Review: Waves

Seeing who was part of this project showed a lot of promise. With Trey Edward Shults at the helm who made the hidden gem Krisha and the very divisive It Comes At Night, I was hoping for another ideas driven feature.

But when I noticed Lucas Hedges was in the cast list, cries of 'Oscar bait' started to fill my head. Don't get me wrong, Hedges is a great actor that anyone would be proud to have him in their cast list. It's just that everything I see him in is the type of film you expect to fill the formula of a typical Oscar film. Plus, when he is part of one that is a genuine contender, it ends with little or no success.

After seeing the film, his appearance was quickly forgotten as there was much more to talk about.

This seemed to be a film of two halves. The first half was very effective. It covered interesting subjects such as America's push for perfection within its kids and the consequences of that. If moved along nicely, all the characters felt integral and I was caring a lot for what was happening. Especially when done parts felt like I could relate to them.

Then the film seemed to almost turn the opposite way in its tone and ideas. While I was fine with the subjects of grieving being the focus of the second half, the execution and paths it took was strange. It just ended up feeling like two totally different films by the end of it.

All the acting were of the biggest quality. There was a lot of passion in their performances and I think that will transcend well with audiences.

Kelvin Harrison Jr. continues to be a huge talent and his contribution to this film was very memorable. I was fascinated by the chemistry Sterling K. Brown's character, who also did a good job.

Taylor Russell's character showed great talent in her role and I hope to see her in more projects.

As for Hedges' contribution, it was fine. It was nothing exceptional. But it did the job and he hadxsome nice comical moments with Russell.

In terms of the craft, I noticed certain tropes in the cinematography that reminded me of the directors feature debut Krisha. With many 360 tracking shots, it was great to see this unique style back again. While I don't think it was as effective compared to Krisha, it was still nice to see.

As mentioned before, I could be cruel and call it pure 'Oscar bait' due to the subjects it's covering and that it has Lucas Hedges as part of its cast. But there was plenty of effective sequences that contained a lot ideas that can be discussed at length long after seeing this.

But I still the way the second half, it just seemed to slow the momentum down or take a tonal shift that just did not fully work for me. But I admire the ambitious structure vto the story and I still think people should check this out.

Rating: 7/10

Review: House Of Hummingbird

Portraying teenage adolescence to film can be generation defining when done right. This is what director Bora Kim is looking for is this particular project.

While the tone is pretty sad and bleak, this felt like a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre.

Having that mix of discovering life, the central character finding her place in this world, finding her true friends whilst coping with the struggles of life at home

I was interested as to why they chose 1994 as the time period and to use real-life events within this story. It does make me suggest that the director might have lived what we saw on screen and make the story semi-autobiographical. 

The cast overall were pretty solid. But this all about Park Ji-Hu's performance as the lead. Park showed wisdom far beyond her years. I found it very relatable and tough to watch at times as I and people I know have had similar experiences at that age. By the way she was directed, I could tell this was a deeply personal story.

I feel that if you liked last year's film Eighth Grade, then I feel you will be as affected by this similar story. But told from an Asian perspective.

For me, I got a lot out of this and found this to be a memorable watch. It was probably a bit too bleak for my personal taste and it didn't feel as impactful as previous films within this genre.

But it was still worth my time and while the tone and pacing might not work for a mainstream audience, certain demographics will love this.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Atlantics

When I heard this was set in Senegal, I was intrigued to see this part of the world.

It's great seeing films like this to increase more awareness of countries like Senegal and put them into the spotlight.

As for the story, it felt a rather appropriate one. But the path they took was creative, ambitious and I feel they pulled it off for the most part.

As first it looked like it would be a Shakespearean romance drama. But then that eventually quashed as it went more Charles Dickens in fact with some added current topics that I have not seen often on film.

For me, this film was all about the strength of its ideas and the environment the story was playing out on.

The Senegalese coast definitely played its part. So I would say props to the cinematography for exploiting that.

The performances I don't think we're that exceptional. But they were pretty solid overall. Particular credit has to go to Mame Bineta Sane, who did a good job in the leading role. I hope to see all of the cast be put into further projects that get a big enough release to further push that awareness.

Only one negative to speak of. The main crux of the film did not feel fulfilled as I don't feel it never was fully explored.

But like I said, I admired the concept and the message the director went for. I thought it was pretty effective and it got my full attention once I got to grips with its story. It didn't quite feel like the total package as I feel there could have been a more thorough and satisfying final act. But what I got was a lot of potential from this cast and crew. Don't be surprised if their next project is an absolute showstopper.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Synonyms

It's hard to know where to start with this one because I'm not sure what I just watched.

While I could eventually find a story in here, the style of Nadav Lapid was just not for me, pure and simple.

It felt it was being spontaneous for the sake of it whilst telling a very important story that I would have liked to have seen explored a lot more.
At first, I thought the film was going for a political satire or even a Mel Brooks style farce. By the end, I had no idea what it was trying to be. I just think the tone and vibe just did not suit me at all.

I have to give credit however to Tom Mercier who gave a very committed performance. You could feel the energy he gave to his character and you can appreciate that whether or not you end up liking the film or not.

While I clearly was not a fan of the film, there is content in here to be appreciated.
As mentioned before, Mercier's performance shows what a talent he is and the themes of national identity and finding your place in this world was there to be explored.
The end result just wasn't for me I'm afraid. I can see this finding an audience and maybe doing better over time. Maybe on multiple viewings my view will change? But for now, it didn't work.


Rating: 6/10

Review: Calm With Horses

An Irish film with a lot of passion and energy in its tone is usually a safe bet for high quality storytelling within the film medium.

This one is another welcomed addition. Early on, you could feel a lot of hate and evil from the characters. That instantly puts you on edge and constantly having that feeling that something truly terrible is about to happen.

But it manages to not be too brutal in its imagery and therefore avoids making uncomfortable to watch. Even with all these nasty people on screen, there is a strong heart to this story that gives the viewer hope.

Giving that hope is lead actor Cosmo Jarvis. His characters mix of brute strength and neanderthal-like intelligence that felt very similar to Lenny from Of Mice And Men.

Jarvis was simply fantastic in this role. That feeling of a lost soul who is brainwashed and looking to do what's right for his family.

Barry Keoghan was a good support and continues to show how much of a talent he is.

There were also some nice bits of vintage Irish comedy every now and then to ease you from the evil goings on that are happening on screen.

Also, the cinematography was very noticeable. They really made the most of its environment and Irish landscape with some gorgeous looking backdrops.

I felt this to be a really strong piece of work with lots of energy. Seeing the journey Jarvis' character takes was great to watch and his performance sells the film.

This felt like a complete story and used the range emotions to tell it.

I must warn you, the Irish accents from the characters can be strong at times. There's an opening speech that will make you have to re-tune your hearing to understand. But after that, you should be fine with the dialogue.

Rating: 8/10

Review: A Hidden Life

I have a big love-hate relationship with any new Terrence Malick film. When Malick's good, he's excellent. The Thin Red Line is by far his best. But when Malick's not good, he can give spectacular imagery with not much narrative. Much like his recent projects such as The Tree Of Life, To The Wonder, Knight Of Cups and Song To Song.

While those can be a slog to get through, they are completely gorgeous to look at. That's all thanks to his regular cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. They are perfect film to have on in the background with the sound off during a classy party of some kind. Whether you think that's a good thing or not is up to you. 

This time, Malick doesn't have Lubezki this time. Instead we have Jorg Widmer, who is usually seen as a camera operator instead of head of cinematography.

Firstly, the transition felt seamless as it definitely had the look of a Malick film. With his latest film set in the hills of Austria, you have the most amazing backdrop to work with and virtually every shot looked like something I would have on my wall.

As for the story, this clearly has a narrative and is by far his most cohesive since The New World back in 2005. With it being based on true events certainly helps giving Malick some plot to work with.

Malick's style of storytelling is still there. That sense of being between awake and dreaming is still there and it can be quite a spiritual experience.

While I was enjoying what I was seeing from all aspects, the almost 3hrs duration did pull back my enjoyment.

It's was definitely too long and many sequences was enough to tell me that this should be closer to 2hrs.

The performances on the whole were pretty good. It was great seeing August Diehl again after only seeing him play a memorable minor role in Inglourious Basterds. He played the lead with a lot of believability and you can feel the risk his character was taking in order to stand up what he believes in.

His female counterpart played by Valerie Pachner have a wonderful performance for Diehl to bounce off. But in the end, I think it was her scenes without Diehl that made her stand out more.

Not much to say outside of the leads. But it was nice to see Matthias Schoenaerts make a small cameo.

It was to not only an enjoyable Terrence Malick film, but I'm confident that this will be loved by many.

His imagery still remains for me one of the strongest in the film industry and seeing the Austrian hills and mountains on the big screen was a feast for the eyes. Plus, the story was well executed and gave us a nice refreshing look at a World War II film from the enemies perspective.

Unfortunately as mentioned before, the over-long duration is preventing me from giving this an exceptional rating. Not only could I feel the length, it was clear to see what could have been taken out.

But personal preferences aside, I can see this film affecting people in a very powerful way.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Cave (Documentary)

Films or documentaries about the siege of Syria look to be circulating more regularly. The ones I've seen so far have had differing Wats if approaching their respective project.

Some have made theirs with broad strokes and portraying the sweeping coverage of the event. Some have concentrated on one particular area or character to get a more personal and in-depth story. The latter has definitely been the more effective one.

This one may be the most impactful one yet as your right in the thick of the action with thus one.

It was incredible viewing to see a first hand account of this tragic event that ended up being brutal to watch.

With all that happening, you get to know about some of the doctors working in nightmarish environment.

Seeing the doctors reaction to what was happening around them was quite surreal. Still doing their job and having regular banter with the staff whilst effectively hell on earth is happening around them startled me.

The way the documentary developed the characters they were focusing on worked really well with the structure they went for and felt seamless while still providing incredible content.

I found this to be the best film that has covered the Syrian siege. From the terrifying opening shot, you feel you're a really there and as scared as the people on the screen.

The rawness of it is something you can not forcefully create. Everything was, natural, true, honest and that's what is going to get this film huge recognition from everyone.

It's sad that some people lost their lives making this film. But their contribution has contribution has certainly not gone unnoticed.

This a big contender within this genre for awards success and I can totally see why. A lot of recent films related to the siege of Syria have concentrated on a person's story, or give conventional structure of the events. This has the total package.

Rating: 8/10