Review: The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent

While I do love the type of fanbase Nicolas Cage has, I wouldn't call myself a fan of his.

He has definitely been part of some fun action flicks and given strong performances in a few critically acclaimed dramas. But his success rate is very low for someone who has been part of over 100 feature film projects.

However, I do like the type of legacy he has left with people. Which is probably why we have got this surreal self-aware feature that will please his devoted followers.

So while the trailers may perceive this film to be making fun of Cage. It seems to be more of playing around with that belief whilst also celebrating Cage.

I was liking the Lethal Weapon and Tango & Cash vibes it gives off. The buddy comedy genre is one that we don't see often these days or work well when we do see it. I must mention that there is a reference to a particular popular modern family film which surprised me. It ends up being a running gag in the film and this will please a lot of people when checking this out.

While it seems Cage isn't playing his exact self, he is certainly portraying a Nicolas Cage that we see him as whilst also showing us his current mood to his acting and life in general. You can tell he's having fun with this role and it will most likely resonate with its viewers as well. It certainly did with me by the end.

For the performance from our man of the hour, it was a pretty good one. You can appreciate his commitment to this strange cause and Cage is firmly locked in on the self-aware jokes and just embracing all the stuff that the fans love him for doing.

Pedro Pascal was a perfectly fine support for Cage and continues to show his range and proof that he can cope in film as well as TV. There wasn't much else standing out in regards to the performances. But the whole cast did a decent job in making Cage the star he deserves to be in this.

The writing worked pretty well overall. While not all of the gags hit, there was enough cleverness and wit that will please the fans in the subtlety of the references they put in.

The action scenes flowed nicely and kept the story moving. The pacing in general was nicely done and I never felt it dragged whatsoever.

While I'm not going nuts for it or instantly wanting to see this again, this remains a decent and fairly entertaining caper that will remind you that Cage can still do it. There's some cool meta moments for his fans and is still entertaining enough to keep general audiences entertained.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Northman

With all of his directed films being critical hits, Robert Eggers has become one of the most interesting film-makers right now.

Debuting with the truly disturbing 'The Witch' followed by the beautifully weird and highly engrossing 'The Lighthouse', anything coming from Eggers I am instantly wanting to see.

No trailers are needed for me and I was excited to see where his next project was going.

There is an aggressive energy about this film both in the performances and the drum-beat heavy score. I was getting a perfect mix of Viking mythology with that vintage Eggers fantasy/dream sequences that give his films a great sense of surrealism.

If you like films like Gladiator, The Revenant, Braveheart, Apocalypto, 300 and are a sucker for a Hamlet/Lion King storyline, then you will eat this up. There are themes of legacy, family, fate and revenge that are explored well.

The violence is brutal in its imagery, yet made to look beautiful by the brilliant cinematography by Jarin Blaschke. The final act felt a bit much for me even by its own standards and the way it wrapped up felt pretty quickly. But there was still a lot of satisfaction in how it concluded its story archs.

Alexander Skarsgard impressed me in the leading role and easily gives a career best for me. You can see his dedication to the role with requires a lot of physical energy to it. Skarsgard looks the part and he does with such control that felt it never felt over-the-top for me.

There was solid support from everyone involved. The threat Claes Bang's character had was good and made him easy to suspect and eventually hate. Nicole Kidman shows she can still bring out the big guns and give us a surprisingly pivotal character and developed nicely within the story. Her screen presence was one of mystery.

Anya Taylor-Joy is back for more with Eggers after her breakthrough in 'The Witch' and did another good job, as did fellow returning collaborator Willem Defoe and Ethan Hawke. We also get a nice bit of added weirdness from Bjork in what was a small yet memorable role.

In terms of an ensemble, this was a strong cast. With there being many sequences involving a fairly large community for authenticity, every cast member played their part to make this an immersive experience.

For a project like this, the production design is naturally of the highest quality. The choice of shooting locations made you really feel the strong winds and unforgiving rain. As mentioned, the camerawork knows when you go wide to appreciate the battle sequences and when to be intimate during those psychological based scenes.

The same can be said for the editing. There was the right amount of hectic in between the moments that gives you time to linger and the beauty of the wide shots that give that perfect cinematic quality.

I had a really good time watching this. It is certainly one of those films whether you like it or not, you cannot take your eyes off it. There is a great sense of spectacle to it and makes it for a worthwhile visit to experience on the big screen. I rarely use this word, but I would happily call this epic in every aspect.

While it may seem outrageous and mad on the surface, there is great beauty in its story, savage violence and overall look. It is certainly Eggers' most accessible film to date and is probably a great ice-breaker in seeing what his style is all about. A lot of its department deserved some recognition and I hope it gains a lot of momentum for general audiences to give this a chance.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Operation Mincemeat

Having already been aware of the story through seeing the 1956 version 'The Man Who Never Was' as well as reading about it, I was intrigued to see what a new release would do with it.

With the marketing showing a high-calibre British cast, it certainly gives you a feeling of a guaranteed worthwhile viewing experience.

From the very beginning, you feel so comfortable. That instant wholesome British vibe is just so welcoming at a cinema screening.

Everything about it moves a long at a gentle pace and you have a top British cast doing what they do best.

There are some clear additions to the story to try and over dramatize it, which didn't feel necessary for me. But there was still enough interest in the task at hand to keep me invested despite it almost trying to take you away from the main plot which felt strange.

The ensemble cast do a good job in fleshing out these characters and making them engaging. Even though Colin Firth looks like he is putting in a performance we have seen many times, it remains to be one that still works well. Matthew Macfadyen's support and chemistry with Firth was great and the longer the film went, the more I was enjoying Macfadyen on screen and made me remember how good he was in 'Frost vs. Nixon'.

Kelly McDonald completes the trio with some nice back and forth and proof that she can compete with the elite of British acting.

Johnny Flynn made the most of his character that will interest a lot of people, Penelope Wilton was as good as always and there was a mini reunion from 'Death Of Stalin' with the additions of Jason Isaacs and Simon Russell Beale which was nice.

As expected, the general look is very good. That 1940's look to London was great to look at and the added soundtrack was the icing of the cake for a very strong production design.

There were a few issues I had with it sadly. The sub-plots that were added for dramatic effort felt unnecessary considering the actual story itself should have plenty of content to play with. It also felt a bit too casual for what the story consists of. It does play to target audience. But it does it in a way that I felt was even too light and soft.

So with other recent British war films raising the level of the genre such as Dunkirk, Testament Of Youth, Darkest Hour and The Imitation Game, it is a hard level to match. But to be brutally honest, films like that will have you not remembering this one for very long. 

Don't worry, It's a perfectly fine film that will get a decent rating from me. It moves along nicely with good performances and is thrilling and tense enough to keep you interested. But with its sub-plots trying to add some unnecessary additions to the already interesting story, it almost doesn't want to invest in the truth of the story as they feel audiences would be bored by it.

If my review has you feeling cautious, then I would check out 'The Man Who Never Was' instead, as I feel that remains the superior portrayal of this incredible war story.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Lost City

When I heard of the reason Sandra Bullock was starring and producing this film, I was hopeful despite the trailer not appealing to me at all.

I'm always up for someone trying to recreate those mid budget adventure comedies from the 1980's like Romancing The Stone or Crocodile Dundee. So despite the marketing not looking that promising, the decent amount of buzz coming from America willed enough of myself to give this is a chance.

The set-up gave me a surprising amount of 'Nim's Island' vibes due to the personality of Bullock's character had. It was virtually identical to Jodie Foster's in that surprisingly fun family adventure.

For a lot of the viewing, I did feel I had been transported back to those films this one is paying homage to and I was back in the late 80's. That gave it a nice amount of refreshing value.

Despite all that, I still wasn't quite getting a complete package.

You can tell Bullock put a lot into this film both on and off the screen, which I do appreciate a lot. She put a solid leading performance and continues to show off her comedy to a satisfactory level. 

Channing Tatum was perfectly fine in his role. His comedic skills are still being well utilised in this and has solid and believable chemistry with Bullock throughout.

While it was nice seeing Daniel Radcliffe as the villain, I never felt his characters threat. Some aspects to his character worked. But it was hard for me to see him as the main antagonist in this story. I'm still up for more Radcliffe in roles that are out of his comfort zone though.

The big stand-out despite the little screen time they had was Brad Pitt. His powerful screen presence really helped this film give it the energy it needed and he just elevated every aspect of the film. From the moment he was introduced, it was like a ray of sunshine just entered the room.

Oscar Nunez gave a surprising amount of effective comic relief in his character, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph was a solid addition to the cast as well.

The overall look of the film was very pleasing. There were some nice use of exotic locations. That for me gave some practical weight to a lot of the action sequences. The addition of visual effects was fairly well used and never felt over digitalised or out of place.

Most of the issues I had with the film were that almost all of its aspects were never at an exceptional. You pretty much know how its going it to play out and there's very little if anything that makes this stand out above films within its genre. One reason I think it was just going through the motions, was the pacing. It's not quite as adrenaline fuelled for what is needed for a story like this. So that's probably why I and feel others will see this as rather pedestrian.

I could have gone harder with its weaknesses. But with the film being intended to be a bit of light fun, it would be harsh for me to feel that it wasn't worth my time.

It was ok overall. It was nice to see this type of film be in the cinemas again. The story is perfectly fine, the cast do a good job of giving it enough life to make it entertaining enough.

While not all of the comedy worked, there was a decent amount of laughs to make this worth it thanks to the witty dialogue.

I hope this isn't just a one-off and we get more of these mid-budget adventure/rom-com releases from major studios.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Revolution Of Our Times

I might not be an expert on the unfortunate current situation in Hong Kong. But I feel I know enough on a surface level to understand any developments.

So when I heard about this documentary that has had a hard time getting released, I felt compelled to check this out as you could feel the importance in its marketing.

From early on, you can feel that the coverage is pretty unprecedented. It couldn't be anymore frontline if it tried. With the interviews being the people that are literally in the middle of these protests, there is nothing constructed about the content you are seeing. It's pretty tense, shocking and even horrific at times.

There are particular sequences that will stand-out and stay with you for quite some time. Also, the information that is given from the people being interviewed gives you a great amount of detail in the accompanying imagery. It gives you a real idea in the dangers and risk involved as well as the impressive organisation and community spirit the protestors have.

It's around 2hrs 30mins and in terms of film-making, it probably didn't need to be that long given the lack of a complete structure. But given the tricky situation they had making this, you can somewhat let that go. The content is as 'first hand account' as it could get. There is plenty of coverage that you would have never seen on the news. The interviews were incredibly insightful and show the fight is still going and they we will not stop until their task is done.

Out of the other documentaries about this subject, this is clearly the most thorough. The content cannot be matched and some of the imagery is incredibly heart-breaking and inhuman at times. This is a film that will be hard to forget and should be a vital component in education.

The screening I was at had the majority of the crowd chant what the protestors have been chanting as the credits rolled. It made for a pretty special viewing experience and it certainly makes you feel extremely lucky to be in a part of the world with democracy and free speech.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Benedetta

A new Paul Verhoeven film usually sparks a good amount of interest from me. I have always found his style very engaging as he never shy's away from the tone he is going for. Verhoeven always goes to the extreme.

To any outsiders, your typical Verhoeven flick consists of extreme violence and nudity to cover themes of humanity's obsession with violence and sex. He also flirts into the realms of satire but never quite fully committing.

With his latest release, it has bit of everything that you have seen Verhoeven portray over the years. The tone does move around a bit from serious to campy, to that vintage Verhoeven eroticism with hints of surrealism. But no matter how silly it gets at points, you can't take your eyes off it.

I felt the cast did a good job of fitted to the tone. While there were some over-the-top moments, they never manage to take you out of film and feel out of place.

Virginia Efira did a great job in the lead. I saw a lot of power and confidence in her performance  and I can see her become Verhoeven's newest regular collaborator. Having the experience of Charlotte Rampling in this as that kept the serious aspect of the film in check. I must mention the support by Daphne Patakia as I felt it helped a lot in elevating Efira's performance.

The production design is pretty good on the whole. The locations used and costumes designs perfectly fit into the time period and the small use of visual effects never felt out of place and executed the surreal and dream sequences really well.

I thought this was pretty good in the end. The beautiful, striking, shocking and sometimes surreal imagery makes it really come alive and it makes it hard to be a boring watch. There's plenty of content that you need to see to believe and I like how it constantly bounces between making you think this is all a joke or if its taking itself seriously.

We see themes such as power, womanhood, sexuality and the dysfunctional nature of religion all covered with that typical Verhoeven softcore erotica to spice things up. If you like Verhoeven's previous successes such as RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, Black Book or Elle, then this is more of the same.

It's thrilling, exciting, sexy, a bit campy, silly and surreal times and gets you to a point that you're not bothered by its issues.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Outfit

For a film with a pretty strong cast and crew, I was surprised how the marketing wasn't as large as you would expect.

But with the buzz slowly getting bigger as the release date arrived, this had the makings of a somewhat hidden gem.

It was interesting to see that this could easily work as a stage play due to the majority of the film being in one location and it being dialogue heavy.

So much of it felt as if it was made in an era in film long ago. Even the posters for this film look like they belong in the 1950's or 60's. All of this made the whole experience quite refreshing and welcoming. Helped out by a genuinely tense and exciting story, I was pleased to see that my hopes were met.

Mark Rylance continues to be as great as ever with another strong performance in the leading role. While for most of the film, we do get that vintage understated Rylance presence. But there are moments that give us something new which was well earned in getting to that point.

The stand-out supports by Dylan O'Brien and Johnny Flynn must be well praised. O'Brien looks to have grown out of his stint in The Maze Runner franchise and continues to grow to a very promising actor. Same goes for Flynn who continues to grow from strength or strength with his performances and gave a bit of a menacing one in this.

The star of the show for me was the script. It felt as sharp and precise as the costumes. The way it reveals more details about the plot and each character gradually ramps up the tension really effectively and gave us many memorable and fleshed out characters.

Judging by the title, you would naturally expect strong costume designs. You'd be right. The costumes are very classy looking in amongst the mixture of old school stylish and dark and brooding production design.

Also, the score by Alexandre Desplat manages to be a character in itself. The pieces and arrangements used fit the time period and enhanced the film's overall mood perfectly.

It may be nothing ground breaking and the screenplay almost overpowers the film. But it still manages to execute every aspect to an effective standard and make this a worthwhile watch.

It's got a lot going for it and the cast make great use of what is a strong screenplay. You don't see these types of films anymore and that's what will make this stand-out for a lot of people.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore

We are back to the Wizard World for the first time in four years. While it is clear that people still care more for Harry Potter than Fantastic Beats, people will still check this out as the product still sells.

My initial thoughts after seeing its predecessor 'The Crimes Of Grindelwald' remain the same. Those thoughts being that in terms of the information presented to us, it was interesting. But in terms of a film narrative, it was a bit messy and lacked that emotional weight.

But as a big fan of this world, I like many others remain invested.

I am happy to say that we are partly back on track. But it is most definitely not without flaws. Many characters are back along with new ones, and the premise is certainly a lot clearer than the previous installment.

I have to mention that there was a scene very early that may be upsetting for younger kids. It certainly shocked me. So be prepare for that if you are bringing little ones expecting some light and fluffy magic.

I liked how they cover the themes of fascism a lot more. It has always been briefly mentioned at the very least in each Wizarding World installment. But in this one, it seems a much more as primary message.

I liked how they are still incorporating the 'Fantastic Beasts' side of these stories by introducing us to new some creatures that still play a vital role. I was fearing that they would completely sideline their initial idea of this film series. But for now, it is walking side by side with another idea coming through on the outside.

Despite some positives to speak of, my issues from the previous films where there are certain locations or characters making decisions that we are expecting to understand, but clearly cannot are still there. This is a big reason why I feel this film series would only work for the hardcore fans. That is probably why I was satisfied with enough of it.

Eddie Redmayne continues to have that charm and innocence that makes him very likable. He might be slowly be moving away from being the central character, his contribution to this film was still much appreciated for some memorable moments.

While it is disappointing that certain events meant Johnny Depp could not reprise his role. Seeing Mads Mikkelsen take up the reigns was a bit of top quality casting. Mikkelsen is great in everything and he keeps the character of Grindelwald be that solid antagonist. His natural menacing presence really works in this, his chemistry with Jude Law's character worked really well and you feel he is a genuine threat.

Speaking of Law, he was perfectly fine. I am still waiting for that moment that makes me believe he is a young Dumbledore, that all powerful wizard. But his cuddly and heart-warming presence he always gives off in his performances still has me invested in him.

I continue to enjoy Dan Fogler's character. Despite the reason for his character being part of the adventure being a poor for me, his energy is for me is what keeps this franchise going.

I must mention that there was a clear absence of one particular character, which intrigues me to see if they are being completely kicked out.

As you would expect, the visual effects are still tip top. Although, a lot of the scenes are pretty dark. So I felt you couldn't fully appreciate their designs which was frustrating.

The editing and general flow of the film still feels too lingering in many scenes. It's almost 2hrs 30mins long and with the amount of content this story had, it didn't need to be beyond 2hrs.

To conclude, I'll start with what I didn't like about it. The way 'The Crimes Of Grindelwald' ended, I think most of us was expecting something pretty impactful in this next installment given the characters involved. But it never delivers in that way. Certain characters were not given the amount of screen time the story was implying and so we had to find other characters to invest with. Luckily, there was enough to make this a solid watch.

I'm still not sure where this franchise is going. It's almost as if it's trying reidentify itself with new characters, whilst not feeling confident to get rid of the first lot in order to keep the 'Fantastic Beasts' aspect. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if there is not a clear end goal in this film series and these are just being made for the studio to keep the intellectual property.

While this felt more of a fun experience than in 'The Crimes Of Grindelwald' gave me, it is still lacking that magic ironically. This remains a franchise exclusively for the devoted fans and not for a mainstream audience. It doesn't feel accessible enough and so you are going to lose certain demographics. You can feel the general audience wants to care. But I don't think the film is doing enough or giving you that emotional weight to make you feel like it cares in its own product.

But what I liked about it, is there is enough fun and engaging content to get an overall pass from me. It has moments of that excitement and energy we expect from this world and all it need is those small doses to warm our hearts. It still has a long way to compete with the Harry Potter series. The way it navigates its plot remains scattered, there's not enough depth to its characters and therefore not making their motivations feel earned. There is a reason why 'Fantastic Beasts' is not being mentioned in its marketing for its theme parks and studio tours. The films have not been memorable enough for it to sell. But I remain hopeful for a satisfying conclusion, whenever that may be.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Sonic The Hedgehog 2

After one of those rare times where the fans voices were heard and answered, we managed to get ourselves a really fun Sonic movie with the titular character getting the right design in the end.

After what was one of the big surprises of 2020 in my opinion, I was certainly excited for a sequel. The amount of fun I got from it made me feel like a kid again.

The mid credits scene from the first film along with the trailers for this suggest we could have a big franchise being developed here. So I knew the potential was there for Sega to possibly created their own universe.

The content at the beginning was pleasing. It was as if we never left and we were straight into the lives of these likable characters. The introductions of new characters and world expansion had some nice links to the games.

The middle act did have some jerky moments. There was some moments of exposition that could have been better executed rather it feel like they reading a list and not making it feel like genuine dialogue.

Also, they had some mis-steps with the live-action characters. There is a sub-plot that feels completely off topic for the main Sonic adventure just to given the returning characters something to do. So outside of the main antagonists, I felt the others were given a script for a rom-com and it felt like at times we were watching two different films. That aspect of the film along with a dance sequence for me made the film drag and therefore too long in duration. So I would have liked about 20mins cut out of this film and that would have improved the overall flow.

With more CGI characters from the Sonic games coming into play, I am hoping this franchise goes closer to the stories of the games rather than trying to add real life characters into the situation and have them more on the side-lines.

But when it gets it right, it is a pretty fun time that brings out the inner child and it features content that will please the hardcore fans. Virtually all of the final act was a pure ride of adventure with our favourite characters and it was like the Sonic games coming to life on the big screen. The final showpiece made for a highly satisfying finale and shows us that this franchise can really work. You can tell the film-makers respect the source material and they are giving the fans the crowd-pleasing moments that they grew up with from the video games.

The voice work was pretty solid all-round. Ben Schwartz continues to be a great fit for Sonic. The childish playfulness in his voice works really well.

Colleen O'Shaughnessy was well cast and was perfectly serviceable for what was given to her. I think her character was surprisingly overshadowed. So hopefully we will get more of O'Shaughnessy's character in the next installment. Idris Elba was a great standout. The level of seriousness needed for his character was spot on and I think it will please a lot of the devoted fans.

From the live-action cast, Jim Carrey continues to have fun with his character and reminds how much of a talent he is as he brings out the 90's side of himself. The level of clever gags might not be quite as constant compared to the first one. But it still resonates well on screen to be another memorable outing. Also, his chemistry with Lee Majdoub was noticed in the first film and was given some much deserved love in this. 

James Marsden and Tika Sumpter didn't have as much screen time as previous. But they never downgraded the finished product. But the comedic relief of Natasha Rothwell worked well enough once again and was ever over-used.

Not much to speak of from the technical side. Everything look perfectly fine. But I will say the visual effects continue to be of a high-quality. The character designs are spot on and the bright colour palette made it pleasing for the eyes and I feel will keep the kids hooked.

So despite some of the issues I had with it, it was another fun watch. It is largely crowd-pleasing and gives us enough content to show that when done right, this franchise could go places that every past video game could only dream.

The strength of the total package of the first one still makes it the superior film. But there was enough good to outweigh the problematic to make this a worthy sequel.

As mentioned before, this franchise can go places and what they in the mid credits scene will get a lot of people excited and could see us get a surprisingly solid trilogy.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Novice

I went in as cold as you could be with this one. Didn't even know what genre to expect or whether it was a major studio or indie release.

Turns out it was something that sits well with me.

The environment is of the sporting kind and the themes of aiming for perfection and obsession already had me intrigued. With the added frenetic editing, that makes for an intense flow that almost exhausts you as much as our leading character.

That lead is played by Isabelle Fuhrman, who was a great choice. The aggression she puts into her character makes you believe in her ambitions of pushing herself to the absolute limit. You feel the regime she has given herself and the pain she experiences. While the rest of the cast supports her well, the film works because of Fuhrman. The commitment of her performance matches her characters.

While I would have liked some of the film to have lighter imagery, the dark and dirty colour palette fitted well.

All of these positives would suggest a seasoned film-maker at the helm. But no, this is the directorial debut for Lauren Hadaway and it is quite the first feature. Hadaway has a great natural eye and with the right team behind her could give us memorable features in the next decade.

Granted, I am sucker for films about the obsession for perfection. But unlike similar films like Black Swan and The Neon Demon, this is a bit more straightforward and doesn't verge into the realms of fantasy or horror. It is closer more to Whiplash, but much lighter.

It might not be as impactful as said similar films, but this remains an effective and memorable piece of work with plenty of young and fresh talent that we need to keep an eye on.

Rating: 7/10