Wet Hot American Summer: A Wet Blanket?

Wet Hot American Summer is a comedy film directed by David Wain. The plot follows the events at Camp Firewood over the course of a summer. The film serves to spoof a lot of the camp-based sex comedies, it does this by knowingly being very over the top and pointing out the absurdity of it all; as you such you have things like talking cans.

I am not going to lie, I watched the Netflix made follow ups to this film before I saw the film itself, I loved them and so I went into this with very high expectations. Sadly, this is one of the few times that a Netflix revival/continuation is actually better than the film itself.

I get what this film was trying to do, I just didn’t find it funny. Maybe that’s because my sense of humour doesn’t line up with the humour of the early 2000’s and instead finds more kinship with the humour of the more recent Netflix series. I think the only character that made me laugh was the talking can and that is because H. John Benjamin can do no wrong.

I think as far as spoofs go this is well done, it parodies the sillier and more ridiculous nature of some of it’s contemporaries in a smart way that feels spot on. A lot of the characters and hijinks in this film will remind you of things from other camp-based sex comedies that you have seen, like American Pie Band Camp, by design of course.

Overall, I think this is a well-done spoof film, but an unfunny comedy film, so it is a mixed bag and it depends what you’re watching it for. I truly believe, heresy as it might be, that the Netflix follow-up series are far better and crucially funnier.

Pros.

A well-done spoof.

Interesting characters.

John Benjamin.

Cons.

It isn’t funny.

It fizzles out towards the end.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wolf Creek: The Australian Michael Myers

Wolf Creek is an Australian horror thriller film directed by Greg Mclean. The plot follows a group of tourists that become targeted by a demented xenophobic serial killer who hunts them down with the intent to kill them. This film was based on a series of real-life backpacker murders that happened in Australia a few years before the film was released.

In horror circles, this film has a reputation, it is held up as being a great slasher film and one of the best Australian horror films. However when I put it on I was incredibly disappointed with it. I thought it was boring and that it couldn’t hold a candle to other Australian horror gems like The Babadook and Boar.

I thought the only redeemable thing about this film is John Jarrett. Jarrett is an Australian national treasure and his involvement with this is the thing that got me excited for it. He plays the evil killer Mick Taylor and he gives the best performance he can, he is manic and off the wall and his character is the only really memorable part of this film.

My issues start with the fact that this film is boring, there is only about 10 minutes of it that are actually interesting and watchable. This film suffers from some of the worst pacing issues I have seen in a long time, the first act is a chore to get through and makes you want to turn it off and it doesn’t pick up until the last 10 minutes; even they aren’t worth the wait.

The characters are bland and forgettable and the based on true story bent to it has been done to death and this film is not doing anything new or interesting with it.

Overall, this film is a bore and one that is a test of strength to finish

Pros.

John Jarrett.

Cons.

It is boring.

It does nothing new with the format.

The characters are paper thin.

It takes a lot to finish it.

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Silence Of The Lambs: A Nice Cut Of Meat

The Silence Of The Lambs is a thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme. The plot follows young FBI recruit Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), as she attempts to track down the newly infamous serial killer Buffalo Bill and save a senator’s daughter. During the course of her investigation she turns to deranged cannibal phycologist Hannibal Lecture (Anthony Hopkins), for advice and help and the two then go on a twisted journey into madness and the evil that lives within.

This is a cinematic classic, for good reason, however until recently I had never seen this film before, so I decided that I would fix that mistake and it turns out this film is as excellent as everyone says it is. It is an acting masterclass and it is one of the best thriller films I have ever seen before in my life.

Firstly, the performances are great, Hopkins is of course the best and manages to give genuine chills every time he is onscreen being a truly menacing presence. However Foster is also an incredibly compelling lead and one that you want to see win. Also Ted Levine is terrific as sick, twisted, skinner Buffalo Bill he is convincing but also strangely sympathetic in his gender struggle.

The best thing about this film is the tension that courses throughout it. From the minute the investigation begins you can’t look away, you need to see it through, you want the answers as much as Foster’s character does. What’s more, the conversations between Lecture and Clarice are also incredibly well done and manage to be effortlessly dramatic and intense despite never becoming more than just a conversation.

There is no flab on this film’s run time, every second is vital and used to the fullest; that is the best compliment I can give this film. A true classic.

Pros.

The tension.

The acting.

The characters.

The mystery.

You can’t look away.

Cons.

None.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Adventureland:Summer Love

Adventureland is a coming of age comedy drama film directed by Greg Mottola. The plot sees two young fairground workers James (Jessie Eisenberg), and Em (Kristen Stewart, fall in love over one crazy dysfunctional summer.

The chemistry Eisenberg and Stewart have is something else, though Eisenberg has great chemistry with other on-screen ladies like Imogen Poots, nothing compares to him and Stewart. They feel so on the same page, so similar, it’s weird; if they became a couple in real life it would feel like the most natural thing in the world. As a result the romance in this film feels very genuine and believable, which is the most important thing about a rom-com.

The characters in this film also feel very real, they are not just simple caricatures, they’re layered and deep. Though they do bad things from time to time they’re still likable because these mistakes they make are the same mistakes everyone makes; incredibly relatable.

The major downside of this film however is how poorly paced and slow it is. I had never realised this until I watched it again recently but, this film feels a lot longer than an hour and a half, everything in it feels drawn out to the point of boredom. There are big sections of this film that feel dull, however, just as you’re about to turn it off something interesting happens.

Overall, this is a touching sweet film about a very realistic romance which for the most part works, but it is so poorly paced that it makes you want to turn it off and give up many times. I genuinely don’t think there is enough here to be a feature length film, I think this could have worked a lot better as a short film. Crucially it is a mixed bag.

Pros.

The chemistry between Eisenberg and Stewart.

The believable romance.

The supporting characters.

Cons.

It is poorly paced.

It becomes boring after a point.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Sacrament: When Does Something Become Bad Taste?

The Sacrament is a horror thriller film directed by Ti West. The plot sees two Vice reporters Sam (AJ Bowen), and Jake (Joe Swanberg), tag along with Patrick (Kentucker Audley), to visit his sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz), in a remote commune somewhere in Africa. However, once they’re there they release that it is far from God’s Kingdom on Earth and things quickly turn murdery.

As you all know I go back and forth on Ti West as the director I really like House Of The Devil, but everything else I have seen from him has either left me cold, or I have outright hated. After having a conversation with someone about West they recommended that I watch this film and so I did and I have to say, I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going, but I have mixed feelings about it.

I think doing a found footage version of the Jones Town Mass Suicide is a risky move, even if they did call it something else. This film is apparently inspired by said mass suicide, but in parts it is almost beat for beat the same. This, in my opinion, is a risk that pays off as it adds a real sense of danger and tension to the film and the suicide scene itself stays with you a long time after you have seen it; it is truly haunting.

However, I think the suicide scene does go a little too far, it crosses a bridge of just being shocking for the sake of being shocking and enters into the realm of bad taste. We don’t need to watch a baby getting injected with poison for it to be an impactful scene, all of the people writhing around on the floor in an eerily realistic manor does that job just fine.

I think this is defiantly in the stronger half of West’s filmography for sure, the acting is great all round, there is a keen sense of unease and worry throughout. The drama feels slowly ramped up over the course of the film rather than it just happening near the end, which is one of the main things I don’t like about West’s other work; this film feels like it flows, rather than being in two halves like The Innkeepers.

Overall, I think this is a good effective horror movie, that pushes the boundaries of taste and maybe goes a little too far with it along the way. If you don’t like Eli Roth’s Hostel because of how it presents itself, you won’t like this. Definitely one to watch if you have the stomach for it.

Pros.

Good acting.

It flows well.

The sense of drama and danger.

The ending.

Cons.

The ending.

It goes too far.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Brahms The Boy 2: Are Haunted Doll Movies Dead?

Brahms The Boy 2 is a horror film directed by William Brent Bell; it is a sequel to the 2016 film The Boy. Revolving around a family that, after a home invasion, moves to the British countryside to try and regain a sense of normality. However, they move in a stone’s throw away from The Hillshire Estate, which has one special prosocline resident that quickly becomes obsessed with the new family.

Please let this ‘franchise’ end here, there was no need for this film and my god there is certainly no need or reason for a third film. This film spends its hour and a half runtime tearing apart and ruining everything interesting from the first film and replacing it with haunted doll clichés. The first film earned my praise when they revealed that no nothing paranormal was going on, instead it was a killer in the walls.

However, this is how the second film continues that reveal, the Braham’s in the wall is just never mentioned again, and the doll is revealed to be evil or possessed or something. So, they go from a smart twist to a wannbe Annabelle film; what a waste. Rather than be a sequel that fits with the first, this feels incredibly at odds from the beginning.

The acting is nothing special either, Katie Holmes fills the Lauren Cohen role from the first film and is hugely outperformed by Cohen. The only difference between Holmes’ character and Cohen’s is that Holmes is a mother that has to worry about her disturbed kid. You would think this extra character dimension would allow for a more emotive performance, but no Holmes’s expression doesn’t change once over the course of the film, other than to occasionally shout, clearly this was just a paycheck role for her.

The kid is annoying right from the beginning and doesn’t get better, however, as I have said before I am not going to call out a child star for being bad at acting, it is low hanging fruit.

The only good thing about this film is the performance by Ralph Ineson who plays the groundskeeper who is secretly under the control of Brahms. Ineson seems to be the only person in this film that cares about giving a good performance and you can tell he is trying; he deserves better than this.

Overall, this film wasn’t as terribly bad as I thought it was going to be, that is as much praise as I can afford it. It is lazy, the cast other than Ineson don’t care, and it ruins the first film entirely.

Pros.

It is not terrible.

Ralph Ineson.

Cons,

It is lazy.

Clearly no one cares.

It ruins the first film.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Alan Partridge, Alpha Papa: Coming Home To Roost

Alan Partridge Alpha Papa is a comedy film directed by Declan Lowney, as a spinoff to the Alan Partridge tv show. This film depicts a takeover of North Norfolk Digital that leaves Alan (Steven Coogan), and the other disk jockeys in danger of being fired, so Alan being Alan he gets someone else fired to save his own skin. However, that turns out to be a mistake when recently fired Pat (Colm Meaney), shows up with a gun and holds everyone hostage; Alan is of course the face of the following siege.

I am a huge Alan Partridge fan, I have recently got back into watching it, the original series is comedy gold and the series that followed after varied from okay to great. However, this film is defiantly not on the great side of that spectrum, there are a few good moments/laughs, but for the most part it feels overly drawn out and a little needless.

Unlike Life On The Road that tied up David Brent’s character in a post Office world, this film does not end the character of Partridge, rather it acts as a springboard between series. The issue with this is that it makes the film feel unnecessary. It is also no where near as heartfelt as Ricky Gervais’s offering.

There are one or two good jokes that made me laugh, but after a while the hostage situation premise runs out of steam and just isn’t funny anymore. I also think if the villain had been someone who was a bigger part of the Partridge universe then it would have meant more, rather than have it be someone we have never met before. That is not to say that Colm Meaney does a bad job, he is fine but nothing more than that.

Overall, as much as I love Alan Partridge I don’t think this needed to be made. It is fine but most certainly not good.

Pros.

Steve Coogan is as great as always.

Some funny bits.

Cons.

The premise runs out of steam.

Not all the jokes land.

It feels unnecessary

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Darjeeling Limited: Finding Yourself In A Foreign Land

The Darjeeling Limited is a comedy drama film directed by Wes Anderson. It follows 3 three estranged brothers who come back together to discover themselves and each other on a train trip across India; they search for enlightenment and get hijinks and new perspectives.

I don’t know if I just haven’t seen the right films, but I have never seen the excitement around Wes Anderson and his films. However, that was before I saw this film, I get it now. I loved Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox but that was more because of my attachment to the source material. This was the film that finally got me on the bandwagon.

I really enjoyed this films’ sensibilities and style. I thought in terms of the way it was shot and put together it was a quirky masterclass. I think this film is dripping in style from start to finish and I have never really seen anything else like it. This is really helped out hugely by a killer soundtrack that matches the tone perfectly, drawing out all the eccentric little details.

The performances were all great, they were of course comedic, but they also had such layers to them that which are explored in depth throughout. Each character feels distinct and unique, but they’re also very believable as brothers. It is hard to pick a favourite or say who gave the best performance as I enjoyed them all thoroughly and for different reasons.

I also love the way the story is told, we the audience are drip-fed information in little chunks, never getting more than we need, which allows for a nice sense of vague ambiguity and mystery towards the proceedings without ever bordering on confusing.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this film, it made me a Wes Anderson believer and I will defiantly check out more of his films after this. A joy to watch!

Pros.

Style.

Story.

The performances.

The pitch perfect soundtrack.

Cons.

It might not hit everyone emotionally.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Blackcoats Daughter: The Best Episode Of Sabrina Ever

The Blackcoats Daughter is a psychological horror film directed by Osgood Perkins. The plot is split into three separate narratives, one for each character, that culminate together in the final act. It tells the story of two girls who are left behind at their Catholic boarding school over break. Things quickly become sinister when it becomes clear that one of the girls is in league with a demon; a bloodbath ensues.

When I first saw this film the other night, I didn’t know what I thought of it, a few days later as I am writing this review I still don’t. This seems to be a recurring theme of Perkins work; it is incredibly polarising.

On the one hand it is incredibly drawn out, to the point of feeling indulgent or as though it is trying to kill time, at points and the split narrative can be confusing even after you have seen it; as there are a lot of little details that are easy to miss, I recommend if you are going to watch this film to watch it twice.

However, when you do start to pick up on the little details and things it becomes far more engaging and far creepier to. In fact I thought this film was genuinely quite scary and it made me jump, more than I have done in a long time, at one point in the film. I think the horror in this film comes as a result of figuring out what is really going on and how everything fits together.

Another to praise in this film is the performance of Kiernan Shipka as Katherine, the main girl and the one who is in league with the forces of evil. Up until watching this I was convinced she couldn’t act, her performance in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is painfully bad, though now I think that this might have been bad writing, because here she was fantastic. Shipka plays evil and creepy so well, she is really quite menacing in this film and puts the performances of everyone else to shame; this film will serve as a testament to her acting forever more.

Overall, certainly not a film for everyone, but if you like slow burning horror then you will find something to like here.

Pros.

A great twist.

Shipka.

Creepy and unsettling.

Well done.

Cons.

Slow and confusing at points has to be watched twice to fully appreciate.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Military Wives: Missing The Note

Military Wives is a based on real life comedy drama film directed by Peter Cattaneo. The film attempts to tell the story of the Military Wives Choir, showing the trials and tribulations the group went through as well as the individual women’s struggles.

Damn, I went into this thinking it would be a quirky comedy and crucially an easy-going good time, and oh my I was wrong. This film is depressing, I don’t know if I just didn’t get the humour of it, but I didn’t think there was a single funny moment in the whole film. However, there was enough sad/depressing moments that I almost had to turn it off and put something else on.

I do believe there is a kernel of a good film somewhere here, however it gets lost through poor execution and weak writing. This film tries to do the whole Fisherman’s Friends thing, by that I mean tell the real-life story of an unlikely band’s rise to fame and play on your emotions. However, where the mushiness in that film felt genuine because you cared about the characters and it is well done, here it just feels too much and comes off as ineffective.

I don’t feel like any of the performances in this film were particularly great, or worth talking about. The only one of note perhaps is Kristen Scott Thomas as Kate, Thomas made the most out of a weak script and is the only actor who is even remotely convincing.

Overall, I think the issue with this film is that it tried to play on the audiences’ emotions, but it failed in the worst way and the only thing it made you feel was depressed. This is also a failure of execution and writing as it is also incredibly obvious and predicatable.

Pros.

Kristen Scott Thomas.

Cons.

It is boring.

It does make you feel anything.

You will leave it feeling depressed.

The performances are weak as hell.

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke