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The Banshees of Inisherin

What have I just watched...

Synopsis:

Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

I’d just like to start off this review by saying... I love the pub. Many arguments can be solved by sitting down with a cold pint and letting it all out, except in this film apparently which is probably the only really unrealistic part about it. But I digress, the film opens with a beautiful opening soundtrack whilst looking out upon this untouched Irish landscape. Which is then followed by Padraic (Colin Farrell) going round to knock on his best friend, Colm’s (Brendan Gleeson) door but instead Colm just sits in his armchair and ignores him. What I enjoyed about this opening is the difference that they use by showing us this wonderful landscape with an accompaniment of beautiful music to show that things may look great on the outside but underneath the surface everything is starting to boil up, especially in the case of Padraic and Colm’s relationship. For me this was a good opening as it was not to slow and we get a sense of what is going on almost immediately.

Before I get into the relationship between Padraic and Colm, I’d like to talk about some other characters that have a big impact on the society of this remote island. The first character I’d like to talk about is Siobhan (Kerry Condon) who does a brilliant job in this film playing the role of Padraic’s sister. What I enjoyed about watching Kerry’s performance is the strength that she brings to the film constantly trying to support her brother despite other people on the island thinking he’s dull. One of the scenes that shows this is after Padraic finds out that someone thinks he’s dull and he keeps asking his sister if she thinks that he is, however she continues to deny this saying. he’s a lovely man. What I further enjoyed about this scene is the pace of the dialogue, moving quickly with a nice back and forth to create a wonderful scene to watch with a great sense of humour. I further found it interesting to see some of the kindness that Siobhan gives even though she doesn’t have to. You can see this when Dominic (Barry Keoghan) asks her out. What was brilliant and heart-breaking about this scene was how both actors showed the awkwardness of that moment creating this tension which was hard to watch as an audience member especially when you see Dominic walk off feeling down and you can’t help but feel sorry for him. Dominic for want of a better word is a very eccentric character which I’ve got to say Barry does a brilliant job of portraying this part as he tries to show that this character wants love instead of the abuse that he gets from his father, Peadar (Gary Lydon). You can see him trying to get love many times during this movie, an example of when you see this is when he tries to bond with Padraic in the pub saying bad things about Colm trying to make Padraic feel better. Barry gives a wonderful performance making you feel sorry for the character as he has no one who loves him. I look forward to seeing more of Barry Keoghan in films in the future. The one aspect that both Siobhan and Barry prove is how the island is toxic and both in their own way found a way to escape a place which has no future.

Now I can’t not talk about the main aspect of this film which is the relationship between Padraic and Colm. 

Even though it’s very on the nose I liked the representation of these two characters portraying a time in history of civil war in Ireland between the south and the north. Both Colin and Brendan do an amazing job of showing two odd characters that are at war with each other, one wanting peace, the other wanting to understand why they aren’t friends any more. One of my favourite scenes is when Padraic confronts Colm in the local pub after having a fair bit to drink, he shouts at him saying why can’t he be nice. What is so brilliant about this scene is how Colin commands the room every eye is on him and he portrays this moment with brilliance and an incredible believability which was eye catching to watch. However, I’ve also got to say that Brendan does a brilliant job of reacting back by not saying much at all but watching his facial expressions seeing the determination in his ex friends eyes, he shows as equal amount of power by needing to say nothing at all. This scene showed me the power of this movie, where we get to see two pivotal characters who are representing a country that is divided. Another scene where we can see the dividedness of these two is when Padraic’s donkey dies due to something that Colm does. This is the brutal lynch pin to which Padraic finally snaps and forgets about his friendship with Colm telling him what happened to his donkey and then finally telling him he’s going to burn down his house with him inside of it. This relationship is an interesting take on what a country can become like, one day everyone is happy the next they are divided. If this relationship doesn’t get you into this movie I don’t know what will.

Now when it comes to issues that I had with this film there were very few. However, one of the issues I did have was with the ending as I felt it was very abrupt. Don’t get me wrong I do understand that it was left open ended to represent the civil war in Ireland where one day there would be peace the next would be war, but this still frustrated me as I felt there was a way to end the story for these two protagonists and instead we are left with an unfinished ending. Another issue I had was even though I enjoyed some of the comedy I thought the substance of the plot was better than the comedy and I would have preferred more of a balance between the two. All this being said I think this is a film that is definitely worth watching if your into history, comedy, any Martin McDonagh film. Simply put this film is great from start to finish and I will find it very interesting to see how this film does at award season.

Favourite line:

“It was my pony’s s***e which shows how much you were listening”

Score:

8/10 Wedges

#blueprint pictures #film 4 #metropolitan films international #searchlight pictures #colin farrell #brendan gleeson #kerry condon #barry keoghan #gary lydon #martin mcdonagh #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #the banshees of inisherin #comedy #drama

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The Lost King

If only they said he was buried in a Leicester car park they would have saved everyone the effort.

Synopsis:

An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richards III’s remains, which were lost for over 500 years.

Sometimes a beautiful part about film making is overlooked for me with lots of blockbuster films being made. This element for me is storytelling and I’ve got to say this film does a wonderful job of storytelling. The film opens with a title saying based on a true story, her true story. We then see Philippa (Sally Hawkins) going into work for a meeting which is then followed by disappointment for not being put on a work project. What I enjoyed about this opening was that it instantly establishes that this is the story of Philippa Langley on her true story of how she discovered the remains of King Richard III. I further enjoyed the set up that this film gives us which is the constant frustration that Philippa faces in her work life of being a woman where she constantly gets belligerent, sexist men who shut the door in her face as well as on her ideas and opinions. This set up gives Philippa the motivation to not except the stupid ideas of these men who ignore her and instead she goes on to succeed which made me feel very motivated, with Sally Hawkins doing a wonderful job.

One of the first aspects that I would like to talk about in this review is the determination Philippa has. What I enjoyed is that from the beginning we can see a strength that Philippa has in terms of how determined she is when she puts her mind to a task. You can see this when she is talking to her husband, John (Steve Coogan) trying to convince him about why searching for the missing body of King Richard is so important to her. Not only is this scene well acted but I loved the constant back and forth between the two making a convincing marital argument. Another scene which I enjoyed that showed her determination is when she talks to Alex (Robert Jack). What I loved about this scene is how powerful Philippa is standing up to a member of the Leicester University faculty and saying I won’t let you destroy who Richard III really was. Not only was it badass to watch but inspiring in terms of not letting people walk all over you which is what Philippa had been doing for most of her life. Overall, I loved the determination that Philippa shows throughout this film and is one of the main reasons as to what makes this film good to watch.

The main key relationship that I would like to talk about in this movie is the relationship between Philippa and King Richard III (Harry Lloyd).

I’ve got to say I loved this relationship from start to finish with the way Philippa talks to a long dead King who in his own way is not only trying to help her find his body but to help her gain confidence in herself and her own abilities, to stand up for what she believes in. One of the aspects that I enjoyed about this relationship is how it is gradually developed it’s not instantaneous, it’s subtle with it’s build and makes it much more interesting when they do finally talk. I found the most interesting scenes were the ones when Richard III didn’t talk but Philippa did asking him things telling him where they were going. You can see this when they are both on the train to Leicester to go to a lecture about Richard. I’ve got to say this partnership added a wonderful mystery element to the film especially when Richard is subtly leading Philippa to his grave cite which was a brilliantly shot from the visuals to the soundtrack to the X marks the spot with a big letter R written in the car park. This scene gave me chills and was a pleasure to watch. I would argue what makes this relationship very compelling is the fact that both are looking for justice in their lives not just because of their medical conditions but due to wanting to prove to people that opinions that have been formed about them are wrong. If this duo don’t make you feel something I don’t know what will.

When it comes to issues I had with this film there weren’t too many. There were a few odd scenes which did drag on a bit and sometimes there would be some unnecessary repetition which was a tad off putting. I would also argue I wasn’t particularly invested in the relationship between Philippa and John with their marital struggles, as it didn’t grip me. I would have further liked to have seen more of Richard Buckley (Mark Addy) as he was adding an interesting view point from the academic side of research to the plot. All this being said this is a very fascinating, inspiring mystery drama which is showing why British cinema continues to improve.

Favourite line:

“I’m sure Mother Teresa left the top off the milk”

Score:

6/10 Wedges

#bbc films #baby cow productions #Ingenious Media #magaritz productions #pathe #sally hawkins #steve coogan #robert jack #harry lloyd #mark addy #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #british cinema #the lost king #richard iii

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Lightyear

It’s been a while since I reviewed a film, it’s time to come back. To infinity...

Synopsis:

While spending years attempting to return home, marooned space ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg who are attempting to steal his fuel source.

I have to say when watching the trailer for this film I was very excited to watch it especially as this film brings back a lot of nostalgia from when I was kid watching the first two Toy Story films, and from practically the first moment we are thrown into the world of Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans), where him and two crew members land on a planet scoping out what it is like. It’s safe to say this doesn’t go entirely to plan where this leaves not only Buzz and Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) stranded but the entire crew of the ship stranded on this planet. What I enjoyed about the beginning of this film is that it instantly throws you into this world of what it’s like to be a space ranger fighting different creatures as well as giving us an entertaining start to the film.

One of the main parts of this film that I’d like to talk about is Buzz’s journey into never giving up. Throughout his journey of being trapped on this planet he continues to attempt to try to go into hyperspace, trying to use the right fuel resource to get everyone back home. With attempt after attempt it takes him four minutes to get back to home base but with each attempt four years goes by. This is what Disney do brilliantly with their films, creating these heart breaking moments that get to as with each trip Buzz makes we can see the sadness get to him not only due to failing each time, but due to seeing his friend Alisha get older and older. These moments very much reminded me of the movie Up where we got to watch the life of a character flash by in an instant. I really enjoyed this moment of watching Alisha age getting to see flashes of her life, it was beautiful to watch and I’ve got to say well done to Disney on showing us that. However, despite Buzz’s failed attempts he keeps going determined to succeed. Chris Evans does a great job of portraying this through his voice of showing that determination/stubbornness that Buzz Lightyear is known for. What I like about Buzz’s story arc is how he has to learn to adapt to change which does take him a while to learn and how he learns is by trusting others and forming new relationships.

Speaking of new relationships that is what I’d like to talk about especially the one between Buzz and Izzy Hawthorne (Keke Palmer).

What I enjoyed about this relationship is how excited Izzy is to meet her grandmother’s old friend. She has been told many stories about him and when she finally meets him she has to help him on his journey with avoiding these Zurg robots. This relationship developed at a good pace from at first Buzz hoping that Izzy is going to be exactly like her grandmother which he soon finds out to not be entirely true but they do start to work together as well as Buzz trusting his new crew despite the difficulties they have. Another relationship I enjoyed was the one between Buzz and his pet cat robot, SOX (Peter Sohn). SOX was the tech help in this relationship helping Buzz out with trying to figure out the formula for the fuel resource to make hyper space. I further enjoyed that little bit of humour that they had in that relationship adding a nice touch to some more serious scenes. Overall, when this odd mismatch of characters are brought in together this is when the film properly begins as we start to see Buzz as a character develop instead of becoming stuck in this never ending cycle of not changing.

When it comes to issues I had with this film the first one I had was the stop-start nature of the movie. Due to Buzz attempting to go into hyperspace we are left with this stop-start action which I found to be very jarring. Even later on we are given scenes where it appears they are making some successful move and then it stops again which mainly left me feeling frustrated. Another issue I had was with the humour. Now don’t get me wrong I think the characters of Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi) and Darby Steel (Dale Soules) do add some comic relief to the plot however, I thought a lot of the jokes were very hit and miss which was a bit disappointing. I further thought that character of Zurg (James Brolin) was a let down as I felt he was nowhere near menacing enough and lacked power. If they make a sequel I hope they do a better job of that characters story arc. All this being said, I loved the nostalgia this film brought back to me with Chris Evans doing a wonderful job of giving us a new take on Buzz Lightyear’s origin. I would thoroughly recommend this film if you’ve got children that loved Toy Story or even if you loved Toy Story yourself, it’s overall an enjoyable watch. To infinity!

Favourite line:

“To infinity and beyond”

Score:

6/10 Wedges

#pixar animation studios #pixar #disney plus #walt disney pictures #chris evans #uzo aduba #keke palmer #peter sohn #taika waititi #dale soules #james brolin #movie #pixar movies #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #buzz lightyear #lightyear #toy story #disney pixar

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

This Doctor Strange film is very strange indeed...

Synopsis:

Doctor Strange meets up with a mysterious woman from a different universe causing Doctor Strange to seek the help of a fellow Avenger, Wanda Maximoff aka The Scarlet Witch.

I recently watched the Northman and I thought that was a messed up film but this is another f****d up movie review. Wait and see if this is a good surprise that the Marvel universe has thrown us or a bad one. The film opens with an alternate universe Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) helping a mysterious stranger called America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) as they seek to gain a magic spell book to stop an evil that is threatening all universes. What I enjoyed about the opening of this film is we are instantly thrown back into the crazy magical world of Doctor Strange where we see another universes Doctor Strange coping with the reality of an evil creature trying to capture America’s powers. As an audience member it gave us intrigue of who this new person is and wondered why another Doctor Strange would want to protect her so much. Go watch the film to find out!

One of the key aspects that I would like to talk about in this review is the unexpected horror aspect of the film. I’ve got to be honest apart from The New Mutants Marvel film I didn’t really know Marvel did horror, well apparently they do now! Again to be honest I’m not a horror fan, I don’t review many horror films as I don’t enjoy them and I’m not a massive fan of this film either but more on that later. I do like how Marvel are trying to contrast certain films for example, with the new Thor Love and Thunder film coming out it looks very colourful and bright whereas with this film it’s very dark and dingy with hints of colour. They really showed the depression of certain characters through the colouring during this movie. You can see this anytime that we see Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). She’s practically always shown in more dark red colours to bring out the horror side of her to terrify audiences at home. I further enjoyed some of the jump scares which I don’t normally do, they got me as you would expect I almost jumped out of my seat when I saw Wanda chasing Doctor Strange and America down a dark tunnel. What I did enjoy about the horror is that it was something different that Marvel hadn’t done in movies before, so it was nice to see a different change to our usual every day Marvel film.

The next aspect that I would like to talk about is the development of Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff.

One of the main points that I look for in sequels is character development and to an extent we get that in this movie. To start off with Doctor Strange, we see him getting on with his life but not looking very happy as he goes to Christine Palmer’s (Rachel McAdams) wedding. What I enjoyed about the wedding scene is we get to see how Doctor Strange is feeling especially when Christine asks him if he’s happy to which he lies and says he is but we all know as audience members that this is not the case. I further enjoyed how this is the scene where everything starts going to s**t, where America comes through a portal to this universe bringing a monster along with her. Ultimately I do believe people change us and in this case America changes Doctor Strange as he decides to protect America from Wanda. I further felt that there was some good banter between America and Doctor Strange which helped add a little humour to the film. I’m not going to reveal the entire development of his character as I don’t want to spoil it so go watch the film. Now when it comes to talking about Wanda I found this quite hard to plan out as I don’t want to spoil too much but at the end of the day I can’t not talk about her character as she’s a major part to this film. If you don’t want to be spoiled too much don’t read any further! You can’t say I haven’t warned you. If you haven’t seen Wandavision I highly recommend that you watch it to understand this film. Basically Wanda has gone bats**t crazy due to the loss of Vision and her children. What I enjoyed about Elizabeth’s performance in this film is how she portrays that extreme level of determination to achieve what she wants in finding a way to harness America’s powers for herself so she can go to a different universe and take her children from there. I further thought she did a brilliant job of showing how grief stricken she is, you can see the hurt in her eyes whenever she thinks about her children. Due to her performance this film was made slightly better although I didn’t find the ending for her character in this film to be good or gratifying. 

Now when it comes to issues that I had with this film there are a few. The first issue I had is for me if you’re going to create a series of films you should stick to the same tone throughout. Now don’t get me wrong this does have similar themes to the first one but by adding a horror aspect you take away a lot of what the first film was about, changing the tone mid way through a series of films just is very off putting for me. I further found various plot holes that bothered me such as how did America get her powers? You have a new character which could be very interesting and instead you’ve not told me too much about them which means the actor can’t give a complete performance which then leads to a very boring, plain performance. Again, I’ve already mentioned it but for myself the horror aspect of this film I found to be mostly poor and it didn’t make the films story any better. If you have kids that want to go see this film, don’t take them as I think it’s ridiculous that this movie is a 12A in the UK, it should definitely be a 15. However, I will say some of the jump scare elements were fun and would be a good way to get younger children into horror. Overall, I can’t recommend going to see this film but it was nice to see Disney and Marvel try something different to their usual way of creating Marvel films. Moreover, I was glad for the company that I had when watching this film, especially for the jump scare moments.

Favourite line:

“This time it’s gonna take more than killing me to kill me!”

Score:

5/10 Wedges

#marvel studios #disney #benedict cumberbatch #elizabeth olsen #xochitl gomez #rachel mcadams #action #adventure #fantasy #horror #marvel movies #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #marvel's doctor strange #sequel #doctor strange #doctor strange 2 #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

[wedgefilmreviews]

The Northman

I’ve never done magic mushrooms in my life but watching this film has given me an inkling of what it’s like... f****d up!

Synopsis:

From visionary director Robert Eggers comes The Northman, an action filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his fathers murder.

One thing that I’ve notice over the past decade is that Viking films and TV shows are becoming all the rage, for some reason people love a sexy Viking and I’ve got to say Alexander Skarsgard is visually good looking according to what people say...okay I admit it he is a handsome man. I still find it odd that people think Vikings are sexy but each to their own. The film opens with an eerie sound of a Viking drum whilst a sorcerer makes a chant to the mythical God Odin as a volcano erupts we are then shown a settlement where a boy waits for his father to get back on his Viking ship. What I enjoyed about the opening of this film is it sets the scene for the rest of the film, showing you how eerie as well as Shakespearean this movie is going to be. It instantly grabs your attention and makes you think about what’s going to happen next. 

One of the main aspects that I’d like to talk about is the build up to this story about power, love and revenge. From the very beginning our hero of the story Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) is determined to get revenge over the murder of his father, King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) who was slain by his conniving uncle, Fjolnir (Claes Bang). What I enjoyed about the beginning of this film is we see what Amleth has been up to just being a common Viking raider until he gets a vision from a seer in the village that he raided that he made a promise to get revenge. From this moment on he sets out a plan to keep his promise and I must say it’s a good plan too, by making himself look like one of the captives and boarding the ship to where his uncle has settled. Even though his uncle has settled on this small farm you can see him still trying to keep his power making sure he uses slaves to work on his farm one of those being his nephew Amleth who plots secretly to take his revenge by killing his uncle and saving his mother, Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman). I’ve got to say Nicole Kidman gives a wonderful performance in this film showing a great strong motherly attitude towards her children as well as showing this incredible viciousness. I won’t go into too much detail as I don’t want to spoil it for you but she is very much a strong woman who vies for power.

For this next part I’m still going to talk about some of the aspects that I have already mentioned but going into a little detail with the relationship between Amleth and Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy).

What I enjoyed about the dynamic of this relationship is that they didn’t get on straight away which allowed the relationship to develop as gradually the characters became closer. There’s a great build to this relationship with a Shakespearean intensity, one which you can’t help but lap up and want to succeed in there attempt to help one another. Of course like any relationship they face many stumbling blocks one of the first ones being Fjolnir who desires Olga for himself. Again they face up to this together and in fact this brings them closer. What I would say further makes this relationship more believable is the natural chemistry that both Anya and Alexander have. It makes you want both the characters to live happily ever after however this is not that kind of film. To find out go watch the film.

Now when it comes to issues I had with this film there weren’t many however, one of the issues I had was how much it is like Hamlet. Now I did do some research and found out the story of Amleth is what Shakespeare based Hamlet on. However, as a Shakespearean actor myself I couldn’t help but think about comparing it to Hamlet throughout the whole movie which did become a distraction. Another issue I had was to do with the marketing of the film and not the film itself. They compared it to Gladiator, now I’m sorry but Gladiator for me is a near to perfect film with very few faults this film is not like Gladiator at all so why liken this film to a classic like Gladiator? It was just a very stupid decision and put me off. One of the other problems I have is how trippy this film is, I tell you what if you take a s******d of drugs you’re going to have a wonderful time. I felt like I had taken shrooms when watching this film and I’ll be honest it all became too distracting taking away from the main plot of the story. All this being said though it was nice to see a film which was different and had a very Shakespearean aspect to it, if you’re interested in Hamlet or Shakespearean language/plays in general then I’d recommend that you watch this film.

Favourite line:

“I will avenge you Father, I will save you Mother, I will kill you Fjolnir!”

Score:

7/10 Wedges

#universal pictures #focus features #new regency productions #perfect world pictures #square peg #alexander skarsgard #nicole kidman #ethan hawke #claes bang #anya taylor joy #action #adventure #drama #shakespearean #hamlet #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #amleth #the northman

[wedgefilmreviews]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

I hope you’re all ready for a rumble between two great characters of this universe and... a whole lot of cringe!

Synopsis:

When the manic Dr Robotnik returns to Earth with a new ally Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic and his new friend Tails is all that stands in their way.

I always find sequels to be very hit and miss sometimes we get good ones and other times we get bad ones. By the end of this review you’ll know whether I think this is a good sequel or a bad sequel. The film opens with Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) stranded on the mushroom planet talking to himself about how long he’s been on the planet for as well as trying to come up with an idea to get back to Earth. What I thought was done well with this scene is the monologue that Dr Robotnik gives us explaining how being stranded on this planet has changed him making him more determined to get revenge on Sonic (Ben Schwartz). Jim Carrey gives us a great moment with this showing his usual Jim Carrey self giving us this over the top performance which I would argue is needed for this character.

One of the main aspects that I would like to talk about in this review is how this has a coming of age vibe to it. In the beginning of this film Sonic wants to be treated like an adult by Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) as he thinks he’s this all powerful superhero. You can see this when Sonic is trying to stop these robbers who kidnap this dude which ultimately Sonic saves but causes destruction to whole street in the process, where he doesn’t think that his actions will have consequences. Like any other film they give our young hero some time on his own without his parents in this case Tom and Maddie have to go away for a wedding in Hawaii. What I enjoyed about the moment after this is how Sonic does what any young teenager does when the parents go away, he messes the house up having lots of fun however, this is short lived when Dr Robotnik shows back up with a friend, that friend being Knuckles (Idris Elba).You’ll have to watch the film to find out what happens next. What I enjoyed about the progression of Sonic in this film is how he finds out the difference between confidence and arrogance as throughout most of this film he thinks he is the best and that no one can beat him until he comes across Knuckles who is very tough. It’s a good arc for this character as we see him change as he realises how wrong he has been due to the care that his family show him, as well as learning from Knuckles and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey). I quite liked the coming of age feeling to this film as it does take our characters, especially Sonic on a journey where they learn something from it, all be it in a corny way but a way that nevertheless the young audiences at home will enjoy.

The next aspect of this film that I would like to talk about are the bonds that are formed in this film.

The first bond that I’d like to talk about is the one between Sonic and Tails. I remember watching Sonic X as a kid remembering the great relationship these two have and how fun it was. Thankfully that relationship is still the same in this film especially when it comes to some of the fun games these two have. For example, one of the more entertaining scenes of this film is when Sonic and Tails make it to a bar in Siberia. During this scene they seem to aggravate the local patrons and so are forced into a fight but wait ladies and gentlemen this isn’t just an ordinary fight, no this is a dance fight. Yep you heard me a dance fight, I know sounds stupid right. This film is all together too much cringe. The one thing that I will give this scene is that for young children they will find this scene to be really fun and I imagine will want to dance along to it. In addition, this scene does solidify the friendship between the two and throughout the rest of the film you can see how both care about the friendship they have. The other bond that I’d like to talk about is the one between Knuckles and Dr Robotnik. Now let this be a lesson to all young kids out there, do not trust a stranger that you just met! What this film does well is show you how Dr Robotnik manipulates Knuckles into helping him find Sonic as well as finding the all powerful master emerald. This is one thing that Jim portrays very well in this film showing that manipulation fencing Knuckles against Sonic telling Knuckles that Sonic is his enemy and that he’s trying to go for the master emerald himself. One of the other parts that I liked about this bond is how straight faced Knuckles is, making a lot of the younger members of the audience laugh. I’ve got to give it to Idris Elba who does a great job of giving us these great one liners such as, “That’s because I’m a million percent muscles” For me Knuckles was the only slightly amusing part in this film. Overall, I would say the relationships are what make this film bearable although I do wish they were executed better with a lot less cringe.

Now when it comes to issues I have with this film there are a few. The main one being this film is non-stop cringe. It just never stops from corny phrases from Sonic, Tails, Tom to be honest the whole cast of characters it just never stops! I don’t normally single out certain performances but I’ve got to say Jim Carrey did not do a good job in this film, I thought he did a good job in the first film giving us a fun entertaining performance for everyone to enjoy but in this one his performance is purely aimed at young children and I found it lacked any humour with a whole lot of cringe. This being said I do understand that he probably aimed his performance for children who would like that so I can understand why he performed in the way that he did. Speaking of humour I didn’t like much of it apart from some of the entertaining lines that Knuckles has, otherwise I didn’t laugh at all not even a mirthless chuckle. However, as I have said before comedy is subjective, just because I didn’t enjoy the humour in this film that doesn’t mean that you won’t. I further would argue that there was way too much exposition in this film where Sonic will tell us this is what the plan is going to be. Again I understand that this is a kids film and so they have to remind kids that this is what’s happening next however, I would say give kids credit they’re not all that stupid. Moreover, I would say they do a lot of we have to do plan A to get to plan B which will eventually lead us to plan C, which for me made this film too jarring which meant I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I possibly could have. To me if you’re an old school Sonic fan I would give this film a miss maybe watch it on TV when it comes on but otherwise you don’t need to go to the cinema to watch it. All this being said if you have young children that love animated films or love Sonic then take them to see this and I’m sure they’ll have a fun time.

Favourite line:

“I think I just threw up in my mouth”

Score:

4/10 Wedges

#paramount pictures #sega sammy group #original film #blur studio #marza animation planet #james marsden #jim carrey #ben schwartz #tika sumpter #idris elba #colleen o'shaughnessey #animation #action #adventure #video game #video game adaptation #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #sequel #sonic #tails #knuckles #dr robotnik #sonic the hedgehog 2 #sonic movie sequel

[wedgefilmreviews]

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

I was hoping the secrets of Dumbledore was going to involve more secrets and it turns out Dumbledore isn’t that great at keeping secrets.

Synopsis:

Albus Dumbledore assigns Newt and his allies with a mission related to the rising power of Grindelwald.

It’s that time again where everyone re-watches the Harry Potter movies and the first two Fantastic Beasts films but does this film reveal some new magic secrets that were previously unknown? Guess you’ll have to watch it to find out. The film opens with Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) getting off the underground and going to a restaurant where he waits for Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). What I loved about this opening scene is how you can compare it to the Godfather moment where the two dons meet, both knowing the power they have but yet they’ve added this instant dynamic of this magical charm which holds both their blood meaning they can’t harm one another. It’s that battle for Dumbledore wanting to fight back to stop Grindelwald yet he still he has feelings for him and so it brings out that inner struggle of not knowing what to do. This is definitely one of the better scenes to watch in this film.

One of the first aspects of this film that I’d like to talk about is the journey some of the characters go on. The first one I’d like to start off with is Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). Like all three films we see Newt doing something interesting and in this case right near the beginning of the film Newt is there witnessing the birth of a Qilin making sure that it is safe but unfortunately for Newt there were others that were also after this magical creature, one person specifically being Credence (Ezra Miller) who chases after Newt, blasting him with magic till he captures the Qilin. What I enjoyed about this scene is we still get to see how much Newt cares for these endangered creatures which is lovely to see but what I like is how they show that their is a cost to Newt’s caring of those creatures. Newt’s journey in this film is something which could be considered very one layered as his aim is to stop Grindelwald by protecting the creatures he looks after but there is a character which does have an interesting journey in this film which is Credence. What I liked about Credence’s journey throughout all three films so far is that he has one thing that he wants which is for someone to love him. He still looks for that in this film by doing tasks for Grindelwald but he eventually realises that he is being used by him and so he looks toward his family which we found out at the end of the previous film was the Dumbledore’s. One of the best scenes to watch was the confrontation between Albus Dumbledore and Credence. Not only was this a cool scene to watch getting to watch the different styles of aggressive magic but getting to see the sadness that Dumbledore is showing Credence is a great piece of acting to watch. Not only are certain mysteries revealed in this scene but we get to see this great acting performance from Jude and Ezra bouncing off each other showing both sides of an argument. 

Now I can’t not talk about this film without talking a little about some of the secrets Dumbledore has.

One of the key parts of the Fantastic Beasts films is their ability to give very good world building however, I personally have had enough of some of this world building as it feels as though this is all they have been doing in these films without any actual development and yet again this film carries on with that with some secrets from Dumbledore’s past. For example, one of his secrets is talking about how his sister Ariana died. Now I’m not going to reveal how as I don’t want to spoil it for you but I do find it interesting how this links to another character in the film which is Credence. I further enjoyed how Dumbledore describes what happens showing how it upsets him still to this day which is something we didn’t get when Richard Harris and Michael Gambon played the role. It’s great to see more of that vulnerable side to Dumbledore making him seem less like this all powerful wizard. Another part to these secrets he has is how he uses them against his friends to achieve a mission or a goal. He does this often with Newt and others such as Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) using him to get closer to Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) as well as using others like Eulalie Hicks (Jessica Williams) to complete his plan to stop Grindelwald. Again it’s only his brother Aberforth (Richard Coyle) who sees past his plans and believes that Dumbledore is going for power instead of actually caring for people. The main part that I found interesting about the secrets that he keeps is how they affect him in terms of others loosing trust in him or how they affect him emotionally as he knows they are needed for the greater good in terms of stopping Grindelwald. Although I did find the secrets to all be back story and some of it was not really necessary.

Now when it comes to issues I have with this film I have a few the first one being, there isn’t much character development. It all feels very much the same without anyone really changing the only two that I can possibly argue that slightly change but not by much is Jacob and Queenie, otherwise everyone is still the same person and all to be honest lack depth and emotion. This led to me not feeling much, leaving the film lacking depth. Another issue I had was as there was no plan as Dumbledore wanted to confuse Grindelwald it all felt too chaotic and so this left each scene feeling very jarred. I understand why they decided to do this but it just left the whole film feeling like it was half-assed. I think you could also cut out twenty minutes of the film due to some scenes being too long leaving the audience feeling bored by unnecessary information. However, all this being said I really enjoyed this film, some critics go into films expecting every film to be epic and have a complicated story, judging it like an Oscar film but for me sometimes all I want to do is to switch my brain off and relax. This film lets you do that and I would happily re-watch it again. If you’re looking for a magically fun time this Easter then go watch this film.

Favourite line:

“You’re not swivelling properly”

Score:

6/10 Wedges

#warner bros #heyday films #eddie redmayne #jude law #mads mikkelsen #ezra miller #dan fogler #alison sudol #jessica williams #richard coyle #adventure #family #fantasy #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #fantastic beasts #sequel #fantastic beasts: the secrets of dumbledore #dumbledore #harry potter #hogwarts #magic

[wedgefilmreviews]

The Batman

I’m Batman! Bet none of you saw that coming!

Synopsis:

When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.

I’d firstly like to start off by saying f**k me Batman’s cool! This film has a brutal edge to it and I’ve got to say I love it, but lets get into the review. The film opens with a mysterious figure looking through some binoculars into a family home. What I liked about the opening is it makes you think okay what’s going on here why would someone be interested to look on at this particular family. It instantly grabs your attention and makes you think what’s going to happen next? I further enjoyed how they use the set up of an election to further influence events later on in the film.

Naturally this film has a lot of darkness to it which I’ve got to say I thoroughly enjoyed however, I did think that maybe there wasn’t enough light but more on that later. Throughout this film we are shown many dark moments and what I loved is they brought more of the detective side to Batman (Robert Pattinson) in this film as he has to figure out clues to find out who is causing these murders. From the very first moment we see darkness in this film Bruce even talks about his time being the Batman spending two years hunting down criminals using fear as a tool. We see this when a gang hunts a man after getting off the underground and in this moment Batman shows up and brutally beats every single one of them and when one of the gang members asks who he is he says, “I’m vengeance” Now I’m not going to lie that is one cool line and he doesn’t use a fancy technology to manipulate his voice or put on a dark gravely voice, he uses his own voice adding a darkness to it which really makes Robert Pattinson’s performance even more frightening. What further adds to this scene which makes this film more intriguing is that once Batman has saved this dude from being killed he doesn’t thank Batman he says please don’t hurt me. Which really does show the darkness and the fear of this film and how bad the city of Gotham really is. I can’t not talk about the darkness of this film without the main villain who helps create this darkness, the Riddler (Paul Dano). Paul creates this terrifying, evil figure who frightens audiences with his performance from the very first moment using his brutality to show complete fear. He further adds mystery to the plot leaving clues for Bruce Wayne to find each one more brutal and bloody than the one before. What I would say works so well with Batman and the Riddler in this film is that it’s not your ordinary super hero vs super villain fight, it requires intelligence from both trying to outwit each other as well as, it’s not light fighting darkness it’s darkness fighting darkness, fear vs fear.

The next aspect of this film that I would like to talk about is the relationship between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz).

Boy do I love the classic relationship between Batman and Catwoman! It’s not only sexy but cool and the banter that Batman and Catwoman have is a joy to watch. These two give us something which is both similar and different, Zoe gives us this strong dynamic performance of Catwoman who still has that flirtatiousness but is still strong enough to fight for her friends. What I further loved is how they both use their detective skills to find out what is going on in Gotham and along the way they run into some very scary people including the likes of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). I’ve got to say John gives a great performance in this film playing this mob boss who you could say belongs in other gangster films such as The Godfather, his performance in this film is not only believable but one of the best renditions of Carmine Falcone. With every word he says he adds purpose to them and you can’t help but be totally in awe of his performance, well done good sir. One of the other characters that we get to meet along the way which is a good conduit for the audience is Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). Two of the things that I enjoyed about Jeffrey’s performance in this film is that one he gives us a different version of Jim Gordon who is making his way up the ranks whilst fighting off other police officers when it comes to him working with Batman. The other aspect I enjoyed is how he works with Batman, in previous films we see a little bit of Jim Gordon working with Batman but not very much, unlike this film where we see the two working together all the time with a good chemistry. Going back to the relationship between Batman and Catwoman both Robert and Zoe have wonderful chemistry that you can see throughout this film and when you see them together it’s a joy to watch them both. As they both give us this genuine loving relationship which if they do a sequel I hope we get to see them together again.

Now when it comes to issues I had with this film there isn’t many however, one of the big issues I had was to do with the lighting. I understand that Batman and Gotham is a dark city which is clearly what the director wanted to show with it’s brutal nature but if you have most of your film set in the dark you’re not going to be able to see much. So for me as an audience member this became very frustrating as I wanted to be able to see a lot more of what was going on and this did become a bit jarring to watch after a while. Another point I can make is that the film could have been shortened down a bit as there are some bits in this film that do drag on, in my opinion they could have cut this film down by at least twenty minutes to take out some of the scenes that dragged. The last issue I have is one where I do contradict myself in a way, I loved the relationship between Batman and Catwoman however, I don’t think we were given enough of them together in this film, so for myself as an audience member I was left disappointed wanting more. All of this being said this film gives us a brutal more realistic version of what Batman would be in a modern world and I can’t wait to see what they do next. 

Favourite line:

“I’m vengeance”

Score:

7/10 Wedges

#warner bros #6th & idaho productions #dc comics #dc entertainment #robert pattinson #zoe kravitz #jeffrey wright #paul dano #john turturro #action #crime #drama #comic book film #comic book adaptation #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #dc #dc universe #the batman 2022 #batman #i'm vengeance #catwoman

[wedgefilmreviews]

Death on the Nile

Finally the massive moustache makes sense!

Synopsis:

While on holiday on the river Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress.

I don’t know about you but I love a good murder mystery but the question is will this be a good one? The film opens on October 31st 1914, in the trenches. In this scene we are shown a young Poirot giving advice to his Captain in the trenches. What I enjoyed about the opening of this film is we get to see how a young Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) became the detective that he is by wanting to help those who have suffered, finding the truth for their loved ones. We also get to see not long after being scarred in battle for the reason why he has this massive moustache. I do think however, they didn’t plan that from the beginning of this franchise, I think they probably realised oh s**t this moustache is stupid we need to come up for a reason why he has this ridiculous moustache. I mean in all fairness it’s a good reason that they came up with but it was also something they could have avoided if the moustache wasn’t as massive as it was in the first film.

One of the aspects of this film that I would like to talk about is some of the relationships that we get to see. One of the first relationships that I would like to talk about is the one between Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders) and Bowers (Dawn French). As lots of us know French and Saunders are known as a great comedic duo in the UK and you can see their wonderful chemistry throughout this film to. What I enjoyed about both of their performances in this film is that they weren’t making jokes throughout constantly and if anything, they add a bit of mystery. You can see this when Poirot is interrogating Bowers about what went on the night of the murder. You can see the great back and forth questioning that Poirot does trying to gain a confession out of Bowers, but she does not confess to this and instead Poirot discovers something else entirely about both Bowers and Marie Van Schuyler. Watch the film to find out what the secret is that they are hiding. The other relationship I would like to talk about is the triangle relationship between, Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey). Now these three really make the film very intriguing from start to finish. Especially when we first see them dancing in a night club. You can see the sexual tension between Simon and Linnet from the very moment that they met simply in the way they danced together. I thought this was a great way of showing the set up for this film as within that moment everything changes. What I think both Gal and Armie showed very well in this film is that nature of constantly being on alert, weary of what Jacqueline is going to do to them as she is still in love with Simon. You could feel the energy of this alertness not only through their voices but through their body language. Well done to both Gal and Armie as they show this off perfectly. However, I can’t not mention Jacqueline played by Emma who gives us a completely different type of energy, one that is completely on edge and chaotic which as an audience member was wonderful to watch as she shows no fear. If anything she installs fear in Linnet’s every step which makes us as audience members excited to see what happens next.

The next part that I’d like to talk about is the murder mystery element of the story.

What I thought this film did very well was building up the intrigue of who committed the murder. Furthermore, the way that Kenneth Branagh plays Poirot with such intensity only adds to the build-up of intrigue as he plugs away at potential murderers trying to find out what happened to Linnet Ridgeway. Not only does the performances add to the tense nature of this murder mystery but the background noises as well, even the stirring of the waters of the Nile add to the tension building. Poirot does not show mercy when he interrogates potential suspects, even to his closest friends such as, Bouc (Tom Bateman). What I enjoyed about the scene where he interrogates his friend is he doesn’t hold back, and you can see the emotion cross both their faces as Poirot has to investigate his friend about the murder as he believes he is hiding something. What I would argue they do well throughout this film is the use of misdirection, leading you one way when in fact the true murderer is somewhere else entirely. I would further say that the build-up they use leading you in many different directions with different suspects is done very well, such as Poirot accusing Windlesham (Russell Brand) of being jealous and loosing his temper with Linnet, killing her for not wanting to be with him. To add to this I would further say that this is probably Russell Brand’s best role as I thought he acted very well and was convincing throughout. The last bit that I shall briefly touch on is when Poirot has all of his potential suspects in one room where he finally tells them what happened and who committed the murder. What again that I enjoyed about this scene was the intensity that is shown from Poirot as he draws you in with his accusations making you want to know what happened. It further gives you a shocking ending which I’ve got to say is wonderfully shot and edited together.

Now when it comes to issues that I have with this film to be honest there isn’t many. One for me would be even though I think Gal Gadot does a great job in this film she’s not in it for the second half of the film and so for me they could have cast a lesser known actress to play the role, to give them a chance in a blockbuster movie. Again though that’s my personal preference. Another issue I had was the CGI. To be honest this film really doesn’t need it, I mean there are a few great versions of Death on the Nile and they didn’t need CGI, so I don’t understand why this film needed it either. For me it was a waste of money and was not necessary to make this film look good. I would further argue that even though I love the story they added bits to this film that were just not needed and that the audience could have done with out. I believe that they could have cut out twenty minutes of this film and it would have been the better for it. However, all this being said I loved how this film brings you in and keeps your attention throughout and you can’t help but want to know what happens next. If you want to watch a film where you get to watch great character performances then I highly recommend for you to watch this film!

Favourite line:

“Love is far too important to trust to God”

Score:

6/10 Wedges

#20th century studios #kinberg genre #scott free productions #tsg entertainment #kenneth branagh #gal gadot #armie hammer #emma mackey #tom bateman #jennifer saunders #dawn french #russell brand #crime #drama #mystery #book adaptation #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #hercule poirot #agatha christie's poirot #remake #death on the nile #sequel

[wedgefilmreviews]

Uncharted

Looks like we’re about to head into uncharted waters. Get it?

Synopsis:

Nathan Drake is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the house of Moncada.

Well well here we go another video game to film adaptation, again I have the same question is it a good one? The film opens with Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) on the outside of a plane fighting for his life whilst hanging onto some cargo. What I enjoyed about this opening is it instantly transports you into the world of Uncharted with a kick a** action start that makes you wonder what it took for our protagonist to get into this predicament. This was a good start to the film as it instantly draws you in and makes you wonder what’s going to happen next.

One of the aspects of this film that I would like to explore is the action sequences. A lot of the action sequences of this film are quite convoluted from Nathan Drake climbing on cargo boxes to fighting bad guys on an old pirate ship. However, the choreography was very well organised, and you could see that every fight sequence had an intention. My favourite chase scene in this film is when Nathan is chasing after Chloe (Sophia Ali) in Barcelona. Why I enjoyed this scene is because of the choreography, you can see that every single step has a purpose and the cinematography team did a great job of capturing this, with this action sequence it showed the constant chaos of this film. I further loved how at the end of the chase she tries to run over Nathan with her car. You’ve got to love when an action film adds some humour to it not taking itself too seriously. Another key point to this film is some of the treasure hunting. Now I love watching films or documentaries about treasure hunting, it makes you feel excited as to whether they are going to find what they are looking for. I’ve got to say this film has some of those moments but of course for every good treasure hunter there has to be a bad one and this film is no exception with Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) who is looking to get this treasure which he believes is rightfully his. A scene where we get to see this treasure hunting is when Nathan is with Chloe in Barcelona in a church looking for clues of how to start looking for this treasure. However, like any treasure there are traps along the way and these two very much fall into one of those traps, where they were underground in a small space where it was filling up with water. What I think they did well of portraying in this moment is the panic of how you would be feeling if you thought you might drown, as well as building up the suspense for the audience.

The main aspect that I want to discuss is oddly enough not the treasure hunting or action sequences but the relationships between characters. The first relationship I want to talk about is between Nathan and Sully (Mark Wahlberg).

What I found interesting about this relationship is that it wasn’t a happy one it involved mistrust which added to the uniqueness of the friendship these two have. You can see this fractured relationship work it’s way through as soon as you first see these two together when Nathan steals a bracelet from someone who was rude to him Sully intervenes offering him a job, luring him in saying he knew his brother Sam (Rudy Pankow). From here on in this relationship is very chaotic from happy moments where they find clues to the treasure to very unkind moments such as when Nathan tries to get one of the keys that will help them on the way to the treasure. The alarm goes off leaving Nathan fighting off bad guys whilst Sully leaves him to take the key for himself. What I enjoyed about this moment was not only the action but the brutal nature of it’s every person for themselves. Mark does a great job of showing this side to the character of Sully in his performance. Overall, these two have a very unhinged relationship but one that works in terms of achieving their goals and I would say both actors bounce off each other very well. The next relationship that I’d like to talk about is the one between Nathan and Chloe. At first I very much liked the chaotic nature of this relationship however, one of the issues that I had with it was trying to make it more of a romantic relationship. It felt unnecessary for me, and it worked better as more of a friendship. The other issue I had was as Chloe never trusted Nathan the relationship couldn’t move forward which resulted in lack of depth. However, this being said I did enjoy watching them work together to find clues to get to this treasure that the Moncada’s lost. In fact I would have liked to have seen more of this relationship, maybe we’ll see that in the sequel if they get one.

Now I’d like to talk about some of the issues that I had, the first one being the relationships in this film. Now I know I have already talked about a couple of the relationships but the truth is both relationships lack depth as no one trusts each other and if you’ve got your main protagonists not trusting each other, how is the story supposed to move forward? For me due to this mistrust we can’t get any emotional depth moving forward and so the storyline can’t develop at all. Another issue I had was with some of the CGI. I understand that with this sort of film you’re going to need CGI but this film was practically CGI galore and to be honest I didn’t like it one bit. I miss the days when we had practical effects and I think this film could have done with a few more of those. Furthermore, the emotions in this film were not very believable and with that I was taken out of the film compared to being drawn in wanting to know more. You could also argue they could have done more with two of the villains, the first one being Santiago Moncada and the other Braddock (Tati Gabrielle). I would say Tati does a good job in this film for the part she had as she plays a very conniving character who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. But then you’ve also got this character of Santiago Moncada and I’ve got to be honest he was a very weak villain who struggled to get his point across. And to be honest I felt sorry for Antonio Banderas as he can do so much more than playing a drab character that has nothing to him. However, all this being said this is an enjoyable film and if you’re looking for something where you can switch your brain off and relax, then this is the film for you.

Favourite line:

“A little old for prom aren’t you?”

Score:

5/10 Wedges

#columbia pictures #atlas entertainment #playstation productions #naughty dog #sony computer entertainment america #tom holland #mark wahlberg #sophia ali #antonio banderas #tati gabrielle #rudy pankow #action #adventure #video game #movie video game #video game adaptation #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2022 #2022 #uncharted #uncharted movie #prequel

[wedgefilmreviews]

My Top 10 Films of 2021

Well sorry to everyone that’s reading this now as I know I’m late with it but don’t you have a go at me I’ve been busy plus there have been a couple of films that I wanted to watch and review. Anyway 2021 what a year for everybody, sadly it was another tough one however, it was a year where cinema was given back to the world. Being actually able to go watch a film at a cinema is such a joy and privilege which I often take for granted. I hope never to do so again as I want to be able to enjoy every cinema experience that I can. But enough of me waffling on! Here is my top 10 list of films for 2021.

Honourable Mentions:

The Dig, Free Guy, Kate, Moxie, Nightbooks and I’ve got to give a special shout out to a film that I loved and watched but sadly never gave a review on as I like to write notes and I went and saw this one with my family. This film is No Time To Die. I loved this film even though they could have made it a tad shorter, it was brilliant I loved it but as I didn’t review it I sadly can’t include it in my top 10 list but if you haven’t seen it do go give it a watch. 

10). Jungle Cruise

Bet most people didn’t expect this but I’ve got to say I really enjoyed this film it brought back a lot of nostalgic feels to such films as The Mummy Trilogy as well as films like National Treasure. If you’re looking for a film where you can shut your brain off and and just have a chill time then this one is for you!

9). Luca

I’ve got to say I love what Disney/Disney Pixar are doing right now giving us films that have a genuine heart and culture to them. We are given that with this film about two young Italian boys who form a wonderful friendship. Definitely worth the watch if you love Disney Pixar films with culture. 

8). The Green Knight

Who doesn’t love a good Arthurian legend film. Idiots I tell ya, even though I do have to admit Hollywood has been over doing it a bit over the past decade with different films about King Arthur. However, this is about his nephew Gawain who has to go on a quest to face the Green Knight. If you’re up for a film which will take you on a journey with a poetic nature then I highly recommend this film for you.

7). Ghostbusters: Afterlife

I was very wary of watching this film considering how good the original was but I’ve got to say this sequel doesn’t disappoint. It brings back all the nostalgic feels of the original as well as introducing us to some new characters that take on what it means to be a Ghostbuster. Furthermore, with these new characters being teenagers it gives some of the younger audience members someone to relate to. This film was for the fans and if you’re up for a spooky adventure then this is the film for you.

6). House of Gucci

This for me was a film I wasn’t sure about putting in my top 10 as I still stand by some of the points I made such as the pacing being off as well as the flow of the film. However, I’ve got to say the performances that we get to see are fantastic from Jared Leto who is wonderful at playing all sorts of different characters to Lady Gaga who smashes it out of the park with her performance as Patrizia Gucci. I would certainly not be surprised if she gets nominated at the Oscars and may have a very good chance at winning. If you want to see a film full of great performances then I would recommend this film thoroughly.

5). tick, tick...BOOM!

A film that highlights the struggles of getting into the creative arts industry. This film is both a joy and heart-breaking to watch but it’s filled with some amazing musical numbers that you can’t help but want to listen to over and over again. If you have the time get on Netflix and watch this wonderful film which has a great beating heart to it.

4). The Mitchells vs The Machines

This is one of the biggest surprises of this year for me, every year their is always a film that surprises me, that comes out of nowhere and that film for me this year is The Mitchells vs The Machines. This film is hilarious from the get go with a family that everyone can relate to. The family are just as chaotic and fun as this film, if that sounds like something you’d be interested in then once you’ve finished reading my top 10 go onto Netflix and start watching it!

3). The Suicide Squad

DC continue to have this track record of hit and miss films but in this case they definitely had a hit with The Suicide Squad. This film is not only a lot of fun giving us a film that solely focuses on villains. That’s really what makes this film so good is there are no heroes only villains and I’ve got to say every bit of it works. This is the sort of film that I hope DC continue to do with quirky out of the box characters giving us as audience members a whole lot of fun to enjoy.

2). Spider-Man: No Way Home

This film was fantastic from start to finish with a more darker toned Spider-Man movie, this isn’t like the two previous films which were happy go lucky, in this one Peter Parker finally has to start growing up. But what will it cost him? Watch this excellent film to find out.

1). In The Heights

Some might be surprised by this choice and I’ll be honest even I was but I loved this film from start to finish with every relationship to every musical number. This is a joyous film to behold and is well worth watching every second of it. In fact I think I’m going to watch it again. To me this is a film that sadly won’t win a lot of awards but in my opinion it sure deserves it. If you have the time then stop what you’re doing and go watch this musical extravaganza!

Now that you’ve read my top 10 films of 2021 what are you waiting for? Get out there and watch these wonderful films. I can’t wait to see the films that 2022 gives us.

#netflix #amazon prime #a24 #columbia pictures #universal pictures #marvel studios #walt disney pictures #dc entertainment #pixar animation studios #jungle cruise #luca #the green knight #ghostbusters: afterlife #house of gucci #tick tick boom #the mitchells vs the machines #the suicide squad #spider-man: no way home #in the heights #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2021 #2021 #top 10 films of 2021 #my top 10 films of 2021 #top 10 films #top 10 #top 10 movies

[wedgefilmreviews]

tick, tick...BOOM!

How far would you go for something you love?

Synopsis:

On the cusp of his 30th birthday, a promising young theatre composer navigates love, friendship and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City.

This film definitely hit a nerve for me as someone who has a dream to be a professional actor one day I know how hard it can be to get into a creative industry and this film certainly highlights that with a musical called tick, tick...BOOM which tells the story about this young music composer called Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) who’s dream is to make musicals. The film opens with some footage of John, where he talks about being a musical theatre writer whilst some narration from Susan (Alexandra Shipp) tells us about how this story is all true. What I liked about the opening is that we’re instantly thrown into this musical world but it’s not necessarily a happy musical world it’s an honest one which starts with John explaining what tick, tick...BOOM is. I further enjoyed the narration from Susan as she tells us a very brief version of what happens in this story but leaves us with an element of mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.

One of the elements that I would like to talk about with this film is the relationships John has and how these relationships affect his dream. The first relationship that I’d like to talk about is the one he has with his best friend, Michael (Robin de Jesus). These two have been friends since they were kids and you can see that in the close chemistry that these two have. However, when Michael gives up on his acting career he gets a job which pays a lot of money and he moves out of the apartment that they share. This is the moment that changes their relationship as the two gradually drift apart. However, this is only part of the reason that this happens the other half being John’s intense focus on his workshop for his musical, Superbia. At moments during this film Michael asks to speak to John but John fobs him off saying he’s busy, it isn’t until more towards the end of the film that both of them have a heart to heart as John asks Michael for a job. This for me was one of the best scenes in the film as it’s mostly silence which increased this tension as Michael tells John that he has AIDS. This is both a devastating moment but a moment of honesty as well. Both actors give us this brutal moment which both portray incredibly well and I’ve got to say this scene moves you as you feel devastated equally for both as both have been friends since they were children. Well done to both actors for giving us this unique moment in the film. The other relationship that I want to talk about is the one between John and Susan. I’ve got to say when you first see these two together they suit each other to a tee. The way the two react off each other is wonderful to see but it turns out that it wasn’t smooth sailing for these two. What I enjoyed with their story is how it doesn’t start out as a toxic relationship it builds and builds till eventually the tension becomes to much and both explode telling each other what they honestly think which causes a rift between the two as both realise that they aren’t meant to be together. Watching this explosive scene was a tough watch as you can understand both perspectives with Susan wanting to move for this new job of hers but John isn’t willing to discuss it but I can also understand how John feels with wanting to achieve his dream and to achieve that dream he needs to be in New York. It’s a lose lose situation which ultimately destroys this relationship. I’ll talk a little more on their relationship in the next part which is about the songs of this film.

Heading on from what I previously said I’m now going to talk about some of the musical numbers of this film.

What can I say about the music in this film? Well it’s all kinds of wonderful is what it is! Every musical number has not only got a great beat and rhythm to it but a fantastic heart as well. One of the songs that I most enjoyed was called, come to your senses. This was not only a beautiful song to listen to especially with the way it talks about the relationship between John and Susan but the way it was performed by both Susan and Karessa (Vanessa Hudgens) was stunning. The emotional content this song added being performed by both Susan and Karessa was moving to watch and I couldn’t help but feel moved by it. I’ve got to say though the biggest surprise for me was seeing Andrew Garfield sing! I didn’t know he could sing, then again he’s an Oscar nominee so it shouldn’t surprise me too much but he’s got a very good voice. One of the songs that I really enjoyed which he sang was with Karessa which was called, therapy. What I enjoyed about this song was a couple of things one being the way the song built itself up. The way both John and Karessa started off slowly whilst building up more and more till eventually they were singing at such a pace I thought they were going to run out of breath. The other point that I loved about this song is what it talked about which was the struggles that John and Susan were having with their relationship, with neither wanting to be honest with how they’re feeling. I could go into more detail talking about every song but my words would not be able to do them justice. Watch the film to find out how good they are!

Now when it comes to issues that I had with this film in all honesty there wasn’t many. Although, one of the issues I did have was the stop-starting nature of this film as it would start to pick up pace then suddenly stop all of a sudden which I thought as an audience member was a tad annoying. The other issue I had was I would have preferred to have seen more scenes with John and Susan watching their relationship develop a tad more however that is a personal preference. I would also argue you’ve got a great singing talent in Vanessa Hudgens make sure you use that talent and I don’t think they used her enough. All this being said this is wonderful film for all artists to watch on how it is a struggle to get into the art world but if you keep trying and you believe in yourself, you can get there, you just have to believe it. The other thing I would also like to add is well done to Lin-Manuel Miranda on a fantastic job directing this wonderful musical film. If you’re up for watching a film that is full of great musical numbers as well as a brilliant beating heart to it then this is a film for you!

Favourite line:

“Lately, I’ve been hearing this sound everywhere I go, like a tick, tick, tick”

Score:

8/10 Wedges

#netflix #5000 broadway productions #imagine entertainment #andrew garfield #alexandra shipp #robin de jesus #vanessa hudgens #lin manuel miranda #biography #true story #drama #musical #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2021 #2021 #musical film #tick tick boom #netflix tick tick boom

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Spider-Man: No Way Home

I don’t know about you but my Spidey senses are tingling...okay that sounds weird.

Synopsis:

With Spider-Man’s identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it really means to be Spider-Man.

Boy does this film take you on a journey especially as this is going to be one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write, mainly as I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m going to say this as a warning, SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN, DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO GET SPOILED! There you go you can’t say I haven’t warned you. The film opens with footage from the previous film where Spider-Man is accused of murdering Quentin Beck and has his identity revealed. What I enjoyed about this opening is we are instantly thrown straight back into the Spider-Man world, with Peter Parker (Tom Holland) trying to escape from the masses that are accusing him of murder as well as taking MJ (Zendaya) with him. What I would argue is very good about the beginning of this film is how most superheroes are beloved by everyone but when Peter is accused as a murderer everyone bar MJ, Ned (Jacob Batalon), Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) are against Spider-Man. This causes a lot of tension and angst for Peter and his friends, so already our main protagonist is up against the wall with not a lot of hope. A very rare start to a superhero film if I do say so myself.

One of the main aspects that I would like to talk about in this review is the villains. I won’t lie when I saw the list of villains of this film I was worried, as some of us sadly remember we can’t help but think of the travesty of Spider-Man 3 and the many villains of that film. So when I saw that again we were going to have another Spider-Man film with many villains I was of course worried and concerned. But in truth I shouldn’t have been as we get some truly great performances from the villains in this film especially ones such as, the Green Goblin aka Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) and Doc Ock aka Dr Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Getting to see these two great villains back in the Marvel universe was a joy to behold as both slip back into their respective characters almost like they played them yesterday. One of the scenes that I really enjoyed with villains coming into this Spider-Man universe is when they first start to appear as Peter tracks down a college professor that could help him get his friends and himself into college. Upon finding her he is attacked by Doc Ock. The reason why I enjoyed this scene was due to the way Doc Ock reacts to a different Spider-Man to the one he is used to in his universe, as well as the way Peter reacts to a stronger villain compared to the ones that he has faced so far. Another great villain scene which brings back a lot of nostalgia is when Norman Osborn is talking to his Green Goblin mask in an alleyway where the Green Goblin says that they have an opportunity to take over this universe as well as destroying Spider-Man. This brought back many memories of the first movie especially with the way in which Green Goblin is very terrifying.

The next part of this review I can’t not talk about is the journey that Peter goes on in this film.

It feels like this journey has been coming for a long time and we finally get to see this up and down adventure with Peter struggling at the beginning being accused of murder. He then try’s to find a solution to everyone knowing he is Spider-Man by visiting Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) which ends up causing disastrous results. What I enjoyed about the arc of this character in this film is how it doesn’t start like the previous two Tom Holland Spider-Man films do in a happy go lucky way, this film takes us on a dark story which will change things for both Peter and Spider-Man forever. Obviously I don’t want to go into to much detail with how things change as I don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t seen this film but I shall try and give a little bit away without giving away lots of main detail. A scene where we can see Peter growing up, taking more responsibility is where he tries to come up with a solution for the problem he caused of bringing villains and other characters from different universes to this universe. In this moment he works with some other very important characters as well as MJ and Ned. What I liked about this scene is we start to see a maturity to this character that we hadn’t seen before as instead of complaining trying to come up with a quick fix he works together with his friends to find a rational solution. However, Peter’s biggest test comes towards the end of the film when he faces off with the Green Goblin. Now for me I loved this scene for two reasons, the first one being on the choreography which for once wasn’t massively complicated. It was brutal punches being thrown over and over again which created this raw emotion which we can see on Peter’s face as he hits the Green Goblin again and again. Which leads me to my second reason in this moment Peter has a choice to make either let the Green Goblin live or kill him, watch the film to find out what happens. But I do have to say the emotion Tom Holland gives in this scene is fantastic showing this genuine hatred and want to beat this menacing villain.

Now when it comes to issues I had to be honest their wasn’t many. The main issue that I had in all honesty was the tonal shift of this film compared to the two previous Spider-Man films as both of them are a lot more light-hearted compared to this more dark and brooding Spider-Man film. I always think when you do a trilogy the tone of each film should match the whole way through and unfortunately they didn’t do that with this trilogy. But never the less this doesn’t take to much away from the film. I think you can argue that other villains are paid more attention to than others such as, Max Dillon aka Electro (Jamie Foxx) who doesn’t get talked about as much in this film, as well as other superheroes who don’t get enough attention either like Doctor Strange who is in and out of this film. However, this being said I do get that this is a film about Spider-Man not Doctor Strange but judging by the 2nd Doctor Strange film trailer the actions of this film might have lasting consequences. Overall, I’ve got to say I was surprised at how good this film was and I think is one of the better films of 2021. Not only that but I think this is both one of the better Spider-Man films and Marvel films. The one thing I try to remember when I write a review is that with great power comes great responsibility... 

Favourite line:

“And with great power, there must also come great responsibility”

Score:

8/10 Wedges

#marvel studios #pascal pictures #columbia pictures #tom holland #zendaya #jacob batalon #benedict cumberbatch #jon favreau #marisa tomei #willem dafoe #alfred molina #jamie foxx #action #adventure #fantasy #marvel movie #movie #movie review #marvel film #film #film review #film in 2021 #2021 #sequel #spiderman trilogy #spider-man #spider-man: no way home

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House of Gucci

Fashion to kill for.

Synopsis:

When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings marries into the Gucci family her ambition begins to unravel their legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge and ultimately murder.

It’s that time of year again and I’m not only talking about Christmas. We’re getting ready for Oscar season and this film follows that path. However, is it Oscar worthy? The film opens with Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) smoking a cigarette whilst Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) gives us some narration about how Gucci was a name that was prominent with power and how the family fought each other for that power. What I enjoyed about the beginning of this film is how we aren’t given too much straight away the film takes it’s time to get into and the mystery/motives for why Patrizia does what she does is highlighted brilliantly within the first minute of the narration that she does of this film. I further enjoyed how when she worked for her fathers company we are instantly shown how she gains her power by using her sexuality to get what she wants whether that be fashion items, money or power.

One of the aspects of this film that I’d like to talk about is the Gucci family. Now one of the reasons that makes this family so volatile is the power, as Gucci is a household name and everyone in that family is vying for that power, none more so than Patrizia who uses her femininity and sexuality to gain influence on others so she can take more control of the company. You can see this when she is speaking to Paulo Gucci (Jared Leto). The way she convinces him that his designs are interesting and good is brilliant as she needs the power he possesses as a shareholder of the company but to do that she must connive her way into conning him that his designs are brilliant. I’ve got to say this scene is wonderful to watch due to the brilliant character work not only from Lady Gaga but also from Jared Leto. Jared takes these intriguing, messed up people and makes them into this fully formed masterpiece and Jared doesn’t let us down in this film either. You never know possibly another Oscar nomination for him this year. Another moment where we can see how Patrizia uses her influence is when she first gets to know Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino). Patrizia almost has this sort of naivety when she first visits Aldo’s Gucci store in New York but then when she sees what she can have she takes advantage of this by getting closer to Aldo. What I enjoyed about seeing this relationship develop is Patrizia almost becomes Aldo’s go to person to get her to convince Maurizio to become more a part of the company as his father Rodolfo Gucci (Jeremy Irons) became more and more unwell. There’s a bit more to the power struggle of this film which I shall talk about in a bit but I’ve got to say if this family didn’t have this power and wealth they would be like a lot of other families who argue but love each other. I would say Ridley Scott has done a very good job of portraying that in this film as he does show the hatred build but he also shows the love this family has as well.

The next part of this review I’d like to talk about is the relationship between Patrizia and Maurizio.

What I think is done very well with these two characters is the build up. Ridley Scott doesn’t rush into the development of this relationship, he takes his time nurturing this relationship as it goes from being completely in love to very volatile. A moment where we can see this relationship develop is when Maurizio goes to talk to his father Rodolfo about Patrizia. By the end of this scene he has had an argument with his father saying he wants to marry Patrizia. What I enjoyed about this moment is the belief that Adam Driver gives to this scene where you genuinely believe he loves Patrizia and will give anything to be with her even leaving the family business. It’s quite a good two-hander scene where we get to see that father and son power struggle except this time it isn’t over the business. Later on in the film you can start to see things change in the dynamic between Patrizia and Maurizio, you see this when Maurizio is accused of forging financial documents for his shares in Gucci. To avoid this he leaves Italy, going to Switzerland. In this moment he spends a lot of time away from Patrizia and his children. This does change things for Maurizio as he starts to think more clearly about the family business and how it’s been affected. What he gets from this time away is how Patrizia has been manipulating him, the company as well as other members of the Gucci family. This is really the moment where everything went to s**t for the Gucci family as everything changes from who operates the company to families falling apart including the relationship between Maurizio and Patrizia. I would say ultimately that these two may have loved each other in the beginning but in the end both were in love with the power that they had rather than each other which does make for an interesting plot.

Now when it comes to issues I had with this film one would be the length of the film. I won’t lie there are moments in this film which do drag on and which aren’t necessary making this film a lot longer than it needs to be. To be honest if they had cut out thirty minutes of that film it would have been much better and I would have been more on the edge of my set rather than leaning so far back that it left me wondering about food. This leads me to another issue I had which was being left bored in moments of the film now don’t get me wrong I know this isn’t an action film, I get it! However, if you have a great flow to a film even if it is a drama or a true story you’ll get a good film which will not leave you bored but eager to watch more. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that with this film. I would further argue that the pacing is a bit off, which again leads to moments where you’re completely invested but then has other moments where as an audience member you couldn’t care less. Overall, I wouldn’t say this film is worthy of great critical acclaim however, certain performances from Lady Gaga and Jared Leto do make this film better elevating it making it more noticeable than your bog standard cinema experience.

Favourite line:

“I could finally saw...like a pigeon”

Score:

7/10 Wedges

#universal pictures #bron studios #metro goldwyn mayer #scott free productions #lady gaga #adam driver #jared leto #al pacino #jeremy irons #crime #drama #true story #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2021 #2021 #gucci #house of gucci

[wedgefilmreviews]

A Boy Called Christmas

It’s that time again... Tis the season!

I love this time of year and what makes this time of year better? That’s right you guessed it a feel good Christmas film! However, is this a good one? The film opens with some snow falling in a place called North Finchley where a woman called Aunt Ruth (Maggie Smith) goes to visit her nieces and nephews who have recently lost their mother. She then begins to tell them a story about a young boy called Nikolas (Henry Lawfull). What I enjoyed about this opening was the lovely setup to relating this story to young children who have lost a parent. I further enjoyed the narration from Aunt Ruth as it very much reminded me of the narration from The Princess Bride, it was both entertaining and made you wonder what was going to happen next.

One of the aspects that I’m going to talk about with this film is some of the characters that our protagonist meets on his journey. One of the characters that I thoroughly enjoyed in this film was meeting the King (Jim Broadbent). I’ve got to say Jim is as fantastic as ever with his performance in this film, playing this very dry witted King. One of my favourite moments where we see this dry humour is when the King addresses the people in this massive room where he asks the people about what they really need to which they start replying with comments such as, “A health care system” This scene was very amusing to me not only due to the comments from the crowd but also with the way the King offhandedly dismisses them really got to me and I would argue adds that real world humour for the audience at home to relate to. One of the other characters that added more humour is Nikolas’s pet mouse Miika (Stephen Merchant). This film has a lot of magic involved throughout it’s storyline and one of the ones that adds comedy to it is Miika. I’ve got to say Stephen voices this character very well adding both humour and a certain innocence to this character who is essentially Nikolas’s best friend. What I enjoyed with Miika is he is that voice and that constant emotional blanket for Nikolas to talk to whether Miika speaks or not he’s there for Nikolas and in my opinion is that link between the protagonist and the audience at home.

The other part of this film I’d like to talk about is the journey Nikolas goes on to find Elfhelm.

The first scene where we start to see Nikolas’s progression is when he leaves his Aunt Carlotta (Kristen Wiig) to go find the magical kingdom of Elfhelm. Once Nikolas leaves he finds himself heading to the far north and along the way a woman tells him to not believe in silly stories of elves. This ultimately puts Nikolas down but where gets to have his first conversation with Miika. What I enjoyed about the first part of this characters progression is that Nikolas isn’t instantly confident, in fact he’s quite unsure of himself and they take time building up this character instead of having him as an already finished product. The next part of his journey which I’ll briefly talk about is when he has made it to his destination however, everything is not what it seems as no one is celebrating Christmas as something has happened, and in this moment Nikolas is confronted by Mother Vodol (Sally Hawkins) who tells him exactly why Christmas isn’t being celebrated. What I liked about this moment is not only the honest cruelty from Mother Vodol but the way Nikolas reacts to this and is determined to set things right. This takes us to the last part that I would like to talk about with his journey which is when he goes to confront the men that are the reason for why Christmas isn’t allowed which includes his father, Joel (Michiel Huisman). It’s a horrible feeling when you feel that you know someone and they’re not who they turned out to be. In this case Nikolas finds out that his father was involved in something sinister. I’ve got to say the acting in this scene is great as you can see the raw emotion from both father and son laid bare for the audience to see as both have valid opinions but one goes about it the wrong way. Watch the film to find out what I mean. In life we are thrown challenges at us and it is down to us to beat them when we can and I’ve got to say the character of Nikolas is definitely one for young children to look up too as he never backs down.

Now when it comes to issues I had with this film there wasn’t many, I even enjoyed the narration which I normally don’t like. I will say that sometimes due to the comical and heart-warming way they performed the narration it did interrupt the flow of the story, which was a tad annoying but the narration does add to this film. I wouldn’t say this is the next big classic Christmas movie because it isn’t, so if you’re looking for that sorry you’re going to have to keep on looking. However, it doesn’t have to be a classic. For me it’s got to be enjoyable and it’s got to be festive, which ticks both boxes for me. I suppose you could argue the villain of this film, Mother Vodol isn’t very good or compelling and that’s not due to Sally Hawkins’s acting it’s put down to the way the character is written. I also thought it would have been good having more of the King in this story as Jim Broadbent does a great job of playing this character but this is of course personal preference. I’ve got to say Sky Cinema and Netflix are a match made in heaven as both have made an enjoyable film here and I love how Netflix are making origin stories about Father Christmas or if you’re American Santa Claus. It’s lovely to see something different. To sum up if you’re in the festive mood this is a festive film for all the family to enjoy!

Favourite line:

“Do Kings give leg-ups?”

Score:

6/10 Wedges

#sky cinema #sky original #netflix #studiocanal #blueprint pictures #canal+ #cine+ #maggie smith #henry lawfull #jim broadbent #michiel huisman #kristen wiig #stephen merchant #sally hawkins #adventure #drama #family #fantasy #christmas #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2021 #2021 #christmas movie #christmas film #a boy called christmas

[wedgefilmreviews]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

Synopsis:

When a single mum and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their Grandfather left behind.

Do you know what I love doing sometimes, taking a trip down memory lane and boy does this film do that. This one is for the fans, the film opens with some eerie music with a bright hellish red light flashing towards the sky of a mountain top. Then we see an older man in a car driving fast away from the mountain being chased by something. I’ve got to say I thoroughly enjoyed the opening as it brings you straight back into the world of Ghostbusters, but what I really enjoyed was how they don’t give too much away at the beginning. They very much wanted to reveal bit by little bit as the film goes on and I’ve got to say well done to Jason Reitman for directing a great start to a franchise that is so beloved.

One of the main aspects of this film that I’d like to talk about is the new characters that are introduced to us. I’ve got to say this is a very family friendly film as essentially it’s about a family. Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two children, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) get evicted from their home and have to travel out to the countryside to visit their deceased Grandfathers home, from this moment on their lives are changed. What I liked about these characters is how they are like any family who have arguments and fight. The dynamic between these three is very enjoyable to watch, the only complaint that I would have is it would have been better to have more scenes with all three of them in, so we would have been able to see more of that family bond. I’ve got to say though it was interesting to see them interact with other people around the town. For example, one of the relationships I thought that worked very well was the one between Phoebe and Podcast (Logan Kim). These two were great to watch as they both had similar interests in what happens with the world and when they start to see ghosts their friendship becomes stronger into investigating what is going on in the mysterious town of Summerville. I further have to say another character that I enjoyed is Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd). I’ve got to say well done to Paul Rudd in this film as he does help elevate the performance of the film with his constant humour and being able to bounce off the reactions of his fellow performers is a joy to watch. Even more so with some of his reactions with Callie which is fun to watch plainly due to the awkward flirty reactions he has with her as her kids watch on.

Now it wouldn’t be a Ghostbusters film review without talking about some of the ghosts and the hunting of them. I mean who you gonna call? Sorry I couldn’t help myself.

What I continually enjoy with Ghostbusters is they don’t make the ghosts too scary it’s about adding that humour for all the family to enjoy which this film certainly does. From this guy who is a very cute, chubby ghost who Phoebe and Trevor chase after all down main street in the original Ghostbusters car which is a very fun scene by the way, to the tiny pack of Stay Puft Marshmallow men who come to life to attack Grooberson. This film has all the cool ghosts you want that add a lot of joy for fans of the original film. It even has some very iconic characters from the original which fans will be overjoyed to see however, I’m not going to spoil that for you. If you want to find out do watch the film, trust me when I say it’s worth it. What I further enjoy about Phoebe trying to solve the mystery of Summerville is how her and the other new characters bond together to help one another and when they couldn’t find a way to figure things out Phoebe calls someone who her Grandfather knew, that someone being, Ray (Dan Aykroyd). What I enjoyed a lot about this scene is it gives us the reason to why Phoebe’s Grandfather came to Summerville and what he might have been up to. I also want to say this is the scene that gives us the ending to the film we all wanted. Let’s just say we might see a couple of faces from the past.

Now when it comes to issues I had with the film, one would be some of the nostalgia from the original Ghostbusters film. It’s not that I didn’t like seeing some of the old faces and ghosts, especially the scene where Grooberson is attacked by a tiny army of Stay Puft Marshmallow men which is hilarious. It’s the fact that I would have liked more originality going into this film, some new ghosts would have been great, I get that in a way this is the third film in the Ghostbusters anthology but in a completely different way this film should have been a new start and to be honest it wasn’t. What they did was essentially rehash some old ideas which was a bit of a shame. Moreover, another issue I had was to do with some of the pacing of the film. I’m not saying the pacing was all over the place because it wasn’t it was more due to the fact of the build up to some of the more entertaining scenes lacked enjoyment and in fact I found myself a tad bit bored in these moments. All this being said though I thoroughly enjoyed this film as it gives us the enjoyment of Ghostbusters back to us after which let’s be honest was a p**s poor film in 2016 remake. But the less said about that travesty the better. To sum up, this is a film for the fans which they both needed and thoroughly deserved, one that gave the fans the joy of knowing who they’re gonna call!

Favourite line:

“I’m also an escort...that came out wrong”

Score:

7/10 Wedges

#columbia pictures #bron studios #ghostcorps #sony pictures entertainment #the montecito picture company #carrie coon #mckenna grace #finn wolfhard #logan kim #paul rudd #dan akroyd #jason reitman #adventure #comedy #fantasy #spooky #movie #movie review #film #film review #film in 2021 #2021 #who you gonna call #ghostbusters afterlife #ghostbusters #for the fans #sequel #ghostbusters sequel

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Red Notice

I love a good con movie but the question is, is this a good con movie?

Synopsis:

An Interpol agent and a thief track the world’s most wanted art thief.

I had been looking forward to this film for a while now ever since I first saw the trailer I thought, that looks like a lot of fun and boy is this film exactly that. The film opens with some narration from a fictional documentary about Cleopatra’s golden eggs. What I liked about the opening was how it sets up the rest of the film but lets you as an audience member figure things out for yourself with what might happen. Furthermore, the way they bring this mythical treasure feeling to the film really adds to the intrigue as it makes people think of classic treasure hunting films such as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the lost ark, or National Treasure. There’s probably a lot of film critics out there that hate me for saying that National Treasure comment but who cares! I like National Treasure and I’m proud to say it.

One of the main topics that I’d like to talk about with this film is the relationship between John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) and Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds). I’ve got to say these two bring that buddy cop feeling to this film and considering one of them is sort of a cop and the other one is a thief is quite amusing. Anyhow these two have such a great chemistry with one another constantly having back and forth insults that make you laugh. For example, one of my favourite scenes between these two is when they first arrive in this Russian prison. In this scene Nolan says to John that it would be terrible if everyone in this prison found out that John was a cop, to which Nolan then shouts out to everyone that John is a cop. This scene was a joy to watch not only for the way Nolan shouts out to everyone very clearly that John is a cop but also for the way a prisoner pours John’s food all over him. However, what I was most surprised by was that they found someone who is taller than Dwayne Johnson, I mean Dwayne’s a big guy so fair play to getting someone who could match him. Another moment which I enjoyed where we got to see this banter is when they are both in the jungle looking for the third egg and John has had enough of Nolan messing things up and so he starts yelling at him in the middle of the jungle about his constant mess-ups. I’ve got to say seeing Dwayne yelling was surprisingly amusing especially when he’s standing on top of this secret bunker. Also Dwayne must really love jungles as he keeps ending up in them. These two really help make this film to be enjoyable as they balance the humour with the action which makes for a nice change of pace in action-comedy films as sometimes it tends to lean one way or the other but in this case these two get it right.

One thing that we simply must talk about in this review is having the perfect threesome...not in that way you sick people, I mean the character that is, The Bishop (Gal Gadot).

I’ve got to say Gal adds a great third party dynamic to this film in a character that I’ve never seen her play before. The Bishop is a very fun, devious, and very outlandish which is why she is such a joy to watch. Not only does she show us great kick a** action but the way she irritates you with every time she thwarts both John and Nolan genuinely irritates you as an audience member. Quite frankly I agree with John when he says, “Lady I’m starting not to like you”. There are two brilliant moments that come to mind when watching a scene with the Bishop in. The first one being when John and Nolan are getting held captive by her and Sotto Voce (Chris Diamantopoulos). The Bishop shows how devious and quite frankly psychotic she is in this moment as she tortures John whilst singing to him to get the information on where the third egg is from Nolan. What makes this moment so good is that if she was to only torture John and not speak at all it would not create much terror or tension but the fact that she sings to him makes the whole scene that much better as she proves the lengths she will go to in terms of getting all three eggs. The other scene which is probably my favourite scene in the film is the one where they are at Sotto’s party, where John and The Bishop are dancing. What’s so wonderful with this dance is how they both say so much with so little, constantly trying to one up each other. I further enjoyed how flirtatious this dance was with John telling her she’ll end up in handcuffs to which she replies, ��Promises promises”. It’s as though they filmed the rhythm of the lines with rhythm of the dance hence why I think this is the best scene in the film and is one that I could watch again and again. It’s great that we have John and Nolan’s banter but simply put this film would be nowhere near as good if The Bishop wasn’t in it due to the fantastic performance of Gal Gadot.

Now when it comes to issues that I had the first one being was the surprise twist at the end of the film. For me I saw it coming from half way through the film it was very obvious with what was going to happen and to be honest I found this twist to be boring. Obviously I can’t tell you what the twist is as I don’t want to spoil it but you’ll know when you see it. Another issue I had was with the ending, I was left very unsatisfied and would have much proffered to have seen a more definitive ending instead of setting this film up for a sequel which I’ll be honest I’m not 100% on them getting. I think most people will be divided with the ending as some will like that it sets up a sequel but others would have proffered a definitive ending. I mean for me what would have been better is for them to set up a sequel in an end credits sequence instead of setting one up right at the end of the film. The last issue I had was some of the long cons, again I can’t go into detail about them as they will spoil the film for you but for me some of the long cons were quite tedious and could have done with some more thought going into them but again this is my personal preference. To sum up, I started this review with is this a good con movie and for me the answer to that is not really however, it is an enjoyable film and to be honest sometimes that’s all you need. If you’re looking for a fun film to watch then I can absolutely recommend this one.

Favourite line:

“Yep one more and I get a Shawshank jacket”

Score:

6/10 Wedges

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