Scooby Doo And The Monster Of Mexico: South Of The Border

Scooby Doo And The Monster Of Mexico is an animated family film directed by Scott Jeralds. The plot sees Scooby (Frank Welker), and the gang head to Mexico for Day Of The Dead, however, once they arrive things start to go awry and of course a monster rears its head.

This is classic Scooby Doo, this to me is the Scooby Doo I grew up on; showing my age a bit there. No racing, no forced needless crossover, no Simon Cowell, just good old fashion mystery solving.

I thought the monster was a touch generic, they could and should have gone into the backstory and the legend of the monster more; that would have made it standout better in the wider Scooby Doo Universe. That said I enjoyed the Mexican twist on the classic Scooby Doo formula, I thought it gave it a nice sense of place and distinct personality.

Unfortunately that Mexican twist proves to be a double-edged sword. Though it has positive aspects, it also leads to the furthering of outdated stereotypes. This could have been a lot worse, but when it occurs on screen it does stick out, giving you pause. It certainly hasn’t aged well.

Overall, this is a fun Scooby Doo adventure that shows why the classic formula is so great, however it ages poorly and could do with further development in certain areas, these issues stop it from being perfect Scooby Doo ala The Witches Ghost.

Pros.

Classic Scooby Doo

A distinct sense of personality

Fun and entertaining

Cons.

The use of Mexican stereotypes

The monster is quite bland

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Anna: A New Start For Luc Besson

Anna is a spy film directed by Luc Besson. The plot sees Anna (Sasha Luss), forced into a world of calculating intelligence officers and kill or be killed mentalities.

The first half an hour of this film is brutal to sit through, honestly I need to say that now because if I didn’t and you went straight into it then you might turn it off before it gets good. Yes, that is right despite an incredibly dull opening half hour the other hour and a half is surprisingly strong.

The plot jumps around a lot in time which is normally a problem for me, but here I enjoyed it. Besson uses the time jumping narrative to show all of the backstabbing and double dealing, which builds a nice sense of tension and suspense throughout the film that expertly comes to a head in the film’s final act.

Luss is a memorable lead, she nails the physicality maybe even better than Theron in Atomic Blond and is a very believable assassin. However, where her character suffers is in the personality department, in that she doesn’t really have one she is quite bland and charmless. In terms of charm her performance is blown out of the water without question by Cillian Murphy as the charismatic head of the CIA. Murphy as well as Helen Mirren make this film what is it.

Overall, if you can get past a diabolical first half an hour you will find a very enjoyable spy thriller that has no reason to be as good as it is.

Pros.

Sasha Luss

Cillian Murphy

The time jumps

The action

Cons.

The awful first half hour

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Beach Bum: Proof Anything Can Get Made

The Beach Bum is a comedy film directed by Harmony Korine. The plot sees Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), live life on his own terms.

That description of the plot might seem brief, hell even sparse, but that is the best I could do because honestly there is no plot. It is just Moondog doing drugs and having sex with various people for an hour and a half. There is nothing more to it. Some say simplistic is a good thing, however here it proves to be mind-numbing.

I really respect McConaughey as an actor and think that most of his recent output has been top notch, but this is beneath him. McConaughey is doing his best Johnny Depp impression and just playing a strange oddball and in that respect he nails the part perfectly. The issue arises from the fact that his character does nothing, has no real motivation beyond learning to find a place in the real world, the writing just isn’t there and that is not McConaughey’s fault.

Moreover, no to come off prudish, but there is sex nearly all the time in this film, I understand its use as showing Moondog as basically an eccentric playboy and it does set up that character trait, but then it carries on and carries on to a point of stagnation. It just feels very needless.

Overall, this is trash, I am surprised it even got made and that they managed to get McConaughey to sign on for it.

Pros.

Matthew McConaughey seems to be having fun

Cons.

It is boring, tedious and incredibly repetitive

The sex feels excessive

The writing is terrible

The plot is non-existent

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Desperados: The Dead Heart Of The Rom-Com Genre Beats Again

Desperados is a romantic comedy film directed by LP. The plot sees unlucky in love Wesley (Nasim Pedrad), head to Mexico to break into the hotel room of a man she has feelings for so that she can delete a drunken email she sent that might jeopardise their whole burgeoning relationship.

I had a lot of fun with this film, more than I have had with any film in a while. Yes, the premise is ridiculous and makes no sense and the more you think about it the dumber it is. Yes, the final reveal of Wesley realising the man she has been perusing all film isn’t right for her and instead that Sean (Lamorne Morris), the guy who has been by her side through it all, is the one for her is painfully obvious and reeks of cliché. However, if you just turn you brain off, this film has a lot of charm.

The leads have both proven themselves to be great comedic talents in my book, so when I put this on I knew they were going to entertain me, and I wasn’t wrong. Pedrad is super likeable and easy to root for and has many funny lines, but the real reason why her character works so well is the chemistry she has with Lamorne Morris. Morris himself is a delight and this film proved him as a strong romantic leading man.

Overall, this is quite the delightful watch, yes it has its problems, but for the most part it is a lot of fun.

Pros.

The comedy

Pedrad

Morris

The romantic chemistry

Cons

It wastes time on setting upside characters

Robbie Amell is wooden

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Last Boy Scout: Back When Bruce Willis Cared

The Last Boy Scout is an action movie directed by Tony Scott. The plot follows disgraced secret serviceman Joe (Bruce Willis), as he uncovers a conspiracy that covers everything from professional football to the Government.

This film reminded me what a Bruce Willis action movie could be, he has such a great presence and can play the hardboiled hero character better than anyone else. The amount of chemistry he has with Damon Wayne’s cant be stressed enough either, they’re a great duo. The sad thing is though that this film reminded me just how far Willis has fallen.

Outside of the acting this film is a mixed bag for me, there are plenty of great action moments that are super cool and instantly epic, but there are also a lot of moments that just come across as needless, vulgar and frankly off-putting. I won’t harp on about it for too long as I know the 90’s was a different time, but there is some quite unpleasant stuff in this.

Overall, if dumb action is what you want then look no further, it is a spectacle of explosions, loud noises and witty one liners, I was entertained for the most part and I am sure you will be too. However, if you’re looking for something deeper this film won’t be for you, I only watched it a few nights ago and the plot is so weak I have almost entirely forgotten it, also the language used is quite tasteless at times so if you’re easy offended then again look away.

Pros.

Great action

The Willis Wayne dynamic

The one liners

Cons.

Very outdated

The plot is non-existent

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Zootopia: A Reflection Of Our World?

Zootopia is an animated film directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush. The plot imagines an andromorphic world of animals where the predators and the prey have come together to forge a shaky society. Enter protagonist Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a young rabbit from a small town who dreams of being a police officer. She must overcome her own prejudices to rise to the occasion and prevent the breakdown of their society.

I can’t really review this film without talking about the social commentary aspect of it. Never since Animal Farm have I seen a film like this, clearly this film is talking about race/class-based issues in our society but is using animal stand-ins to make it family friendly. On the whole I go back and forth with whether I liked it, there were times when I thought the film was smart maybe even insightful and other times when they used the obvious themes for nothing more than cheap jokes; so I am undecided.

I enjoyed the lead performance; I think the character of Judy grew on me more over time. The partnership between Judy and a fox named Nick (Jason Bateman), is done well and I found myself really enjoying their dynamic I thought they played off against each other well. The supporting cast is also quite good, with Idris Elba being the one I would single out for praise.

Overall, a surprisingly real film that doesn’t shy away from talking about our reality.

Pros.

Judy and Nick

The world

The premise

Cons.

The social commentary felt heavy handed at times

Judy only becomes likeable midway through

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Mickey Blue Eyes: Sleazey

Mickey Blue Eyes is a romantic comedy with a crime twist directed by Kelly Makin. The plot follows auctioneer Michael (Hugh Grant), who finds out his fiancé’s family is heavily involved in the Mafia, he then becomes tangled in a web of lies and half-truths which culminates in a shooting at his wedding.

I enjoyed the premise of this film, I thought it had a lot of good potential and to a degree I was right, but there is also a lot wrong with this film, including said premise losing its charm after about twenty minutes in.

So, one thing I loved about this film was the number of cameos from Sopranos actors, I took great delight in pointing out each one as they came on the screen. In my mind I like to think the film is set in the same universe as the show, it makes it a hell of a lot better.

The big issue with this film at least to me is that it is a Hugh Grant rom com, but Grant doesn’t have any of that bumbling British charm that made him so popular. Not only does Grant not have any kind of charm, but his character is often downright dislikeable and to be honest by the end of the film you really aren’t rooting for him anymore.

I feel like that is the problem, this is more trying to put rom-com star Hugh Grant in a crime film than it is trying to put crime elements into a rom-com. The two tones don’t work and what you’re left with is a forgettable mess.

Overall, this film has no charm.

Pros.

The cameos

The premise

Cons.

It doesn’t make the most of the premise

Hugh Grant is charmless

The two tones don’t work well together

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Kitchen: McCarthy Mob Boss

The Kitchen is a crime film directed by Andrea Berloff. The plot sees three women single handily take over the Irish Mob, however problems soon arise, and things start to get messy.

This film achieved what I thought to be impossible, it showed me a good Melissa McCarthy performance. McCarthy is often cringey or outright embarrassing to watch on the big screen, but here she stood out, she was commanding, it seems playing it straight suits her.

My main issue with the film is how in your face with its message it is, from the very second the film opens you’re bombarded with agenda. Now I am not saying a film with a very clear message is bad, I am saying the way you deliver that message is everything. For me I appreciate a more subtle nuanced approached, whereas this film chose to whack you over the head with it.

My other issue is Tiffany Haddish. The central three performances are central to the narrative of the film and its believability, I bought McCarthy as someone who would do anything for family, and I bought Elizabeth Moss as a stone-cold killer, Haddish however was thoroughly unconvincing. This is by no means a comedy film, but she plays her role like it is; personally I think she was woefully, and I do mean woefully miscast.

Overall, if you can get past being slapped in the face with politics, this is a surprisingly strong crime drama, Moss, McCarthy and Gleeson are also terrific, sadly Tiffany Haddish is miscast.

Pros.

A good Melissa McCarthy performance

Tense and gritty

A great crime film

Cons.

It is far too preachy

Haddish is miscast

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Moana: The Ocean Rises

Moana is an animated comedy adventure film directed by Ron Clements, Chris Williams, John Musker and Don Hall. The plot sees a Polynesian island becomes the recipient of a curse; this results in life on the island becoming increasingly worse. That is until one day a brave young woman called Moana (Auli’I Cravalho), sets out to find the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and lift the curse forever.

Recent Disney Animation films have been hit or miss for me, so I was cautiously optimistic as I watched this film and I have to say it was much better than I thought it was going to be. Yes it had a fair few problem, but on the whole it was very solid.

So, straight of the bat the plot is very predictable, you can tell from very early on where it is going, and you will have seen many different films very similar to this one. Secondly, Moana herself to me felt quite bland she never really had much to her that made her standout; from the lead she was deeply underdeveloped. Luckily Maui and voice actor Dwayne Johnson steal the show, he is the reason this film works; without his easy charm the film wouldn’t be even half as good.

The songs are quite good, particularly the first song done by Johnson, who knew the man could sing as well. I found them all to be quite catchy and I enjoyed them, my only issue with them was that they were ten a penny, there seemed to be a song every five seconds and yes I enjoyed the most of them, but some of them just felt forced in.

Also, something I will penalise this film heavily for is that they wasted the legend that is Jeamaine Clement, they give his character one scene and then he never comes back; the horror.

Overall, standard Disney fare made better by the presence of the Rock and a few good songs, however it is far from perfect.

Pros.

The Polynesian influence

Dwayne Johnson

Some of the songs

Cons.

Too many songs

It feels too familiar

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Lost City Of Z: Madness Under The Sun

The Lost City Of Z is a historical biopic directed by James Gray based on the book of the same name by David Grann. The plot follows the life of legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), as he searches for what he calls ‘Z’, a lost civilisation located somewhere in the Amazon.

I had high expectations going into this, I have read the book and I enjoyed it. This film very much captures the spirit of the book whilst also changing key parts. An example of such a change is the ending, in the book Grann concludes that Fawcett and his son Jack (Tom Holland in the film), were killed by native tribes. Whereas the film ends on a happier note and suggests that they might still be alive living amongst the natives.

For the most part I enjoyed this film, I think it told the story of Fawcett’s life and disappearance well. I thought Hunnam was a solid leading man, he convincingly pulled off the soldier turned explorer look and never broke my belief. He was however upstaged in the acting department by Robert Pattinson who played Fawcett’s faithful right-hand man Henry Costin. Pattinson clearly lost himself in the role and was borderline unrecognisable, another great performance by the young actor.

My main issue with the film was how long it was, at almost two and a half hours this film feels like a slog. It frequently lost my interest and felt incredibly self-indulgent.

Overall, a solid adaptation that has a very issue.

Pros.

A faithful recreation

The performances

The twist on the ending

Cons.

It is too long

It is badly paced and therefore boring

3/5

Reviewed by Luke