Review: The Phantom Of The Open

When I first heard about this film, saw the people involved as well as the trailer, it just screamed classic British comedy that will be comfortable viewing.

Watching these types of films is usually quite relaxing and almost makes you proud to be British. The stories usually portray why we love a plucky underdog, why we triumph over adversity and why stories like this inspire the working class.

I'm happy to say that you get exactly what you expect.

For someone like myself who is surrounded by Golf both at home and in my local area, I was surprised that I did not know this story at all. Particularly when my hometown gets a nice little mention during the film.

In terms of structure, it's fairly formulaic with a few dream sequences that was a nice change of pace. But there were moments where I felt it was always on the verge of turning into a musical, which I think would have been a welcome shift in genre.

Despite the film making you root for the protagonist, there are decisions made that unintentionally makes you question whether he is actually a hoaxer or just an innocent dreamer. That being said, I feel it won't be a big enough distraction from the overall viewing experience.

That is helped a lot by the cast that features a lot of pairs of safe hands. Mark Rylance's humble screen presence continues to work and was the right man for this type of role. He is very easy to root for and his comedic timing makes it a solid comedy whilst managing to tug the heart strings towards the end.

That is also thanks to his on-screen chemistry with the always great Sally Hawkins.

Outside of them, there is solid support by Christian and Jonah Lees, Rhys Ifans and Mark Lewis Jones.

While it might not bring anything new to the table, it's execution makes for a charming watch. There is always something about these types of stories that attracts an audience and it will never change.

It's the film equivalent of 'light reading' that will lift your spirits with pleasing visuals, engaging performances and a feel-good vibe that gives it solid re-watchability.

Rating: 7/10

Review: X

While horror is a genre that I find not as much success in, I am always up for one.

Horror's usually have interesting concepts and end up never being fully committed and end up resorting to cheap scares. But when fully utilised, I would happily champion one.

When seeing the trailer for this one, I got a similar feeling. With it's old school look mixing with modern camerawork, I was not afraid to giving this a chance. Plus, it had Mia Goth as the lead and ever since I saw her in 'Emma', I could see a star in the making.

This was certainly rewarding viewing. I was already seeing a nice mix of the dirty horror's of the 1970's with a modern edge in terms of its style. It covers topics and industries that I was nervous that wouldn't quite work. But the longer it went on, the more surprised I was at how invested I was with the story and especially its characters.

It's an 18 rating, and it certainly confirms that in the second half with some brutal moments. The themes of obsession and youth all transfer well to screen by the end and almost play out like a fairytale.

Director Ti West and his team could have gone down the satire route. But I'm glad it played out more like a love letter to the dirty 70's horror's and was never self-referential. It particularly felt close to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

The cast do a really good job. Mia Goth is a great lead and shows she can carry any film. There is something about her screen presence that feels really satisfying and Goth has an underestimated power in her acting to really draw you in. I am pretty confident she will be an Oscar contender soon and also be part of major studio releases.

Marti Henderson was surprisingly good. He was given a lot to do and showed real confidence in his performance and was a treat whenever he was on screen. I can say the same for Brittany Snow. Jenna Ortega is becoming a regular in modern horror's and is showing real progress in her acting. I'm not sure if she is on a lead level. But for an ensemble, Ortega is ideal.

What I liked about it the most is that it has a lot of nice surprises. It kept me guessing and never felt cliched. You think it's going down a simple path. But it takes quite the twisted turn that works well and never felt out of place. There are also some great style choices that makes it look like it was filmed in the 70's whilst also having some modern camera styles that made for some effective sequences.

I cannot quite give it a great rating purely on personal preference. But I will certainly be recommending this one.

On paper, it's your typical slasher thriller. But there is much more to this than that. There's plenty of style to enjoy and well developed characters that I was surprised how invested I was with them. The level of blood and guts shows great commitment to its premise and plenty of disturbing imagery that makes it a memorable and refreshing watch.

This looked like a tough film to sell to a mass audience. Especially when it has been distributed by A24, which is a studio that specify in strange but effective indie's. But if you like your horror, I think this will be a lot of fun watch for you. It reminds you of horrors gone by and why they still work with audiences today.

There is also a cool post-credits scene that I cannot tell is a hint of a potential sequel or just a nice extension to the main story. Either way, it's worth waiting for.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Turning Red

A new Pixar feature. But one that is going to streaming.

While any new Pixar film should be seen as an event. Knowing that it was being released via streaming had me worried as that usually means that the studio don't believe that the box office will be enough for it to be a financial success.

This is quite surprising considering the studio that this is coming from. We all know what to expect with Pixar. They have given some of the most amazing animation films of all-time and if there was a Mount Rushmore of animation studios, Pixar would be right there.

I may not have seen the trailers. But I had seen enough of the marketing that suggested that this could be aimed more at younger kids. Much like the Cars franchise.

This new release is a change of pace and tone for Pixar. For a start I was surprised at the amount of fourth-wall breaking in this. But as I got used to it, it felt like a somewhat welcome change. I liked how it flirts towards being an anime in relation to certain animation styles and techniques used in certain sequences as well as character behaviours.

There is a strong metaphor for adolescence and trying to accept change in this story. These are themes that have become more regular in Disney and Pixar's releases. It actually felt similar to Encanto. When comparing the two, I felt this felt more grounded and compelling despite it taking more risks.

The characters are likable and very realistic and less cliched. The story has a nice flow and energy and the progress of Pixar's animation continues to amaze me.

The final act does get a bit crazy, chaotic and borderline silly despite it still helping the central theme. But it held together in the end.

The voice work was tip-top as usual. It has a nice mix of youth and experience. Rosalie Chiang in the lead did a great job and shows great potential for future projects. In fact, all the young voice actors showcased their talents really well and deserve all the plaudits. Plus, having to bounce off Sandra Oh in many scenes I think helped as you could feel her experience being key to a lot of other performances.

I will say though that it does get caught up in its themes a bit too much and forgets about the story. It's not subtle in its what its saying and puts them front and centre into its story. While I feel their execution was perfectly fine to make it work for a main-stream audience, I felt it prioritised that rather the development of its story and characters.

I must mention that it is set in the early 2000's, which was very interesting. It's an odd choice as I don't think it made a big difference except for some uses of technology. The only reason I can think is that it is to mirror the childhood era of the director.

I rather enjoyed this in the end. It sends a great message with a solid story with lots of very likable characters and amazing animation with multiple styles coming into play.

While I may not tug at the heart strings and be an instant classic like say a Toy Story or a Wall.e, this is still an enjoyable watch that has solid re-watchability.

I think this will do well with audiences, both young and old. It has universal themes that is instantly relatable for everyone no matter what age you are.

It's an odd choice from the studio for a film like this to go to streaming rather than the cinema. I think it was a bit of a short-sighted choice made by them. I hope this doesn't become the norm. This felt cinematic and it is a shame that we won't see this on the big screen. Particularly as we won't get to see one of Pixar's latest short animations.

I must mention that there is a post-credit scene. It's not long. But it will get a chuckle out of you.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Red Rocket

One of the big positives of regularly reviewing films is that you can discover some film-makers that you would only see in arthouse or independent cinemas and they will be hidden gems for all-time.

One director in particular that I have grown fond of, is Sean Baker. I first saw one of his features back in 2017. It was 'The Florida Project' at my first visit at the Leeds International Film Festival. I then caught up with his breakthrough feature 'Tangerine' and his style really suits me. Baker seems to focus on the dirtier side of America with less fortunate communities in the hotter states of America. Most of the characters are not likable. But they managed to be highly engaging and make for some highly entertaining viewing experiences. Also, his films are usually beautifully shot with bright colour palettes.

Also, if any film that begins with a cheesy early 2000's pop song, that can win me over. That's what this film does.

Once again, we got more despicable characters and yet Baker and his team manages to make them incredibly engaging with their charm and charisma. Our lead does show some hope during the film. So there will be a part of you that does want them to succeed.

It portrays how showbiz America can manipulate small town America by making them believe in their dreams. But it is never done in a preachy way as this film is more of a character study and the manipulation aspect is more in the background.

I was surprised as to how funny it was considering some of the topics and industries it was covering. By the end, I was amazed at how it still managed to make me thoroughly satisfied with what I saw.

The star of show is Simon Rex. He gives an absolute tour-de-force performance. Even though you know his character is up to no good, you cannot stop watching him. The energy he brings and the determination you see in him makes you 100% invested to see how his story arch will conclude.

Suzanna Son also gives a breakthrough performance. Her level of charisma almost matches Rex's in their scenes together.

It's not just Rex's performance that is worth mentioning. The entire cast do a great job and the way they hint at certain characters backstories, you feel that you can easily make a film on each of them and it will be as entertaining.

The cinematography by Drew Daniels fits Baker's style perfectly. Long tracking shots, sunset backgrounds with silhouettes in the foreground and making the most rundown and industrial places look magical.

While I was immersed in it, it did feel a bit too long. It's just over 2hrs and this type of story didn't need to be that lengthy. But they made up for it by still grabbing my attention.

Also, the only issue I have with Baker's films is here in this one, and that's the editing. The abruptness in its cuts is just not for me and I doubt this will disappear in any of his future projects.

This is another Baker feature that I really enjoyed. I don't know how Baker does this, as the topics he is covering and the industries he is focusing in this film are not mainstream friendly and could be borderline dodgy. However, he manages to constantly flirt with it and never makes you feel ashamed of enjoying it. Yes this is not for everyone. But it is the type of story you rarely see these days and that is why I get more and more excited when a new Sean Baker film is being released.

He also makes you appreciate this part of America. The characters are never there to be made fun of because they are not as well off as others. They are shown to have kindness and consideration despite also behaving like their surroundings suggest.

What makes Baker's films so watchable for me is that I feel it is showing the real modern America. While it is still trying to distract you with the sugary coatness that shows signs of the classic American dream, beneath it is sweat, dirt and unlawful people.

You can tell Baker has done his research in every department and it came with high reward.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Stanley Kubrick Films

Despite being sadly no longer with us for over 20 years, the films of Stanley Kubrick continue to amaze us and keep his dedicated followers analysing every frame due to his signature symbolism style of story-telling.

His back catalogue also continues to be discovered by new generations of films lovers. Kubrick is the type of director that has a tone that truly expands your imagination of how stories can be told through this medium. While I don't go nuts for most of his works, I always appreciate his craft that is truly gold standard worthy.

What makes the man even more impressive, you can be amazed at his dedication to his work without even seeing any of his films. There is enough books or articles out there that show the amount of detail he put into not just all of his films, but in every frame.

Kubrick has never made a sequel and explored several genres. His has covered sci-fi, horror, crime, period drama, historical epic, satirical comedy and war. Almost of his works are high up in a lot of people's all-time lists of greatest films.

Even with a success, Kubrick only ever directed 13 films in his 46 years of film-making. I have seen all but 1 of Kubrick's 13 films. I have yet to see Killer's Kiss. So with that in mind, below is my ranking of every Kubrick I have seen along with a short review for each of my top 10:

12) Fear And Desire

11) Lolita

10) Eyes Wide Shut - Kubrick's last feature sees Tom Cruise  and Nicole Kidman involved in a strange yet engrossing psychological drama that explores sexual relations with not just married couples, but also strangers.

Like with most Kubrick films, the more times you re-watch it, the more content you start to find to help you understand how compelling it is.

9) A Clockwork Orange - A disturbing yet highly engaging experience that follows a youth gang causing terror in a dystopian future.

Lead by Malcolm McDowell, it explores the importance of evil within human nature and society.

The production design is visually arresting and the themes it covers makes for a great discussion.

Sadly, I will never see 'Singin In The Rain' the same way after seeing this.

8) Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb - A satirical comedy that explores the absurdity of war, particularly the Cold War that was still going on when this film was made.

These types of comedies rarely do it for me. But I did understand what this film was saying, and it is a very effective piece of work that can still be relatable viewing today.

There are some great performances and plenty of iconic lines of dialogue.

7) Barry Lyndon - An effective slow-burning period drama with amazing ground-breaking visuals.

It sees an Irish rogue take the opportunity of the position of an aristocrat to a rich widow. Set in 18th century England, this explores the change in someone's social status, how trust is used and twisted for gain the theories of luck.

The pacing and duration will put people off and general consensus will have people label this as over-rated. But I feel if you give this a chance, you will be absorbed by it. 

6) Full Metal Jacket - A haunting and impactful look at the dehumanisation of war.

Set during the Vietnam war, the film focuses on a group of Marine recruits go through a brutal boot camp that transforms into killers.

With the casting of an actual drill sergeant being the highlight of the film, it gives this drama great authenticity and effective imagery to put its message across.

5) Paths Of Glory - Kubrick's first dab into the war genre. This one is set during World War I, where an officer is forced to defend himself and his soldiers of why he refused to attack.

A tragic look at war, the performance of Kirk Douglas and effective long-tracking shots has up there with the best anti-war films ever made.

This is also one of the most accessible films Kubrick has made.

4) The Killing - Kubrick's breakthrough feature sees a veteran criminal assemble a small team to plan a heist at a racetrack during one of its biggest race days of the year.

One of the early heist films that built the foundations for how modern versions are made, this is a slick and tense watch that hasn't dated.

3) The Shining - An 80's horror classic that is one of Kubrick's most analysed features.

When the father moves his family to an isolated hotel for the winter to help with his next novel, a sinister presence influences violence and presents horrific visions.

Jack Nicholson gives one of his most memorable performances. With the added spectacular camerawork, this is a great watch.

2) Spartacus - A historical epic with a star-studded cast that tells the story of a slave that lead an uprising against the Roman Republic.

From the sweeping shots, to the strong performances and to the large scope and scale of the production, everything about it speaks classic epic.

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey - It got mixed reviews when it make out, and it is now seen as one of the most important and greatest movies of all-time. It also got Kubrick's only Oscar win for its visual effects.

It's ground-breaking imagery, moving soundtrack and complex themes makes this a cinematic wonder.

I can definitely understand this movie could be seen as hugely disappointing (a bit like Citizen Kane).  But I think this is definitely a film you can appreciate on multiple viewings.

Review: The Batman

Just when you thought we had enough Batman films, we are getting a new vision of the caped crusader.

My history with Batman in film has been pretty enjoyable overall. Outside of the Adam West TV series, my first encounter with Batman was when I saw 1992's Batman Returns. Loved it then, still do today and have always seen it as a modern Greek tragedy.

After that, there has been little to criticise from my side. The only exceptions were the god awful 'Batman & Robin' and the messy execution of the DCEU. However, Ben Affleck's Batman has been a big highlight of that franchise.

The pinnacle is obviously Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. So I was intrigued to see that director Matt Reeves' portrayal looks to be going a somewhat similar route. I have liked Reeves as a director for the past several years. I loved Cloverfield, felt Let Me In was a solid horror re-make and really enjoyed the second and third chapters of the Planet Of The Apes trilogy.

As for his latest project, the only aspect I felt cautious with was the casting of Robert Pattinson. Despite his recent success post Twilight, playing Batman was something I did not think would be right for him. However, similar reaction for Affleck and even Heath Ledger as a Joker proved us all wrong in the best possible way. So with that strong track record in mind, I was pretty excited to see the latest incarnation.

Right from the opening moment, it transports you to quite an arresting style that reminded me of Watchmen, but without the typical Zack Snyder tropes. There is also signs of David Fincher's 'Se7en' with the grittiness, film-noir tone and brooding atmosphere that is closer to a crime mystery drama. All of that really entices you. This is definitely more towards the detective side of Batman, which I am all for.

With it being more of a mystery drama, the plot does concentrate on the character development rather than the action. So it may be a bit slow for certain demographics. But if you love story driven dramas, then this will be ideal for you.

The final act is probably the most comic book the story ever gets. The threat and stakes of what the antagonist may not be as strong as the ones from The Dark Knight trilogy. But I felt it was still perfectly functional to help with the climax of every character's story archs.

The cast really impressed me both individually as well as particular partnerships. My fears of Robert Pattinson were quickly extinguished. He gives quite a menacing presence throughout that gives you believable fear from anyone that is in the same room as him. You also get a fearless, yet troubled and damaged Bruce Wayne that is looking for his place in this corrupt city. For every minute he was on screen, I was definitely seeing Batman and not Robert Pattinson.

Zoe Kravitz combines sexy and deadly in her portrayal of Catwoman that could genuinely give Michelle Pfeiffer's performance a run for her money.

When together on screen, Pattinson and Kravitz feel like a proper team with that vintage hint of a romance. Their perfect blend of emotional and physical acting gives us a very memorable on-screen partnership.

Paul Dano gives us a pretty disturbing antagonist where he seems to be channelling a mixture of Heath Ledger's Joker with hints of Jim Carrey's Riddler. Jeffrey Wright was a nice surprise as Jim Gordon that could easily compete with Gary Oldman's version. Wright showed the honesty and determination we now expect from Gordon's character and he worked really well with Pattinson.

I also have to give props to the performances of the unrecognisable Colin Farrell, John Tuturro, the always great Andy Serkis and Peter Sarsgaard.

The combination of the cinematography by Greig Fraser, production design James Chinlund and score by Michael Giacchino gives us a complete package that is a delight to look at and listen to.

If I was forced to find negatives, I will say that some scenes that are a bit too dark for its own good. Also while I was never bored, there were a few scenes that did halt the flow and could be cut down.

However, I can safely say this is without a doubt a pretty strong piece of work. Reeves and his talented team have given us a great blend of classic and modern Batman that is worth the almost 3 hours duration. It has that vision and scope that is perfect for the cinematic experience. You get those familiar parts you expect in every Batman film. But we are also introduced to others that we have only seen in comics and video games.

With the amount of versions we have had of Batman, I was one of those people that said "do we really need another reboot?". It turns out, we do. Reeves gives a very effective vision of Gotham's Dark Knight that shows you don't need to rely on the action to have a successful Batman film.

This is a really strong addition to the several other versions and one that I do instantly want to see again. Is it the best? Probably not. However, it is one of the better ones that you can make a believable case of it being the best. It ignores the origins and heads straight into the juice with a layered story, plenty of interesting characters and enough action in both handheld combat as well as car chases.

I would be up for more installments, if Reeves is willing to still be at the helm.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Duke

A feel-good British release is a guarantee for solid box office in this country.

With it being based on a true event with two strong British actor that can carry any film, this on paper sounds like a pretty safe watch for guaranteed entertainment.

The tone and overall look is as you would expect. It has that vintage British working class grit in its production design and the 'stiff upper lip' in our main protagonists.

The story is easy to follow, the vibe is feel-good and crowd-pleasing and has enough comedy to make it an enjoyable experience. But there is also enough emotional drama in there to give our heroes of the story a good amount of deserved sympathy.

As expected, our two leads played by Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren utilise their experience well in this and carry the story to make it shine. There's some solid support by Fionn Whitehead who you might remember from Dunkirk. It was also nice seeing Matthew Goode, who is another safe pair of hands for playing a minor role in similar British dramas like this.

There's no real issues I had with this film. It moves along nicely and it does everything you would expect from this type of story.

This is an enjoyably charming watch that the British crowds will easily eat up. Yes it doesn't break any new ground. But not every film needs to. It's ok to go to the cinema and check out something that is safe, harmless and makes you proud to be from this country. I can happily check at least one of these types of films out every year.

Rating: 7/10