The Nightingale: The Heart Of Darkness

‘The Nightingale’ is a period drama film directed by Jennifer Kent, her second film after the critically acclaimed ‘The Babadook’. The plot of the film revolves around Irish convict Clare (Aisling Franciosi), who suffers a horrific tragedy that result in her losing everything, the events that follow show her as she treks across the Tasmania bush in search of the men that wronged her; So she can enact a brutal act of retribution upon them.

Before I get into this review, I just want to say this is a grueling film to watch, deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant at times, but that seems to be by design. There are disturbing acts of violence and sexual violence depicted in this film that set up Claire’s character motivation and show the horrific place that the Tasmanian Bush was at this point in time.

If that doesn’t put you off there is a lot to appreciate about this film. Firstly, is the attention to detail payed in the setting and how the events of the story play out, the 1825 Van Diemen’s Land that Kent brings to life is unlike anything I had previously seen. The world this film presents is harsh and incredibly unforgiving and it makes you aware of horrors of history that you might not have been aware of.

The performances are excellent as well. Franciosi is a marvel to behold the emotions that her character conveys are both striking and affecting. She is entirely believable as a woman who has lost everything and is now a ghost of the person she was before, driven only by revenge. Furthermore, the gradual friendship she forms with Aboriginal tracker Billy (Baykail Ganambarr), she sweet and brings a bit of levity to an otherwise deeply oppressive, depressing film.

Ganambarr is excellent especially when you consider that this is this first feature film performance. His character of Billy not only brings some humour to the film, but also provides a door into the Aboriginal world which we don’t often see represented in cinema. Billy does at times outshine Claire, but both are fantastic.

Sam Claflin is also in this film he plays the sadistic antagonist Hawkins. Claflin is quickly making a name for himself as a skilled actor especially for playing villains, he plays a loathsome bastard better than anyone else. He completely loses himself in the role and delivers yet another magnificent performance.

Overall, this film can be hard to watch at times, you will feel the urge to turn it off, but if you can stick with it there is something special here. ‘The Nightingale’ is far more of a nuanced take on the Rape-Revenge subgenre and has a lot to say and has some great performances to back it up.

Pros.

Powerful.

Excellent Performances.

A Great Follow Up.

Bringing Attention To Issues.

Cons.

Very Very Very Hard To Watch At Times.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Raid: An Action Movie Masterpiece

‘The Raid’ is an Indonesian Action Film, written edited and directed by Gareth Evans. The plot follows a highly trained group of police officers who try and infiltrate a tower block owned and controlled by a ruthless drug lord. Amongst these officers we have Rama (Iko Uwais), who is our main character, Rama has gone to the tower block to try and convince his brother Andi (Donny Alamsyah), to come home.

‘The Raid’ is a beautiful film for a lot of reasons, but for me the main one would be the fight choreography. The fight choreography on display here is some of the best I have ever seen. The fights look brutal and real, you can feel the pain and exhaustion coursing through the performances. There is a hallway fight sequence that is better than anything I have ever seen before, said sequence sees Rama take on a large group of gangsters and with sheer force of will takes them all out; this isn’t like fake looking action movies like ‘the Transporter’ where the enemies attack one at a time, no here it is much more hardcore and realistic.

It makes sense now after seeing this why the ‘John Wick’ series hired the actors from ‘The Raid’ for the third film in that series, because they are incredibly impressive. The Wick series is the only other current Western action film that I would say is on par with this film in terms of its fight sequences.

The plot of ‘The Raid’ is also wonderfully complex as nothing is how it appears to be. Other than main character Rama, who is our moral compass throughout the film, the other characters flirt between the side of good and the side of bad, giving the film an excellent sense of moral ambiguity. This is shown through Rama’s brother Andi who saves Rama’s life, but decides to stay behind at the end and take over the tower block and be the next gang leader.

Overall, I think this is a must watch for everyone not just die-hard action fans, it is so beautifully done that is marvellous to behold. ‘The Raid’ has become prolific within action cinema and has gone on to influence a lot of films in the genre and I believe for a good reason: this film is fantastic and deserves to be seen!

Pros.

The Acting.

The Fight Choreography.

Maintaining The Balance Between Brutal But Not Overly So.

The Moral Ambiguity.

Making Character You Care About.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bombshell: Modern Times Need Modern Heroes

‘Bombshell’ is an autobiographical drama film directed by Jay Roach. The film is based upon several women who set out to expose the CEO of Fox News for sexual harassment after he behaved inappropriately towards them.

When I was looking this film up to write my review, I was 100% sure that this film was an Adam McKay film, the director of Vice, as it has a very similar style to it; with similar hallmarks such as fourth-wall-breaking. If this film had been an Adam McKay feature it would have been one of his weaker films, there are bits of ‘Bombshell’ that are phenomenal but there are also bits that are lacking and underdeveloped.

One such phenomenal bit is the makeup on Charlize Theron. Theron plays Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, who serves as the main character of the film, but you wouldn’t know it was Theron the makeup and facial prosthetics she is wearing make her virtually unrecognisable making her look almost identical to the character she is playing. The performance Theron delivers is also fantastic she gives off power and courage and makes for a wise if unlikely hero.

Nicole Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson, the woman who starts it all, and though she is only on screen for a limited amount of time she is fantastic. There is a scene where it looks like Carlson is going to lose the case as no one is coming forward and she breaks down in tears and then immediately pulls herself together when her kids come in the door, there is something powerful about this scene that can’t help but elicit an emotional response from the audience.

Margot Robbie is also in this film and unlike Theron does not deserve the Oscar nomination she has received for it. Robbie is terribly underused she makes do with the little she is given, but she deserves a meatier role: this isn’t her fault and it is more of a script-writing issue, but it did bug me. Moreover, Robbie is completely upstaged by the most unlikely of sources Kate McKinnon. Usually, I find McKinnon annoying as she overdoes her performances, but I liked her here playing a more serious role. I think the fear her character has for being a lesbian at Fox News is heart-breaking and I really emoted with her in this film; I would love to see her take on more dramatic roles in the future.

Overall this is a very important film that should be seen, it shows the lows we can reach as a society, but that as long as we have brave people who are willing to stand up and speak out, we can always escape these and reach a better society. I wish Robbie was given more to work with, but that is my only issue here.

Pros.

A Much-Needed Story.

Timely.

Great Make Up And Performances.

Cons.

Weak In Parts.

Robbie’s Talents Are Wasted.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Creep: Another Comedian To Horror Maestro Success Story

‘Creep’ is an independent found footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice. The narrative follows Aaron (Played by Brice), as a camera man who answers an online ad, to go and film Josef (Mark Duplass) for the day. As the day plays out Aaron quickly realises that Josef is not who he claims to be, and things take a turn for the worse.

I had heard praise for this film for quite some time, but for one reason or another I hadn’t got around to seeing it and now that I have, I can tell you it is terrific. Found footage as a genre as been done to death, no argument can be made that will convince me otherwise, with the likes of the Blair Witch revival and the continued Paranormal Activity franchise, I believed there was nothing left in this genre that could shock or perhaps scare me, I was wrong.

The reason why ‘Creep’ is scary is all down to the writing and the characterisation of Josef. When we are introduced to him, we are told he is a sick man with only a few weeks to live, this get us to feel sorry for him, as the film progress we see that he is a little odd, but crucially we still like him. Even in the films third act when everything has become very manic Josef is still treated like a sympathetic character that’s why Aaron goes to see him one last time.

The complete shifts in mood that Duplass so perfectly brings to the screen wherein we see Josef go from Sad to Manic to Evil are chilling. With the final reveal showing us that Aaron is not the first victim, but instead one of many, making you as an individual, question how you could be so wrong about a character as for the most part of the film you thought he was a likeable sympathetic character.

As I have said before in other reviews, I find mental illness and the threat humans poses to each other and man-made evil, much more frightening than a demon or a ghost. I believe 100% that it is this focus on a threat that is very real, something that could realistically happen to any of us at any time, that makes this film so scary.

A genuinely shocking horror film that showed me there was still some life in the found footage genre.

Pros.

The Novel Approach To Found Footage.

Duplass.

The Excellent Tension And Scares.

Making You Question Which Characters You Trust In Future.

Cons.

It’s A Little Bit Goofy At Times When It Shouldn’t Be.

Uncut Gems: Sandler’s Standout

‘Uncut Gems’ is a crime thriller film directed by the Safdie brothers. The plot revolves around a jeweler called Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) who due to his gambling addiction get in debt over his head to a loan shark and has to rely on a precious gemstone to pay off his debts.

This film has more in common with a tragedy than anything else, things always seem to go from bad to worse for Howard and though he is a despicable character in a lot of ways you still want to see him win- even if it is just once. As the film progress, Howard becomes a pathetically sympathetic character and you can’t help but root for him; this makes the abrupt and depressing ending both heart-breaking and unexpected.

‘Uncut Gems’ is a testament to Sandler as an actor. Yes, he is often the butt of the joke, but this film proves that when he is trying and has something good to work with, he can deliver a magnificent performance. Sandler loses himself in the role and other than one moment with a brief crass joke, that didn’t fit the tone, I viewed him as the character rather than Adam Sandler the actor playing a character.

Some sequences in this film possess a hypnotic dreamlike quality to them, which feels like something from a Nicolas Winding Refn film, whenever we get a sequence like this we are in for a treat. These sequences add a sense of very light fantasy to what is otherwise a deeply gritty film; they hint at a higher mythology.

The greatest asset of this film is its ability to create tension which it uses often and to great effect. There are some scenes where you will be on the edge of your seat, to use that rather trite bit of hyperbole. You will feel yourself tighten up as you know something bad is about to happen it is just a matter of what and when.

Overall, this film is a triumph of filmmaking, it is a damn shame it wasn’t nominated for anything at the Oscars as this film is truly deserving. Hopefully, this film will convince Adam Sandler to dedicate more of his time to serious film project rather than films where he talks about poo; admittedly these can be good look at ‘Big Daddy’, but they are also typecasting him as an actor. I think this film should be seen as it is a joy to watch- prepare to cry at the end though.

Pros.

The Direction.

The More Dreamlike Sequences.

Sandler.

The Great Sense Of Tension.

The Heart-Breaking Ending.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Lady And The Tramp: Disney’s Golden Age?

‘The Lady and The Tramp’ is an animated musical romance film. The plot follows Lady (Barbra Luddy), as she comes to terms with the fact that she might get overlooked when her master’s new baby arrives, during which time she ends up falling in love with Tramp (Larry Roberts).

This film is classic Disney, it came out during that Golden Age for Disney which saw the release of things like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. I have seen this film but twice in my life, once when I was very young and then much more recently last weekend. I have to say it is not how I remember it and, not in a good way.

No, I am not going to go on about how it is outdated and then talk about the racist cat song: because ultimately that was just a feature of a lot of films from that time period. Instead I am going to talk about how I felt it was lacking a lot of the warmth and heart that a lot of those other classic Disney films have.

Lady and Tramp are both likable as protagonists, but I never found myself caring about them. There are two scenes in the film’s third act that both deal with the supposed death of a character. One of these scenes features Tramp being taken away to the pound to be put down, the other sees Trusty (Bill Baucorn), almost sacrifice his life to save Tramp. Out of these two scenes the one that should have more emotional impact is the one where Tramp faces death as he is one of our main characters, that we spent a lot of time with, but this just isn’t the case.

What’s more this film has no real business calling itself a musical, it doesn’t feature many songs at all. Moreover, the few songs that the film does have are not at all memorable and are mostly flat.

Overall, this film wasn’t what I remembered it to be, it lacked a lot of the warmth and the heart I remember it having, for the few good moments it has and the heart warming ending I will still give it an above average score, but it really isn’t a must see.

Pros.

The Classic Disney Animation.

The Happy Wholesome Ending.

Cons.

You Don’t Care About The Main Characters.

It Lacks Any Real Warmth.

It Doesn’t Have That Disney Magic.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Mr Right: A New Type Of Killer Clown

‘Mr Right’ is a romantic comedy, action film. The plot follows Martha (Anna Kendrick), a recently single women who meets Francis (Sam Rockwell), a man who seems perfect for her, until she finds out that he is a hitman. From there the story goes down the lines of Francis’s old partner wants to get him back in the game, a gang hires Francis, but then tries to kill him; as Francis has a rule of killing those that hire him after a shift in his morals, as well as the will they wont they romance of Martha and Francis.

I have to say this film was far more enjoyable than I thought it would be, this is mainly due to the fact that Rockwell is a terrific and naturally charming lead. There is a real heart to this film that prevails all the killing and the shooting and at the end of the film you are glad to see the pair end up together.

The action scenes of the film are mostly fun there are some good moments that have strong choreography, but the rest are just either Rockwell or Kendrick shooting someone which after a while gets boring.

I’m not saying Anna Kendrick can’t act but, she is playing the same character she always plays the loveable goofy oddball. The opening act of this film that sees her crying in a closest and being drunk rambling about her ex could be from any of her films. That is not to say she isn’t good in this film she is fine, but it would be interesting to see her play a different type of character.

The humour of the film I found to be a mixed bag, at times it made me smile and elevated the scene it was used in, other times it made me groan and felt like bad cringe. I would say that a lot of Rockwell’s comedy lands as he has very good delivery and timing and seems to know when to play it straight and when to crack a joke. The same can’t be said for everyone else, however.

Finally, it is nice to see Anson Mount in something, it has been too long, and he always gives a good performance even if he is only on scene for a matter of minutes.

Overall, this film is on the better side of average this is owed wholly to Rockwell. He elevates this film past the mediocrity that it could easily have fallen into. Kendrick is serviceable and the romance is sweet, it’s good but, you won’t remember it.

Pros.

Rockwell.

Some Of The Action Sequences.

The Humour.

Cons.

The Humour.

Kendrick Is Playing The Same Character As Always.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

True Romance:A Story Of Love and Crime

‘True Romance’ is a romantic crime film, written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The plot follows an ex call-girl called Alabama (Patricia Arquette), and her husband Clarence (Christian Slater), as they go on the run from the mob after Clarence accidentally steals a large amount of cocaine from Alabama’s ex pimp.

This film feels very Tarantino esque despite only being written by him, all the hallmarks by which we would come to know his work are all present here; much like all of his pictures this film is glorious. Yes, my thoughts on current Tarantino have been noted in previous reviews, I don’t think he has made a film that was of the same caliber as his early works since ‘Django Unchained’ back in 2012; I think he is on the decline as a director.

The tone of the film again is familiar to Tarantino fans as it has moments of extreme darkness and moments of levity, it has moments of gritty realism and moments of fantasy oddness. One such odd detail which also happens to be one of my favourite bits of the film is how Clarence has Elvis (Val Kilmer) as an imaginary friend; a lot of these wacky details add to the film’s manic sensibilities.

That said the film also pulls off slow meaningful moments well, there are a lot of scenes between Alabama and Clarence that have genuine warmth and emotion to them. The relationship between the two grows throughout the runtime of the film in a real and organic way; you can feel the love they have for each other.

The performances in this film are also excellent, Slater and Arquette do a great job as the leads, but the supporting cast also give great turns. The late James Gandolfini is terrific as a mob hitman called Virgil, though his character isn’t in it a huge amount he shines with what he has. There is a brutal fight scene between his character and Alabama and the monologue that Gandolfini delivers before and during it can only be described as chilling.

Christopher Walken is also instantly memorable as Don Vincenzo Coccotti. Though Walken’s character only has a scene he brings such a presence to the screen such as sense of gravitas that he is immediately captivating.

Overall, this film is phenomenal it a testament to Tarantino as a screen writer as it is a film that features a lot of characters, but each one feels unique and special.

Pros.

Tarantino Magic.

Great Leads In Slater And Arquette.

Gandolfini Is A Scene Stealer.

So Is Walken.

Cons.

A Little Slow At Times.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Lost In Translation: Wandering The Streets Of Tokyo

‘Lost In Translation’ is a comedy-drama film. The plot revolves around washed-up actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray), who befriends a young college graduate called Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), the film details their growing friendship; with possible romantic undertones.

This film explores a lot of very heavy themes such as ideas about loneliness, and the lack of a clear direction in one’s life. As a result of exploring these themes, this film feels like an exercise in self-reflection. Despite dissecting these strong themes, the film never goes into being depressing as there is a good amount of humour to balance out the more contemplative moments.

Though Bill Murray mostly plays it straight here there is still an element of awkward comedy in his performance, as he finds it hard to adapt to certain situations. The humour of this film is often very quirky and off the wall, I don’t think it will make you laugh out loud very often, but there are quite a few chuckles to be had.

The performances are the high point of the film as both Johansson and Murray give it their all. We can see that both of these characters are unhappy in their lives and are waiting on the next big change to make sense of it all. Both characters are unhappy in their marriages, but still decide to stay in them. This is what this film does so well, there is a great sense of not knowing what to do and being lost, which can be found throughout the film.

A lot of the cinematography, editing and sound choices give this film almost a dream-like feel to it or, maybe a distant memory. These choices help the film to feel unique and give it a strong sense of identity.

Anna Faris is in this film as Kelly, someone who is positioned to be a love rival to Charlotte, but she is mostly wasted. With Charlotte’s Husband this film goes for the whole he is never there angel, suggesting that they are growing apart and maybe that he is cheating on her. I think this plotline could have been achieved just as well through mentions of another woman, they didn’t need to create this largely pointless character.

Also, my major complaint is that the relationship, or supposed relationship, between Bob and Charlotte by the end of the film feels a bit icky. Throughout the film, I liked the two as friends and I wanted it to stay that way. Charlotte is so young, far too young for Bob and I know the heart wants what it wants, but in this modern climate, it feels a bit off to me.

Overall a very nice film to watch it has a lot of very interesting things to say and the way it is filmed deserves praise as it is a clear example of a director having a beautiful vision and sticking to it.

Pros.

The Themes.

The Performances.

The Film-making Process.

Cons.

Anna Faris Wasted Character.

Icky Romance.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Cam: Often Extreme

‘Cam’ is a psychological horror film about cam girl Lola_Lola (Madeline Brewer), who one day finds that her account has been taken over by a girl who looks like her, a double: she then races to try and regain control of her account and stop the damage the double is doing to her life.

‘Cam’ is an uncomfortable watch that is the best way to describe it. It has many scenes that will make your skin crawl and will repulse you. There is a scene in the film’s third act where Lola, or Alice as that is her non-cam name, repeatedly hits a table with her face breaking her nose: there are minutes in this sequence where we can see her nose literally hanging off her face. I am not opposed to gore in any way, I love the work of Eli Roth, but there is something about this part of the film that made me feel sick. That is my main complaint with this film, it often goes too far.

The same can be said with the cam scenes themselves which again sometimes go a little far and border on soft-core porn. I understand that the writer of this film was a cam girl herself at one stage in her life and wanted to originally make this film a documentary, but even still.

Brewer plays both of the personas really well; I mean both Lola and her double as well as Alice and Lola. Throughout the course of the film you start to care for her and fear for her as she is in real danger. The threats in this film aren’t always what you would expect them to be: this isn’t a film like ‘US’ where the double try and get rid of the person, rather the threats come from the world of the cam girls. By that I mean the people who are paying them, some of Alice’s clients become quite threatening towards her and it makes you think about what would drive someone to willingly put themselves in danger like that.

As strange as it might be to say about a film revolving around cam girls, this film really makes you think. The interesting thing for me is that the double isn’t the antagonist of the film not really, the real antagonist of the film seems to be the clients and the world of camming which for me makes the film far more interesting. This is not an easy film to watch, but if you do manage to sit through it there are some fascinating ideas being floated around.

Pros.

Making The World The Threat.

Brewster.

A Great Sense Of Tension.

Some intriguing Ideas Being Explored.

Cons.

A Little Too Graphic For Me, In Multiple Regards.