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Reviews
Bones and All (2022)
(Bare) Bones & All
The Good: Great cast, gorgeous cinematography, beautiful soundtrack, multiple subtexts, well paced.
The Bad: Not gory, dark, or scary enough, given the theme, a film that's ultimately "about nothing", some unintentionally hilarious moments, and no real sense of time and place in terms of setting. No sense of threat.
The Verdict: While I did enjoy "Bones & All", I must say it left a somewhat disappointing aftertaste (pun intended). All the best lines, bits and pieces are in the trailers. Timothee Chalamet could pass for a hipster in today's world/culture, all references to the Reagan-era are in the soundtrack which was pretty cool, but not enough to take you to the 80's. As mentioned above, for a love story/road-trip about cannibals, there isn't much to explore-- they stick to their own despite being dangerous to each other???! And the third act is like, what?! I've not read the novel, so can't comment on the quality of the source material, but like a picture of a Big Mac-- it looks mouth-watering but has the nutritional value of zero. Still, a fun way to spend 2 hours. That being said, I enjoyed even more after a second helping!!
Black Adam (2022)
Not bad!
The Good: Good ensemble cast, pretty funny script, Hawkman, Atom Smasher, Zack Snyder aesthetic, political undertones, surprising cameos ("Eyyyyyyyy!")
The Bad: Tonally inconsistent (not dark enough for an anti-Shazam), a pointless sub-plot at the end of the 2nd act, poor chemistry between some of the characters, and a bit on the long side/poor pacing.
The Verdict: This movie's a lot of fun if you let it have its not-so wicked way. Like Juame Collett-Sera and Dwayne Johnson's previous collaboration, "Jungle Cruise", "Black Adam" is a fun ride but runs out of track. Still I had a good time. No "Aquaman", but a good time.
Bullet Train (2022)
They don't make 'em like they used to!
The Good: Top-notch cast, flashy visuals, non-stop action, v. Funny script.
The Bad: Exhausting to watch (maybe that's the idea?).
The Verdict: Wow, this movie is just darn fun! Like, before everything got dark, psychological, and political (The Bourne/Batman Begins Effect). I had a blast in the cinema watching this. Though I was the only one chuckling throughout in an audience of maybe 10 people. The characters "Lemon" and "Tangerine" almost had me choking on my popcorn! I dunno, maybe I'm old enough to "get" the "Thomas The Tank Engine References", or maybe the other 9 people took life too seriously, but I don't care either way. Think "Assassins" meets "Snatch" meets "Narrow Margin" meets "The Mexican" and you're probably halfway there!
Secret Headquarters (2022)
Great fun!!!
The Good: It's Jerry Bruckheimer-- he can do no wrong! Seriously, great visuals, interesting premise, good sfx, and a pretty funny script.
The Bad: I'm hard-pressed to find fault tbh, maybe not dark enough, and perhaps a little on the long side and derivative ("Chronicle", "Iron Man", "Green Lantern", "Clockstoppers", and "The Goonies"), but that's me being overly-critical.
The Verdict: Honestly, I enjoyed the Hell out of this movie. Pure escapist fun. Anyone who doesn't like this film (and there are ALOT) maybe needs to lighten up and stop taking themselves too seriously. It's a kids film and way, way better than "Thor: Love and Thunder" or even "DC League of Super Pets".
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Ultimately... Meh.
The Good: Great performances, SFX, script, morally ambiguous characters + fractured father/daughter relationships (yawn).
The Bad: Thanos did moral-ambiguity and had more heart, the comedy, though funny, doesn't match the film's overall tone, and there's a seemingly superfluous LGBTQ+ references in the name of representation? These are superheroes/aliens-- why do they need human sexuality?!
The verdict: More character-driven than the dumb-fest that was "Thor: Ragnarok", but less spectacular with a boring Guns 'n' Roses soundtrack. This film suffers the same problems as "Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness" (great 1st act, but disintegrates fast into boredom). If you liked the latter two MCU references, then you'll probably enjoy this. If you didn't-- you won't. I didn't but I kinda did-- probably the best in MCU Phase 4 since "Shang-Chi", so far, but I'm kinda over the whole CBM thing now. I'm sure you will be too by the end of this.
Vortex (2021)
Beautifully Devestating...
The title says it all really. It's a bit slow paced, but that's what makes "Vortex" such a heartbreaking, meditative take on the frailty of life and the cruelty of mortality. Inevitable, but shocking when it hits.
Gaspar Noe is a genius.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Like a breath of fresh air!
The Good: Diverse cast, great performances (Campbell Scott channelling Tim Cook is inspired) brilliant VFX, original script that simultaneously pays homage and subverts the original Jurassics with humour, heart, depth, a real-world that isn't TOO real, and James Bond/Mission: Impossible-esque action set-pieces.
The Bad: A gratuitous opening sequence, under-used original cast, and perhaps a distracting conspiratorial sub-plot.
The Verdict: After the so-so "Jurassic World" and dire "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" which are essentially shot-for-shot remakes of "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" with a few new bells and whistles (see "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens"), Colin Trevorrow ("Safety Not Guaranteed", "Jurassic World", "The Book of Henry") has returned and delivered a high to end this trilogy on. Honestly, the best film I've seen this summer (if not, the year) that is a deeply satisfying watch that never gets boring. "Jurassic World: Dominion", in my opinion, is up there with the best threequels: "Return of The Jedi", "The Dark Knight Rises", "The Matrix: Revolutions", and "Zack Snyder's Justice League".
*Disclaimer: Don't expect a monster movie like "King Kong" or "Godzilla" where "Things Go Wrong", the dinosaurs are treated more like wildlife/exotic animals in this entry. If you are expecting a disaster movie then expect to be disappointed. This film is very divisive as a (relatively intelligent) sci-fi action-adventure and is probably why I loved it.
Men (2022)
Men? Meh...
The Good: Great cast, excellent performances, unsettling cinematography, haunting score.
The Bad: Basically, a VERY disappointing third act (last 15 minutes).
The Verdict: Alex Garland has some great work under his belt ("28 Days Later", "Ex Machina", "Never Let Me Go" etc.) but with this feature, what starts off as a roller-coaster meandering through Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" and Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" with some Cronenberg-esque body horror, sadly runs out ideas with nowhere to go and turns into something akin to Garland's "Annihilation". Moreover, I'm unsure as to what this film's theme is- misogyny, feminism, grief, fear, uh, what?! Which is fine, but they don't really gel. Stick to one idea and don't change horses mid-race. That said, it's better than most films I've seen this year (which isn't saying much).
The Batman (2022)
Worst. Batman. Ever.
The Good: Colin Farrell is amazing, cinematography, surprise cameo, terrific ensemble cast.
The Bad: Wasted potential of Matt Reeves (see "Cloverfield", and both of his "Planet of the Apes" movies) and Robert Pattinson (Outstanding in the Safdie Brothers' "Good Time", and Robert Eggers' "The Lighthouse"), TOO grounded in real-world politics (Catwoman's mask is a Trump-era pussyhat with the eyes cut out, and her comments about "white privilege" and the whole down-with-the-patriarchy-thing is so 2016), Peter Saarsgard is forgettable, the fight scenes are blink-and-you'll-miss, the car chase is boring, and "The Riddler" is portrayed as pretty much an incel.
The Verdict: The whole film just feels made-for-TV/Streaming and cheap. Additionally, it makes no sense in places and is derivative of every other Batman movie that came before it. Avoid this and revisit any of Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" Trilogy instead. And no, I'm not biased-- I gave "Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness" a 2/10... only because it was marginally more entertaining.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Mundane Mediocrity, More like.
The Good: Literally ONLY the 1st 40 minutes, fantasy gore and violence, morally ambiguous characters, and cameo appearances.
The Bad: Unnecessarily Woke AF, paper-thin plot, and tame family-friendly horror (More "The Addams Family" than "The Evil Dead", but for a PG-13 it could have done with more surrealist visuals, like Mysterio's nightmarish illusion sequence in "Spiderman: Far From Home").
The Verdict: After a promising 1st act, this film descends into what is essentially a triple-bill of WandaVision episodes (The price you pay for seeing a theatrical feature written by a TV writer is you pay for a TV movie). It just feels flat and a missed opportunity for both Raimi and Marvel. Not a patch on the 1st "Doctor Strange", and nowhere near as cinematic. Hell, even season 2 of CW's "The Flash" handled the Multiverse better. Way better. And no, I'm not biased-- I gave "The Batman" 1/10. Both films are awful. This is marginally more entertaining.
No Time to Die (2021)
No Time To Waste...
The Good: Production value, sci-fi elements, stunts, action set-pieces.
The Bad: Coherence, tonal and political inconsistence, script loaded with exposition, acting, very poor characterisation with little chemistry between the cast, and an excessively long, poorly paced runtime. The lack of stakes, derivation from "The Silence of The Lambs" and "The Dark Knight Rises" (as if "Skyfall" didn't milk the latter enough), passive-aggression in place of witty humour, and the minimalisation of the villain to being JUST an "Angry Little Man" (MarySue readers rejoice!) doesn't do any favours for this entry either.
The Ugly: While it's gorgeous to look at and there are some good lines of dialogue, this film has no substance. Some plot points come out from nowhere. No one looks like they can be bothered to make this good. Even maestro Hans Zimmer's score is pretty forgettable. This is Bond emasculated to the effect of being an almost 3 hour Gillette advert. Watch "Spectre" or "Casino Royale", or play "007: Bloodstone" instead.
Dune (2021)
Zzzzzz
The Good: Stellar cast, excellent VFX, beautiful cinematography, brooding score.
The Bad: Acting, tone, pace, script.
The Ugly: 150 minutes of nothing. Well, some things happen but rather than let the acting and action speak for themselves, almost EVERY line of dialogue is exposition!!! Denis Villeneuve is capable of far better sci-fi than this (see "Arrival", "Blade Runner: 2049", or David Lynch's effort instead). That being said, I'm very much looking forward to Part 2!
The Last Duel (2021)
Gladiator meets Oleanna
Great movie. Excellent performances. The only downside is "Chapter 2 and 3" kinda repeat each other rather than be revelatory (it's not so much "He said, She said", but more "He said what She said (but no one cares in privileged society)". Very good film otherwise. Not sure what else to say without spoiling it, but the fight sequences are breathtaking and the story of systemic corruption amidst rape allegations is full of intrigue. Worth spending 2.5 hours in a cinema... Enjoy!!
Wrath of Man (2021)
Good, just not great.
I'm a big time Guy Ritchie fan who's so glad he's back to directing more adult-oriented fare, e.g. "The Gentlemen", after his hit ("Aladdin") and miss ("King Arthur: Legend of the Sword"), family-friendly efforts.
"Wrath of Man" is a decent action-thriller, if a bit on the long side, which is only more noticeable given its non-linear narrative. That said, Jason Statham's performance is, I think, a career best-- never more badass, and would have the likes of John Wick wearing their brown pants. Likewise, Josh Hartnett is pretty good, especially during the 1st stick-up, but is hardly in it for the most part.
It's also refreshing to see a real dark-grittiness in film as nowadays everything's sanitised and sterilised or made to look pretty and colourful for mass consumption.
However, without giving anything away, the ending kinda let's things down (you may get what I mean if/when you get there), but overall "Wrath of Man" is never a dull moment (imagine somewhere between "Man on Fire" and "Revolver"). Well worth a watch, just don't expect too much.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
No. Just no.
The Good: Okay fight choreography. Diverse cast. Gore (not enough IMHO).
The Bad: Acting, FX, script (was this written by overexcited 12 year olds for overexcited 12 year olds?), messy and poor characterisation, no mysticism (only Arcarna that are "superpowers" WTF, is this a CBM?), no stakes or threat, average cinematography, and inconsistent tone. Hell, the whole movie is like a TV movie?! It's like they didn't even try.
The Verdict: Too hammy to be taken seriously and takes itself too seriously to be any REAL fun. Stick with Paul W. S Anderson's 1995 effort-- Goro looks better (than some Orc-reject) and it's more "Enter The Dragon" than this "Percy Jackson & The Golden Hard-R". The last time I SMDH this badly was "Late Night" and the dire "Ghostbusters" reboot of 2016. Seriously, avoid this and play any of the MK games (even MK3) instead for 2 hours-- you'd have a much better time.
Blue Story (2019)
Surprisingly good!
I'm late to the party on this but basically "Blue Story" is a seriously good effort. Just as hard-hitting as gangsta movies of the 90's, e.g. "Menace II Society", "Boys n The Hood" etc., with an authentic script (complete with London slang and patois) and a tragic, Shakespearean storyline of social entropy and how violence begets more violence.
Feels a bit like "Grange Hill" compared to "Top Boy" but could be viewed as a spiritual prequel to the latter. Enjoy.
Violation (2020)
A sum less than its parts.
I'll start with the good: well scripted (v. Linklater-like conversational dialogue), well directed (hats off to Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli), beautiful cinematography (that'd give Lars Von Trier a run for his money).
Now for the bad: Poorly structured story, poorly paced and no suspense (so well accomplished in Gaspar Noe's "Irreversible" and David Slade's "Hard Candy"), pretentious, middle-class unsympathetic characters that makes it difficult to empathise with anyone when they're wagging their fingers at each other in self-righteousness. The sudden character switch of female-lead, Miriam, who, pre-rape catches her finger on a rabbit trap yet post-rape somehow knows how to dispose of dead bodies and has a go at being a vigilante for a second before having a panic attack.
Overall, I'm left holding a candle for 2 halves of 2 different films that would've worked so much better if they were separate features.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
An Odyssey...
Gone are the cheesey Tim Burton-esque Batman intro, Russian Family that go nowhere, ill-fitting Danny Elfman score, and (thankfully) horrendous, Amiga-graphic design of Steppenwolf. Zack Snyder has restored his vision and given us closure (for now?) by replacing the above-mentioned flaws with a breathtaking introduction/recap of the events of BvS, high stakes action and real world violence, edgy Tom Holkenborg score, and a badass, nightmarish Steppenwolf, teasers for New Gods, along with, above all, heart and soul. Each character gets their moment and is unique rather than uniform. This FILM is almost a religious, meditative experience.
There are a couple of issues, e.g runtime (best to watch in 2 sittings, sweetspot is at 2:16) and pacing (1st half is perfect, 2nd half is relentless- e.g. "Man of Steel"), and some awkward lines of dialogue, but overall ZSJL is a worthwhile experience and is up there with the best genre threequels, i.e. "Return of The Jedi", "The Matrix: Revolutions", and "The Dark Knight Rises" which get better with each viewing (I saw it 3 times over the weekend).
#RestoreTheSnyderverse!
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
Like, Wow.
In a good- SO good way! Truth be told, I was dreading seeing this movie (I took my mum to see it, this afternoon), thinking it'd be 109 mins of rampant misandry, intersectional feminism, and gender studies-- like the recent reboot of "Charlie's Angels" (2019). The trailers for this film really, REALLY don't do this film justice!!
BoP is by far, the most satisfying first-watch of DC movies, next to BvS (My #1 of all time). Like BvS, I really can't understand where all the hate for this is coming from?!
BoP's like a mash-up of "Crank", "Death Proof", "Sucker Punch", "Deadpool 2", "Suicide Squad" (It has that Snyder/Ayer aesthetic to it- nice little references to Suicide Squad, btw), and Walter Hill's "The Warriors", without feeling derivative of either or any!
Go see this movie without political agenda or purism for the source material and be prepared to have your mind BLOWN! The soundtrack ROCKS and fits the frenetic, hyper-kinetic visuals to a tee.
Give it a watch-- you won't regret it.