Review: Loving Vincent

Films that get a buzz from a showing at a major film festival, is always worth noting down for a possible appointment of checking out a screening of it in the future.

This particular one had my interest when I heard what the story was, and how it was being presented.

The story of Vincent Van Gogh during and after his life has been discussed for quite some time and by many different demographics of all ages.
Also, with it being shown in the style of his paintings I felt that this was a pretty cool way of paying homage to one of the most misunderstood humans of all-time.

But it wasn't until I saw the very start of the film, this was more than just paying homage. When you see at the start of the film how the film was made, your jaw has already dropped before the first images have even emerged on screen.
It turns out to be the first fully painted film. It was first filmed as live-action and the painters used that original footage as a guide to paint every single frame of the film that eventually took six years to make. That is some achievement.

The amount of time effort that went into making this film is astonishing and its end result is a phenomenal achievement. Seeing it reminded me of the Richard Linklater film A Scanner Darkly. While that comparison was not hand-crafted, it was certainly a similar experience.

As for the story, it's perfectly functional detective story that has a similar structure to that of Citizen Kane, which is a pretty safe formula to have whilst showing off these visuals.

The cast is impressive when reading it, and there performances kept this entertaining instead of just being all about the visuals. Douglas Booth continues to go from strength to strength and has becomed a really well developed British talent. There were also solid contributions by Chris O'Dowd, John Sessions, the always great Helen McCrory, Aidan Turnr, Saoirse Ronan and Jerome Flynn.
While he didn't have much dialogue, Robert Gulaczyk did a great job as Vincent Van Gogh. He looked the part, his facial expressions most certainly enhanced any scene he was in, and gave a great mystery to the man himself.

Another aspect that worked really well was the score by Clint Mansell. The style seemed to match the dream-like quality of the imagery and made it a pleasure for the ears as well as the eyes.

While the story doesn't match to the quality of the images, it is still a solid tale that has a winning formula. The imagery is the reason that this ends up being an impressive piece of work. It is all about the visual experience.
Every minute of watching this just kept me in amazement of what I watching was actually happening for real. Seeing his works come to life is quite an experience that needs to be seen on the big screen. I can certainly see this film being used in art classes for many years to come.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Snowman

Tomas Alfredsson is certainly a director that I keep an eye on for any future projects. While I haven't seen his earlier work, I have certainly seen his most popular and well received features in the form of Let The Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The trailers definitely suggest a mixture of the two. The wintry setting and tension of Let The Right One In, and the mystery murder aspect from Tinker Tailor.
Also, it had a pretty impressive cast.

So I went into this with pretty good expectations. I've liked Alfredsson previous works, Michael Fassbender is a safe pair of hands, I'm liking what Rebecca Ferguson is doing with her casting choices and the Jo Nesbo book series that is film is based on are doing rather well.

I have to cut the chase and say that this was pretty messy. While the story on its own was solid at best and perfectly fine to follow. The editing went off into some strange tangents. It's as if they were trying to make it as confusing as possible on purpose.
It started with some potential. The slow pacing did not help it as the content was not that exciting. It did have its moments of tension, action and gruesome imagery. But the more awkward editing moments it had, the more I was getting frustrated by it. When we got to the main showdown, the finale felt really weak. While on the face of it, the ending seems poetic. But everything that happened was just a big coincidence and then wrapped itself up too quickly.

There were not many performances that stood out. Rebecca Ferguson was probably the best of the bunch. She looked the most committed to her character and you can see some passion and therefore create some investment in her development. While Michael Fassbender was fine, it looked as if he was just strolling through this one and not getting out of first gear.
J.K. Simmons and Toby Jones were such a waste in this one. For people of that calibre to be given such small and irrelevant roles is just insulting. I have no idea why an almost unrecognisable Val Kilmer was in this. He looked like one of those CGI characters like from 'Tron: Legacy' and 'Rogue One'.

Lots of problems with it. But I think its biggest flaw was its bad editing and therefore bad story-telling. Similar murder mystery stories from Scandanavia have done well as a TV series. So this sort of source material has been made into a success in the past. So why has it been made into a bit of a mess with some great film-makers? Something must have really gone wrong in post production.

For a film that's supposed to be a murder mystery with a dark subject matter, it never managed to grip me and not get that much investment.
This could very well be my most disappointed film of the year. The whole build-up and viewing experience reminded me of seeing The Girl On The Train this time last year. High expectations, got lots going for it and yet ends up being a bit of a mess and just wasted an opportunity of what could have been.
But there are some solid performances in there, it is nice to look at and you can see the potential. What a shame.

Rating: 6/10

Review: The LEGO Ninjago Movie

It still amazes at how Lego has transformed into the digital age so beautifully. After being a clever but simple activity involving blocks has now become a platform for promoting many new films.

You can pretty much get a Lego version of any popular movie franchise, not just as a physical Lego set, but as a video game as well. It has become more popular than ever.

Now, we have an original concept from Lego themselves as we delve into the world of Ninjago. I first knew about Ninjago through my nephew who can't seem to get enough of them. It seems to be as popular, if not more then its other creations.

As for its films, I really liked The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie. Both have eye-catching imagery and visual effects, as well as smart and self referential humor and has fantastic re-watchability.

This latest venture started with something potentially interesting. But in the end, it went into a formulaic story that you see in a lot of family films. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as thankfully the gags made me laugh pretty consistently throughout and I was enjoying the world that I was being introduced to.
I must mention at this point that I cannot compare it to the TV series as I never seen an single frame of it. So I have no idea if it's being faithful to that material.
There were parts towards the end of the second act that did feel slow that almost took out me out of the film. But by the end of it, it was a solid final act and I came feeling pretty well entertained.

So many things you now expect from Lego films deliver in this. The imagery and visual effects are just a joy to watch take place. The vibrant colours are very effective and it just makes you feel like you're actually playing the Lego.
Another strong aspect that has worked with Lego's film are the gags. While they are primarily aimed at kids, there is enough humor in there to keep the adults entertained, especially if those adults have a childish mindset.

There weren't many negatives to speak of. Like I said, it does have its slow moments. But thankfully, there don't last long.
Also, I think like The Lego Batman Movie, there was a lot of stuff happening on screen that it was almost tough to keep up with everything. So that might work on multiple viewings, like what it is doing with Lego Batman.

So while it is definitely inferior to the two previous Lego films, it is still a fun time with a solid amount of laughs. It's not as clever or smart in its gags and ideas and the story is very formulaic. But it still introduced me to this world rather well, and I was enjoying the mythology surrounding it, the characters involved and the action that took place.
In fact, it pretty much felt like a Lego version of Kung Fu Panda mixed with Power Rangers and maybe Big Hero 6 as it had a similar story structure and vibe to it.
Kids will definitely love this and there are a lot of cool vehicles that will get a lot of sales from the films merchandise. It's got some fun themes and solid messages that I remember seeing in films when I was a kid.

On a final note, be sure to stay for the first half of the credits as there's a mildly fun sequence that could work out great if there are loads of kids in your screening, and there's also a nice out-take scene.

Rating: 7/10

Nostalgia Review: Spice World

The year is 1997, many influential changes are happening at this moment of my childhood and we are right in the middle of 'Girl Power'.

People who were not brought up in the 90's in my opinion find it easy to forget how big the Spice Girls really were. Also, you do fail to remember how many fantastic pop songs they created. Let's just say, they did a lot more then can you think off the top of your head.

It was quite the three years for the British girl band and this film was released right in the middle of it. I remember the hype for its release, the heavy amount of marketing, the box office success that it was and the silly number of times I watched it on video.

Looking back at it now, it still works for me. I think the nostalgia certainly help the enjoyment of it. Even seeing the fashion from back then just takes me back to how girls were inspired to dress like them. Everything about it is just silly, many scenes make no sense, and yet it manages to be brilliant at the same time.
It is purposely being a poor man's mix of 'A Hard Days Night' and 'This Is Spinal Tap' and there is some cool 'breaking the fourth wall' moments, especially in a cracking scene towards the end.

I think it is safe to say that while the Spice Girls can't act much, it didn't really matter as it still managed to fit the tone rather well. Richard E. Grant hammed it up so beautifully and was a real treat to see him go completely nuts from start to finish.
Roger Moore did a great job as this mysterious over-the-top Blofeld-esque character. I noticed some fun minor roles for Alan Cumming, Barry Humphries, Jason Flemying, Richard O'Brien, Meat Loaf and Naoko Mori of Torchwood fame.

Now to the cameos and boy are there some cameos. The amount is beyond ridiculous. I managed to spot Elton John, Jools Holland, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Dominic West, Bob Hoskins, Jennifer Saunders, Bob Geldof, Richard Briers, Michael Barrymore, Bill Paterson and Kevin McNally. There were also a few that I noticed, but could not put a name to them unfortunately.

Yes there are clear problems with it. But I think the fun nature of it all makes you brush them aside for the most part. I could say that it becomes a guilty pleasures. But it feels more than that. It's like a time portal, especially for me to remember the crazes that happened in the late 90's.

I think if you weren't brought up by the rise of the Spice Girls, then you would probably hate this or see this as a shameless bit of money-grabbing. I am aware of the hate for this, and that is perfectly understandable. But you might accept this or at least enjoy the music if you were a 90's kid seeing this. But fans of the group and 90's nostalgia will go nuts for this.
The nostalgia has me having such fun re-watching this and I think it will keep doing that forever more. All there is left to say is "Girl power, equalisation between the sexes, hmmmm".

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Glass Castle

The 2013 indie hit 'Short Term 12' is a big reason why this new release is being made.

It pretty much ignited the careers of director Destin Daniel Cretton and actor Brie Larson who has since won an Oscar since her breakthrough role.

Now four years later, and the two are back together again with this intriguing true story.
The trailers certainly intrigued me, and ever since I saw Larson in Room, I will pretty much watch anything she is in now.

The film hooked me in from the first scene and I could already see this was going to be quite a story. I was seeing similar themes and characters to that of one of my favourite films of last year Captain Fantastic. However in this one, the family is more a dysfunctional one
While it's not feel as deep and meaningful as that, it still had lots going for it that I got invested with.
It also reminded me of Saving Mr. Banks, especially the scenes with Colin Farrell.

The longer it went on, the more surprised I was at how profound and meaningful it was all becoming and it we ended with quite the deserved tear-jerking finale.

All of the cast were pretty exceptional. There were lots of strong performances that I would personally have in contention for awards at this moment in the year. Woody Harrelson lead the way with a strong performance that just grew and grew and was deserving of being involved in a tearful ending.
As I mentioned before, I think I've fallen in love with Brie Larson and she gives us another memorable performance. Her character is so strong-willed and Larson and shows that throughout and her relationship with Harrelson's character was integral to the success of telling this story.
It was not just Larson who player her character, but also Ella Anderson and Chandler Head were just terrific as the younger versions of Larson's character. Anderson was real star. Her chemistry with Harrelson was as strong if not better then with Larson.
I do have one disappointment in the acting, and that was Max Greenfield. I felt his character did not gel well with Larson's character and was not feel believable to me. If his character in real life was actually like that, then fair enough. But his characters reasoning for being involved in this story felt illogical.
One actor that I had no idea was involved until I saw the cast list afterwards was Sarah Snook. If you have not seen Predestination, watch that as Snook is phenomenal. It's great to see her again. But I hope she gets more leading roles in the future.

Despite a lot of high praise, there were moments where the story and characters contradict themselves. But I don't think that was enough to ruin my overall enjoyment. It might think twice about my views on the film after typing this.

When I noticed that flat with the film, it made me think that some demographics might get the wrong end of the stick with this and think that the film is making light of a story that is actually rather dark in real life. I can somewhat agree to that as apparantly the real ending is not as sentimental as the films. But I felt there was enough dark moments to make me understand the horrible situation our characters are involved with.

But despite the directors vision being slightly different, the whole film moved me and gave me very inspiring and profound messages by the end of it. It is all thanks to the performances who made this such a nice surprise.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Mountain Between Us

I'm struggling how to introduce this film. So I'm just going to go straight into it.

While there was nothing exceptional about the film, it was still an fairly entertaining piece of work.
The story opens fairly conventionally and we get the situation our main characters are in. After that, it is a survival tale with a little bit of romance a long the way. As mentioned before, almost everything in the film is nothing we've seen before. However, there is one moment towards the end that if you don't jump in shock at, then you were probably asleep at that time. While a lot of it was mildly cheesy, it was only until the ending where I was rolling my eyes in disapproval of the melodrama involved.

I think without Idris Elba and Kate Winslet, this could have been quite a mess. They are oozing with charisma and thank god for the top choices of casting. But the romance we're supposed to get from these characters, I did not feel fully invested in. There is a spark, but no fire.

You definitely have to suspend your disbelief with certain aspects of the story to enjoy it as much as possible. I have to admit, there are parts that are hard to ignore. The main thing was that I felt none of our main characters were in serious danger. They still looked as fabulous and radiant as they were at the start of this ordeal.
I noticed that there was a solid amount of humor that had a similar tone to that of The Martin. However, unlike Ridley Scott's brilliant sci-fi, the laughs don't always hit the mark and almost felt a bit awkward.

I have to mention the ending in more detail. It could have been settled much earlier. The final couple of minutes ended up being quite soppy, melodramatic and a bit of a shame as everything was I felt was perfectly functional. It will probably win the award for the corniest ending of the year.

I was happy to hear that everything was shot on location and nothing was green-screen, as there were lots of lovely locations that were well shot and made it a very pleasant viewing in terms of the imagery.

So to conclude, yes it's cheesy, cliched, the laws of logic and consistency are thrown out of the window and it's nothing exceptional. But it still managed to entertain me, the pacing was solid and I was never bored and that is thanks mainly to Elba and Winslet for keeping my interest.
It would have been interesting if this was given a Christmas release as that would have definitely added a extra slice of cheese to it.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Blade Runner 2049

When this was announced, I instantly hated the idea. Ridley Scott created something so different and ground-breaking to the sci-fi genre, that it eventually became a pioneer and trend-setter for many future sci-fi films.
I felt a bit better when I heard Denis Villeneuve was directing the sequel as he is the type of director that would respect the tone and not go for a full-on action franchise. But what sealed it for me, was when I saw Arrival. It was one of the best films I saw in 2016, and I knew that they had found the right person to make a legitimate and worthy sequel to the 1982 landmark feature.

My first view of the original Blade Runner was one that made me appreciated the craft of it. But it was not until multiple viewings where I started get everything about the story and understand why many see it as a masterpiece and of the most influential films of all-time.

I was so happy to see straight away that the tone, pacing and themes continue from the first Blade Runner. It really expands on the world and ideas that Ridley Scott set out 35 years ago. I was also impressed by the technology on show. I loved that they advanced it from Scott's Blade Runner instead of advancing technology from today's world.
After being put at ease, I started being interested in a fascinating story that was slowly being unearthed. Then surprise after surprise made it such a tense viewing going into the final act. I also realised that the story somehow managed to further enhance the original and make it even more important. I was not expecting that and I loved what they did with that.

There were some really good performances to speak of. Ryan Gosling carries the film really well and was a great addition to this world. Harrison Ford felt like he had never left, you could feel the effort he was putting into his role and I still felt like I was watching Deckard. Some great stand-outs from Ana De Armas and Sylvia Hoeks who were great supports. While Hoeks shone in her physical performance, De Armas' chemistry with Gosling was great to watch and almost one of the most integral aspects to the film.
I also have to mention Dave Bautista who continues to prove he has the acting chops despite his role being a small one.
I was disappointed with Jared Leto's character. Thankfully it was not in his mysterious performance. It was the lack of development we had from his character. I felt with a bit more screen time, I think Leto's character would have been much more interesting.
I did notice a couple of cameos from characters from the original Blade Runner. Some were purposely front-and-centre during the film. Others were tough to spot. But it was fun seeing them be involved. There were also some other small roles from actors that I was really surprised and happy to see.

The entire technical side of the film was absolutely perfect. Cinematographer Roger Deatkins needs to be given the Oscar at the 14th time of asking. This was a feast for the eyes and I wanted to stuff myself with more.
While it is not heavy on the visual effects, any bit of CGI looked amazing and blended seamlessly into the live action. There is one scene in particular that really showed off the perfect mix that was really hard to tell where live action ends and visual effects begins.
One important part that people were hoping for is a similar score to the iconic one by Vangelis in the original. Hans Zimmer along with Benjamin Wallfisch gave us another gorgeous soundtrack that while pays homage to the Vangelis score, they also made it their own.
The set designs and locations were impressive to look at and kept that cyber punk look that made the world of Blade Runner so important to making future sci-fi's for the rest of the 80's and 90's.

I think the only part stopping me for giving it a higher score, is that the story did not give me that emotional impact that would see me give it a highly exceptional. While I most certainly was gripped by the plot, there was just not enough for me to have that feeling I had with other films that I gave a near perfect rating.
I am hoping that like with its predecessor, multiple viewings might make me understand it a bit more and we could see this up there with the all-time greats.

But for now, I was really impressed by this. Denis Villeneuve is becoming one of my favourite directors of this decade. While I really liked Sicario, it was not until I saw Prisoners, Arrival and now this that is making me put him up there with others like Christopher Nolan, Alejandro G. Innaritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Damien Chazelle and many others.
This is the type of movie that can stand-out in today's film industry, it's profoundly emotional and it deserves its 2hrs 43mins duration.
While it does show hints of a possible third installment, it most certainly felt like a stand-alone film. It never felt reliant on being a set-up for other films. It had a story to tell and it was told masterfully.

Despite not seeing the trailers beforehand, I have now seen them and I am happy that Villeneuve made sure gave very little away. Every film-maker should take note as there is a reason I don't watch many trailers, and doing things like this might get me back to watching them regularly.

On a final note, I fear that general audiences will not give its time as mainstream demographics don't seem to be interested in films close to 3hrs that are not about super-heroes. Also, with it being more of an art-house picture then a blockbuster, it does require your patience. However, if you have liked the directors past work, the original Blade Runner and if you are a pure film fan, you will love this or at least be interested by it.
I hope I'm proved wrong. But nevertheless, it is worth seeing on the biggest screen with the best sound system possible.

Rating: 8/10