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Reviews
Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Piss poor
My god this was bad, it's got beautiful cinematography but everything just felt meh, I cheered when it finished
Shirley (2020)
Creepily unsettling
Shirley is a biographical drama film, directed by Josephine Decker and stars Elisabeth Moss as novelist Shirley Jackson as well as Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young and Logan Lerman. Shirley is based on the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell. It currently has a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and first premiered at the Sundance film festival in January.
Elisabeth Moss surely has to be in contention for best actress this year with two great performances in both Shirley and The Invisible Man, for me, her performance in The Invisible Man just trumps this one but her performance as Shirley was still interesting to watch as Moss has an incredible range of emotions and expressions that can create a creepy vibe throughout. Michael Stuhlbarg and Odessa Young both give fantastic performances but Logan Lerman puts in a great performance as Fred Nemser and is always interesting to watch in any role however his ark feels predictable throughout and feels like the outsider of the main 4 despite giving a great performance.
Admittedly the plot is scattered with Decker creating a film that makes you think whilst not exactly keeping you entirely engaged. Shirley is unlike anything Decker has ever done, creating a thrilling fictional biographical film with an unsettling atmosphere that keeps you on edge throughout the entire 107 minute run time whilst not always being as interesting as it should. However, that's what Shirley does best, the unsettling atmosphere is exceptional through Odessa Young character Rose Nemser and the weird, intriguing and creepy interactions that happen between the 4 main characters only act to draw in the audience more and provide the film with a more interesting base.
Shirley feels like a film that deserves more than one watch to fully appreciate, however, for the first viewing the story feels scattered and confusing at times as the creepy atmosphere takes control of the film but doesn't end up scarring the audience at all. I must admit, I haven't read any of Susan Scarf Merrell's novels so the film didn't gravitate towards me the way it has with others.
The shaky cinematography and rough editing creates an uneasy environment that doesn't always work but when it does it's great, the scenery outside the house is beautiful to look at but once you go inside the house the uneasy atmosphere takes control and begins to make you think more about the thoughts running through the characters minds and the controlling nature of Michael Stuhlbarg character will makes for uneasy viewing for some audiences.
It's hard for me to recommend this movie, if you like creepy period films than this is the one for you but if, like me, you haven't read any of Susan Scarf Merrell work then this probably won't appeal to you. However, the greatest thing about this film is the technical aspects and how it gets into your mind with the camera lingering on faces to create a creepy tension throughout.
A review about Shirley is hard to write, the film technically is great but won't appeal to mass audiences like other big Hollywood films. I can appreciate Shirley for what it is, a psychological mind bender that gets into your head and makes you think like the characters but for me, Shirley isn't a film that exactly interested me like it should have even though it was well acted and intense from the very start. Shirley is probably too niche to attract the Academy's interest in Moss but The Invisible Man definitely should.
Shirley is often uncomfortable and bold, darkly funny and ridiculously well-acted but feels somewhat predictable for the first two acts and feels like it needs more than one watch to fully appreciate which I unfortunately I don't have any intentions to do so any time soon.
Underwater (2020)
Underwhelming
Underwater is a 2020 American science fiction horror film directed by William Eubank and staring Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick and John Gallagher Jr. Underwater was made on a $50-80 million budget but only grossed $40.9 million therefore squandering any hopes of a sequel.
Underwater isn't exactly a unique story, Alien but underwater, that's basically the thought process of the movie but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it. The cast is likeable, Kirsten Stewart, Vincent Cessel and Mamoudou Athie both open the film with a cliche yet enjoyable start however the character motivations in the second half of the film are believable but questionable by how they go about it therefore dampening the believe ability slightly.
The classic trait of an unseen monster lurking around a confined space is an overused trait in Hollywood but that doesn't mean this isn't one of the better films to use it, the few glimpses of the monster work well to build tension , however, Underwater is hampered with many of the genres typical cliches making certain points predictable and therefore causing many moments to feel unsatisfactory and a few deaths meaningless.
Underwater has many flaws, the character development is horrendous and the lack of explanation for what's going on can easily confuse the audience but if you like dumb monster movies then you can do far worse then this movie and I must say that I enjoyed the little snippets of news articles at the beginning and the end, that was a nice addition.
The claustrophobic nature of this film works superb with its underwater setting and is one of the better features of this film as you personally feel confined as well. The cast do well enough with the basic script they are given and the few glimpses of the monster work well to build up tension but for a horror movie it doesn't induce genuine scares and feels more like it should be just be classed as just an action/thriller.
Underwater won't revolutionise the genre in the same way Alien did but does have a few enjoyable scenes, however, it feels more suited to being the fourth Cloverfield movie then being a stand alone film. If they would have linked it to the Cloverfield universe then this movie would have worked better, however as a stand alone flick it fails to impress in certain parts and leaves you unsatisfied throughout with a mix of enjoyable and unsatisfying moments makes Underwater an very average film.
Ex Machina (2014)
Uniquely good
Ex Machina is a 2014 science fiction/psychological thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland and staring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac. A young programmer gets a chance to become part of a uniquely strange scientific experiment where he researches a unique artificial intelligence, a robotic female.
On a $15 million budget, Ex Machina only grossed $36.90 million at the global box office, however it quickly became a fan favourite for its unique plot and interesting cinematography. Ex Machina went on to win 71 awards in total out of a possible 156 including one academy award for best visuals and was recognised by The National Board of Review as being one of the ten best independent films of the year as well as having a score of 92% in Rotten Tomato's.
Ex Machina is a stunning directorial debut for Alex Garland and is a film based on intellect and the value of AI intelligence. Each performance is captivating, Alicia Vikander and Domhnall Gleeson play their role perfectly and adds to the sense of realism that this film conveys however Oscar Isaac is fantastic and puts in a stellar performance as Nathan that both unsettled you and intrigues you which makes you want to delve deeper into his character and background.
This movie strives to be an intellectual thought provoking masterpiece and it achieves it, it is obviously allegorical, a fascinating tale about AI, but it is mainly about manipulations that man can convey and the power humans have over the experience of life. Each themes convey interesting philosophical approach for the audiences to think about, however, can ultimately be too much for some of the audiences at it demands your full attention throughout and engages your brain to think about the impact of what we can create and ultimately how humans desire to create life and become their own God.
For me viewing this film for the first time, I loved it, its a unique approach to the AI genre, it intrigued me every step of the way and has aged like fine wine over the last few years with it easily feeling like it could have been released last year. Each performance is incredible, its far from a perfect movie with a few tiny flaws that are barley recognisable. Ex Machina avoids the trap of becoming too technical. The storyline is straightforward but still compacts all of the scientific information that is needed in a film like this.
Ultimately Alex Garlands directorial debut was a hit with its audiences and critics, I liked it, its slow build up allowed information to be conveyed that would have been missed if the story was a faster pace, Ex Machina is a great film if you want to delve deeper into the possibilities of AI and leaves you satisfied with its conclusion. This was a fascinating watch but yet feels like it had something holding it back.
Ex Machina ultimately treats it's audience with respect as intellectuals and doesn't dumb down subject matter which leaves room for the story to delve deeper into the mind of the emotions that a human can convey for an AI. This is a great Sci-Fi film that adds to the genre and makes you want to revisit is again and again.
Ex Machina is an exciting, shocking, manipulative, frightening and visceral film that deserves to be experienced with different mindsets.
Scoob! (2020)
Lack nostalgia
Scoob! is a 2020 American computer-animated mystery/comedy film produced by Warner Brothers and is based on the Scooby Doo franchise. Scoob! Is directed by Tony Cervonn and stars Zac Effron, Will Forte, Mark Wahlberg, Gina Rodriguez, Amanda Seyfried and Jason Isaac.
At a young age I loved the Scooby Doo franchise and remember watching the films on repeat which must have been incredibly annoying for my parents. This starts off as another great addition (for the first 15 minutes that is), it's got the theme tune and the origin story of Scooby and Shaggy is great to watch, however where this film falls off is when they are abducted and Blue Falcon is introduced (although Mark Wahlberg does a great job voice acting). The charm of Scooby Doo has always been that it feels grounded and feels like it can happen as they solve the crime and unmask the villain at the end. Taking a turn into the superhero genre was inevitable but it could have been done so much better, the main villain is weak and the cowardly superhero with the same old redemption ark is an addition I never wanted to see in a Scooby Doo films.
This film was always going to be nostalgic but sadly the mystery aspect was missing, this just creates another generic animation compared to the heart of the previous films. The plot feels too big for the movie making it feel more like the third or fourth instalment in a franchise, rather than the more modest scene-setter it needed to be. This takes away the chance to get to know this set of the team personality as hardly any time is spend on the other team member until the third act but Scooby Doo bring a nice nostalgic presence which is expected as its his film, however, the fact that we spend so little time with the team as a whole takes away from the special group dynamic the show portrays, this means when the group is thrown into a dilemma you don't feel anything you should as you don't have the connection with this set of characters.
People who are looking for classic Scooby Doo will be disappointed in this film as it feel too large and outlandish for what is supposed to be a down to earth franchise. Hollywood needs to understand that Superhero films work but shoving superhero's into pre-existing franchise is never a good idea and only hurts the movie in the whole as well as the constant references to pop culture.
Scoob! Is a average film, I enjoyed moments and hated other but ultimately it doesn't feel like a Scooby Doo film, it lacks the mystery that the franchise is known for and this massively hurts the film as that's what Scooby Doo is all about, the film has heart, but lacks all the nostalgia of previous films. The computer animation is a downgrade compared to the classic cartoons and the villain is awful at times but good voice acting and the fact that the film can be slightly enjoyable at times makes Scooby Doo an average enjoyable 2020 release.
Scoob! brings new ideas to the table but feels too far fetched for the down to earth nature of the franchise and would have been better suited to being an episode of a TV show but the Simon Cowell cameo is great and it is still enjoyable at times.
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Mediocre family film but great video game adaptation.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 action-adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise published by Sega. It is directed by Jeff Fowler and stars Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog and Jim Carrey as Doctor Robotnik, as well as James Marsden and Tika Sumpter. Sonic grossed $306.8 million at the box office.
First off, I'm so glad they redesigned Sonic, the first trailer of Sonic looked no where near as good as this one, it just shows how public backlash can impact a movie so props to Paramount Pictures for redesigning him. Video game adaptations have never been a huge success with audiences and critics but Sonic quickly became the highest grossing video game adaptation and won over its audience with a likeable cast and many jokes that worked.
James Marsden is a very likeable human lead and it's great to see Jim Carrey going back to his comedic roots after his role in Dark Crimes, as he is great as the antagonist in this film.
Sonic the Hedgehog works as an enjoyable road trip movie and that's the best aspect of this for me as it's fun to see what they do, this movie had some genuine laughs in it with the puns and pop culture references it includes, but easily one of the best things for me is the soundtrack, it works so well with the film and was a joy to listen too.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a fairly average family adventure comedy film but it is comparably a good video game adaptation compared to others in the genre. This is a good first live-action portrayal of the well loved Sega franchise and it succeeds in what it was meant to be, a somewhat enjoyable family film.
However this film missed so much of its potential in its interesting source material by trading it in for a road trip movie, granted the movie does work as a road trip movie but it would have been so much better if it showed more of the other worlds and other interesting characters in franchise for even a small cameo. The movie could have done with more time to establish Sonics world before rushing to Earth and the wife's sister hating the husband is an overused trope in movies but is funny at times.
I've never been the biggest fan of kids movies in general but this one was enjoyable enough to watch, it had some genuine laughs and the cast worked really well together which leads to the film having a satisfying ending. Hopefully the sequel will include more iconic Sonic characters but the and the end credits and post credit scene of this movie were also fun to watch.
Sonic the Hedgehog marks the start of Sagas shared universe and it's a universe I'm intrigued to watch play out. Out of the movies that have been released in the disastrous year of 2020, this is one of the better ones but it's still far from perfect.
Se7en (1995)
One of David Finchers best.
Seven, also known as SE7EN, is a 1995 American crime thriller directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey. Seven tells the story of David Mills (Pitt), a detective who partners with the retiring William Somerset (Freeman) to track down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as a motif in his murders. Seven grossed $327.3 million and currently holds a certified fresh score of 81% on Rotten Tomato's and 8.6/10 on IMDb. However, audiences enjoyed the film a lot more than critics with a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomato's, I am definitely one of those people that love this film as it engaged and intrigued me.
Its hard to think of many directors that have been as consistently good as David Fincher has been over the years, with the exception of Alien 3, he's had hits such as Zodiac, The Social Network, Fight Club and Gone Girl which have all proven to be incredibly successful and beautiful to watch. Seven was David Finchers first great successes that, like his other movies, has continued to gain popularity throughout the years. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are brilliantly casted as the new up and coming detective and older detective nearing the end of his time respectively and have great chemistry together, the supporting cast is no less impressive as they all work greatly in contributing to the story. Having directed both Seven and Zodiac, David Finchers is the man to go to if you want intelligent and shocking crime thrillers.
The theme of the seven deadly sins aspect of the film is a unique and interesting original approach, as it brings grim and unsettling murder scenes that interest and draws in the audience as well as repulses them with the brutal imagery and techniques that are used for each murder. With each murder also comes interesting investigating scenes that leave your heart racing at it brings itself to that ultimate heart-wrenching conclusion. Kevin Spacey's John Doe is a daunting and intimidating screen presence every time he's on screen which makes for interesting and unsettling viewing for the audience.
Se7en is a psychological fabrication of thematic scope and suspenseful sequences that payed off in the mid 90s and is still revered as one of Fincher's best to this day. The dark atmosphere and unforgettable sense of mystery makes Seven a film that is still loved by the masses today.
Hollywood (2020)
One of the best I've ever seen
What a nice pleasant surprise Hollywood turned out to be I utterly loved it, I have no idea how Rotten Tomato's has this rated so low, it was a joy to watch. Hollywood is a limited series produced by Netflix, it follows the story of inspiriting young actors and actresses trying to find their way in Hollywood and the following of getting the fictional film Meg made by a first time director and writer.
Darren Criss, David Corenswet, Jeremy Pope and Jake Picking are all a joy to watch as the male leads and Laura Harrier and Samara Weaving are great as the female leads. Dylan McDermott is a nice surprising addition as a side character and is a joy to watch his heartfelt character development throughout the series as well as the addition of Jim Parsons is a great surprise from his previous character of Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory and plays the harsh agent that you love in the end. Joe Mantello, Michelle Krusiec and Patti LuPone are all fantastic additions.
What a truly great series this is, every episode has a good narrative and drives the plot forward like any good series should. There's characters you love and characters you love to hate, Ryan Murphy and Daniel Minahan have done a great job of transporting you back to 1947 making you want to go back and experience it again and again. The plot addresses everything you would expect from the likes of the LGBT community to discrimination of females and races, with each taking time to seriously address each issue as well as creating a good captivating story about the process of Meg getting made that provides for a very interesting viewing as well as the black and white film scenes are also a great addition.
David Corenswet and Maude Aparows relationship is heart aching towards the end and again provides for interesting viewing, however, its quite obvious what's going to happen from very early on but does lead to a much better ending for him. However, the backlash that is shown is also a nice touch as it's what would have happen in real life during the time period and shows just what Hollywood would have thought about Meg as it stepped out of normal protocol of the time. Of course there are flaws, moments don't need to happen and some are random but it doesn't take anything away from the heart of the story.
Watching the effects of the Oscars was moving, the reactions of different races showed how meaningful this was, everyone got their moment and everything was emotionally gripping, one of the highlights of any series that is currently out. Jack was robbed!
Whilst not everyone will enjoy this series, I greatly enjoyed this limited series, all 7 episodes were gripping and each character gets their moment to shine, Hollywood is a heart warming fantastic series that I loved every moment of. Now I've never reviewed a series before and probably wont for a very long time, but this is a much watch series that's one of the best things this disastrous year has produced for its stance on stereotypical actions of the time and behaviour that is wring in our era. Every scene matters, ever person gets their time to shine and every single action taken in this film adds up to a fantastic conclusion. An interesting story and great characters all combinate in a brilliant, emotional and gripping final episode that ends with an emotional ending. This is what makes Hollywood a great watch. Now I would love to see a dreamland limited series that's connected to this brilliant series.
A feel good, beautifully shot, amazingly acted series that works at being very nostalgic.