Joy Ride: A Tattoo You Won’t Soon Forget

Summary

A group of friends set out on a Chinese road trip to discover one of their member’s lost history only to later find out she is South Korean.

I think this film is carried by Ashley Park, I think my main takeaway at the end of the film is that she is an incredible actor and will go on to do big things. She is both the heart of the film as well as being the funniest member of the cast, I know this has been very gushing but I think that without her this film would easily fall apart.

The humour of the film is a mixed bag, it both at times works and can be funny but at other times feels crude and just like things done for shock value. Again it is worth noting that male centric comedy films such as the Hangover, which this shares more than a little DNA with, do the same thing, however, in both cases I find it unfunny as it feels like the films cannot actually think of a good joke set up so just throw something random or shocking in to try and compensate, again this makes it feel forced.

I think that the surprisingly soulful turn the film takes in the third act bringing in Daniel Dae Kim as a father figure for the lead is really well done and helps to balance some of the more crude and tasteless aspects of the humour and gives the film a wider nuance.

Overall, a sweet film brought up by Ashley Park and let down by its comedy at times.

3/5

Park

The surprisingly soulful third act

Some of the jokes work really well

Cons.

The jokes can feel a little forced at times, they are not all hits by any means

The supporting cast outside of Park feel annoying

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The Flash: Racing Your Way Out Of The Cinema

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Barry Allen, played by Ezra Miller, has to contend with the multiverse and a massive wave of fan hate.

Honestly, I wrote in an earlier post about the MCU carrying out acts of self-harm against itself but something has to be said here for the DCEU trying to reach out and top it. There was so so much going against this film, but WBD and the higher ups over there seemed oblivious to it, with all the real world controversy surrounding Miller they should have been recast long before this film was even close to shooting, but Warner Brothers doesn’t like or bother listening to their fans hence they got this massive flop.

Now outside of that the film itself isn’t good. My main issue with it, setting to one side Miller’s involvement, is the fact that the CGI looks badly unfinished. Now the director thought it was a good idea to come out and defend the film’s shockingly bad CGI and say it was a creative decision on his part, if that was the case he should have been fired along with Miller. The CGI isn’t just bad it is distractingly so, there can be a somewhat decent scene entirely derailed as in the corner of the shot there is a CGI effect that is looking Mummy Returns levels of bad and you just can’t look away.

Furthermore, I don’t like how the DCEU’s version of the flash is portrayed, I think the geeky loser sort of works in a large ensemble but when two of the lead characters are played the same and are the central focus it becomes irritating quickly, quirky only usually works in small doses.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the cameos feel incredibly forced, I understand that maybe I am in the minority here in not liking the growing trend of multiverses but seeing them bring characters back from previous films or fan casts only really works for me if there is a plot reason for it. To give you an example of what I mean, No Way Home works because the coming together of the Spider-Men is required by the story and feels organic, whereas here I guess you can justify Michael Keaton’s returning Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl but the section near the end where it is just as many different cameos as they can just feels forced. Moreover, the George Clooney appearance at the end is the most infuriating of the bunch, not only is it a come on really sort of moment but also it immediately made me think Christian Bale said no. Why bring back one of the most disliked Batmen, arguably on a par with Kilmer?

Overall, this is what WBD gets for ignoring fans, burying their head in the sand about backlash and real world controversy, and fundamentally misusing the multiverse concept.

1/5

Pros.

Micheal Keaton is having fun

Cons.

It waste Calle’s Supergirl

Miller should have been recast

The CGI

The aggressive and never justified running time

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Doctor Who, The Star Beast: The Day The Doctor Died

Summary

Doctor Who is dead.

The warning signs were there, the ending of the Whittaker era and the direction the show was heading in, bringing David Tennant back in a desperate attempt to win back old fans, the way Russell T. Davies has been treating the fans online, which in case you didn’t know was to attack them and tell them Doctor Who isn’t for them anymore.

I don’t know why I put it on, maybe I like to hurt myself. Anyway, I decided to give it a go after falling off early into the Whittaker era after the show stopped being about aliens, science fiction or fun and started being about preaching and the wider message of the BBC. Now I am not one of those people who hate the BBC out of hat, but I think that they have lost their way and are so keen to appear progressive that they have alienated all of their audience and now only appeal to a very slim group of people. Again though the term is loaded in the context of the culture wars the identity politics of the Whittaker era was the thing that killed in, according to insiders the show had such bad viewership that the BBC considered cancelling it twice. Yet the BBC in their infinite wisdom decided to double down. With the Doctor discussing his preferred pro nouns, and having to make every scene a soap box to preach out the very same things that killed the Whittaker era. This isn’t Doctor Who anymore.

The episode itself had one of the weakest plots I have seen from Who in a long time and felt far far worse than anything from the original Tennant era. Honestly if I wasn’t reviewing it I would have turned it off very early on. I think it is fitting Russell T. Davies was the person who brought Doctor Who back from the dead and now he is going to be the man to kill it. I don’t imagine it living much beyond the first season with the new Doctor, the one after Tennant, but again I am sure I will be told that the series isn’t for me anymore and I will be yet another fan driven away from the series forever.

When you have a creative for a show getting into arguments with people on X calling them all the names under the sun and being the exact opposite of professional you know you have a series the fans will love and support, not.

Overall, if you didn’t like the Whittaker era this is not the place to return to Who. Let’s wait for an era that undoes Whittaker and all this activist Who and goes back to how it used to be when it was fun to watch.

Pros.

Tennant tries his best

Cons.

It is preachy

It is too long

It isn’t fun or interesting

It is irritating

1/5

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Sous Le Courant: An Emotionally Harrowing Trip To Brighton

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An escapist weekend away to Brighton becomes the start of a powerful emotional journey for two friends.

The French New Wave lives strong within the bones of this short, if that is your kind of thing then you will find a lot to enjoy here. It highlights the fleeting nature of life and the human condition and how one can never run too far away from their troubles before they come back to them. It has a perhaps downbeat feel to it though I would say ultimately there is a hopefulness there even if it is one that is born from the grim.

The acting from the two main characters is very powerful and I think both leave quite the impression. They feel real in a way that a lot of characters in films never do, they feel like people you could meet, people who you might see out and about, there is no element of Hollywoodization here.

My main critique of this film would be that it is not for everyone, for some who like moody reflective pieces then this will have an appeal but for others then they will be put off by the gritty realism at times. Also for me I would have liked a little more detail plot wise I understand it is a short but I would have liked to have gotten to know the characters more.

3/5

Pros.

The realism

The emotions

The ending.

Cons.

It is quite grim

It will not be for everyone

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Asteroid City: Are We Alone In The Universe

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of people end up trapped out in the dessert where they are visited by an alien being.

As many of you know I am a big Wes Anderson fan, and as such there are things in this film that I can overlook especially as after The French Dispatch Anderson’s last and probably worst film I was in dire need of a good Anderson film again.

For the most part I thought the cast worked well and Anderson’s trademark quirk and charm was there in abundance for all to see. There are a number of good moments peppered in throughout the film, some cheer worthy even, and Jason Schwartzman anchored the film perfectly.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this film feels very messy at times and I think Anderson tried to do too much, especially with the play inside of the film aspects of it, again this crossed back into stuff he was doing in The French Dispatch that didn’t work there or here. The film as a whole would have been better if Anderson had just tried to tell a linear story rather than trying to go for a more meta textual approach.

Overall, better in many ways than The French Dispatch but there is still some modern Anderson issues here, it is understandable for a filmmaker to want to try and shake things up, but these new changes can’t help but make you miss Anderson’s older films.

3.5/5

Pros.

An interesting narrative

Back to form

Anderson’s charming quirks

Solid performances across the board

Cons.

It comes across as a little smug at times

Pacing issues

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Secret Invasion: Another Act Of MCU Self Harm

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Nick Fury, played by Samuel. L. Jackson returns to earth to try and stop a Skrull terrorist network. This will be an overview of the series.

Deary me, after all the talk of Marvel’s decline they decide to bring this out. Now I am not one for saying that if you adapt a comic storyline you have to do so faithfully and with due reverence, however, this feels like spitting on the face of the comic and replacing it with something that can only be described as hot and steaming.

I think my major issue with this is that rather than be a big epic event like in the comics it is so small scale that you question the budget for the show. One has to ask could they not afford Brie Larson’s salary to get her to appear, as Captain Marvel is deeply tied to the Skrulls. They dredge out the idea that this is person for Fury and this is his last go around, and then are too afraid to kill him off, making it all null.

The new characters added are pretty rancid, I will give the show that I am interested to see more of Olivia Colman’s British secret agent character only really because I am a fan of Colman and also I hope it leads to Excalibur. However, outside of Colman the rest are non-entities. We have a new American president, who is an obvious Trump parallel, because that is what the MCU really needed, another group of terrorists where the show tries to be sympathetic and goes oh but actually they were let down by an MCU hero so that makes them complex and nuanced, when they are just terrorists. Then there is Emilia Clarke’s G’iah, yet another overly power CGI hero because we don’t already have enough of them, there is nothing likeable or interesting about her character, hopefully she will be one that Marvel just lets drop off the grid and quietly die.

Overall, another milestone in the decline and death of the MCU.

1/5

Pros.

Colman

Cons.

It ruins Nick Fury in a pretty big way

It spits on the comics storyline

It is boring and awfully paced

The budgeting concerns were readily apparent

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Talk To Me: Holding Hands Made Somewhat Scary

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of Australian teens start playing with a hand and seeing dead people.

This review might be slightly controversial as this film seemed to be liked by a lot of people, but maybe this is Midsommer all over again. I think, and pardon me if this seems a little pretentious, that for a casual horror fan or the mainstream audience this may seem new and fresh, yet for someone who is an obsessive on the genre this felt a little stale to me.

The urban isolation, the corrupting influence of the dead, the fact that the lead, played by Sophie Wilde, just wanted to see her mum again have all been done before. The twists and turns of the film weren’t surprising to me it has been done and done better before.

The violence in the film is visually shocking and does create an impact when you see it, but even then again if you are going into this film as a gore hound wanting to see some gnarly sites then outside of one or two moments your blood lust won’t be fulfilled here.

Overall a fine film, not good or bad just average, if you are less familiar with horror and less familiar with A24 then you will enjoy this film more than I did but if you aren’t then you will see this film is just a retread.

2.5/5

Pros.

It is watchable

The violence is done well

It is relatively short

Cons.

It is predictable

Been there and done that in the extreme

It does not surprise you

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Melissa Barrera And The Murky Fate Of The Scream Franchise

Written by Luke Barnes

I have been gone for a long time now, life and doing a master’s degree will do that to a person, but what better way to return to writing these pieces about films and reviews and what not then with a highly controversial post. In this article I will be talking about the very recent news regarding Melissa Barrera and Scream 7.

Again a little preface before we get into it, if you don’t like my views don’t come after me they are just one person’s opinion, there are plenty of other people who will have a different take to them that you can blindly follow.

Before we get into it I just want to say that the Gaza situation is awful on both sides and the point of this piece is not to comment on it, or to really state my political opinion either way. I want to talk about an actor being fired from a film that is all.

I think the whole situation reflects points I have been making for a long time, actors should remain a-political and do their jobs without trying to be activists on social media. Again this a point that will upset the people on X who make their whole personalities based around how much of an activist they can be and how they are the only thing standing in the way of injustice, but as these people won’t want to admit life isn’t twitter.

Again from a studio point of view I can see exactly why she was fired and it makes a lot of sense, you want actors that will bring audience in, not turn them off, say it with me you don’t want divisive movie stars. All Spyglass needs to do is look at The Flash and what happened there they kept someone around who was incredibly divisive and the film tanked, now I am not comparing Miller to Barrera in terms of conduct rather in terms of how they are divisive. Yes, you may be screaming but what Barrera said isn’t controversial she said what me and my friends and echo chamber on X have been saying for a long time, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world agrees with you. What Barrera has said has been called hate speech by Spyglass so again that would turn off a big section of your audience for a potential film wouldn’t it. Yes it won’t turn you off but they need more than your small twitter circle for a film to be profitable.

Again liberal Hollywood is starting to be shown that audiences don’t want to hear them preaching, they don’t want stars that tell them how to be or how to live their lives, they don’t want stars that force their politics down your throat on TikTok. What made someone like Will Smith or Nicole Kidman so popular in their peaks, they were movie stars not activists, you looked to them to give you some escapist entertainment not preach to you. Again, a star needs to bring in an audience and keep them together, not act as a divisive force.

From a business perspective it makes totally sense.

As a fan of the series this is murky as a lot of the stuff they set up in the last film will now be lost, though they could pivot to Jenna Ortega or bring back Neve Campbell with a nice big pay raise and just ignore it. I think the ideas of the rest of the cast walking out is stupid, you might get one or two more who leave but they will be blacklisted so most won’t as they’ll play the game, also the idea of bringing Berra back is likewise not happening as she keeps doubling down on her ‘hate speech’ so she’s done and likely her career is over, and ultimately you can have as many campaigns on X as you like it won’t change the fact that she is controversial now and will divide the audience so they will keep her far away from this franchise now.

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Insidious The Red Door: Ignoring The Most Interesting Parts Of Your Franchise

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The seeming finale of the Insidious franchise goes out with a whimper.

This film had been billed by its trailers as a film that was finally going to have the human characters go into the Further and get answers for all that has happened to them, we as a viewing audience were finally going to get to find out more about how it all worked and learn more of the mythology behind the series. However, clearly there was a massive disconnect between the people who cut the trailer and the creatives behind the film itself. The actual amount of time spent in the Further was probably less than across the whole series combined, instead we got an angsty story about a father and son relationship, neither of whom you particularly care about.

The sort of schmaltzy vibe that this film tries to hit would not be so out of place in Wilson’s other horror franchise The Conjuring where the character relationships especially between Wilson’s character and his on screen wife, played by Vera Farmiga, play a big role. Whereas here we don’t care the Insidious franchise has never really dived into this sort of thing before and as such it feels out of place, it feels as though the original creatives were too busy to give this a proper end so Sony just hired their second or maybe even third choice and said, ‘go for it’.

Again there is no effort made here for scares or to be scary, because despite being part of a horror franchise this film is only really concerned with addressing broken family dynamics.

Overall, a disappointing film that is bound to leave a bad taste in many fan’s mouths.

1.5/5

Pros.

Wilson gives a good performance

It is mercifully short

Cons.

Byrne is wasted

The Lin Shaye tie in feels incredibly cheap

It feels as though no thought was put into this at all

It is incredibly disappointing

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