Review: Babylon

When I hear of a new Damian Chazelle film, as well as getting naturally excited, I think of that obsession for being the best at what they do and of course a lot of jazz music.

Chazelle has given us some of the most highly memorable films of the past decade. From the adrenaline-rushed Whiplash, to the dreamy La La Land and the beautifully atmospheric First Man. One thing for sure is that Chazelle gives us natural awards contenders.

The marketing for this particular new release has given us signs of something quite chaotic with some insane set pieces that certainly made me want to see it to be believed.

Well, straight away we get a few pretty disgusting moments to give us enough of an idea of what to expect for the next three hours. I was certainly getting similar tonal choices of The Great Gatsby, The Wolf Of Wall Street, Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood with crazy parties and full-on adult themes that don't hold back on its 18 rating. That along with spectacular cinematography, long-take sequences and a mass amount of extras, it certainly plenty of content to be keep your interest. There were also clear homages to Singin' In The Rain. From the time period to particular sequences being recreated and even have a scene of people watching the film itself.

While all of that is happening, there is clear signs of story arcs developing at a time period that naturally fascinates me. It for me showed the cruel side of Hollywood whilst still giving us some hope of showing how movies can extend the lives of its past stars. It also has that regular aspect of the pursuit for perfection.

The cast list is pretty strong and there were a number of stand-outs. Margot Robbie absolutely gives it everything in this role. Robbie gives a big physical presence to her character and manages match the energy of the film itself.

Brad Pitt does a good job and gives us the films slower and more moving moments. Especially in one scene with Jean Smart who gives us a few scene stealing moments. Li Jun Li also gives us a few memorable moments as well.

Diego Calva gives us a huge breakthrough performance. While he is basically playing the audience, Calva shows great innocence and a nicely developed story arch to gives us our most complete character. I also have to give props to Jovan Adepo who gives us another memorable character to get invested with.

As mentioned earlier, the production on this is pretty insane. The scale of everything is pretty large to say the least and it needs to be seen on the big screen, the costumes are spectacularly varied and the editing enhances the chaos to a point where it seems out of control.

That last bit I think could lose a lot of people though. The whole film is a bit relentless and is figuratively shouting at the audience. Also with the duration being just over 3 hours, it could make the whole experience borderline insufferable.

It's like as if Chazelle was let loose and had no-one to pull the reigns back on him. This is particularly noticeable in the very final scene that while I get what it's trying to portray, it went a bit over the top for me. But I still appreciate what it was saying and I remained somewhat satisfied with it.

Even though I felt it went off the rails at times, I personally still found it to be quite an enjoyable experience. There is simple too much to like and appreciate and it massively outweighed the bad for me. There are some spectacular set-pieces, a lot of strong performances and it covers themes that film fans like myself are a sucker for. However, I'm not quite sure the 3 hours+ runtime was warranted as there was a side story in the second half that wasn't really needed.

For the uninitiated, I would probably prepare by watching Singin' In The Rain first and then have an expectation of seeing moments of excessiveness in every way. It's a wild ride and I while I enjoyed most of it, it will not be for everyone.

One thing I do hope everyone's takes out of it, is the intrigue to find out more about a time period in the industry that was known as 'Pre-Code Hollywood'.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Tar

When a director is making their first feature film in 16 years and has only directed two others in the past where both got multiple Oscar nominations, you have to check it out.

Especially when it is lead by one of the greatest female actors of all-time, Cate Blanchett.

I had been hearing plenty of awards buzz. So that was enough for me to not knowing anything about going into my screening of it.

With all its firepower, director Todd Field and his team decide to take their time in developing its plot and character developments. But it is doing it in a way that is making us want to work for it and make it feel rewarding when we get to the final act.

It's certainly worth by the end as the look and tempo changes in a big way. The camerawork gets a bit chaotic to match the emotions of the central character.

The cast is really about one person, Cate Blanchett, who gives another powerhouse performance. We all know how captivating of an actor she is and this is another feather to add to the already impressive cap.

It's a strong casting choice and the film is pretty much all Blanchett. That presence, that look, the physical prowess, she has it all. No matter what character she is playing, you always believe it and this is no different. It's another performance that deserves a run at the major awards.

There's honestly not much else given to the rest of the cast. So I'll mention the appearances of Noemie Merlant, Mark Strong and Julian Glover as I always love seeing them on screen.

The film covers a number of topics. One in particular that I'm sure will be discussed at length by many is 'cancel culture'. It's certainly a topic that I was not expecting. But I like how it was used.

It also talks about power struggles and what makes someone a genius.

I liked how the script was so rich in detail to the industry the story is part of. It's clear that they've done their homework. It manages to still entice you despite moments of jargon specific to the profession covered that you have no knowledge of.

However, I'm not sure if it needed to be over 2hrs 30mins. It does prolong particular parts to its story that didn't it need to. But it does some do impressive scenes that takes its time as well. Also while it does cover interesting topics, I don't think it goes into enough depth to make it challenging.

Thankfully, those faults I had with it are only minor. I thought this was a very well executed piece of work that virtually plays out like a modern Greek tragedy and Blanchett's performance is the thing that is carrying this to become the success and awards contender that it already is. In fact, this could be Blanchett's best work and that really is saying something.

This is a memorable character study that is effectively shot, there is a good amount of growing tension and there are multiple scenes that are simply mesmerising. That is thanks to the camerawork and Blanchett's performance.

Rating: 8/10

Review: M3gan

I honestly had my doubts going into this new release as the trailer's weren't doing it for me. But the buzz I was hearing was surprisingly solid. So I thought I would give it a chance. 

I think the only thing I was clinging on to was that James Wan and Akela Cooper are the writers. Wan has created a lot of the most successful mainstream horror's of the past decade and Cooper did the screenplay for Malignant, which is a real hidden gem of a horror film that I urge you check out without knowing anything beforehand.

The history of creepy dolls in films stretches back to almost 100 years, and yet we still get attracted to it. As a kid, the first creepy doll I can recall was Slappy from the 'Goosebumps' books and TV series. Recent successes would be Annabelle from the Conjuring franchise and the Jigsaw doll from the Saw film series. Other memorable creepy film dolls would be the clown doll from 'Poltergeist', Chucky from 'Child's Play' and a classic example is Michael Redgrave's ventriloquist dummy from 1945's 'Dead Of Night'.

This one certainly has potential to be as successful. I like the build-up and foundations that are created. You can tell that is care given to the themes of the story and development of its characters and the creation of our titular character felt justified.

It builds up nicely with a lot of expected sequences to enhance the thrills and tension. But I like how it remained head strong in posing interesting questions about ourselves as well as its characters.

The final act does forget to close a few sub-plots. But it gives a nicely executed action sequence that should leave plenty of people satisfied.

The cast is pretty solid on the whole. Allison Williams carries the film well and the support by child actor Violet McGraw gives a duo that we can easily invest with. Everything they did felt believable and fitted the tone perfectly.

I liked the combined acting effort of Amie Donald and Jenna Davis for the titular character. Davis creates an effective attitude in the voice, while Donald's physical contribution was creepy and nicely varied.

While I did like Ronny Chieng in this stereotypical larger than life business owner who just wants money. Sadly I felt his character wasn't fully utilised. I was enjoying the energy Chieng was giving to his character. But it just left me wanting more. He could have stolen the show. Instead, we get what I felt was a missed opportunity.

I liked how it explores topics such as how much we rely on technology mixed in with the struggles of parenting and grief. So whilst it is being marketed as a horror film, it has elements of satire and a bit of unexpected comedy.

With that being said, it made me compare this to Gremlins. The film judges a lot of characters, there is a surprising amount of heart to it and the action is chaotic at times. M3gan may not be on the level of how the beloved 80's classic executed those aspects. But it remains a solid watch that I'm glad I went to see.

There is a fun vibe to it, it tries to do more than create cheap scares which I appreciated, the action works well and the pacing flows smoothly. There were moments in the third act where it lost a bit of steam for me and looked as if they had lost interest in parts of the plot.

But it did better then I expected and I can see getting a decent amount of love from general audiences.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Enys Men

Since his breakthrough feature 'Bait' in 2019, British director Mark Jenkin has turned many heads with his unique low-budget style of film-making and storytelling that continues to show what can be done with little resources.

It might not be a style for the masses, but it is certainly one that can be appreciated and loved by lovers of the art of film and film-making.

When I got the chance to catch a preview screening of his first feature release since 'Bait', I had to see what Jenkin has in store both in narrative and in style.

In terms of the latter, it is more of the same grainy old-school home-video look with a purposeful yet engrossing sound design. As for the narrative, there is something to be explored. It's certainly not straightforward. But what is lacking in plot is made up for in style and the atmosphere it has created.

It is hard to know whether what is happening on screen is real, a dream, echoes of the past or even hallucinations that have manifested from someone's head. What I definitely got was themes of isolation, grief and paying homage to British folklore stories.

It managed to be one of those rare viewing experiences, where you almost don't care if it makes sense or not. What matters is that it makes you drawn to it, making you feel something and you cannot explain why.

A lot of this helped by lead actor Mary Woodvine. While she might not have much dialogue or others actors to work with for the most part, her presence, expressions and reactions seem to work perfectly with Jenkin's style.

There's no real drawbacks that I felt was noticeable. So I guess it is just a matter of personal taste and it is certainly not for everyone. It actually makes 'Bait' feel completely accessible. So it might be worth seeing that out first before discovering this.

But if you like a film that it focuses more on atmosphere and messing with your senses, then this might be worth giving a chance.

It is a strange viewing experience no doubt about it. But there is something about it that is hard to ignore long after seeing it. I'm definitely a fan of Jenkin's look. From the dreamlike state the film is in throughout, to way the sound is created in post production makes it quite effectively unsettling.

Even though it doesn't play like your typical horror, this could play out as a psychological horror due to the type of reactions I certainly experienced during it.

So while I'm not surprised if people hate this, I certainly liked it and appreciated it. Jenkin is turning one of those film-makers that we didn't realise we needed. But I can tell he could be one of the most experimental directors we have right now and I'll be sure to check out more of his future projects.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Pale Blue Eye

I might not get naturally excited for a new Scott Cooper feature. But I remain intrigued with whatever what he and his team have in store this time. 

Cooper is known for his works to have a dark image and sometimes even darker narratives. I'm usually fine with Cooper's films. Sometimes they can be a bit too serious that it forgets to be entertaining. But on the whole I usually like whatever makes. Especially his directorial debut 'Crazy Heart' from 2009.

This one might not be his most barbaric. But it still has a grim and cold colour palette and some disturbing violence. From the word go, it looks spectacular. There is a great sense of unease and with the narrative involving an unsolved mystery, the way it develops may be slow but it remains intriguing.

Christian Bale in the lead role is as captivating as ever. The way Bale transforms himself with every character he is given continues to impress me and he is no different in this latest piece.

Harry Melling does a great job. So much so that I felt he comfortably matched Bale's efforts whenever they were interacting on-screen together. Their on-screen chemistry was a big surprise and one of the biggest strength's of this film. Since his time in the Harry Potter franchise, Melling is one of the few from that film series that has further enhanced their back catalogue with some interesting project choices.

Gillian Anderson is clearly having a good time with her character and milking it for all its worth and it certainly worked for me.

As briefly mentioned earlier, the production and overall look of the film is impressive. There is a clear aim to make the atmosphere of the film as bleak and chilling as you could get whilst also giving some lavish costumes and eye-catching locations. So in terms of making it an immersive experience, Cooper and his team did a pretty solid job in achieving that. It makes you feel unsettled and never sure what's going to happen next.

However, the pacing for the most part is slow and at times it is hard to keep your interest outside of the imagery. There are moments when it kicks into gear. But if I was being cruel, you're clinging on to the atmosphere and hoping the story moves along.

Even with the slow pacing, I felt this was a pretty solid watch. The story is told in enough of an interesting way to keep you engaged, the performances are solid across the board and the atmosphere and overall production design is on point. A nice mystery thriller that while it would have looked nice on the big screen, it made the right decision of going with a Netflix release.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Till

It still amazes me that films can still give us true stories that in some regions are integral parts of their history. But for others, you have no prior knowledge to it.

This is a moment where I am most definitely the latter. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what to expect from this new release.

I saw a solid amount of buzz and it was getting a big release. Naturally, when you see something like this come out at this time of year, it usually means awards buzz. In one particular aspect, that is true.

Considering how this films ends up, it's surprisingly bright and cheerful to begin with. The 50's setting, the bright colour palette and costumes and general happy nature of the characters gives it a pleasant beginning.  But as the threat looms, there's not much joy to be had after that.

When it turns into something a bit more brutal and hard to watch, I noticed that the film seemed to be treating the story with a surprising amount of respect for both sides. It gives a fair representation of the events and focuses more on the emotion from the people effected by it instead.

People in America are probably aware of this story due to how the news coverage was portrayed in the film. But for outsiders like me, this was something new. It was hard to watch at times. But the compelling execution of the story keeps you wanting to know more.

That is thanks to the cast, who do a pretty good job on the whole. But in all honesty, the film belongs to Danielle Deadwyler, who gives a star-making performance. There are several scenes where she takes full control of it and you can't help but be emotionally moved by it. You just get this sudden drive for her to fully succeed and it deserves some recognition during the awards season.

Jalyn Hall shows great natural innocence that makes him instantly likable and Haley Bennett reminds us how good she is as she made great use of her short screen-time.

Also, Whoopi Goldberg is in this apparently and I had no idea she was. So fair play to the makeup department for making me not realise she was part of this project.

I like how it handled the story and it just told it like it is rather being heavily biased to one side. The content speaks for itself and sometimes that's all you need to sell the film.

But while this covers important subjects, you can't ignore the drawbacks and like with any film and it has some issues. There were some sequences that felt prolonged that slowed the pace down a bit. It also contains a few of those conventional biopic tropes which they got away with as it never downgraded my overall view.

In terms of the technical aspects, you don't really see anything challenging or daring. So instead, the film-makers are basically using the strength of the story. Thankfully, I felt it was enough of a compelling watch for me to overlook those minor problems.

The content is difficult to be comfortable with. Not because of the brutal actions, but the emotional after-effects of the incident this film is focusing on. If you feel mad after watching this, then it has worked for you. Deadwyler is great in this and is worth the admission ticket price alone.

It's based on a true story and I had no prior knowledge of this whatsoever. So it was obviously shocking to see that this actually happened and I know I won't be the only one effected by this.

Rating: 7/10

Review: A Man Called Otto

It's unusual to go into a film featuring Tom Hanks where his last outing wasn't a successful one.

I of course am talking about the release of Disney's live-action re-make of 'Pinocchio' a few months ago. Let's just say it did not fare well with audiences. Not even the great man himself could save it.

Now we have something a little different for Hanks aficionado's. For those that aren't aware, this new release is an American re-make of a Swedish comedy drama from 2015 called 'A Man Called Ove', which itself is based on a 2012 book.

I'm always a bit unsure of American re-makes as they never seem to capture the tone and spirit of the original. It's almost as if they're afraid to be as daring as its own source material in case it would alienate its Western audience.

The marketing does suggest a light-hearted comedy drama. But the uninitiated may be shocked by the dramatic moments as it tackles some serious subjects that may hit you hard depending on your life experiences.

Don't worry, the majority is uplifting and sentimental. But there are some moments that you need to be prepared for.

The jump between the lighter and dark tones is startling at first. But it felt for me that it eventually settles itself to give it a better flow.

Then as we get towards the end, the sentimental side takes over and gets carried away at times. Thankfully, I don't effect the overall viewing.

I have to admit, I was getting a bit emotional for the most part as a lot of what was happening was relating to what was happening in my life right now. So it was exactly the right film for me to watch this at this moment in time.

Tom Hanks is as good as ever. Seeing him play a largely grumpy man is fun to watch and his natural charisma gives you that type of likable energy that only Hanks can conjure.

Marian Travino gives the film it's joy and warmth every time she is on-screen. I like the development and chemistry she has with Hanks and that is gives the film its energy. I can see some people claiming she stole the show by the time the credits roll.

The general look of the film is fine. Despite the colour palette being soft with its whites, blues and light greys, it's bright which gives it a welcoming vibe to it.

In a nutshell, I could call this a light-hearted 'Gran Torino'. It's directed by Marc Forster who can work really well with films like 'Finding Neverland'. But can also falter with things like 'Quantum Of Solace'. I think on the whole he does a good job with this. It has a lot of love to give that will warm you up during this winter period.

But like with all this types of re-makes, it is inferior to the original. I think what's missing is that it doesn't quite balance the light and the dark tones. Plus, it gets a bit over sentimental for its own good at times and is trying too hard to please its audience. 

However, I don't think it needed to do the latter as it will work particularly well with the viewers that were not even aware of it being a re-make. It pulls at the heart strings effectively with most of it feeling authentic, the comedy is solid and Tom Hanks is as likable as you would expect. While I'm not always up for these kinds of re-makes, I appreciate why they do it as not everyone is aware of every film out there or is a bit sniffy with films that require subtitles.

I can see this being a solid crowd-pleaser and is an ideal film to start the year off.

Rating: 7/10