Reviews

This dropped on Netflix with little fanfare,word of mouth or press releases which is surprising as its directed by cult filmmaker Takashi Miike.

It's an interesting,stylish and extremely well made thriller with solid production values with the cinematography and sound design top notch.

It's a mash up of Jagged Edge,Seven and Memories of Murder but like them outstanding films it's talky and ponderous with some thrilling moments and come few and far between. Although the attack by 'Lumberjack' in the high rise storey building was jumpy.

The problem lies in a overloaded script with too many characters to follow, a sub plot about' neuro chips' that add to very little and little character development.

I wonder if this would have been a better three part Netflix series instead?

Nonetheless, an interesting take on the thriller genre by a world class visionary.

Josh O'Connor is fast becoming one of our most accomplished actors and this,his second film I've seen this week featuring him after Challengers,shows he can liven up any shoddy film- for which Challengers and La Chimera both certainly are.

Both films are tediously overlong with characters that aren't even remotely sympathetic and yet we are asked to spend 130mins in their company. Both have thin stories that aren't required to be this length.

There are some effective scenes, all belong to O'Connor, that made me chuckle - the selling of the marble head on the ship,the rag tag gang of fortune hunters being duped by the 'Police' and running away, all the scenes with Isabella Rossellini (great to see her again).

Writer/ director Alice Rohrwacher has a keen eye for colour and composition set within the poor looking parts of Italy but she's indulged by undiscipline.

No wonder, yet again, that both Kermode and Bradshaw are fans.

Josh O'Connor, Zendaya and Mike Faist all give solid performances, aided by an effective soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, zippy and stylish editing conveying the pace of tennis and the drama going on off court.

So why didn't I like it?

Well, firstly the characters are so unsympathetic that I really found them tedious and annoying straight from the off. If they developed from being nice then into egocentric monsters wanting to win then that would give them a character arc. They don't. They start off annoying and become worse.

If this is director Luca Guadagnino intention ,he fails.

Secondly, the characters of Art and Patrick look so pasty and ugly, two dorks from college(me and Jules,Beavis and Butthead or Bill and Ted) that the character Tashi really should be with two who have more charm,charisma and sex appeal.

It is such a mishmash. I couldn't for one moment believe a young lady of class,elegance and prettiness would even contemplate being friends with these two let alone lovers.

The length is too overlong with the final tennis match tedious with knowing looks from the three of them going on and on.

It's been compared to the nice but overrated Past Lives but the characters there were better written, had charm and were better cast.

A regular topic we both discuss is overpopulation rampant ? Growing up I was used to couples having two (or one) children.

Nowadays it's rising up to three or more (the Hills). Sometimes that elusive boy or girl to two of the same sex is frustrating to them especially if they feel a strange need to continue the passion ( football playing!).

The effect of overpopulation is a hot potato, not fully addressed, especially by world leaders(Boris Johnson, when in office, has seven children).

So this makes for interesting setups for interesting stories, ie The Purge (although overpopulation wasn't addressed, mainly crime) nonetheless this need to have lots of children eventually leads to disaster.

This is well put forth in this black comedy from the daughter of David Cronenberg.

His macabre sense of humour is evident, gross wounds,blood .

Those looking for Purge like action would be disappointed, those looking for a well written, decently acted comedy with loathsome characters put through the ringer will enjoy it. As I did.

At a lean, flab free 90mins this mash up of Coen Brothers and Tarantino reminded me of other 90s dialogue heavy crime thrillers-Two Days in the Valley, Things to Do in Denver When You are Dead to No Country for Old Men (it even features Gene Jones who played the gas station attendant).

In an age of 2hr + crime films/actioners it's refreshing to see something that is well written, funny and knows/wears its influences on it's sleeve. It maybe derivative in it's telling from other films set in small diners on the desert highway but I was invested in it's slight story thanks to sound, believable characters(Jocelin Donahue is touching and real as the kindly waitress Charlotte and the ever reliable character actor Richard Brake is even more creepy than he was in Barbarian) Okay, so it wont win awards of originality but at this length I'm not complaining.

In my review of Asif Kapadia's 2015 documentary 'Amy', I mentioned that he missed a trick by not either showing or mentioning Amy Winehouse's disastrous appearance on BBCs Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Here was first hand the descent she was going through on public TV-slurring her words, swearing, spitting, being derogatory to other guests and what is even more telling was how the host Simon Amstell actually said to Ms Winehouse that she is an addict and has a problem-too her face.

This was brave and daring of him to do as it showed compassion and a level of care that one often doesn't see on TV especially a music quiz show with lots of ego, piss taking etc.

This new film by Sam Taylor Wood, gives us a glimpse into that account of her downward spiral (even though it doesn't feature that important appearance ) with an outstanding lead performance by Marisa Abela -looking and sounding like Ms Winehouse (she even did her own vocals) Able support by the ever reliable Eddie Marsan and Jack O'Connell as her father and husband.

The film doesn't follow the conventional music biopic setup-we first see Amy as a young teenager with a magnetic voice and then a blink of an eye she already has her first album out (Frank, I brought it when it came out -still good) It follows more her relationships and from these it ends up moving and likely to please her fanbase.

This 2021 Palme D'Or winner is warped, twisted and certainty not for everyone but for those (like me!) will find something very sick and hugely funny in it's body horror portrayal of madness, switched identity and loss.

Agathe Rousselle is excellent in the lead role-both brave and daring in her gender switched role. And although she looks like a emaciated Dr Lobo in her ' male' phrase she commands the screen.

Credit should also be given to Vincent Lindon as the bereaved father, his eyes and physical appearance light up the screen every time he is on.

The ending is gross out funny and it's better than the overrated 'Raw' -Julia Ducournau's previous film; which was too humorless and po faced in it's approach.

One can't deny how much she gets out of her actors though. She certainty puts them on a journey of self discovery however weird, sick or twisted it may be!

Strangely but predictably what I remembered most about this comedy actioner was the dynamics that exist on movie sets, that for a movie obsessed geek like me is pure nectar.

We take it for granted that whenever we see a daring stunt or effective action set piece we forget what time, safety and athletics go into it.

The romance between Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt was okay but lacks the spark and zest of Emma Stone and whilst I'm a fan of Ms Blunt I felt Ms Stone would have been the better of the two. There's more banter between Gosling and Blunt-as seen in Crazy,Stupid, Love and La La Land. A zestiness, a spark. The script needed more one liners.

The plot involving double crossing and murder actually works in the movie's favor and I was invested in it.

Overall decent enough to pass a couple of hours.

I saw this at Cineworld, Braintree with my cousins Matthew and Phillip almost nine years to the day when we saw the previous Mad Max film, Fury Road.

Like Fury Road this an enjoyably insane, bonkers and brave piece of filmmaking that never lets up from the start to the finish. Those looking for nuance and subtly need look elsewhere.

The effects, stunts and action are top notch and I respect George Miller in introducing the lead actress, Anya Taylor Joy, nearly an hour into the film-that shows respect the producers have in him and his franchise where a first time filmmaker would have that idea thrown out and the intro would have been 10mins instead.

The plot is hard too follow and Chris Hemsworth is more comical than scary especially when compared to the antagonists in the previous older films-'ToeCutter','Nightrider' and 'The Humungous' where they genuinely were villainous but it's one of them films that, as Matthew said afterwards, you just need to let the film wash over you.

Two weeks ago I saw the French horror 'Infested' which has decent characters, some very well done scares and a believable set up, this more comic spidertastic horror is a lighter version with more a PG13 than a 15 rating.

It made me laugh several times with the character 'Helga' as the old lady with dementia clearly forgetting previous events that have happened notable in it's comic timing and adds a clever roundabout twist in the story structure.

I also particularly liked the character 'Erik' as the clearly socially inept neighbor who has a insect love.

It isn't as well done as Infested and is the lighter film of the two but I had fun watching it.

At first I though this a ' Purge' film. The masked and wigged individual on the poster and letter heading title looked very much like something out of that outstanding franchise.

I did hope that it would have been put to bed after the excellent 'The Forever Purge' which I saw on 8/9/24.

Thankfully, it's not a Purge movie although the political stance it takes throughout with warring voters on either side this could exist in the realm of vengeful people eventually committing heinous acts. Much like some individuals in the USA.

The film itself is a mess of cliches, tiresome characters, lo fi emo music whenever two young people get close, the idiotic teenagers playing up to tragedy by goofing around high school corridors, the same retractable knives etc, bland characters, badly acted by all especially Amy Hargreaves and Jayce Bartok as the major and her opponent. Whenever their on screen they scream and not in a enjoyable way. Then again this hysteria is so much like US politics maybe that was the makers intentions?

I'll admit I was surprised by the killer's identity but lost interest when they started sprouting their reasons for committing murder. An obvious cliché for any slasher horror.

I spent the entire duration looking at how wonderful the trees looked surrounding this lovely looking small town .

It was shot in New Milford, Connecticut.

The horror film I saw just before this, Immaculate, was very standard stuff with little scares or tension, this carries just enough to warrant it as the better of the two films.

However, its still the same old tropes mixed together.

Young Freya Allen is uninteresting and bland in the lead, Ruby Baker is annoying as her girlfriend and a pall of familiarity hangs over the entire film, the CGI (especially the fire at the end, is ropey.

Only a nifty idea, some good scares and solid Peter Mullan as the troubled father add up to the better of the two films.

In fact ,if Mr Mullan were the lead to start with this would have been better film-his craggy face, dominate voice and mere presence would have elevated the film considerably.

Then, since it's aimed at a much younger audience this is null and void.

A pity!

I'll admit I haven't been following this franchise at all. I remember seeing the 1998 film with Richard Smith but after that nada.

I saw this after many websites I respect gave it good reviews , so I took a Pacific deep sea plunge.

I liked it immensely. The characters were humane, sympathetic and well rounded. I liked that the main protagonist is a coward and it racked by guilt by this ( Mr Cruise wouldn't be like this- running towards the danger) It gives a terrific sense of post WW2 hardship and life rebuilding, helped by effective cinematography and soundtrack. Rather than the usual Michael Bay crashing,bashing though skyscrapers ,this takes time to develop characters. Some would find this slow, I found it poignant and deep.

The creature effects are excellent and fully deserving of its Oscar win.

Both Mum and Laura would run a mile then watch this spider infested horror, they're everywhere!

This is a well designed horror with excellent visual (?practical effects) that really treads the line between gross out horror, developing characters and adding much needed taunt tension ( the walk through a tunnel of spiders had me on the edge of my seat) The setting of a run down French tenement building is effectively used to create horror, tension and the largely unknown cast that populate this environment seem they actually live there.

This reminded me of Rec,Evil Dead Rise as a high rise horror chase.

Rose Glass's follow up to Saint Maud is a sweaty,twisty thriller that's reminded me of a mash up of Blood Simple, Bound, Thelma and Louise and Breaking Bad/ Better Call Saul in its depiction of blue collar working class individuals thrown into a nightmare of double dealings, revenge,sex,drugs (with the exception of Bound) all filmed under a sun bleached environment.

Kristen Stewart is excellent in the lead and shows depth and vulnerability, as she did in 'Spencer ' and is fast becoming a solid actor.

Katy O'Brian is dedicated as the pumped up body builder and its good to see Ed Harris again as the scary crime boss (with even scarier hair) Where the film fails is in the stupid last 5mins which is just laughable and utterly stupid (this ruined the film for Laura!) it's like a tacked on fantasy. Was Glass bereft of any other ideas ? Did she deliberately want to add something stupid as a ' breather' for the audience after the bloody events prior. Whatever it is its really weird!

Philip Juma lookalike Dev Patel co writes ,stars and directs this impressive looking action thriller with bone crunching fight scenes mixed in with a surprising amount of character depth; the audience is with the character'Bobby' and his past troubles and Patel effectively shows the painful trauma with a degree of sympathy. Thus rendering the final third as a kind of valedictory kick ass fest.

The streets of Mumbai are well shot and Patel shows the hardships of the homelessness ,especially the young people.

Where I feel the film is let down is,like most action films , a terrific sense of deja vu throughout a smattering of John Wick,Only God Forgives,The Raid (1 and 2).

The editing and cinematography are extremely well done but Patel uses an abundance of close ups that not only confuse the audience as too who is who but gives a nauseous feeling. It's too frantic, even for an actioner.

Nonetheless, this is a bold directional debut from Mr Patel that spends the first half developing characters and story before plunging into the excitement the audience wants.

The fights in the toilet and bar are really really well done.

Please no Monkey Man 2!

One of the- many- great ideas of An American Werewolf in London is how sad and pitiful David finds himself as a werewolf. He's aware of what's inside him and what can come out and he's powerless to stop it. The scene where he attempts to slit his wrists in the phone box is one of the saddest moments in cinema; not just horror.

This new horror from cult writer/director Larry Fessenden explores this idea into a feature length horror, with mixed results.

Its extremely talky and slow that would test the patience of most horror junkies. The film never picks up momentum; even when law enforcement officials go after the' beast' there's a lull in the pacing where an ex girlfriend is making dinner and drinking wine with her new boyfriend. Alex Hurt sadly doesn't have the sympathy that David Naughton displayed in the classic aforementioned 1981 horror but he's solid (as was his late father William Hurt).

The effects and make up are well done despite its low budget.

It's an interesting venture that could have been better developed.

I was actually looking forward to this found footage, 70s inspired horror. Reading the(brief, no trailers) descriptions and a plaudit from Stephen King himself wetted my appetite to the point of me travelling to the Odeon at 2200 AFTER WORK!

Sadly, this is a marginal letdown.

The setup, the 1970s looking TV studio, all the qips of making a live TV event, David Dastmalchain playing the ever grinning host, the rough looking photographic sheen all are top notch.

I felt a tremendous feeling of deja vu throughout ,almost like its a greatest hits package of other horrors mainly 1992s BBC cult horror Ghostwatch, that it doesn't establish anything original.

For those who haven't seen ANY horror films then they may find things scarier here than I did.

A predictedable stew of jump cuts,demonic voices, lights smashing,demonic images intercut with a static image, spewing, cursing etc.

And it just ain't scary.

Koji Yakusho commands the screen in the lead, as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, getting the most out of life by setting beauty in the most everyday, mundane things- trees blowing in the wind ( my man!!), plants and flowers, being kind to others.

His outlook is like the film quiet and reflective.

Like most Wim Wenders films this is meditative and slow paced; it will please some and anger others.

The story is really thin and doesn't develop and like Lost in Translation its more concerned with showing us the everyday city surroundings of Tokyo rather than giving the audience drama or narrative.

Tranquility will wash over. This is either a good or bad thing.

I didn't dislike it but maybe would have liked it more if I was hungover. It's a soothing balm that isn't taxing ie a gentle, sweet cure to a hangover.