back as the 1930's.
The way they were treated would be seen these days like slave labour.

Stars like herself, Shirley Temple and Mick Rooney were the big child stars back in the day. But their life behind the camera is one that tries to get avoided being covered in a film. Seeing the release of this had me unsure the route the director and their crew would go.

While I was expecting more of a celebration of Garland actually turned out to be the story that I was not expected and very similar to that of Stan & Ollie from last year.

It moved a long at a solid pace and had a nice amount of comedy to not make the sombre tone completely bleak.

This film is all about Rene Zelwegger's performance. It is one of those transformation type of performances where you see the character and not the actor. From looking like Garland, to sounding like her, Zelwegger certainly did her homework to making the performance feel as authentic as possible.
Outside of Zelwegger, it was great seeing Jessie Buckley be heavily involved with this. After first encountering Buckley in the really good Wild Rose, I was pleased to not only see her be part of a film from a major studio, but play a character with a solid amount of screen-time. Buckley did a good job and very convincing American accent.
Not much else to talk about the acting aspect except for some nice comedic relief from Andy Nyman and Daniel Cerqueira.

Outside of Zelwegger, everything else I felt had a solid execution, never had me feeling bored and felt engaging enough to make it worth my time.

The story might not be considered glamorous, but it is certainly the type of one we seem to be getting in a lot of biopics lately.
Zelwegger is totally worth the admission. She more than carries the film and gives a strong performance that saw her fully absorb into the Judy Garland persona.
What I got from it the most was how much torture and struggle such a beloved film celebrity had during her prime and her latter years.
It might not feature high up in my films of the year list. But Zelwegger's performance is certainly worth a shout of being an awards contender.

Rating: 7/10