My wife and I took a spin to our local cinema recently for a showing of the new Mindy Kaling film Late Night. I’ll admit straight off the bat that I wouldn’t normally be in a rush to see something in this genre (even if it’s written by the hilarious and talented Kaling) but the vibes around the film were all very positive, so off we went.

Why now?

Late Night was released in theatres on June 7, 2019.

In a nutshell

The host of a late-night talk show hires a new writer (Kaling) to help turn things around after several years of dwindling popularity and viewership, with both amusing and life-affirming consequences (naturally).

Who’s it for?

The movie’s rated 15 but there really isn’t much in it to worry about, bar some bad language and sexual references. Fans of clever, thoughtful humour (as opposed to the trashy, gross-out humour that so often pervades comedy movies these days) will appreciate this one.

Who’s in it?

Mindy Kaling! The Office star wrote and produced this one herself, and it’s easy to tell – her signature brand of quick-witted comedy is all over Late Night, and Kaling puts in a typically-assured performance throughout. Emma Thompson stars as Katherine Newbury, pioneering talk show host and ice-queen of the small screen (in parts, anyway). John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy and a host of other folks you’ll quickly recognise provide support to Kaling and Thompson.

The good stuff

In a nutshell (I don’t care, I’m using it again), the premise, writing, acting and direction in Late Night are all superb. It’s not an entirely original concept, but it joins a host of other behind-the-scenes style movies and TV shows that lay bare the gruelling hard work and obstacles that those in television have to endure on a weekly basis, while managing to make it all very funny and endearing (think 30 Rock, but a touch more serious). I thought the film struck a good balance between humour and social commentary, particularly in terms of why Kaling’s character Molly was hired in the first place and the unfair pressures inflicted on women (especially older women) in the entertainment industry. It’s a movie that will make you think as much as laugh, which is a sure sign of worthwhile writing.

The not so good stuff

As I said before, Late Night isn’t totally original, and you’ll definitely feel like you’ve seen parts of it before. Thompson’s character occasionally strays into the realm of pantomime villain, but the strength of her performance ensures the audience can remain sympathetic throughout and, well, it’s Emma Thompson, isn’t it? I would have liked to have seen slightly more character development for Molly, who sort of hits a wall late on and slips into a predictable arc, but those are minor gripes and easily outweighed by the good stuff.

The bottom line

Late Night is funny, satisfying and thought-provoking, a rare treble in my book. It’s not going to set the world alight, but it does affirm something we already knew about Mindy Kaling – she’s one of the best comedy writers in Hollywood.

Verdict: (4 / 5)

Also Read: Review: Booksmart

The post Review: Late Night [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

I was recently asked to take a look at a micro-budget British Crime Thriller called Chasing Shadows, written and directed by Aoun Khan. The movie’s currently in the final stages of post-production, so the version I saw is still some way off the finished article, but a few small tweaks aside and it was essentially all there. So I pulled up a chair and hunkered down for 84 minutes of gritty crime noir.

Here are my first impressions of Chasing Shadows.

Why now?

Chasing Shadows is set for a limited theatrical release in North America this summer, followed by a DVD and VOD release later in 2019.

In a nutshell

An inexperienced and already washed-up detective battles with a suppressed painkiller addiction while trying to track down a serial killer.

Who’s it for?

The movie is rated 15 and justifiably so as some scenes are fairly gruesome. Not one for the kids, anyway.

Who’s in it?

Cengiz Dervis plays Henry, the aforementioned gloomy detective. Julie Rose Smith plays his wife Lyla, while the role of Max (why does nobody have a surname here) is taken on by Lloyd Sparsi. Faye Sewell, Kevin Golding and Alex Reece comprise the rest of the main cast.

The good stuff

For a “micro-budget” crime thriller, I think this film actually punches above its weight on plenty of occasions. Khan’s direction is largely quite accomplished, with effective use of light and camera work throughout. The film’s score is also strong and lends itself to the dark and brooding tone Khan was clearly shooting for.

Any more action-oriented sequences in the movie are executed well, with a foot-chase between two of the principal characters a particular technical highlight (though it very nearly goes on too long). Some shots were quite haunting, too, especially those centred on the serial-killer moments in the film – lots of deep red, shadows and unsettling angles.

In terms of acting, I found Sparsi’s portrayal of Max intriguing. I liked the idea of a serial killer who was devilishly handsome and charming (nothing new there, really) who lapses into moments of homicidal mania without ever really letting his mask slip. The film ends up poised for a potential sequel, which I’d be interested in seeing if Max remains the lead antagonist.

The not so good stuff

While I found Khan’s direction admirable, I was less enamoured with his writing ability. The story, firstly, is a pretty by-the-books serial killer narrative – if you haven’t figured out the entire plot within the first 15 minutes, you’re just not really trying. Nothing really jumped out at me as surprising, and each character fit far too comfortably into their respective stereotypes: Detective With Personal Demons, Nagging Wife, Charming Killer, Angry Cop Boss, etc. With the exception of Sergeant Emily Banks (who was just weird enough to be memorable) and Max in fits and bursts, the characterisation of the remaining players was fairly two-dimensional. I’d definitely seen that leading character detective before – I didn’t need to see him again, especially when he looked as though he’d just woken up in every scene. I also wasn’t sure if Max’s dual accounts of how he received his facial scar were a homage to The Dark Knight or just a casual rip-off.

The poor writing extended to (and was perhaps most glaringly obvious in) the dialogue. Some of the exchanges between characters were so painful I felt as though George Lucas had written them, and it was clear the actors were at times struggling to deliver their lines with any real conviction. On the flip side of that negative, however, was the positive that any scenes with little or no dialogue further amplified Khan’s good directorial skills.

I’ll aim a final criticism at some of the sound in the film, though I expect this will be improved before the final product is unveiled. Some of the off-screen characters sounded very muffled during conversations, and the final voiceover sequence was nearly incomprehensible at times. Again, though, I assume this will be rectified in post-production.

The bottom line

Chasing Shadows is an admirable first-time effort from Aoun Khan and certainly worth a watch, if you enjoy this genre. Any inadequacies in writing are largely balanced out with good direction and score, though as a writer myself, I struggle to look beyond the improper execution of words. I’d be interested to see what a film directed by Khan and written by someone else would turn out like, though – definitely one to watch in future.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

The post Review: Chasing Shadows [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Another Avengers movie release, another midnight showing, another day as a work zombie…all totally worth it.

Avengers: Endgame finally hit the big screen on 25 April, and I was one of the hundreds of ecstatic movie-goers packing out one of several booked-out screens at our local cinema. I’ve been to a few midnight showings, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many super-enthusiastic fans gathered in one place. The atmosphere was electric – it’s the perfect way to enjoy a much-anticipated film, because everyone who’s there really has to want to be there at that time.

Anyway, on to the review. This one is SPOILER-FREE, but I’ll probably do a follow-up piece soon discussing the film in more depth.

For now, here are my initial impressions of the final Avengers movie.

Why now?

Endgame was released on 25 April and is in cinemas in the UK right now.

In a nutshell

With half of all life in the universe ‘snapped’ out of existence by the titan Thanos, the remaining handful of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes set about trying to find a way to reverse what their arch nemesis achieved at the end of Infinity War. I can’t say any more than that without dropping a spoiler, but from the trailers, you’ll know that Ant-Man and Captain Marvel play a part in it all.

Who’s it for?

The movie is rated 12a, so some children may need an adult along. It’s just Marvel-level violence for the most part though, so don’t worry too much about it.

Who’s in it?

I’m not even going to touch this one because the cast of this film is freakin’ huge. If you’ve seen Captain America Civil War, Infinity War, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel, however, you’ll already be acquainted with the entire cast.

Really struggling to contain myself here…

The good stuff

Man, I wish I hadn’t set that no-spoilers rule at the start of this review!

If you’re a Marvel fan (and of course you are), this film is everything you’ll have wanted it to be. It is at least as good as Infinity War, if not a few shades better, and if you’ve read my review on it you’ll know that’s high praise indeed.

On every level – writing, direction, acting, special effects, etc – Endgame exceeds expectations. I went in having no real clue what was going to happen, as I think most fans did, but even if I’d formulated my own carefully-concocted version of the plot, it would never have come close to what actually happens in the film. Right from the start, the plot spins off in directions I could never have predicted. Characters die who I expected to live (that’s not a spoiler, you knew some of them would die), others survive who I assumed would be killed off at some stage; certain heroes play key roles while others sit a little further back, but every member of the cast gets their time to shine. How the Russo brothers managed to achieve that in such an effortless way, I’ll never know.

And that’s another awesome thing about this movie – the great moments you hoped would happen do happen, just not necessarily in the ways you anticipate. There are fantastic twists, set pieces, stunts and phenomenal cinematography throughout, and the final battle sequence tops anything ever played out in the history of action movies, let alone those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Pretty sure that isn’t an exaggeration, either.

Finally, on an emotional level, Endgame trumps everything that’s come before it. There were plenty of tears in our screening towards the end, explosions of laughter all the way through, and spontaneous applause when the final credits rolled. Be warned – this is an emotional experience, and you will leave the cinema feeling very sad and very happy in equal measure.

The not so good stuff

There really isn’t much to say here. My only complaint, and it’s extremely minor, would be with some of the early sections of the film that seem a bit slow, but there’s a lot of character development going on here and numerous story arcs being concluded simultaneously, so I suppose that’s to be expected. I would have liked to have seen a few of the characters get slightly more screen time as well, but again, it’s a tall order getting everyone into a film that acts as the culmination of ten years’ worth of storytelling.

The bottom line

Avengers: Endgame is all that you hope it’ll be and a bag of chips. The Russo brothers hit all the right notes from start to finish, and the ending in particular is thoroughly satisfying.

Like I said, I’ll write a second review TEEMING with spoilers in the near future, but for now, just take my word for it that this film is incredible – see it as soon as possible on the biggest screen you can.

Verdict: (5 / 5)

The post Avengers: Endgame [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Back by popular demand but better than the fourth Indiana Jones film is the next instalment in our ‘Villains’ series, where I share my thoughts on which movie bad guys have been worth the wait, and which have been a big ol’ let down.

So far, I’ve put villains from the Harry Potter, James Bond and Marvel series under the microscope – this time around, I’ll turn my attention to the glorious and often polarising space opera saga that is Star Wars (and I’ll do my level best not to geek out too much in the process).

Before I get into it, though, here’s an important disclaimer: there are a TON of heroes and villains in the Star Wars universe and while it would be fun to compare a baddie from the prequel trilogy with someone in Rogue One, it may not be entirely fair, especially if their character spans more than one trilogy and we have more time to love or hate them. So I’m going to stick with the new trilogy on this occasion. 

Also, the new trailer for The Rise of Skywalker dropped as I was writing this and almost made me go in a completely different direction on this one (that laugh…!), but I decided to stick with my original choice in the end.

Part four: Star Wars Villains (Sequel Trilogy)

Kylo Ren – heir apparent to Lord Vader indeed

I love Kylo Ren. I love Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. I love J.J. Abrams for making Kylo Ren such a badass in The Force Awakens, and Rian Johnson for developing his character in the right way in The Last Jedi. He was probably the best thing about both movies.

Remember the first teaser trailer for The Force Awakens? Andy Serkis snarling “There has been an awakening…have you felt it? The Dark Side, and the Light.”

There’s a shot in that teaser that hit the cutting room floor of Kylo Ren igniting his crossguard lightsabre in the snowy woods on Starkiller Base. That was the beginning of the Kylo Ren hype that never really let up at all, even after he took off his mask to reveal the wavy dark locks of Adam Driver (I know a few people who hated that). Here was a villain deliberately modelled on Darth Vader, complete with his own distorted voice and hidden visage.

What I love about Kylo is the fact that we never really know just how good or bad he actually is, or whether or not he’s truly as powerful as other characters in the films keep telling us. At the end of The Force Awakens, he screams “TRAITOR!” at John Boyega’s Finn (something akin to Anakin’s “I HATE YOU!” shriek at Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith), reminding us that he’s still quite young and lacking in self-control – he’s also just murdered his own father at this point, so the capacity for evil is definitely there. And yet in The Last Jedi, he often seems just as conflicted as Rey, even veering tantalisingly towards the Light at times.

Ultimately, it’s all a mirroring of Vader, making Kylo Ren the first truly worthy successor to the heavy-breathing Dark Lord of the Sith. And like Vader, as The Rise of Skywalker approaches, we still have no real idea which way this particular Force-wielding villain is going to go in the end. As it should be.

Supreme Leader Snoke – just a red herring?

I thought Rian Johnson did a fantastic job with Snoke. Abrams hadn’t given us much to go on other than a gloomy-looking hologram with a booming voice, but Johnson wasted no time in revealing the First Order’s Big Bad shortly after the opening scene of The Last Jedi. Snoke’s fairly hideous appearance, given life by the brilliant Andy Serkis, was pretty much what I’d been hoping for. I also loved the fact that his throne room was mostly bright and red, and Snoke himself wore gold-coloured clothing instead of the usual black ensemble.

And I genuinely loved the moment when Kylo Ren sliced his master in two – it was totally unexpected and completely threw the audience at the time.

However, I was gutted that we never discovered who the heck the Supreme Leader actually was. Like many fans, I’d spent months trying to work out who he was: Palpatine? Darth Plagueis? Mace Windu (yes, someone actually suggested that!).

So when the credits finally rolled and we were no closer to finding out who he was or why he wanted to take over the galaxy, I felt a little cheated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m on the positive end of Star Wars fans regarding The Last Jedi, but I’d wanted some answers and hadn’t gotten anyway. Maybe we’ll find out in the final instalment who Snoke was, but I fear that ship has sailed.

The bottom line

I don’t think many Star Wars fans would argue that Kylo Ren isn’t a great villain. He has all the makings of a classic cinematic figure on the cusp of a satisfying character arc completion (I hope!), and the trailer shots of his mask being repaired got me even more excited for The Rise of Skywalker than I already had been (he’s cooler with the mask on, right?). On Snoke, I wanted some answers and Rian Johnson didn’t throw any my way, so I can never really feel at peace with that one.

Here’s to a satisfying end to the greatest movie saga of all time!

Read the rest of “The Movie Villains Who Nailed It” series:

Part 1: Harry Potter

Part 2: James Bond

Part 3: Marvel Cinematic Universe

The post The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those Who Didn’t) – Part Four [Star Wars] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

And here we, as film enthusiasts, find ourselves trapped between a rock and a hard place: the rock being arguably the most famous movie director of all time, and the place being the Western culture of 2019, where content is consumed in a vastly different manner than it was when Spielberg first began his directorial career.

Is this the opening skirmish of a war between the past and present? Are we supposed to pick a side?

Probably not.

When Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma won three Oscars at the Academy Awards (including, most significantly, Best Director) last month, it broke a taboo that perhaps none of us realised even existed.  Roma was put forward for ten awards by the Academy, and though it wasn’t the first streamed film to be nominated (that honour goes to Manchester By The Sea), it was the first to ever win in the Best Director category. That’s a major distinction.

And yet, Roma ruffled more than just Spielberg’s feathers. One of the reasons why the film was considered so contentious by those in the movie industry, in fact, was the way in which it was released. Netflix made the film available mid-December, around the time most Oscar-hopefuls will start distributing their work, and also released it in a few movie theatres at the same time, which was frowned-upon by some because it failed to stick by the 90-day cinema window.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Tom Rogers (former CEO of TiVo) explained why Roma could be a milestone in the history of cinema.

“It’s such a disruptive pick for the Academy to end up embracing something that’s really going to go to the heart of movie theatrical distribution and the whole windowing system it has,” he said. “Netflix came up with a better way to watch television. Consumers have voted. It’s a great way to get what you what, when you want, and how you want it. And they’re doing the same thing with movies.”

CNBC

So while Netflix is indeed breaking new ground, it isn’t necessarily doing anything wrong (in the eyes of most people, anyway).

However, Steven Spielberg wasn’t quite so accommodating, stating:

“I don’t believe films that are just given token qualifications in a couple of theatres for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination.”

The Guardian

He went on to suggest that Netflix movies should be nominated for Emmy Awards as they’re technically made for television. The veteran director is expected to raise the issue at the next Academy board of governors meeting and argue for a rule change that would ensure Oscar-nominated films adhere to the traditional theatrical run format in order to be eligible for the awards.

So what’s the bottom line here?

Well, it depends what way you look at it. Peter Bradshaw writes:

“Those sympathetic to Netflix contest their opponents’ claim to be the defenders of decent celluloid values battling against an overweening corporate monster intent on crushing the community values of movie theatres. On the contrary, they say Netflix is challenging the privileges of entitled white males.”

The Guardian

Bradshaw does, however, go on to point out that Netflix relies heavily on subscriptions and is simultaneously engulfed in massive, crippling debt – a staggering $28billion – that could quite easily cause the platform to collapse, “leaving us to wonder how we could have been so naive and disloyal in relation to the workable theatrical release model.”

And for those who might try arguing that the current generation is transitioning away from traditional models of cinema towards instant content, it should be noted that just last year, attendance at UK theatres was at its highest since 1970, with 177million admissions.

Perhaps Spielberg has a point, and the purity of the Academy Awards should be preserved at all costs. Or maybe we’re simply in a new era of cinema, one in which we can watch Oscar-worthy films on both our television and theatre screens, depending on our preference.

Surely increased access to quality works like Roma can only be a good thing, after all? Certainly, Spielberg’s contemporary Martin Scorsese seems to think so, with his next film The Irishman set to debut on Netflix later this year.

The post The Netflix Problem appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

With time running out for Disney to milk Marvel for all it’s worth (which is a lot, by the way), they’ve churned out one last origin story for us to feed on until Endgame is unleashed. The final piece in Stan Lee’s complex and colourful jigsaw.

Let’s talk about Captain Marvel.

Why now?

Captain Marvel was released on 27 February and is in cinemas in the UK.

In a nutshell

Captain Marvel is a Kree warrior caught up in an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls, a race of shape-shifters aiming for universal conquest. She finds herself on Earth in the mid-90s 1995 and quickly discovers that she was once U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. Teaming up with a two-eyed Nick Fury, she sets about defeating the Skrulls and uncovering how she came to gain her incredible superpowers.

Who’s it for?

The movie is rated 12a, so some children may need an adult along. But apart from some mild Marvel-style violence, this one’s pretty tame.

Who’s in it?

Brie Larson played Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, and unsurprisingly, she’s very good. Danvers is actually not the easiest role to bring to life – her past is a bit complicated, and you’re not really sure if you’re supposed to be watching a human pilot with a penchant for karaoke or a battle-hardened alien being just trying to fulfil a mission. Either way, Larson pulls it off, and I’m really looking forward to seeing her in Endgame.

Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Nick Fury, but with a twist or two. He’s considerably younger here (via some clever CGI), still retains both eyes, and isn’t quite as cynical as we find him later in the MCU. It was a nice change seeing Fury being somewhat less furious than usual.

The film also stars Ben “bad-guy voice” Mendelsohn as the leader of the Skrulls, Jude Law as Danvers’ Kree mentor and Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson (again, de-aged marvellously). It’s a relatively small but strong cast.

The good stuff

The good aspects of this film are obvious from the get-go, as are its negative qualities.

The cast is great, especially Larson. As I said, I’m looking forward to seeing how she integrates into the final Avengers movie, particularly under the direction of the Russo brothers. I imagine there’ll be some nice banter between her and the other super-powered heroes we’ve come to love.

Technically, the film looks and sounds good. It’s competently directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck with some great action sequences and stunning visuals. When Danvers comes to realise the full extent of her power later in the film, you genuinely get the sense that she’s fairly unstoppable.

And as with all Marvel movies, there’s a great deal of humour interspersed with the more serious moments throughout. It’s a fun movie, and most Marvel fans will enjoy it well enough.

However…

The not so good stuff

Maybe it’s the onset of Marvel fatigue, but I felt like I’d seen this movie already. While the narrative starts off with Danvers already in possession of her powers, it quickly rolls back into the usual MCU origin story formula: gets powers, learns more about powers, beats the Big Bad in the final act with said powers. This has all been done before, and better in some cases, unfortunately.

Secondly, the writing is often sub-standard for a Marvel movie. Some of the lines spouted by characters felt lazy and too by-the-book, especially in the case of Nicky Fury, who swung too far towards Hollywood cliché at times.

The filmmakers’ desire to empower women with this film and its lead character, while definitely admirable, becomes more of a distraction at times from the actual plot. It felt like some lines had been shoehorned in just to give the audience and critics a few sound-bites to take home. Yes, this is a film that gives younger viewers a great female role-model to emulate, but a blatantly-obvious pointed line like “I have nothing to prove to you” (addressed to a man) actually detracts from the flow of the narrative, like a big diversion sign by the side of the road.

Captain Marvel shouldn’t be deemed an excellent MCU film simply because it has a strong female lead, in the same way Black Panther shouldn’t be elevated just because it debunks racial stereotypes in its genre. Those plaudits should be gained on the merits of good film-making, which I believe Black Panther achieved more successfully, though not as successfully as many others suggested (I’m one of the few Marvel fans who wouldn’t rank it in my top five MCU movies).

My own gripes aside, Captain Marvel is a bit of an ‘almost’ movie: the writing is almost good, the humour is almost funny, the plot is almost engaging. But I felt like I’d seen it all before, and the filmmakers were in too much of a hurry to bang out one more quick origin story before it all wraps up next month.   

The bottom line

Captain Marvel is another enjoyable instalment in the MCU. Brie Larson grabs the lead role by the horns and is well-supported by a strong cast. It’s a solid enough movie, but it suffers from an overbearing need for its agenda to be pushed – had it been handled with a little more care, it could have been fantastic.

Verdict: (3.5 / 5)

The post Review: Captain Marvel [spoiler free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Marvel has come a long way since Robert Downey Jr first donned the Iron Man suit in 2008 and took on Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane, with a wide range of villains coming and going throughout the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s realisation. Every protagonist needs a worthy antagonist, and many directors have tried (sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing) to bring a comic book bad guy to life effectively on the big screen.

The MCU has gifted us some enduring villains (like the brilliant Loki) and completely forgettable ones (remember Whiplash in Iron Man 2? No?). Some of these bad guys were merely temporary foils for our favourite superheroes to gleefully slap around in a few big-budget action sequences and ultimately played a small role in any build-up before the film was released. Some, however, were absolutely critical to the plot and featured heavily in trailers and publicity material prior to making their anticipated appearance on screen.

As we complete our series on Villains, let’s take a look at two Big Bads in the MCU, one of whom hit the nail on the head, and one who ultimately proved to be a let-down.

Part Three: Marvel Villains

Ultron – so much potential, so little payoff

Calm down, this is just my opinion.

When the first teaser trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron dropped and I heard James Spader growl “I’m going to show you something beautiful”, my instant reaction was…..oh yes. Spader has one of the best voices in Hollywood, and I thought he was the perfect choice to play the evil, evolving robot hell-bent on destroying humanity and the Avengers. And of course, he delivered every line exquisitely – better, in fact, than some of his fellow actors in the movie.

There is, however, only one word to adequately describe what Age of Ultron turned out to be – meh.

I’m probably in the minority here, but I was disappointed with this movie in the end. The first Avengers is just so good, one of the most enjoyable Marvel movies by far, perhaps with the exception of Thor: Ragnarok. Joss Whedon had set the bar pretty high in 2012 and had a lot to live up to with his 2015 sequel. His previous villain had been Loki, after all – not an easy act to follow.

But Ultron, in spite of everything he appeared he would be in the trailers, was ultimately a pretty two-dimensional villain. Yes, he had some complex daddy issues with Tony Stark and his actions resulted in the necessity for the Sokovia Accords, which caused the fallout in Captain America: Civil War, and yes, he helped create Vision, but Ultron just didn’t do it for me in the end. Age of Ultron itself isn’t written as well as its predecessor either and becomes a bit muddled towards the end – maybe if the film as a whole had been more successfully executed, Ultron would have reached his full potential.

Thanos – well worth the decade of anticipation

I’m a huge fan of how the Russo brothers brought Infinity War to life on the big screen. It was a monumental challenge given the sheer number of characters involved, all of whom had their own personal backstories, but they pulled it off. You can read my glowing review here.

And one of the primary reasons for the success of that film is, I believe, its antagonist.

Marvel had been building steadily towards the big reveal of Thanos since his first cameo appearance in Thor in 2011. And when the titan finally appeared, he did not disappoint. In his first scene, he bumps off two of those enduring MCU characters we talked about and beats Hulk in a fist fight, which very few others can claim to have done. And that’s just him getting started.

I was always a little worried that Thanos would be just another two-dimensional villain driven by an unwavering desire to take over the universe, and while cosmic annihilation is indeed on his agenda, there’s something that very clearly sets him apart from all other villains in the MCU – he actually achieves his goal and defeats the good guys.

There are some pretty great villains in Marvel’s grand project, but for me, Thanos is the one who absolutely nailed it and very much lived up to the hype.

The bottom line

So there we have it – the movie villains who were worth the wait, and those who ultimately let us down (or let me down, anyway). Hope you’ve enjoyed my little rants, even if your opinion differs completely. But I’m sure we can all agree on one thing: a really great villain can raise the bar for any film.

Also Read: The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those Who Didn’t) – Part Two

The post The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those Who Didn’t) – Part Three [Marvel Cinematic Universe] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

As a native of this green island, I was immediately intrigued when I noticed The Cured pop up on Netflix recently. I’m a fan of zombie movies (much to my wife’s displeasure) and took the first available opportunity to gobble this one up. Pun intended.

Why now?

The Cured was released on January 25 on Netflix in the UK.

In a nutshell

A virus has devastated most of Europe, turning the infected into psychotic, bloodthirsty monsters, and Ireland has suffered heavily. However, a cure has been found which has been successful on 75% of the infected population, with the remaining 25% still quarantined for study. One young man called Senan, one of the cured, is released back into the care of his sister-in-law. However, the cured can remember what they did in their infected state, and it isn’t long before Senan and his fellow cured come into conflict with a society unwilling to accept them back.

Who’s it for?

The Cured is rated 15 for strong violence, gore, threat and language. It’s not quite as violent as most other zombie movies I’ve seen and much of the horror is implied. Fans of the genre will find the bloodiness satisfactory while newcomers shouldn’t be put off by it.

Who’s in it?

Sam Keeley plays protagonist Senan, while Ellen page takes the role of his sister-in-law Abbie. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Ebony Maw in Avengers: Infinity War, which was news to me) plays Conor, a fellow member of the Cured with an agenda. It’s a small but capable cast.

The good stuff

This is a smarter zombie movie than many others in the genre. Granted, most contemporary films about the brain-munchers usually try to put a fresh spin on things (unless it’s The Walking Dead) and some succeed, but I liked the fact that this one focused on an entirely new aspect of it all – what happens to those who are cured of the infection. I thought the whole concept of them actually remembering what they did in their zombie state was particularly chilling, and it’s a premise that becomes increasingly significant as the film goes on. This is a well-written, well-acted movie with shades of 28 Days Later and The Last of Us in there at times. Some scenes are genuinely scary, too. And if the writers didn’t intend for it to be an allegory of historical Irish political unrest, they certainly stumbled into it anyway.

The not so good stuff

There isn’t much to say about this movie that’s overly negative. It was clearly made on a smaller budget than other zombie movies (like the big-money World War Z, for instance) and so it doesn’t have very many big action sequences or huge amounts of zombie screen time. Some of the plot is quite predictable and the ending’s a bit of a let-down, but if you take it at face value and are happy with a slower-burning zombie flick, I doubt you’ll mind.

The bottom line

I enjoyed The Cured – it’s a good casual watch and perfect for Netflix viewing. It won’t win too many new fans to the zombie genre, but it’s a fresh enough twist on the long-running horror premise to merit a watch. Catch it while you can.

Verdict: (4 / 5)

The post Review: The Cured [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

I’ll say that now, right off the bat. It’s weird. However, I would have liked it to be just a little weirder. So let’s talk about it.

Why now?

Velvet Buzzsaw was released on February 1 on Netflix.

In a nutshell

The art circle of Miami Beach is turned on its head when a vast collection of pieces are discovered after a reclusive master artist called Vetril Dease dies and his works are claimed by an ambitious young woman seeking to climb the social and professional ladder. It isn’t long before those who purchase Dease’s works begin to experience disturbing events, some of which prove to be fatal.

Who’s it for?

Velvet Buzzsaw is rated 15 for strong bloody violence, language, and sex, and it certainly features plenty of that. However, while it’s gory in parts and the language is occasionally pretty bad, it’s tame enough compared to other movies in the supernatural horror genre. It’s not for kids, though.

Who’s in it?

There’s a strong cast in this one. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Mort Vandewalt, an art critic researching Vetril Dease after his works are discovered. He’s romantically involved with Josephina (Zawe Ashton), the lady who discovers Dease’s work; she’s employed by Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo), owner of the art gallery where much of the film’s central plot points take place. The film also features Toni Collett, John Malkovich and a host of others you’ll definitely recognise. Like I said, strong cast.

The good stuff

Jake Gyllenhaal, for a start, is great. He plays the role of camp, snooty art critic to perfection, managing to be annoyingly arrogant while remaining relatable enough throughout. His performance largely carries the film at times. The setting is interesting, and I was intrigued with the premise from the start. The film is genuinely scary at times, too, and it’s directed fairly well.

The not so good stuff

However, like I said at the start of this review, it’s a weird film. I don’t think the writers 100% knew what they wanted it to be. It starts as some sort of satirical drama and ends as a full-on supernatural horror without being either consistently throughout its runtime. It ends up as a kind of twist on Final Destination, with characters bumped off by some unseen vengeful force in a variety of ways. It felt to me like the makers of Velvet Buzzsaw got off to a solid start and then ran out of ideas about halfway through.

Like so many Netflix films, this one could have been so much more than it ended up as. Had the writers pushed the premise just a bit more, or sent it in another direction (it would have worked as a pure comedy – if it was supposed to be a pure comedy, I didn’t get it), this may have been a five-star review.

The bottom line

I was ultimately left disappointed with Velvet Buzzsaw. It has its moments and it’s probably worth a watch if you’ve nothing better to do, but in the end, its style outweighs any real substance. What starts off strong and engaging peters out into something predictable that leaves you wondering if you should have watched something else instead.

Verdict: (2.5 / 5)

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Famous words so often uttered not long before a villainous henchman-dispatching, cat-stroking maniac on a mission is thwarted once again by Her Majesty’s greatest double-O agent…after a few vodka martinis have been downed, of course.

James Bond has become one of the enduring symbols of heroism in cinema since his first big screen incarnation in Dr. No in 1962. As England’s most potent agent of espionage with a “licence to kill”, Bond has consistently overcome a variety of foes (ranging from the unnervingly-plausible to the downright ridiculous) while being played by a variety of actors (ranging across the same sort of spectrum). Some of his opponents have been largely forgettable (remember the antagonist in Quantum of Solace?), while others have undeniably left their mark on the Bond franchise.

Continuing with our theme from last time, let’s take a look at two villains in the Daniel Craig era, one of whom was disappointing, and another who was surprisingly effective.

Part two: James Bond villains

Ernst Stavro Blofeld – late and not worth the wait

When I first heard that Christoph Waltz was playing the primary antagonist in Spectre, the 2015 follow-up to Skyfall, I was thrilled. I love Christoph Waltz. He’s spectacularly villainous without really having to try. And I was even more intrigued about how he would portray a classic Bond baddie – Ernst Stavro Blofeld (the inspiration for Mike Myers’ Dr Evil, no less) – in the sequel to 2012’s Skyfall, which is by all accounts one of the best movies in the series. Sam Mendes was set to return to the helm, with another outing for Daniel Craig as 007 on the cards. It all sounded too good to be true.

And, alas, it was.

Spectre is a good Bond film, but it fails to hit the heights of its predecessor. And I believe the main reason for that unsatisfactory outcome was because of a misfire in the villain department.

Waltz is an Oscar-winning actor with incredible talent. His portrayal of Blofeld should have been scintillating, mesmerising, captivating…totally unforgettable and worthy of Bond himself. But it just wasn’t. Waltz’s considerable powers were horribly underused. His first real appearance in the film was hiked up and up and up, and while some of his lines were certainly chilling (“It was me James, it’s always been me – the author of all your pain”), he was easily beaten in the first instance, and easily captured by Bond in the second.

Having an actor like Christoph Waltz in your movie and simply not using him to anywhere near his full potential is the equivalent of getting behind the wheel of a Formula One car and driving it at 20mph to the shop for milk and teabags.

Yes, he’ll be back of course, but for a villain who essentially orchestrated every negative experience for Craig’s Bond since Casino Royale, Waltz’s Blofield was woefully underwhelming when he finally stepped out of the shadows.

Raoul Silva – a fitting nemesis

Skyfall was a far superior Bond movie to Spectre, and a significant aspect of what made it great was its antagonist – Raoul Silva.

Played by the always-brilliant Javier Bardem, Silva was a disillusioned former MI6 agent with a penchant for cyberterrorism and an unwavering desire to get revenge on Judi Dench’s ‘M’, with whom Bond had a love-hate, quasi mother-son relationship since well before the Daniel Craig era. Silva blames M for disavowing him to the Chinese government and will stop at nothing to kill her.

Like Christoph Waltz, Javier Bardem is fantastic at embodying pure evil in his portrayal of a villain (think Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men) and really makes the character he takes on his own. Silva is wonderfully weird, irreverent and, at times, actually quite funny, all the while poised on the cusp of maniacal wickedness. He’s an actor from whom you can’t look away when he’s on screen, and as a Bond villain, he achieves something very few manage to do – he matches 007.

The bottom line

In pretty much every respect, Bardem succeeds where Waltz fails. Or rather, Sam Mendes unlocks the potential of the former and leaves the latter largely dormant. I’m a huge fan of both actors and was so disappointed to see how bland and two-dimensional Waltz was in Spectre, especially after Mendes had so successfully tapped into Bardem’s ability in Skyfall.

In the final instalment of this little series on villains, we’ll take a look at Marvel and discuss which Big Bad was exactly what we hoped for, and which one should have been left on the shelf at the comic-book store.

Also Read: The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those Who Didn’t) – Part One

The post The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those Who Didn’t) – Part Two [James Bond] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Why now?

My wife and I recently watched several of the Harry Potter films on TV. She’s a huge fan and I’ve come to enjoy them a lot, minus the obsession. And after taking in several chapters of the magical series that’s delighted children and adults for years now, I came to the conclusion that Harry Potter has an underwhelming central antagonist, while another lesser villain in the series is actually much more effective. So let’s start there, shall we?

Lord Voldemort – lost a bit of magic in the end

Ralph Fiennes’s Dark Lord was built up progressively for three movies before finally making his appearance proper in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which he was suitably snake-like and pretty much how we expected him to be. And we could forgive him for allowing Harry to slip through his fingers so early after his return to embodiment…right? Put it down to jetlag, or some equivalent.

However, by the time the last chapter of the saga rolls around and Voldemort is finally undone for the last time by Harry and friends, I was left with a sense of disappointment, more than anything. This was a villain whose name people were too afraid to even speak, who in the end was bested at every turn by a teenager (albeit the Chosen One) without ever appearing to be in control at any point. Some fans of the series are also particularly scathing of the final few minutes of The Deathly Hallows Part Two, which differs considerably from the far-superior novel and seems to render much of what went before null and void (and nobody even witnesses Harry defeating old no-nose, either!).

I couldn’t help but compare Voldemort with other great movie villains while watching the two-part finale of the film series. Play out the Death Eaters’ attack on Hogwarts alongside, for instance, the Empire’s assault on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back; compare Vader with Voldemort, two Dark Lords who strike fear into the hearts of the respective universes they inhabit; decide which of the two is ultimately more menacing and effective as a cinematic villain, and who is finally beaten more easily, and by which character.

In the end, Lord Voldemort was the equivalent of a piranha popping out of the sea at the climax of the famous Jaws score – we expected a ferocious and unstoppable Great White shark, and instead we got an ugly little fish with a bad reputation who gets reeled in by a boy. 

Dolores Umbridge – had us under her spell

In sharp contrast, the greatest villain in the entire Harry Potter series (in MY opinion, don’t forget) was one who was quickly brushed under the rug after the fifth film, and only appeared again in little more than a cameo role towards the end – Dolores Umbridge.

Where Ralph Fiennes was a bit creepy as He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, Imelda Staunton was excruciating as Umbridge. Reading about Harry’s interactions with her character in The Order of the Phoenix will leave you wanting to rip pages from the book and throw them straight in the fire. She’s the personification of every young person’s worst teacher, multiplied by several hundred degrees and surrounded by an impenetrable force field of pink fluff and kittens. What’s more, she consistently gets away with her villainous actions unopposed for large portions of the film, and even makes an unwelcome return in The Deathly Hallows Part One, just when you thought she was finally gone. And she’s the only character in the series other than Voldemort who actually leaves a scar on Harry.

For me, Umbridge was the one who left a bad taste in my mouth, which is exactly what a good villain should do. Unlike other antihero-type antagonists who you kinda root for (more on them soon enough), there is simply nothing about Umbridge that’s redeemable. Even moreso, I would venture, than Voldemort himself.

The bottom line

Maybe you’ve got to this point and heartily disagree with my conclusion, and that’s ok – it’s just food for thought, and movies are meant to be discussed, after all. I really like the Harry Potter series, so most of my frustration stems from disappointment rather than just plain old criticism. I simply wanted Voldemort to be worthy of his reputation, and in the end, he fell short.

Next time, we’ll turn our attention to James Bond and the bad guys who weren’t nearly as bad as we’d hoped they’d be (and those who were more so!).

The post The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those Who Didn’t) – Part One [Harry Potter] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Let’s take a retrospective look at Roald Dahl’s The Witches.

Why now?

The Witches was made available on Netflix during the first week of 2019.

In a nutshell

A young boy and his grandmother, who has a rather in-depth knowledge of witches, travel to a seaside hotel for the summer, where they inadvertently encounter a convention of the cackly old crones presided over by the Grand High Witch herself. Cue plenty of classic nineties OTT acting, white mice, and absolutely terrifying Jim Henson makeup effects.

Who’s it for?

Children…and also, not for children at all, sometimes. The Witches is one of those anomalous films that’s aimed at kids but is at times disturbing enough to leave parents with a few bad dreams of their own. Much like Gremlims, for instance. I wouldn’t recommend letting very young children watch it.

Who’s in it?

Luke and his grandmother Helga are played by Jasen Fisher and Mai Zetterling respectively, while Anjelica Huston owns the role of the Grand High Witch. Rowan Atkinson, right at the beginning of his Mr Bean days, plays the hotel manager.

The good stuff

If you like a good dose of nineties nostalgia and don’t mind a few slightly cringe-worthy moments, you’ll like this. This is Roald Dahl story-telling at its best: funny, satirical, mesmerising in its simplicity and horrific in equal measure. It’s wonderfully over-the-top at times, and the makeup effects for the witches are unforgettable (no matter how hard you try). Huston is superb as the Grand High Witch, genuinely scary even without her grotesque prosthetics and mechanised claws, and Atkinson is, well, Mr Bean incarnate. It’s a fun, silly film to watch, with or without the kids.

The not so good stuff

Like many nineties or late eighties movies viewed from the vantage point of Generation Z, The Witches will have aged considerably in its look, pacing and cinematography. Contemporary viewers may find themselves rolling their eyes at points or wondering where the CGI dragons are, but if you go into it understanding the context of the time and the source material from which it’s drawn, you won’t be too disappointed. It’s hard to be too critical of anything inspired by Dahl, even if the man himself hated the film’s ending.

The bottom line

The Witches is an enjoyable watch, and worth it just to see Anjelica Huston in one of her most celebrated roles. It’s funny, weird, disturbing and scary, and came along at a time when computer-generated images weren’t quite there yet, so puppetry was used instead to great effect.

Flick it on some evening and lose yourself in Roald Dahl’s brilliance for ninety minutes.

Verdict: (4.5 / 5)

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Full disclosure: these are three film franchises that I adore, so apologies in advance if this gets emotional.

Let’s do them chronologically, just to keep things simple.

Avengers: Endgame

The Endgame title was revealed just last month, along with a decidedly threadbare teaser trailer. We saw Tony Stark saying his goodbyes to his beloved, a clean-shaven Captain America concocting a plan, and the reappearance of some faces notably absent from Infinity War. This next (and very much not final) entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be the 21st in the series since Iron Man kicked it all off in 2008, which is in itself a remarkable achievement.

Hopes and fears:

The Avengers find themselves in a sticky situation, with a significant portion of their team (along with half of all beings in existence) wiped out by the jolly purple giant Thanos at the end of Infinity War. Plenty have speculated, but no-one really knows exactly how everything’s going to work out fine in the end for our superheroes, though Ant-Man and his quantum tunnel machine thing surely have something to do with it…right?

Personally, I’m excited to see how Captain Marvel fits into this increasingly-complex puzzle – is she the key to defeating Thanos? More importantly, just where did everyone go after The Snap? I hope the Russo brothers can deliver another perfectly-balanced visual spectacle to follow on from the first film, with solid performances from a very talented cast and plenty more breath-taking MCU action. My only fear is that Endgame won’t live up to expectations, and that the weight of eleven years-worth of interwoven narratives and characterisation finally collapses in on itself.

Fingers crossed we can make it beyond April without that happening…

Star Wars Episode IX

The as-yet-untitled final episode in the new trilogy is perfectly poised to surprise, I believe. The Resistance has been reduced to a handful of rebels stuffed into the Millennium Falcon, with the ever-angry Kylo Ren now the Supreme Leader of the First Order hell-bent on wiping them out. Han’s gone, Luke’s gone, and, as a result of tragic real-life circumstances, Leia probably won’t feature for long in the new movie. That leaves us solely with the new cast, as well as Lando Calrissian, who is due to make another appearance in that galaxy far, far away.

Hopes and fears:

I’m pretty hopeful for the final act in the Skywalker saga since J.J.Abrams retook the reins. The Force Awakens was excellent, while The Last Jedi was marmite (I loved it, for what it’s worth). Abrams is one of the best currently in the business, and with the story right on the brink of something truly special, I’m already getting excited about seeing how the inevitable Kylo-Rey-Finn love triangle pans out (don’t lie, you were thinking it too).

My fears for Star Wars always stem from Disney’s control over the final product. The worst part of The Last Jedi (ie. the middle bit at the casino) had clearly come about based on the advice of executives who wanted to retain a fun, child-friendly element in what was otherwise a darker and more interesting storyline. If Abrams and his writing team can keep the pesky Mickey Mouse meddlers out of production, we could have an epic space opera on our hands that’s worthy of George Lucas’s original vision, before pod-racing and Jar Jar Binks.

Jurassic World 3

I know a lot of people didn’t like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and I understand why. I also know that, as a long-time fan with rose-tinted glasses fused to my face, I will always find a silver lining in every velociraptor-shaped cloud that floats my way, so I’ll do my best to be objective here.

The Jurassic World movies, though clearly not as expertly-crafted as the original movie, are fun to watch, and have introduced a whole new generation of movie-goers to the classic cloned reptiles. And I think that’s great.

Hopes and fears:

My hope for the final movie in the new trilogy, which hits the big screen in 2021, is that all of the potential that’s been simmering under the surface throughout the first two instalments comes together in the way I’ve always hoped it would. No more weak writing, no more ‘filler’ characters, and no more sauropods left behind on lava-soaked docks as I try not to die inside.

Colin Trevorrow, who did a fine job of resurrecting the series back in 2015, has returned to the director’s chair after being let go by Disney (“creative differences”, and all that jazz), and I think that might be enough to get the trilogy over the line in a satisfactory way – while Fallen Kingdom was often preoccupied with trying to either scare or sadden us, Trevorrow leans more towards giving JP fans what they always wanted to see.

The bottom line

Of the three series in question, Jurassic World 3 has the most potential to crash and burn, which I desperately hope it doesn’t. I think Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars Episode IX are both in great hands and stand a much better chance of delivering, especially since both franchises are guaranteed to carry on beyond 2019 with plenty more Marvel movies in the works and an entirely new Star Wars trilogy reportedly under development.

Fingers crossed for satisfying conclusions featuring copious amounts of Hulk smashing, lightsabre clashing, and T-rex jaws gnashing.

The post Three franchises ending soon: my hopes and fears for each appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Why now?

Bird Box began streaming (no pun intended) worldwide on 21 December 2018.

In a nutshell

The film starts off with Bullock’s character Malorie telling a young boy and girl that they’ll be taking a boat down river, and not to remove their blindfolds for the duration of the journey, otherwise they’ll die. Skip back five years and we see why, as supernatural entities begin appearing around the world, causing anyone who looks at them to immediately commit suicide.

Who’s it for?

Anyone over the age of 15, if the certification people are to be obeyed. There isn’t a whole lot of anything in this movie other than violent death scenes that would require a viewer to be a bit older, but it’s certainly not for children or those of a nervous disposition.

Who’s in it?

Bird Box has a nice little cast. Sandra Bullock is the protagonist supported by Trevante Rhodes, BD Wong, Tom Hollander, Jacki Weaver and John Malkovich, among others.

Bullock is, as you might expect, as strong as ever in the lead role – assured, funny, empathetic and believable playing Malorie, a character who’s well capable of preserving herself and others while remaining vulnerable enough in the midst of an apocalyptic situation for us to relate to her as a person (not that we’ve been in too many end-of-the-world scenarios, but you know what I mean).

Malkovich puts in a notable performance as Douglas (are we supposed to hate him or like him?) while Rhodes is a strong support for Bullock’s lead. Hollander is sufficiently creepy in his role, too.

The good stuff

I’ve recently acquired an inexplicable taste for horror movies, so I couldn’t resist flicking this one on as soon as I watched the trailer. And it didn’t disappoint – it is scary, and it is a relatively-fresh breath of air in its genre. And it’s another bull’s-eye for Netflix’s efforts in horror after the superb Annihilation.

I enjoy movies where a group of random strangers are thrust together and have to collectively figure out how to survive. I wouldn’t do so well in that scenario myself, but it’s fun watching others have a go at it. The plot of the movie, which cuts back and forth between the river journey and how it all kicked off five years prior, is engaging enough to keep you hooked in without giving you too much of a chance to dig any deeper into potential plot-holes; the tension is pumped steadily into the house where much of the retrospective action takes place and when the scares do come, they’re worth the wait.

The filmmakers also employed a clever trick to maintain the suspense, one that directors have used countless times in the past to great effect – you don’t see the monsters for a very long time (or in this instance, technically not at all). Think of the shark in Jaws, the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, or Norma Bates in Psycho. The suggestion of horror in Bird Box is often greater than what’s actually seen, and that makes it all the more powerful.

The not so good stuff

As mentioned previously, Bird Box is a relatively-fresh idea, but it’s not totally original. M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening (which is a terrible movie) was centred on the same idea of people committing suicide under the influence of some invisible entity, so I felt like this one was a slight rip-off. Indeed, Josh Malerman, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, feared that his rough draft (written prior to The Happening) was too similar to Shyamalan’s idea and would be passed over. This is a much better take on the idea, though, so he needn’t worry.

My only other gripe was the ending, which was a bit of a come-down after all the tension leading up to it – it’s not the worst, but a little more closure would have helped.

The bottom line

Bird Box is another solid horror showing from Netflix, and well worth a watch. It’s plenty scary and intelligently executed by the filmmakers and cast. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely give it a second viewing at some stage.

Verdict: (3.5 / 5)

The post Review: Bird Box appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Let’s take a look at Ant-Man and the Wasp, that delicious filling squeezed between two chunky slices of epic Avengers action.

Why now?

Ant-Man and the Wasp was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK on 3rd December.

In a nutshell

Scott Lang has been on house arrest for two years following the events of Captain America: Civil War. He’s just days away from freedom when Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne get in contact – they’ve realised that Lang may hold the key to rescuing Hank’s wife Janet from the Quantum Realm, which Lang had entered towards the end of the first film. It isn’t long before trouble arises in the form of Ghost (a spectral villain with an unwavering agenda, also involving Janet) and Lang dons his Ant-Man suit again alongside his new-found partner, the Wasp.

Who’s it for?

Like almost all Marvel movies up to this point (with the exception of a certain Deadpool), this film is perfectly suitable for kids and adults alike. No sex, no bad language, and only superhero-film violence on the table here.

Who’s in it?

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly reprise their roles as Ant-Man and the Wasp (can you even believe it?), while Michael Douglas also returns as Hank Pym. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Janet, and Michael Peña provides a substantial amount of the film’s already substantial comic relief. Hannah John-Kamen plays Ghost, and Laurence Fishburne (the man is EVERYWHERE) comes on board as an old friend of Pym’s.

The good stuff

As with the first Ant-Man and Thor Ragnarok, this movie is decidedly lighter and more humorous than many of the other offerings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Obviously, the likes of Rudd and Peña excel in this environment, playing to their strengths, though the chemistry and easiness shared by every actor you see on screen is palpable, especially between Rudd and Lilly. It’s a fun movie to watch, and though I adored Infinity War, it’s a refreshing change from the heaviness of the Thanos-centred narrative. As you might expect from a Marvel movie, the SFX and fight sequences are all top notch, and the shrink/growth technology employed by the two primary heroes is utilised to great effect. Even the other fairly ridiculous aspects of the Ant-Man universe, such as giant ants playing electric drums (oh yes), are perfectly passable in this movie, in keeping with its tone.

The not so good stuff

My only criticism of Ant-Man and the Wasp centres on something that, to be honest, its makers can’t really do very much about, and that my extraordinarily clever analogy in the opening paragraph referred to: it’s a filler movie.

I actually missed seeing it in the cinema during its release because it didn’t feel like a huge priority at the time – I was still digesting the epic blockbuster that was Infinity War and didn’t fancy going to see a movie that seemed to have no real bearing on Avengers: Endgame. Maybe I’m not as hardcore as I thought.

However, don’t be fooled – the whole premise of this seemingly-small Marvel offering may actually have huge implications for the final act in the Avengers story. You may be able to piece together a few theories before even watching the movie (assuming you’ve seen the first one), and the teaser trailer for Endgame was noticeably Ant-Man-centric towards the end. I may be wrong, but I’d be surprised if what happens in Ant-Man and the Wasp doesn’t inform the plotline of Endgamein some significant way.

The bottom line

I suggest you grab this one on DVD or Blu Ray soon and enjoy a quiet night in front of the fire with this small but potentially-crucial cog in the big MCU machine. It’s a solid movie with a good cast and a decent storyline that may not leave you quite as thrilled as other Marvel flicks, but should keep you ticking over until Captain Marvelarrives in the spring.

Verdict: (3.5 / 5)

The post Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp [spoiler-free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Flying high now…

Why now?

Creed II was released on 21 November and is still in cinemas now (quick, go see it!).

In a nutshell

Three years after the events of the first film, Adonis Creed has become heavyweight champion of the World and a household name. He’s with the girl of his dreams, has achieved his ultimate career ambition and seems to have finally moved outof the shadow of his mentor, Rocky Balboa.

However, Ivan Drago suddenly resurfaces from the bleak depths of the Ukraine (sorry if you’re from there, it’s just the way it’s portrayed in the movie) with his son Viktor to challenge Creed to a long-awaited ‘rematch’ of sorts. Ivan Drago is hell-bent on getting his revenge on Rocky by taking down the son of the man hekilled in the ring all those years ago (the great Apollo Creed), whose deathdrove Rocky to defeat him and, it seems, ruin his life; Viktor Drago – whowould, by the way, give the Incredible Hulk a run for his money – just wants tofinally get daddy’s approval by pummelling the living daylights out of Adonis.

Naturally, this macho match up culminates in a brutal clash between Creed and Drago, with afew pumping training montages thrown in along the way. Plenty of spoilers inthere maybe, but I doubt anything you wouldn’t have guessed yourself.

Who’s it for?

If you like Rocky movies – and the first Creed film, of course – you’ll love this. There’s almost nothing in it in the way of bad language or sex, but if youdon’t like violence, I would steer clear. There’s a fair bit.

Who’s in it?

MichaelB. Jordan reprises his role as Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, while Sylvester Stallone makes what is rumoured to be one final appearance as the Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa. Tessa Thompson plays Bianca, girlfriend and eventual fiancée of Adonis, whose music career takes off in correlation with Creed’s boxing rise to fame. Dolph Lundgren returns as the infamous Ivan Drago, with Florian Munteanu playing Viktor.

The good stuff

This is another solid instalment in this long-running and much-loved series of boxing movies, but like all other Rocky films, it’s so much more than what the cover poster suggests. The direction and acting are top-notch with Jordan putting in another quality performance as Adonis. Stallone is basically Rockyat this point, and slips effortlessly back into the character he’s beennurturing since 1976 – I think it’s also his most assured and emotionalperformance to date (Stallone’s a better actor than people give him creditfor).

The boxing sequences, like the first Creed movie, are fantastic, and even if you pretty much know what’s going to happen, you’ll still be on the edge of your seat from the first ding of the bell. You’ll also feel every single punch – I flinched constantly during the two fights between Creed and Drago (whoops, spoiler!).

The not so good stuff

There’s not a lot about this movie that I didn’t like. I wasn’t entirely convinced at the start that Michael B. Jordan would ever make it as a heavyweight boxer in real life, but actually, I found myself convinced by the end of the film (through powerful acting and a decent storyline) that he could overcome bigger opponents through speed and technique.

There’s a rather tragic storyline running parallel with the main Creed v Drago plot involving Adonis, Bianca and their little baby (whoops, spoiler!) that, while obviously very sad, I wasn’t entirely sure was necessary. I think the strain put on their relationship by Creed’s fame and/or desire to beat Drago couldhave done the trick just as well, but I understand why the writers did it. Veryminor gripes, as you can tell.

The bottom line

Creed II is predictable, but you won’t care. It’s an engaging, well-written and expertly-crafted film boasting solid performances simultaneously from fading stars and those on the rise.Certainly if you’re a fan of previous Rocky movies you won’t be remotelydisappointed (you may even feel a little thrilled), and if you’re in any wayinclined towards boxing or big guys beating each other to a pulp, you’ll likethis show.

For me, the whole shebang was summed up perfectly in one final shot towards the end of the film: Rocky sitting in the shadows outside the ring wearing a Team Creed jacket while Adonis celebrates his victory amidst the media furore (whoops, another spoiler!). It’s a perfect way to call time on one classic movie character while another steps up for his own time in the limelight.

Verdict: (4 / 5)

The post Review: Creed II appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

I’ve just watched two films that recently appeared on Netflix, both in the same genre, both released in late 2016. Both are big-budget Hollywood productions with A-list leads and quite original scripts. Both are films you’ll have heard of and have probably seen.

I really liked one and strongly disliked the other.

The two films in question are Passengers, starring Christ Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, and Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.

I found Arrival to be a smart, well-written and superbly-acted movie that asked challenging questions – I very much enjoyed watching it and highly recommend giving it a viewing if you haven’t already seen it.

And I can tell you right off the bat that I didn’t think much of Passengers, at all. I wanted to, of course – I think Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are awesome, and the premise of the movie is strong – but ultimately, it doesn’t succeed.

So let’s break it down, shall we?

Writing

Arrival works because it’s an intelligent spin on an old premise. Aliens arrive on earth, everybody loses their marbles, and no-one knows how to handle the situation – however, the focus is on communication, an aspect of sci-fi movies so basic that it’s almost always overlooked. Not only that, but the story flashes back and forth between two periods, never quite allowing you to settle, or fully understand what’s going on until the climax. And when it all comes together, it makes sense and leaves you profoundly impacted on an emotional level.

Passengers doesn’t work because, while the idea behind it all is intriguing, it doesn’t make the most of its undoubted potential. What starts off as a strong story very quickly tails off into a very standard sci-fi narrative, complete with lots of things blowing up and inexplicable resolutions. I think it could have worked better as a horror, perhaps.

Acting

Arrival works because Amy Adams nails it, and her supporting cast compliment her beautifully. She’s believable and relatable as the lead; her decisions make sense, and her reactions draw empathy. Undoubtedly one of her strongest performances to date.

Passengers doesn’t work because, once again, its potential is not maximised. Chris Pratt is a wonderfully-charismatic actor with great comedic timing, and while this is a very different role for him, he’s very bland. Similarly, Jennifer Lawrence is one of the best actresses in Hollywood and apart from one or two scenes in the movie, you simply wouldn’t know it. It may be sceptical of me to say, but I fear these two leads were chosen based more on their star power and looks (I haven’t seen Chris Pratt’s butt as often in one movie before) than on their fit for the roles.

Direction

Arrival works because it’s understated and toned perfectly to match its weighty subject matter. Denis Villeneuve received a Best Director nomination for Arrival, with the film also nominated for Best Picture, and it’s easy to see why. This film is masterfully made without being too flashy – unusual for an alien movie.

Passengers doesn’t work because it tries to do big things without addressing the small things first. Morten Tyldum is also an Oscar-nominated director, but Passengers is a shallow, predictable, and ultimately quite boring film which could have been incredibly engaging had a little more thought gone into making it. Maybe that’s harsh, but it frustrates me to see a movie miss the mark like this.

The bottom line

Arrival and Passengers are cut from the same cloth, but they’re executed in very different ways. Where one succeeds by doing something different (and doing it expertly), the other follows a very safe path towards mediocrity, when it could have been equally excellent.

They’re both on Netflix now, so watch them and see what you think!

Verdict

Arrival: (4 / 5)

Passengers: (2 / 5)

The post Passengers V Arrival: A Comparative Review appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Why now?

The Christmas Chronicles was released on 22 November on Netflix.

In a nutshell

Siblings Kate and Teddy inadvertently throw a spanner in the works for Santa on Christmas Eve and end up spending the rest of the night trying to help old Saint Nick meet his present-delivering quota for Christmas 2018. Add some CGI reindeer and sometimes-cute-sometimes-terrifying elves, plus a dash of family tragedy to give some weight to the storyline, and you’ve about summed it up.

Who’s it for?

Definitely one for the family in the run-up to Christmas. Kids will enjoy this – parents will mostly endure it.

Who’s in it?

Kurt Russell plays Santa (has that happened before?) and does so pretty well. It’s a slightly different take on the jolly man in red (for one thing, he isn’t fat), and one or two super-cringy scenes aside, his performance is memorable enough.

The start-out-fighting-but-you-know-they’ll-work-it-out brother and sister pairing are played by Judah Lewis and Darby Camp respectively. Again, there are moments of cringe to winch through, but generally, these two young actors do a good job. Younger kids will relate to Camp, teenagers will get where Lewis is coming from, and parents will see their own children in both, no doubt.

The good stuff

This is a pretty standard Christmas movie. For the most part I felt like I’d watched it before – the whole ‘interfering with Santa’s job and having to help him get things back on track’ trope is common enough in these sorts of family movies (Tim Allen wouldn’t have been out of place here) and you’ll know exactly how things will turn out after the first ten minutes or so. But I think that’s the point of these movies. They’re all about comfort, familiarity and childlike wonder. There are definitely moments when The Christmas Chronicles nails it.

The not so good stuff

Of course, there are plenty of moments when it misses the mark, too. The whole premise is supposedly based on two kids who catch Santa on video, and while little Kate dutifully carries round her camcorder and films when she can, it doesn’t have any real significance to the plot in the end. I thought there’d be a clever twist somewhere along the way, but it just leads to a flat punchline in the final shot.

The film rapidly goes downhill about halfway through when the kids are separated from Santa: we end up with Kate at the North Pole being attacked by hundreds of very fake-looking cartoonish elves (more like cats with beards – not sure what the filmmakers were thinking here), Teddy hauled off to a street gang headquarters and threatened with incineration (no, really), and Santa in jail singing the blues, backed up by a full band as easily-persuaded police officers bop along. I almost switched it off, at this point, but it just about gets back on track after that random deviation and ends on the predictable, but still fairly heart-warming, note I was waiting for.

The bottom line

The Christmas Chronicles is far from the best festive film you’ll watch this holiday season, but if you’re home some evening with the kids and don’t mind a bit of cheesiness and under-invested CGI, it’s worth a casual watch.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

The post Review: The Christmas Chronicles appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Don’t stop me now… (sorry, couldn’t resist)

Why now?

Bohemian Rhapsody was released on 24 October in the UK and is still in cinemas now.

In a nutshell

The film follows the rise to fame of the British rock band Queen, focusing primarily on the life of its enigmatic frontman Freddie Mercury, beginning with their initial meeting in 1970 and ending with the climactic Live Aid show that becomes known as one of Queen’s most iconic performances.

Who’s it for?

If you love Queen and proper rock n’ roll music, you’ll definitely enjoy this movie. It’s rated 12a, and while most of the questionable scenes in the movie are implied rather than explicitly shown, parents might want to be careful about taking young kids along. For everyone else though, it’s all good.

Who’s in it?

Rami Malek plays Freddie Mercury, and boy does he play him well, especially during the musical numbers! Bringing arguably the most important frontman in the history of music to life on the big screen is no easy task, but Malek makes it happen, and then some. His performance is understated and exuding vulnerability where it needs to, but is also recklessly flamboyant and OTT when required, in equal measure.

The other members of Queen, who don’t get anywhere near as much screen time as Malek, do a great job portraying their real-life characters. Gwilym Lee is the spitting image of Brian May, while Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello (Timmy from Jurassic Park!) are solid. Lucy Boynton does a fine job portraying Mary Austin, who had much to come to terms with in regard to Freddie and his developing sexuality; Allen Leech is suitably snakelike as Freddie’s personal manager Paul Prenter, while Aidan Gillen does well in a relatively small role as Queen’s manager. Mike Myers also makes a short but important cameo appearance.

The good stuff

This is a stylish film featuring solid performances all around, but for me, it was the big music numbers that really blew me away. When the scene switches from the opening of Bohemian Rhapsody in the radio booth to Mercury on stage with thumping guitar riffs and pounding drum beats, I couldn’t help but grin and stamp along with the rhythm (probably to the annoyance of those around me). The Live Aid performance which draws the film to a close is also unbelievably accurate, almost shot-for-shot of the actual show put on by Queen. I watched the original back again after returning from the cinema and was thoroughly impressed with what was achieved by those who put that scene together.

The not so good stuff

While I really enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, I was also very aware while watching it that there are glaring historical inaccuracies throughout it. This seems to have been a common theme in criticisms of the film, and while I’m absolutely not an expert in Queen or Freddie Mercury, I could definitely tell when parts of the narrative had been embellished or accelerated for the purposes of the film. Bohemian Rhapsody also underwent a directorial change about two thirds of the way through production, with Bryan Singer “leaving” the project to be replaced by Dexter Fletcher – you can’t necessarily tell when this happened from watching it, but some scenes certainly seem to have undergone inexplicable stylistic changes that jar with the general tone of the rest of the film.

I also found the portrayal of Mercury’s sexuality a little over-the-top at times. While his orientation was obviously so important to how he lived his life (as well as being what ultimately led to his illness and passing), it seemed to become far more important than anything else in the story as the film progressed. I would have like to have seen more of Queen and how their music developed (which, when touched-on, always felt rushed, as though someone had gone back through what had already been filmed and stuffed it in) and could have done with slightly less of how Mercury was manipulated by Paul Prenter into becoming what the film conveys as a sex and drug-crazed ego-maniac. I might be wrong, but I don’t think that made for an entirely accurate portrayal.

The bottom line

Bohemian Rhapsody would be a solid movie choice for you this week if you’re after something that’s big, bold, and will leave you wanting to blast some rock n’ roll in the car on the way home; if you want a historically-accurate, Queen-centric film, this may not be for you.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

The post Review: Bohemian Rhapsody appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Hold on to your butts.

Why now?

Fallen Kingdom was released on DVD and Blu Ray this week.

In a nutshell

Isla Nublar, the island on which the Jurassic World theme park was built and then abandoned after the events of the previous film, is about to be destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), who has established the Dinosaur Protection Group (DPG), is invited by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) to return to the island and help relocate a number of dinosaurs to a secure preserve, including the velociraptor Blue. This brings Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) back into the equation, and together they set off for the park to rescue the animals. However, as you might expect, all is not as it seems…

Who’s it for?

Fallen Kingdom is rated 12 in the UK and would be suitable for anyone of that age and above. It’s pretty dark in a few places though so parents should err on the side of caution when deciding whether or not to let kids watch it.

Who’s in it?

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard resume their lead roles as Owen and Claire. Supporting them are James Cromwell as John Hammond’s former business partner, Rafe Spall as Lockwood’s assistant Eli Mills, Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda as members of the DPG, B.D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, and Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood. Jeff Goldblum also makes a welcome, albeit brief, return as a bearded Ian Malcolm. The cast is actually fairly small and you’ll recognise pretty much all of them from somewhere.

The good stuff

I’m a huge fan of the Jurassic Park series and always want to draw positives from these movies. Fallen Kingdom is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s plenty of good stuff to be had if you’re willing to overlook the obvious negative points.

First of all, the direction is excellent. Spanish horror director J.A. Bayona takes the reins from Colin Trevorrow and does a brilliant job injecting the JP series with a fresh dose of darkness that had been largely missing from the more family-friendly Jurassic World. The more the film goes on, the more Bayona flexes his horror movie muscle, layering threat and suspense throughout Fallen Kingdom and, at times, majorly toying with your emotions. His use of light and the homages he throws into the previous films in the series are wonderful, too. I’m always drawn to direction more than anything else in a film, and I loved how Bayona handled what he’d been given to work with here, especially on the second viewing.

Pratt and Howard have great on-screen chemistry, as they did in the first film, and the movie really springs to life as soon as they’re reunited. Howard’s character Claire has progressed significantly since Jurassic World and there are a couple of direct nods to things that she was derided for in the first film (fancy a run from a T-Rex in high heels, anyone?). Pratt is, of course, oozing with wit and charm all the way through and effectively carries the film for large portions of its 128-minute runtime. I also really liked Pineda as Zia Rodriguez and thought she shone in her brief scenes.

Isabella Sermon is also great as Maisie Lockwood. All Jurassic Park movies feature a kid who represents the wonder and awe we all feel when we see the dinosaurs for the first time (“Ooo, ahh, that’s how it always starts…”), and Isabella nails that sentiment perfectly. Her character arc feels tacked-on at times, but without it there’d be a lot less depth to the second half of the film.

The special effects and action sequences are big, noisy, and stunning to look at, while the CGI for the dinosaurs is top notch. This movie forces you to become more emotionally invested in the animals this time – the Indoraptor is genuinely scary, the pinnacle of Bayona’s influence here; you’ll also find yourself inwardly chuckling, cheering and, in one harrowing shot that I won’t talk about for fear of tearing-up (only a slight exaggeration, too), swallowing hard against the lump in your throat during certain scenes. I enjoyed the first Jurassic World but I cared about the computer-generated dinosaurs more in this one.

Finally, for me, the opening scene in this movie captures the true essence of the Jurassic Park films. An expendable guy in a yellow slicker runs screaming through the pounding rain on a long-abandoned dock while a ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex easily shunts a car out of the way as it bears down on him. It’s exactly what I wanted to see in this movie and I was almost thrilled by it, except…

The not so good stuff

…the acting is just so bad. On my second viewing of the movie, I was reminded afresh how key the acting ability of even minor dino-fodder characters can be. Think about the opening scene in the very first Jurassic Park, and how the performance of that soon-to-be-eaten gatekeeper really captured the essence of horror that permeated the rest of the film. I was left frustrated that, despite looking really good and being a great way to start the film, a bit of bad acting sucks any sense of urgency out of it.

The storyline also isn’t great. One major criticism from reviewers is that Fallen Kingdom doesn’t really progress the overall JP narrative. Yes, the dinosaurs get off the island (some of them, anyway) and yes, the park is destroyed, effectively killing off a ‘character’ who had existed from the beginning, but by the time the film ends you sort of shrug your shoulders and think ‘is that it?’, which is unfortunate. For me, it felt like the premise just wasn’t strong enough, and was largely all about moving the characters and animals into a confined setting where the true horror could be unleashed – not the worst idea in the world, perhaps, but also not enough to leave you totally satisfied when the credits roll.

The bottom line

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom felt like a missed opportunity for me. I adore the JP films and genuinely enjoyed watching this one, but I know it has a number of weaknesses and would have loved to have seen it do more than it did. I have no idea what Trevorrow will do with the final movie in the trilogy (the ending sets it up while also leaving things pretty wide open), but I’ll be very excited for it when the time comes.

If you’re a JP fan, I imagine you’ll enjoy this as much as I did. Watch it with a big pinch of salt and take it for what it is – a good Jurassic Park film that could have been great, had a little more thought been put into how it was written.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

The post Review: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Why now?

Hold the Dark was released on 28 September and made it on to Netflix at the start of October.

In a nutshell

Wolf expert and writer Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) is contacted by Medora Sloane (Riley Keough) after her 6-year-old son goes missing from their Alaskan village, Keelut. Medora wants Core to hunt down and kill the wolves responsible for taking and presumably eating her little boy, the same wolves that have killed other children in the area.

Meanwhile, Medora’s husband Vernon Sloane (Alexander Skarsgård) is fighting for the US military in Iraq, where he clearly thrives in a such a bloodthirsty environment. After suffering an injury, he is sent home.

Core very quickly begins to unravel a dark and disturbing mystery surrounding Medora and Vernon that escalates rapidly when Vernon arrives back in Alaska, leading to plenty of open human conflict and brooding wolfish violence.

Who’s it for?

This is a dark movie (literally and figuratively) with some genuinely disturbing visuals and bloody scenes. It varies between being very loud and so quiet you almost can’t make out the dialogue, so prepare to be patient and follow the narrative carefully. If you’re looking for something as action-packed as The Grey, for instance, you’re watching the wrong movie.

Who’s in it?

Jeffrey Wright takes the lead on this one, playing the pained and long-suffering Russell Core admirably. Wright’s gravelly voice and understated acting style will draw you in nicely, especially if you’ve seen him in Westworld recently. Medora and Vernon are played by Sloane Riley Keough and Alexander Skarsgård respectively, and they both do a fine job of giving you the creeps throughout. Skarsgård carries most of the threat throughout the movie, but Keough is central to the properly-disturbing moment early on in the film.

The good stuff

I chose to watch this movie on Halloween night because it looked scary (and I had Trick or Treaters to attend to all evening). I also really liked The Grey and thought this might be similar. There are wolves, yes, but the people in the film provide the real chills. Director Jeremy Saulnier is all about slow pacing and visuals that never allow you to settle – just when you think you’ve got a handle on what’s going on, the narrative takes a swing to the left and you’re back to square one.

But I liked that. I enjoy films that try something different, and I especially love when the setting itself becomes another character in the movie (think Fortitude before the second season pulled it off track). Alaska is made to feel like a dark and dangerous place with an ever-growing sense of isolation, in which every character on screen is either expendable or the one doing the expending.

The not so good stuff

I had just two main gripes with this film.

Firstly, some scenes feel as though they’re dragged out far too much – one of the few action-oriented parts of the movie goes on way too long and almost had me losing interest after a while. Other viewers may find the general length of the film to be an issue.

Secondly, there is one very important aspect to the storyline that went completely over my head, and I only realised what I’d missed after I read a synopsis of the movie. I don’t normally miss major plot points but this one was very subtle. It was definitely there, but you almost had to know where to look, which I didn’t. And it’s pretty key to tying the whole movie together, so if you miss it, the whole experience feels a little flat. The movie also ends very abruptly with no real payoff, so be prepared to be a little disappointed there.

The bottom line

Hold the Dark is a chilling movie that’s definitely worth a watch. It’s more of a commentary on the savagery of the human condition and will certainly leave you with a few things to think about afterwards. However, it sometimes gets bogged down in its own gloomy narrative and could have been more than it was in the end.

Still, give it a viewing and allow yourself to be immersed in the experience – you may not be too keen on visiting Alaska afterwards, though.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

The post Review: Hold the Dark [spoiler free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Why now?

A Star is Born was released on October 5 and is in cinemas now – catch it while you can!

In a nutshell

Jackson Maine (Cooper) is a famous country singer with a severe alcohol and drug addiction. After a show in California, he stumbles across Ally (Gaga) performing at a drag bar. Blown away by her talent, Jackson invites her into his world in the music industry, where she quickly rises to fame as the two become romantically involved.

Who’s it for?

Anyone who’s a fan of music, Lady Gaga, or well-made movies should prioritise this one. It’s rated 15 in the UK – there’s fairly mild language and drug use, as well as some sexual scenes and brief nudity, so I wouldn’t advise bringing kids along. But for a 15 in today’s market, it’s pretty tame.

Who’s in it?

A Star is Born has a strong supporting cast (including Sam Elliot and his glorious moustache, which deserves a credit of its own) and features a few nice little cameos, but this is all about Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

I can’t emphasise strongly enough how incredible these two lead actors are together in this film. Their chemistry is off the scale and their individual acting throughout the movie is of the highest quality.

I’ll admit that, before watching it, I wasn’t overly fussed on seeing Lady Gaga in a romantic drama featuring lots of country music. But her performance forced me to eat my words, my hat, my arm…anything that was remotely edible, in fact. She is unbelievable in this film, both in terms of her acting and, of course, her singing. The first time she truly breaks out the full power of her voice on stage in the movie, your jaw will hit the floor.

The same can be said of Bradley Cooper, whose own musical talents are on full display here. The opening scene, which features his character Jackson on stage, is absolutely electric, pulsating with energy and pounding rhythm. And as the more seasoned actor, his performance is impeccable.

Oh, and did I mention he directed it, too?

The good stuff

There’s very little to say about A Star is Born that isn’t good. It has a great (albeit rehashed) storyline, excellent acting, and is technically superb in terms of direction, cinematography and editing – all credit to Cooper, really.

For me, it felt like Lady Gaga set aside her controversial, OTT musical image and fully embraced her status as a genuine Hollywood actress – she’s almost unrecognisable in the opening scenes, though she becomes more Gaga-ish as the film progresses. I was pleasantly surprised/shocked by how good she was.

The film also features an extremely photogenic dog that stole a couple of key scenes – I found out afterwards that he actually belongs to Bradley Cooper in real life, too!

The not so good stuff

I struggled to fill this section this time. Unless you don’t like films about the music industry or you’re not into romance (or heavy subject matter like addiction and strained marriages), then you may not enjoy this movie. It’s also very emotional towards the end and quite a few people in our cinema screening were bawling in the final act. But if you can handle those things, you won’t have a problem.

The bottom line

A Star is Born is one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. I tend to be very positive about most of the movies I see, but this one really knocked it out of the park. I would be flabbergasted if it doesn’t win (never mind be nominated for) Oscars in February.

Go see it now, and be prepared for something that sticks with you long after viewing.

Verdict: (5 / 5)

The post Review: A Star is Born appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

One small step for man…

Why now?

First Man is in cinemas now (so get out there and see it!).

In a nutshell

Following the tragic death of his young daughter, test pilot Neil Armstrong applies for Project Gemini and is accepted onto the programme, moving to Houston with his wife Janet, son Rick, and a number of other astronaut families. He rises through the ranks with NASA, overcoming a variety of near-death experiences to lead the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, where he becomes the first human being in history to walk on the lunar surface.

Who’s it for?

First Man is rated 12a and features very little that should put parents off bringing kids along, apart perhaps from the at-times-heavy subject material of the film.

Who’s in it?

Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong in yet another impeccable (and understated) performance. To me, Gosling is the modern-day Harrison Ford, displaying an effortless calm in his acting style that constantly promises to burst into action at any moment. He’s very believable as Armstrong and conveys the harrowing aspects of the astronaut’s life and career with considerable emotional range.

Claire Foy plays Janet, Armstrong’s very understanding and supportive wife. If you’ve seen Foy in The Queen, this will throw you a bit – she’s very much the average American woman working hard to hold her family together as her husband embarks on endless space missions, each of which he barely survives. Foy will be up for an Oscar for her role in this film.

Supporting them are Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin (he’s dead annoying in this, but he’s supposed to be), Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler and Ciaran Hinds, among a number of other recognisable Hollywood faces. The cast are all superb and lend to the Gosling-Foy duo heading up the film.

The good stuff

This is a very well-directed and well-written film which gradually draws out the story of Neil Armstrong’s rise to fame as the man who took “one small step” all those years ago. The acting is top-notch, and all of the space sequences are impossible to look away from. Personally, I only knew bits and pieces about the Apollo 11 mission, so I found the whole film totally engrossing. I came away with a massive respect for those who risked their lives in pursuit of knowledge, and I still can’t believe such a feat was achieved in 1969!

The not so good stuff

The only real criticism I have of this film is its length. At 141 minutes with an ending that you’re well aware of when you buy your ticket, it sometimes feels like it’s burning very slowly towards that conclusion. The lady next to me in the cinema had nodded off well before the Eagle landed, and I know others who expressed the same sentiment.

Still, this is a movie clearly shooting for awards come the start of 2019, so it was always going to pack a lot in.

The bottom line

First Man is a thoroughly-engrossing biographical drama about one of the greatest technological achievements of all time. It features a solid script, good direction, and two great leading actors (both of whom should be nominated for a little golden statue in February), and will carry you gradually towards that thrilling moment when Neil Armstrong makes “one giant leap for Mankind”, if you allow it to.

Verdict: (4 / 5)

The post Review: First Man [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Maximum effort.

Why now?

Deadpool 2 was released on DVD and Blu Ray in the UK towards the end of September.

In a nutshell

Wade Wilson has been fighting crime as the mercenary Deadpool for two years when a personal tragedy (hasn’t he had enough of those?) forces him to team up with some lesser-known members of the X-men to track down and rescue a young mutant barrelling down a dark path towards violence. His quest brings him face-to-face with Cable, a cybernetic super-soldier from the future who’s travelled back in time with some violence of his own on the agenda.

Who’s it for?

Not your granny, that’s for sure – as with its predecessor, Deadpool 2 is chock-full of gory violence, sexual innuendo and naughty words, and as such is R-rated.

Who’s in it?

Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool in such a way that no-one else ever really could, much like Heath Ledger’s Joker. His charisma and comedic delivery keep the film ticking along at a steady pace as he bounces off every other character on screen (figuratively and often literally). The Deadpool movies wouldn’t be up to much without him playing the titular character.

Supporting Reynolds is Morena Baccarin as Vanessa (in a smaller but possibly more weighty role), the brilliant Josh Brolin (can’t not hear Thanos now, though), Julian Dennison (you’ll see), and a host of others returning to their roles from the previous film. There are a few wonderful cameos throughout as well, but I won’t spoil those for you.

The good stuff

This is another very funny, irreverent superhero film that constantly pokes fun at itself and its genre. If you like Ryan Reynolds and have a fairly good grasp of Marvel, you’ll find this hilarious. It’s also well-directed and has a surprisingly solid storyline.

The not so good stuff

Like the first Deadpool, the film frequently threatens to collapse under the weight of its toilet humour. I found myself wincing at times when yet another barrage of swear words spills out of Deadpool’s mouth when a less-profane line would have done the same job. There could also have been more Cable, but Brolin’s signed on for multiple films so he’ll be back soon enough. It also feels a little too long at almost two hours.

Best quote

Cable: I use a device to slide through time. The longer I travel, the harder it is to control. I got two charges: One to get me here, one to get me home.

Wade Wilson: Well, that’s just lazy writing.

The bottom line

If you’re a fan of the first Deadpool movie, you’ll like this one. It’s almost as good, and only falls short because it isn’t (and can’t be) as original as its predecessor. In all honesty, it wouldn’t be one I’d watch again in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a solid flick that’s certainly worth a home viewing.

Again, though, just don’t watch it with your granny.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

The post Review: Deadpool 2 [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

My wife and I sat down this week for a small-screen viewing of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which was recently released on DVD.

Admittedly, this genre wouldn’t normally be my cup of tea, but after only a little coercion from Christine (who very much does like films in this genre), we decided to try it.

Caffeine and apple pie at hand (didn’t fancy the potato peel version), we settled in.

The story

Guernsey (the full title’s a bit of a mouthful, right?) is an historical-romantic drama directed by Mike Newell, starring Lily James in the lead role as Juliet Ashton, a successful novelist in the post-war era (very post-war, actually, as the film’s set in 1946). While promoting her latest book with publisher Sidney Stark (Matthew Goode), through whom she’s been contracted to write stories for The Times Literary Supplement about the benefits of literature, she is contacted by Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman, of Game of Thrones fame) about buying one of her novels.

Dawsey resides on Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, where he is part of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” A prologue in the film reveals that the society was formed five years earlier during the German occupation when Dawsey and his friends make up the unusually-named book-reading group on the spot when stopped by the Nazis after breaking curfew. They’ve met every Friday night since and become firm friends.

After exchanging some letters with Dawsey, Juliet becomes fascinated by the Guernsey society and decides to travel to the island to meet with them – just to complicate things a bit more, her wealthy American boyfriend Mark Reynolds (Glenn Powell) proposes to her just as she’s getting on the ferry (sneaky move).

Shortly after arriving, Juliet meets the members of the society where she is treated as a great celebrity by the members: Amelia Maugery (Penelope Wilton), Isola Pribbey (Katherine Parkinson), Eben Ramsey (Tom Courtenay), and Eben’s young grandson, Eli (Kit Connor), as well as Dawsey Adams. The members tell Juliet that Elizabeth (Jessica Brown Findlay), who founded the group that fateful night in 1941, is overseas.

The rest of the film plays out gradually as Juliet uncovers more and more of the society’s story, particularly the circumstances around the mysterious absence of Elizabeth, with whom Dawsey (apparently) has a little girl called Kit. As you might expect, there’s more to Guernsey society than meets the eye, and Juliet soon finds herself fully invested in all of them, especially Dawsey, with whom she quickly falls in love.

The things I liked

First up, the cast is great. Lily James’ star continues to rise, and she’s well-worth her leading role credit here, playing an intelligent, compassionate young woman who you can’t help rooting for throughout. Wilton is fantastic as the troubled Amelia, doing her best to steal every scene she’s in with her intensity and brokenness; Courtenay balances her nicely as the warm, pleasant Eden, and I was thrilled to see Parkinson put in a subtle performance as the damaged and lonely Isola (I’m a huge IT Crowd fan and it was great to see Parkinson stretch her acting muscles some more here).

Mike Newell’s direction is understated but effective. His wide, establishing shots of beautiful Guernsey made me want to hop on the next boat there, and his subtle use of tone and light works nicely in the back of your perception of the narrative – of course, it’s a historical drama so there was never going to be anything overly flashy about it. I felt the pace of the film carries you along gently as you follow Juliet’s story.

The things that could have been better

Michiel Huisman’s performance is understated as the reserved Dawsey, but I think he holds back a little too much. While there is definite chemistry between him and Juliet, I didn’t quite believe that she would fall for him in such a short time, even ditching her fiancé in the process (the poor lad didn’t deserve it).

While the film is never boring, it sometimes lacks a little bit of humour or zest in the writing. There was scope there somewhere to have a comic relief character to lighten things up a bit (within reason, of course, in a film with such sensitive subject material) and some of the characters deserved more development. I would have liked to have seen a bit more closure around Elizabeth, and the final act felt slightly rushed and formulaic. These are very minor gripes, though.

The bottom line

Guernsey is a pleasant viewing experience. It deals with the tough historical subject matter in a way that can be absorbed easily – this is a film that successfully balances a narrative featuring menacing Nazi occupation with picturesque island farm life, all carried by a strong lead in Lily James.

Even if you don’t normally go for films in this genre, give this one a go. It’s worth the watch, and you’ll certainly pick up a bit more wartime history knowledge along the way, as I did!

Verdict: (4 / 5)

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