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Lee (2222 KP) rated Relic (2020) in Movies
Sep 2, 2020
I only became aware of Relic back in June. After looking into it a little more, I started to come across the traditional ‘scariest movie of the year’ headlines, which seem to accompany the release of pretty much every movie of this kind before release. I also saw comparisons being made to both Hereditary and The Babadook, and anyone who has ever heard any of my rantings on the subject before will know exactly which opposite ends of the movie rating scale I consider those movies to be on! Thankfully, this feature debut from writer/director Natalie Erika James lands nicely on the same end of the scale as The Babadook.
When Kay (Emily Mortimer) receives word that her elderly mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin) has gone missing, she and daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) drive out to her rural home to investigate. We’d already been introduced to Edna briefly in the opening scene, where she stood naked with her back to us, in a sequence which had already managed to introduce an overwhelming sense of dread and unease. Something that Relic continues to build upon for much of its 89 minute runtime.
Kay and Sam spend some time in the house, liaising with the police and looking for clues to Edna’s whereabouts while they rummage through her large house. Post-it note reminders are dotted around the house, indicating that Edna is now struggling with dementia. From the simple, helpful kind of reminder, such as “take pills” and “turn off the tap”, to the slightly more sinister “don’t follow it”. There are lots of strange, unexplained noises in the house too, with a black mould growing on some of the walls. All the while, a pulsing, pounding score in the background continues to effectively layer up on that dread and unease I mentioned before. While browsing through some paperwork, Kay finds an old sketch of a cabin in the woods and casually mentions to Sam that it was where her great grandfather died alone, of dementia. Apparently the windows, and other elements of the cabin, were used in the building of the house that they are now in, and despite the fact that Kay is currently suffering from dark and disturbing nightmares involving the cabin and her great grandfather, none of this seems to trigger any alarm bells whatsoever!
When Edna suddenly returns home one morning, with no memory of where she’s been, she has dirt under her fingernails and a large and nasty bruise on her chest, which over time begins to look suspiciously like that black mould that’s forming on the walls. While Sam wants to stay and be near to her grandmother, Kay is more focused in checking out care homes to ship her off to. Edna swings between being perfectly normal, with a sharp memory, to periods of forgetfulness and rage. Some time taken to follow the family interactions over the next few days really helps to deepen the characters’ relationships in our minds, highlighting existing tensions between them. And restricting pretty much all of the movie to the confines of the mysterious house only serves to ramp up the unease, in preparation for the final act.
The description of Relic on IMDb states “a manifestation of dementia consumes the family home”, and you can probably gather as much anyway, just by watching the trailer. Instead of the traditional haunted-house movie that you might expect from the earlier part of the movie, we’re treated to an allegory for the horrors of dementia. The house becomes the star of the movie, seemingly altering itself to induce claustrophobia, confusion and panic in Sam and Kay as they become trapped in its shifting corridors, lowered ceilings and newly sealed doors.
Relic can at times feel a little too metaphor driven, and while I understood the beauty and the meaning behind it’s closing moments, I felt it threw up a lot more questions than it answered. Depending on how much that bothers you may affect your overall enjoyment, but I still found it to be an impressively original movie, which successfully managed to creep me out!
When Kay (Emily Mortimer) receives word that her elderly mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin) has gone missing, she and daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) drive out to her rural home to investigate. We’d already been introduced to Edna briefly in the opening scene, where she stood naked with her back to us, in a sequence which had already managed to introduce an overwhelming sense of dread and unease. Something that Relic continues to build upon for much of its 89 minute runtime.
Kay and Sam spend some time in the house, liaising with the police and looking for clues to Edna’s whereabouts while they rummage through her large house. Post-it note reminders are dotted around the house, indicating that Edna is now struggling with dementia. From the simple, helpful kind of reminder, such as “take pills” and “turn off the tap”, to the slightly more sinister “don’t follow it”. There are lots of strange, unexplained noises in the house too, with a black mould growing on some of the walls. All the while, a pulsing, pounding score in the background continues to effectively layer up on that dread and unease I mentioned before. While browsing through some paperwork, Kay finds an old sketch of a cabin in the woods and casually mentions to Sam that it was where her great grandfather died alone, of dementia. Apparently the windows, and other elements of the cabin, were used in the building of the house that they are now in, and despite the fact that Kay is currently suffering from dark and disturbing nightmares involving the cabin and her great grandfather, none of this seems to trigger any alarm bells whatsoever!
When Edna suddenly returns home one morning, with no memory of where she’s been, she has dirt under her fingernails and a large and nasty bruise on her chest, which over time begins to look suspiciously like that black mould that’s forming on the walls. While Sam wants to stay and be near to her grandmother, Kay is more focused in checking out care homes to ship her off to. Edna swings between being perfectly normal, with a sharp memory, to periods of forgetfulness and rage. Some time taken to follow the family interactions over the next few days really helps to deepen the characters’ relationships in our minds, highlighting existing tensions between them. And restricting pretty much all of the movie to the confines of the mysterious house only serves to ramp up the unease, in preparation for the final act.
The description of Relic on IMDb states “a manifestation of dementia consumes the family home”, and you can probably gather as much anyway, just by watching the trailer. Instead of the traditional haunted-house movie that you might expect from the earlier part of the movie, we’re treated to an allegory for the horrors of dementia. The house becomes the star of the movie, seemingly altering itself to induce claustrophobia, confusion and panic in Sam and Kay as they become trapped in its shifting corridors, lowered ceilings and newly sealed doors.
Relic can at times feel a little too metaphor driven, and while I understood the beauty and the meaning behind it’s closing moments, I felt it threw up a lot more questions than it answered. Depending on how much that bothers you may affect your overall enjoyment, but I still found it to be an impressively original movie, which successfully managed to creep me out!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Dec 8, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Had this been released on any regular week I'd have seen Joker the day it came out and not been overly bothered by the Twitter frenzy that happened in the aftermath of the opening... but, Joker came out two days into the London Film Festival and that meant I couldn't see it straight away. I ended up taking a day off in the middle of it and going out to have a regular cinema outing, it was only 6 days after release but the barrage of feedback online was enough to make me bored at the thought of seeing it.
I do not know how to do this review. It's not that I don't have things to say about it, because I do, but there's a lot of grumbling. I'm going to try bullet pointing it as it covers things that cross audience feedback with moaning.
• What is real? We see the Sophie shots replayed without her in them and we realise he imagined it but we also know that he's imagined other things... everything could be a twist on reality.
• I did not assume that the man with Bruce at home was Alfred.
• I would not have found it unbelievable had Arthur and Sophie been a couple.
• This film could easily have been a pre-origin story for the Joker character.
• I know Arthur needs every push to make the story progress but I don't see that Thomas Wayne needed to be that aggressive.
• Wouldn't it have been good if this film made no reference to anything Batman/Joker related and the first time we're actually shown the connection is in that iconic alley scene?
So there are the things I had thoughts, they all have me waffling on for ages when I voice them out loud.
Joaquin Phoenix really commits to the journey of Arthur and it's an incredible depiction. I'm not so bothered about the violence in the movie, what disturbed me more was how Phoenix manages to laugh without it showing on his face... that was chilling. Everything crafted around him really shows his life, the way he's captured in the shots, the way you see the darker side taking over him, you can see it in every scene. It's uncomfortable to watch him sometimes, but that's the way it needs to be.
As an environment you can feel the dirt and the story of the city really comes through in everything you see. There's a very clear divide between rich and poor and I really thought the sets and costumes worked perfectly.
I'm going to mention the song... it worked perfectly in the scene, it had the right tone for it and I thought it was very effective. As you look down the rest of the tracklisting it was nice to see that everything had a very theatrical leaning.
When we get to the point where Arthur, now under the guise of Joker, appears on Murray's talk show there's an element of uncertainty about what's going to happen. The escalation is chilling and when he starts his speech you can feel the change in him. That speech had a moment of understanding in it before you remember everything we've just seen. I would happily have seen the film end with that test card.
What happens after this is a big piece that feels like hallucination moments rather than real ones. I really didn't need that... BUT... it did bring us to that iconic alleyway scene. It was perfectly captured and would have been amazing if we saw the clown slip into the alleyway and then... no pearls. I groaned when I saw that. I'm fed up with it, it took that tense moment and could have left you with that sense of knowing without hitting you with that now rather common slap in the face of an image.
Unlike other films I still don't have a very clear idea of how I feel about this film, there are lots of issues I had with it but then there's that brilliant performance from Joaquin Phoenix. I'm sure this needs another viewing, but even then I'm not sure I'd be totally certain about how I felt.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/joker-spoilers-movie-review.html
I do not know how to do this review. It's not that I don't have things to say about it, because I do, but there's a lot of grumbling. I'm going to try bullet pointing it as it covers things that cross audience feedback with moaning.
• What is real? We see the Sophie shots replayed without her in them and we realise he imagined it but we also know that he's imagined other things... everything could be a twist on reality.
• I did not assume that the man with Bruce at home was Alfred.
• I would not have found it unbelievable had Arthur and Sophie been a couple.
• This film could easily have been a pre-origin story for the Joker character.
• I know Arthur needs every push to make the story progress but I don't see that Thomas Wayne needed to be that aggressive.
• Wouldn't it have been good if this film made no reference to anything Batman/Joker related and the first time we're actually shown the connection is in that iconic alley scene?
So there are the things I had thoughts, they all have me waffling on for ages when I voice them out loud.
Joaquin Phoenix really commits to the journey of Arthur and it's an incredible depiction. I'm not so bothered about the violence in the movie, what disturbed me more was how Phoenix manages to laugh without it showing on his face... that was chilling. Everything crafted around him really shows his life, the way he's captured in the shots, the way you see the darker side taking over him, you can see it in every scene. It's uncomfortable to watch him sometimes, but that's the way it needs to be.
As an environment you can feel the dirt and the story of the city really comes through in everything you see. There's a very clear divide between rich and poor and I really thought the sets and costumes worked perfectly.
I'm going to mention the song... it worked perfectly in the scene, it had the right tone for it and I thought it was very effective. As you look down the rest of the tracklisting it was nice to see that everything had a very theatrical leaning.
When we get to the point where Arthur, now under the guise of Joker, appears on Murray's talk show there's an element of uncertainty about what's going to happen. The escalation is chilling and when he starts his speech you can feel the change in him. That speech had a moment of understanding in it before you remember everything we've just seen. I would happily have seen the film end with that test card.
What happens after this is a big piece that feels like hallucination moments rather than real ones. I really didn't need that... BUT... it did bring us to that iconic alleyway scene. It was perfectly captured and would have been amazing if we saw the clown slip into the alleyway and then... no pearls. I groaned when I saw that. I'm fed up with it, it took that tense moment and could have left you with that sense of knowing without hitting you with that now rather common slap in the face of an image.
Unlike other films I still don't have a very clear idea of how I feel about this film, there are lots of issues I had with it but then there's that brilliant performance from Joaquin Phoenix. I'm sure this needs another viewing, but even then I'm not sure I'd be totally certain about how I felt.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/joker-spoilers-movie-review.html
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Apartment (1960) in Movies
May 11, 2018
A true classic in every sense of the word
My local cinema does "Secret Movie Night" once a month, you just show up and watch a "classic" of their choosing, you just don't know what it is until it starts.
One of the reasons that I enjoy this is that I end up viewing films that I might not, otherwise, choose to watch. Case in point is the selection for May - the 1960 Oscar winner for Best Picture, THE APARTMENT - a "love story" with some comedy and some dark dramatic moments and themes. A very tricky combination of items that are bundled together, brilliantly, by a master of the craft.
THE APARTMENT tells the story of nebbish office worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon in an Oscar nominated performance, more on that later) who is talked into lending his apartment to higher-ups in his company so they can carry out extra-marital affairs. When one of the affairs goes wrong, Baxter is forced to "clean up the mess".
Written and Directed by the GREAT Billy WIlder (SOME LIKE IT HOT, SUNSET BOULEVARD), The Apartment is more than a love story, more than a look into the vacuous lives of those anonymous office workers, it is a look into the lives of those who are victims of abuse of power. Wilder, rightfully so, won the Oscar for Best Director and Best Screenplay for this film. The Apartment is strongly written and directed not flinching at the deep subject matter while also balancing things out with moments of comedy and joy, turning what could have been a dour, dark subject into a more joyous exploration of true humanity and love rising through the corruption and abuse of power heaped upon them.
In the lead role of CC Baxter, Lemmon is perfectly cast. Starting as a pure comedic character who is set upon by a world too strong for him, his character slowly turns sharper, deeper, more serious and more real as the film progresses. Lemmon was nominated for the Oscar for his performance - and rightfully so. I had to look up who beat him out for the statue and found out it was Burt Lancaster's powerhouse performance in ELMER GANTRY, so I can't really argue about this (but I digress).
Matching Lemmon beat for beat is Shirley MacLaine, the wronged girl who's "issues" (I'm not going to spoil what happens, if you haven't seen this) are at the heart of this film - and at the heart of Lemmon's character. MacLaine is charming and tragic in this role and she, too, was nominated for an Oscar (for Best Actress losing to Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8). Rounding out the cast was a pre-MY 3 SONS Fred MacMurray (as the Exec who abuses both Lemmon's and MacLaine's characters). He was terrific as this cad, and thought for sure that he would have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but that honor went to Jack Kruschen as Lemmon's neighbor in the apartment building where they both lived. I am fine with that but preferred MacMurray's performance. Also showing up are such great character actors as Ray Walston (MY FAVORITE MARTIAN), David Lewis (GENERAL HOSPITAL), Willard Waterman (THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE) and David White (Larry Tate in BEWITCHED) as other Execs using The Apartment for their purposes.
This is a terrific motion picture and if you haven't seen it (or if you haven't seen it in quite sometime), I highly recommend you check it out (it is shown on the Turner Classic Movie channel on a fairly regular basis). It certainly shows a slice of life during the MAD MEN days that just doesn't exist anymore - and also presents a type of film, and a type of filmmaker, that just doesn't exist today.
Letter Grade: A+
10 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
One of the reasons that I enjoy this is that I end up viewing films that I might not, otherwise, choose to watch. Case in point is the selection for May - the 1960 Oscar winner for Best Picture, THE APARTMENT - a "love story" with some comedy and some dark dramatic moments and themes. A very tricky combination of items that are bundled together, brilliantly, by a master of the craft.
THE APARTMENT tells the story of nebbish office worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon in an Oscar nominated performance, more on that later) who is talked into lending his apartment to higher-ups in his company so they can carry out extra-marital affairs. When one of the affairs goes wrong, Baxter is forced to "clean up the mess".
Written and Directed by the GREAT Billy WIlder (SOME LIKE IT HOT, SUNSET BOULEVARD), The Apartment is more than a love story, more than a look into the vacuous lives of those anonymous office workers, it is a look into the lives of those who are victims of abuse of power. Wilder, rightfully so, won the Oscar for Best Director and Best Screenplay for this film. The Apartment is strongly written and directed not flinching at the deep subject matter while also balancing things out with moments of comedy and joy, turning what could have been a dour, dark subject into a more joyous exploration of true humanity and love rising through the corruption and abuse of power heaped upon them.
In the lead role of CC Baxter, Lemmon is perfectly cast. Starting as a pure comedic character who is set upon by a world too strong for him, his character slowly turns sharper, deeper, more serious and more real as the film progresses. Lemmon was nominated for the Oscar for his performance - and rightfully so. I had to look up who beat him out for the statue and found out it was Burt Lancaster's powerhouse performance in ELMER GANTRY, so I can't really argue about this (but I digress).
Matching Lemmon beat for beat is Shirley MacLaine, the wronged girl who's "issues" (I'm not going to spoil what happens, if you haven't seen this) are at the heart of this film - and at the heart of Lemmon's character. MacLaine is charming and tragic in this role and she, too, was nominated for an Oscar (for Best Actress losing to Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8). Rounding out the cast was a pre-MY 3 SONS Fred MacMurray (as the Exec who abuses both Lemmon's and MacLaine's characters). He was terrific as this cad, and thought for sure that he would have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but that honor went to Jack Kruschen as Lemmon's neighbor in the apartment building where they both lived. I am fine with that but preferred MacMurray's performance. Also showing up are such great character actors as Ray Walston (MY FAVORITE MARTIAN), David Lewis (GENERAL HOSPITAL), Willard Waterman (THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE) and David White (Larry Tate in BEWITCHED) as other Execs using The Apartment for their purposes.
This is a terrific motion picture and if you haven't seen it (or if you haven't seen it in quite sometime), I highly recommend you check it out (it is shown on the Turner Classic Movie channel on a fairly regular basis). It certainly shows a slice of life during the MAD MEN days that just doesn't exist anymore - and also presents a type of film, and a type of filmmaker, that just doesn't exist today.
Letter Grade: A+
10 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
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"The idea was sprung falling" "Inspiration sudden" "That you do not want to forget" "It was felt...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) in Movies
Dec 22, 2020
Not as bad as expected
Sonic the Hedgehog is a legend, a gaming institution, and adapting him for the big screen was always going to be a tall order. This was proved when the trailer for this 2020 release first dropped in 2019 - the original appearance of Sonic faced such outcry and derision that studio Paramount did the unexpected and completely overhauled Sonic's looks. The result in the final film released in February of this year is a character that looks very much like the Sonic we know and love, but in a storyline and film that is sadly rather lacking.
Sonic the Hedgehog was directed by Jeff Fowler and stars James Marsden and Jim Carrey as the humans, with Ben Schwartz voicing the animated Sonic. The plot unfortunately is the entirely predictable buddy story you'd expect when a CGI character gets thrown into the real world - Sonic befriends a human, experiences all the fun earth has to offer before being hunted by an evil villain, and at the end everyone learns the value of friendship. So far, so generic and for me this was the biggest disappointment about this entire film. The script, the plot, the animation, it was all just so average.
Having seen the surprisingly good Detective Pikachu the previous year, which managed to seamlessly blend the real world with animated characters in a better than average story, I'd hoped Sonic would follow in the same vein but I'm sad to say it didn't. Yes Sonic looks a million times better than he did initially (the teeth in the original version are the stuff of nightmares), but he still looks too animated and cartoonish for the real world. The Pokémon in Warner Bros' film looked real, but Sonic just looks out of place. He isn't helped with Ben Schwartz's rather unconvincing voice which feels ill-fitting too, personally I think they should've done a Pikachu and Ryan Reynolds and gone with a completely outlandish OTT voice. It's a shame as the rest of the scenery and action based CGI are actually quite good, although the slow motion scenes have been done before and so much better (X-Men: Days of Future Past).
To be fair, despite a sometimes dodgy script, the human cast do at least do their best. James Marsden has surprisingly good chemistry with an animated hedgehog, although it's Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik that steals the show. Whilst his Robotnik isn't quite the rounded Eggman of the games, Carrey's performance is wonderfully wacky, sinister and completely over the top, and is responsible for virtually all of the laughs here. He's having an absolute whale of a time and this really draws us in as viewers and makes us have fun too. He's the Carrey we know from the 90s, his performance so akin to those of Ace Ventura and The Mask that you can't help but love the exaggerated show he gives here.
Paramount has also done a good job of including some nostalgic nods to the games, from the gold rings in the opening Paramount logo to Sonic's red sneakers. Even the final battle between Sonic and Robotnik had me squealing with joy at how much it reminded me of the actions you undertake to defeat the boss battles. There are some aspects of the games that are missing, most noticeably the Badniks (Robotnik's creature like robots) and Sonic's friends, who have sadly been left for a blatant sequel baiting end credits scene for a sequel we may never see. I also found Robotnik's machines and vehicles to be a little too technologically advanced and was disappointed not to see some that were more reminiscent of the wacky contraptions from the games.
This adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't the best, and to be frank it could have been done so much better. That said, it still held my attention for its 100min run time and could never be called dull, even if it was a little too puerile to be anything better than average.
Sonic the Hedgehog was directed by Jeff Fowler and stars James Marsden and Jim Carrey as the humans, with Ben Schwartz voicing the animated Sonic. The plot unfortunately is the entirely predictable buddy story you'd expect when a CGI character gets thrown into the real world - Sonic befriends a human, experiences all the fun earth has to offer before being hunted by an evil villain, and at the end everyone learns the value of friendship. So far, so generic and for me this was the biggest disappointment about this entire film. The script, the plot, the animation, it was all just so average.
Having seen the surprisingly good Detective Pikachu the previous year, which managed to seamlessly blend the real world with animated characters in a better than average story, I'd hoped Sonic would follow in the same vein but I'm sad to say it didn't. Yes Sonic looks a million times better than he did initially (the teeth in the original version are the stuff of nightmares), but he still looks too animated and cartoonish for the real world. The Pokémon in Warner Bros' film looked real, but Sonic just looks out of place. He isn't helped with Ben Schwartz's rather unconvincing voice which feels ill-fitting too, personally I think they should've done a Pikachu and Ryan Reynolds and gone with a completely outlandish OTT voice. It's a shame as the rest of the scenery and action based CGI are actually quite good, although the slow motion scenes have been done before and so much better (X-Men: Days of Future Past).
To be fair, despite a sometimes dodgy script, the human cast do at least do their best. James Marsden has surprisingly good chemistry with an animated hedgehog, although it's Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik that steals the show. Whilst his Robotnik isn't quite the rounded Eggman of the games, Carrey's performance is wonderfully wacky, sinister and completely over the top, and is responsible for virtually all of the laughs here. He's having an absolute whale of a time and this really draws us in as viewers and makes us have fun too. He's the Carrey we know from the 90s, his performance so akin to those of Ace Ventura and The Mask that you can't help but love the exaggerated show he gives here.
Paramount has also done a good job of including some nostalgic nods to the games, from the gold rings in the opening Paramount logo to Sonic's red sneakers. Even the final battle between Sonic and Robotnik had me squealing with joy at how much it reminded me of the actions you undertake to defeat the boss battles. There are some aspects of the games that are missing, most noticeably the Badniks (Robotnik's creature like robots) and Sonic's friends, who have sadly been left for a blatant sequel baiting end credits scene for a sequel we may never see. I also found Robotnik's machines and vehicles to be a little too technologically advanced and was disappointed not to see some that were more reminiscent of the wacky contraptions from the games.
This adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't the best, and to be frank it could have been done so much better. That said, it still held my attention for its 100min run time and could never be called dull, even if it was a little too puerile to be anything better than average.
Small World
7.1
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In Small World, players vie for conquest and control of a world that is simply too small to...
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Reminiscence (2021) in Movies
Aug 24, 2021
Soggy special effects. (1 more)
Ramin Djawadi's music score
I’ll only remember how disappointing it was.
It's the near future and global warming and a recent war have drastically changed life in Miami. The days are too hot to do anything other than sleep, and the oceans have risen deluging the city. Ex-military colleagues Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and 'Watts' Sanders (Thandiwe Newton) run a 'reminiscence' business, allowing customers to re-experience memories from their past as if they were there. But when nightclub singer Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) begs for their help in finding her lost keys Nick's heart, life and livelihood are thrown into turmoil.
Positives:
- The special effects showing a submerged Miami are impressive enough.
- I enjoyed the soundtrack by "Westworld" and "Game of Thrones" composer Ramin Djawadi.
Negatives:
- The script is dreadful. Hugh Jackman's does a voiceover.... and regular readers of mine will know my feelings about those!!! Here he drones on incessantly about things like "memories being beads on time's necklace". Outside of the voiceover, the dialogue generally doesn't sound remotely like things that people would say to each other. There are some cringe-inducing segments of speechifying. That's when you can actually understand what's being said: I found the sound mix makes that really difficult with some of the lines.
- This seemed to me to be reflected in the performances of Jackman, Ferguson and Newton. Star-power indeed, but it appeared to me that they didn't have confidence in the words. Fans of the trio will, I think, be disappointed. (And I am a big fan of Rebecca Ferguson. She is again gorgeous here and - unlike in "The Greatest Showman" - actually gets to sing).
Summary Thoughts on "Reminiscence": This film is a big disappointment to me. When I first saw the trailer, I went "YES, YES, YES!!". It looked like an interesting post-apocalyptic sci-fi with perhaps elements of "Inception", "Waterworld" and "Flatliners" thrown in. Jackman even gets to tussle with sheets on a rooftop again! (Was anyone else playing "A Million Dreams" in their head?). But then came the film itself. The result was that about two-thirds in I was really willing it to end. (On principle, I don't walk out of movies). To be fair, the story did pick up slightly towards the conclusion, so I could quietly put my 1* rating away.
I really feel sorry for writer/director Lisa Joy for writing such a negative review. The executive producer of "Westworld" (who's also written and directed some episodes) had secured Jackman and brought some of her "Westworld" talent with her. I'm sure she put her heart and soul into this as her directorial feature debut. But I'm afraid it just did nothing for me and - given the talent available - came across as a wasted opportunity.
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Positives:
- The special effects showing a submerged Miami are impressive enough.
- I enjoyed the soundtrack by "Westworld" and "Game of Thrones" composer Ramin Djawadi.
Negatives:
- The script is dreadful. Hugh Jackman's does a voiceover.... and regular readers of mine will know my feelings about those!!! Here he drones on incessantly about things like "memories being beads on time's necklace". Outside of the voiceover, the dialogue generally doesn't sound remotely like things that people would say to each other. There are some cringe-inducing segments of speechifying. That's when you can actually understand what's being said: I found the sound mix makes that really difficult with some of the lines.
- This seemed to me to be reflected in the performances of Jackman, Ferguson and Newton. Star-power indeed, but it appeared to me that they didn't have confidence in the words. Fans of the trio will, I think, be disappointed. (And I am a big fan of Rebecca Ferguson. She is again gorgeous here and - unlike in "The Greatest Showman" - actually gets to sing).
Summary Thoughts on "Reminiscence": This film is a big disappointment to me. When I first saw the trailer, I went "YES, YES, YES!!". It looked like an interesting post-apocalyptic sci-fi with perhaps elements of "Inception", "Waterworld" and "Flatliners" thrown in. Jackman even gets to tussle with sheets on a rooftop again! (Was anyone else playing "A Million Dreams" in their head?). But then came the film itself. The result was that about two-thirds in I was really willing it to end. (On principle, I don't walk out of movies). To be fair, the story did pick up slightly towards the conclusion, so I could quietly put my 1* rating away.
I really feel sorry for writer/director Lisa Joy for writing such a negative review. The executive producer of "Westworld" (who's also written and directed some episodes) had secured Jackman and brought some of her "Westworld" talent with her. I'm sure she put her heart and soul into this as her directorial feature debut. But I'm afraid it just did nothing for me and - given the talent available - came across as a wasted opportunity.
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) in Movies
Aug 9, 2019
I was introduced to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (the amazing book series written by Alvin Schwartz back in 1981) in my Junior High history class. An odd place for sure to listen to this amazing collection of stories, and yet it displayed how these stories are impactful even if you aren’t reading them around a campfire in the middle of the woods. Schwartz had written two additional sequels to his stories in 1984 and 1991 and the incredibly creepy illustrations (by Stephen Gammell) helped to complete a collection of books that are at home in anyone’s collection both young and old.
The 80’s was a decade obsessed with the occult and works of fiction that parents thought were written to corrupt the minds of the youth of the age. Before video games were blamed for all the evil in the world there was Heavy Metal music, the fantastical role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons and books such as these that parents rallied around and attempted to ban from schools and after school functions. Looking back now at the hysteria that this caused is almost laughable, but for those of us growing up in that time it was a very real threat to the imaginations of youth around the globe. Outside of this brief history lesson however, I wondered how the books would translate into a movie.
Our story begins on Halloween night, the year is 1968 and the Vietnam War and the upcoming presidential elections are on everyone’s mind. Stella (Zoe Colletti) and her nerd friends Chuck (Austin Zajur) and Auggie (Gabriel Rush) decide that this will be the year that they get revenge on the local bully Tommy (Austin Abrams) for all his years of stealing candy from them on Halloween. After things go predictably wrong, the young group of kids are pursued to a drive-in theater where they seek refuge in a car that is owned by another out-of-town youngster named Ramon (Michael Garza). As thanks for “saving” them from a certain beating, Stella and the group decide to take Ramon to a real-life haunted house. A place where a young Sarah Bellows would tell stories to frighten children only for them to end up dead days later. While exploring the house the young group discover the hidden room of young Sarah Bellows and come across her book of “Scary Stories”. Unable to contain her own curiosity, Stella takes the book home with her and watches as the words on the pages turn into living nightmares of their own darkest fears.
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, Scary Stories takes a handful of fan favorites and weaves them into a “scary” story of their very own. Instead of simply being a collection of haunting tales, each one serves a purpose, whether it’s the “Red Dot” or “Harold”, each one is used to drive the story even further along. While at first, I was hoping that it would be a collection of short stories featuring these timeless classics, the way in which each individual story progresses the plot leads to a far more interesting experience overall.
Those looking for a movie filled with frightening tales that will have you reaching for the closest shoulder (whether you know who it belongs to or not) will be in for a bit of disappointment. That’s not to take away from the incredible amount of vision needed to bring these classic stories to life, but it takes on a far more contemporary feel, then the dark stories and supernatural visions of the books that came before it. The film comes away feeling more like Goosebumps and less like Freakshow which makes sense given its PG-13 rating and its obvious pre-teen to teen demographic. The movie is still fun however, particularly for those who fondly remember the stories from their youth and is one that will proudly sit beside the likes of Hocus Pocus when it comes to network television down the road as part of its likely Halloween line-up.
4 out of 5 stars
http://sknr.net/2019/08/08/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark/
The 80’s was a decade obsessed with the occult and works of fiction that parents thought were written to corrupt the minds of the youth of the age. Before video games were blamed for all the evil in the world there was Heavy Metal music, the fantastical role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons and books such as these that parents rallied around and attempted to ban from schools and after school functions. Looking back now at the hysteria that this caused is almost laughable, but for those of us growing up in that time it was a very real threat to the imaginations of youth around the globe. Outside of this brief history lesson however, I wondered how the books would translate into a movie.
Our story begins on Halloween night, the year is 1968 and the Vietnam War and the upcoming presidential elections are on everyone’s mind. Stella (Zoe Colletti) and her nerd friends Chuck (Austin Zajur) and Auggie (Gabriel Rush) decide that this will be the year that they get revenge on the local bully Tommy (Austin Abrams) for all his years of stealing candy from them on Halloween. After things go predictably wrong, the young group of kids are pursued to a drive-in theater where they seek refuge in a car that is owned by another out-of-town youngster named Ramon (Michael Garza). As thanks for “saving” them from a certain beating, Stella and the group decide to take Ramon to a real-life haunted house. A place where a young Sarah Bellows would tell stories to frighten children only for them to end up dead days later. While exploring the house the young group discover the hidden room of young Sarah Bellows and come across her book of “Scary Stories”. Unable to contain her own curiosity, Stella takes the book home with her and watches as the words on the pages turn into living nightmares of their own darkest fears.
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, Scary Stories takes a handful of fan favorites and weaves them into a “scary” story of their very own. Instead of simply being a collection of haunting tales, each one serves a purpose, whether it’s the “Red Dot” or “Harold”, each one is used to drive the story even further along. While at first, I was hoping that it would be a collection of short stories featuring these timeless classics, the way in which each individual story progresses the plot leads to a far more interesting experience overall.
Those looking for a movie filled with frightening tales that will have you reaching for the closest shoulder (whether you know who it belongs to or not) will be in for a bit of disappointment. That’s not to take away from the incredible amount of vision needed to bring these classic stories to life, but it takes on a far more contemporary feel, then the dark stories and supernatural visions of the books that came before it. The film comes away feeling more like Goosebumps and less like Freakshow which makes sense given its PG-13 rating and its obvious pre-teen to teen demographic. The movie is still fun however, particularly for those who fondly remember the stories from their youth and is one that will proudly sit beside the likes of Hocus Pocus when it comes to network television down the road as part of its likely Halloween line-up.
4 out of 5 stars
http://sknr.net/2019/08/08/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark/
Emily (1 KP) rated Emergency Contact in Books
Feb 20, 2020
A great start to 2020!
What a cute start to 2020...
I only got chance to read 30 pages over two days but had such a relaxing NYD, that I managed to read the remaining 95% of this book all in one go. It’s so rare for me to be able to sit down and just devour a book within a day, and I love that feeling when it’s finished and you’ve just found yourself falling in love with even more characters.
<b>Characters:</b>
Penny was so relatable to me as she had only a few friends and had a quiet life. She indulged in her work and was focused on doing things to her best ability — scared of disappointing people. I loved her character because she was just normal. I love normal. Her friendship with Jude was also so heartwarming because both girls were at opposite ends of the spectrum who didn’t care about their differences and made it work.
Sam. <s>Don’t even get me started on Sam.</s> He’s another fictional character to add to my never ending ‘Cute-Not-Real Men’ list. He had the exterior of a tough guy with his tattoos and not wearing anything other than black (stereotypical, I know) but he was such a softie. He worked in a coffee shop and loved baking, he was a little bit of a nerd too. Why don’t people like this really exist?
<b>Plot:</b>
I thought the story started off quite slowly at the beginning, but it needed a build up in order to construct the character backgrounds and introduced events that would essentially come full circle at the end. I liked how the chapters were told from alternating points of view and you got to understand both Penny and Sam's feelings throughout the book. <spoiler>It was a slow burn for both characters to finally get together but it was kind of predictable (in a good way) because you knew that it was inevitable that they were going to end up together.</spoiler>
There were a few little twists that kept popping up here and there that would throw you off and try to convince you that something else would happen, but I liked that because you were constantly thinking what was going to happen next. It kind of pays tribute to real life, as it can throw curveballs at us all the time and we never know what to expect or take for granted.
<b>Style:</b>
I'm such a sucker for books that are broken up with text messages, emails etc. and those that use different formatting as it makes for a much more casual read and it makes it more enjoyable. The way in which the texts were written in 'Emergency Contact' made the story still feel quite soft and light-hearted, and also maybe appealing a little more the YA/teen audience.
<b>Summary:</b>
I loved the story, as it told two separate characters back stories with high maintenance mothers and personal battles. But it also told their own personal stories of growth and development — friendships, relationships and hardships. I’ll definitely have to check out Choi’s newest novel and I’ll probably fall in love with that as much as this.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆/5
I only got chance to read 30 pages over two days but had such a relaxing NYD, that I managed to read the remaining 95% of this book all in one go. It’s so rare for me to be able to sit down and just devour a book within a day, and I love that feeling when it’s finished and you’ve just found yourself falling in love with even more characters.
<b>Characters:</b>
Penny was so relatable to me as she had only a few friends and had a quiet life. She indulged in her work and was focused on doing things to her best ability — scared of disappointing people. I loved her character because she was just normal. I love normal. Her friendship with Jude was also so heartwarming because both girls were at opposite ends of the spectrum who didn’t care about their differences and made it work.
Sam. <s>Don’t even get me started on Sam.</s> He’s another fictional character to add to my never ending ‘Cute-Not-Real Men’ list. He had the exterior of a tough guy with his tattoos and not wearing anything other than black (stereotypical, I know) but he was such a softie. He worked in a coffee shop and loved baking, he was a little bit of a nerd too. Why don’t people like this really exist?
<b>Plot:</b>
I thought the story started off quite slowly at the beginning, but it needed a build up in order to construct the character backgrounds and introduced events that would essentially come full circle at the end. I liked how the chapters were told from alternating points of view and you got to understand both Penny and Sam's feelings throughout the book. <spoiler>It was a slow burn for both characters to finally get together but it was kind of predictable (in a good way) because you knew that it was inevitable that they were going to end up together.</spoiler>
There were a few little twists that kept popping up here and there that would throw you off and try to convince you that something else would happen, but I liked that because you were constantly thinking what was going to happen next. It kind of pays tribute to real life, as it can throw curveballs at us all the time and we never know what to expect or take for granted.
<b>Style:</b>
I'm such a sucker for books that are broken up with text messages, emails etc. and those that use different formatting as it makes for a much more casual read and it makes it more enjoyable. The way in which the texts were written in 'Emergency Contact' made the story still feel quite soft and light-hearted, and also maybe appealing a little more the YA/teen audience.
<b>Summary:</b>
I loved the story, as it told two separate characters back stories with high maintenance mothers and personal battles. But it also told their own personal stories of growth and development — friendships, relationships and hardships. I’ll definitely have to check out Choi’s newest novel and I’ll probably fall in love with that as much as this.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆/5
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated I Care a Lot (2020) in Movies
Feb 27, 2021
Rosamund Pike - what Gone Girl did next (1 more)
Supporting cast: Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzáles and Dianne Wiest
An inky black comedy thriller
Maria Grayson (Rosamund Pike) and her colleague-cum-lover Fran (Eiza González) are running an extensive con. Through the manipulation of the Boston legal and medical systems, Maria arranges to be appointed the legal guardian for numerous older people. Packing them away to a drugged up life in a care home, the pair then plunder the estates of their wards, turning a tidy profit. The weatlhy and unattached Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest) appears to be a "cherry" that can take their fortunes to a completely different level. But all is not as it seems, and Maria and Fran's evil but comfortable lives are about to be turned on their heads.
Positives:
- When I say the comedy is inky black, I mean it. It's unusual to find a movie without a single character that you can relate to or even remotely like. For some reason, it reminded me of the Michael Douglas / Kathleen Turner vehicle "The War of the Roses" in that regard. And yet, once you let the evilness of it sink in, it becomes a rip-roaring story that delights to the very end.
- Rosamund Pike delivers yet again another superb performance, making Maria an icy cold villain. The role could be summed up as "What Gone Girl did next".
- Peter Dinklage delights in portraying an evil character which, for reasons of spoiler avoidance, I shall say nothing further about. But it's a cracking performance and brilliant to see a script that steadfastly ignores his physical characteristics.
- Dianne Wiest ("The Mule") and Eiza González ("the sexy one" from "Baby Driver") also deliver strong supporting roles.
-J Blakeson - who did "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" - directs with style, and hopefully his truly novel screenplay will be suitably recognised through awards. There are some clever twists: one near the end which (Smug McSmuggerson from the University of Smugchester) I saw coming, and another one soon after that I didn't!
- Mark Canham - not a composer I know - delivers a really engaging and bouncy score that's top notch. Loved it.
Negatives:
- The plot is just SO inky black at the beginning, that some may get through the first 15 minutes and think "Nope, not for me". You should stick with it: after Peter Dinklage appears, the movie shifts up a gear and changes in tone.
- The plot occasionally stretches credibility beyond breaking point. In particular, all the characters seem to be wholly incompetent at 'dispatching people' when they have the opportunity to do so. The repetition of these failures I found to be a bit tiresome.
Summary: Finding a movie with a novel storyline is an unusual thing these days, and one that combines that with a taut and engrossing screenplay is a gem indeed. It's probably not one recommended for very elderly people to watch.... then again, perhaps with so many evil scammers around in real life, it might be considered required viewing! But, if you have one, you'll probably want to have a chat with your granny after watching this.
(For the full graphical review, check out the full review at One Mann's Movies here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/02/27/i-care-a-lot-an-inky-black-comedy-thriller/. Thanks).
Positives:
- When I say the comedy is inky black, I mean it. It's unusual to find a movie without a single character that you can relate to or even remotely like. For some reason, it reminded me of the Michael Douglas / Kathleen Turner vehicle "The War of the Roses" in that regard. And yet, once you let the evilness of it sink in, it becomes a rip-roaring story that delights to the very end.
- Rosamund Pike delivers yet again another superb performance, making Maria an icy cold villain. The role could be summed up as "What Gone Girl did next".
- Peter Dinklage delights in portraying an evil character which, for reasons of spoiler avoidance, I shall say nothing further about. But it's a cracking performance and brilliant to see a script that steadfastly ignores his physical characteristics.
- Dianne Wiest ("The Mule") and Eiza González ("the sexy one" from "Baby Driver") also deliver strong supporting roles.
-J Blakeson - who did "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" - directs with style, and hopefully his truly novel screenplay will be suitably recognised through awards. There are some clever twists: one near the end which (Smug McSmuggerson from the University of Smugchester) I saw coming, and another one soon after that I didn't!
- Mark Canham - not a composer I know - delivers a really engaging and bouncy score that's top notch. Loved it.
Negatives:
- The plot is just SO inky black at the beginning, that some may get through the first 15 minutes and think "Nope, not for me". You should stick with it: after Peter Dinklage appears, the movie shifts up a gear and changes in tone.
- The plot occasionally stretches credibility beyond breaking point. In particular, all the characters seem to be wholly incompetent at 'dispatching people' when they have the opportunity to do so. The repetition of these failures I found to be a bit tiresome.
Summary: Finding a movie with a novel storyline is an unusual thing these days, and one that combines that with a taut and engrossing screenplay is a gem indeed. It's probably not one recommended for very elderly people to watch.... then again, perhaps with so many evil scammers around in real life, it might be considered required viewing! But, if you have one, you'll probably want to have a chat with your granny after watching this.
(For the full graphical review, check out the full review at One Mann's Movies here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/02/27/i-care-a-lot-an-inky-black-comedy-thriller/. Thanks).
