Pride: Fight For The Change You Want To See In The World

Pride

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film made me both happy and sad, as paradoxical as that might be. On the one hand it was hopeful to see the miners embrace the LGBTQ+ activists, but on the other, seeing the horrible homophobia made me sad. I left the film feeling conflicted towards humanity.

This film can beautifully play with your emotions, as it did to me, and that is a testament to the writing, but also the real events that inspired the film. The film feels empowering to watch, inspiring you to make a change for the betterment of society.

The acting talent on display here is undeniable, Joe Gilgun, Dominic West, Andrew Scott and an always reliable Paddy Considine all perform well and leave an impression long after the film ends. George McKay is a little less strong and does drag down some of the scenes he is in, but thankfully he is not given much of the heavy lifting to do.

Furthermore, Pride does struggle with pacing and ends up feeling overly long and a little indulgent, by the time we reach the end the film is already starting to outstay its welcome.

A final note before concluding, Faye Marsay is terrific and should be cast in more films- a staggering young talent.

Overall, a good film that suffers with pace.

Pros.

The acting, bare McKay

The message

The empowering tone

Cons.

The Pace

George McKay

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The Seventh Day: The Devil In The White Collar

The Seventh Day

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

A lot of possession or exorcism films play a lot of lip service to the Church, as such it is nice to see a film that takes a different approach and asks the question what if the monster/demon was the priest? It is an interesting idea as yes, if a demon was possessing people why wouldn’t they possess priests, figures that are trusted by thousands of people. It reminded me a lot of Robert Kirkman’s terrific comic Outcast.

That said, despite the twist being interesting it is not executed well. It is clear which of the priests is evil almost from the get-go, and the film does not subvert your expectations in anyway, the one you think is bad is.

I thought the ending was a little too sequel baity for my taste, and I don’t think this film is really good enough to warrant sequels. The horror was very iffy, some moments were strong and had real promise and other moments were painfully by the numbers and played out.

Guy Pearce brings a lot to the film, but even he cant save this film from mediocrity.

Overall, a few good moments but for the most part very average.

Pros.

Guy Pearce

A few good scares

Cons.

It is painfully obvious

The ending teases an unearned sequel

More than a few bad/ generic scares

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Thunder Force: Seal Is Overplayed

Thunder Force

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

The team-ups between Melissa McCarthy and her director husband Ben Falcone, have so far produced bad film after bad film. Many would tell you that this film is yet another in that line, however, I have to say it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The world of the film, and the characters other than McCarthy’s lead, are all entertaining and fun enough that you happily watch them for the duration. Jason Bateman as the likeable sub villain turned hero has a lot of great moments on screen and steals the show ultimately. Likewise Octavia Spenser as one of the founding members of the Thunder Force brings a lot of class and presence to the role and makes the most out of it.

The thing that lets this film down is Melissa McCarthy. As many of you know I am no fan of McCarthy or her humour, she is frequently the worst part of the films she is in, and this is a near perfect example of that. Her dated references aren’t funny, the jokes aimed at her being fat or odd aren’t funny and feel needlessly mean, and don’t even get me started on the slapstick.

Overall, not as bad as you have heard, but I still can’t recommend it.

Pros.

Bateman

The world

Cons.

Melissa McCarthy

The humour

The plot/premise and the over familiarity

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Falcon And The Winter Soldier: Truth

Falcon And The Winter Solider Episode 5: Truth

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I think that this may have been the best episode of TFTWS, so far, though not a lot happened in terms of action, which would usually be a complaint for me, the episode was incredibly impactful both in terms of the wider MCU as well as to dissect and discuss real world issues and there implication in this fictional world.

The easily angered sort, who complain about the show every week yet keep coming back, will not be happy with this episode as it is the most ‘woke’, to borrow their phrase, so far. Personally, I think this show has felt far more personally impactful and meaningful because it has addressed these racial issues rather than ignoring them as previous films and tv shows within the same universe have done.

I thought the character journey of Anthony Mackie’s Sam was near perfect, not only do we entirely understand the trouble his character is having in taking up the mantle of Captain America, but we can also see why it is important that he does. I think the scenes between Sam and Carl Lumley’s Isaiah Bradley are perhaps some of the most moving in the entire MCU.

There is a cameo in this episode, that has been hyped up since last week, that really isn’t as big as you would hope or expect it to be. Julia Louise-Dreyfus feels shoehorned in, it feels akin to the Ed Sheeran cameo in Game Of Thrones, awkward and clunky, and I hope they bring her back and use her in the future or this has been a big misstep for Marvel.

I thought the continuing descent of Wyatt Russell’s evil Captain America was fascinating to watch, he truly believes he is Captain America despite everyone agreeing he is not right for the role. I see him heading up a future Thunderbolts team possibly as soon as the end of the final episode.

Overall, though the episode does not push the boat out in terms of action, it is an incredibly moving episode that makes you feel, question and appreciate the world of the MCU and those behind it that bit more. Just ignore the cameo.

Pros.

The history of the shield

Sam and Isaiah

The opening fight scene

The post-credits tease

Cons.

The awful cameo

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Held: After The First Hour Turn It Off, That Way You Might See A Good Film

Held

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

If I was just reviewing the first hour of this film I would give it higher. The first hour of this film poses an interesting concept, a married couple is forced to do the bidding of an omnipotent stranger- with the goal of purifying their marriage. However, after the hour mark this film falls apart.

With the reveal of what is really going on in the third act, the film ceases to be anything good or original and instead becomes a very blatant and obvious attempt to rip off The Stepford Wives into an inferior product. Moreover, you are annoyed with your self for liking the first hour of this film and feel almost tricked for not having seen the similarities before.

I think the subject matter and ideas that this film discusses are very important, however, the way the film conveys these ideas is in the least subtle and most tasteless way you possibly can. There is a heavy Me Too aspect to this film that translates into their being a constant rape threat throughout that I found uncomfortable, and thought could have been handled a lot better.

Overall, this film is lazy and in your face- a very off putting combination.

Pros.

The premise is interesting

The acting is serviceable

Cons.

The constant rape threat

The reveal and the fact that this film is a discount Stepford Wives

It is annoying at times

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Rams: Shaun The Sheep’s Depressing Cousin

Written by Luke Barnes

Rams is an Australian comedy drama film directed by Jeremey Sims. The plot sees two ram breeder brothers, long estranged, come together to save their way of life when all of their livestock catches a deadly disease.

I think once again this is a classic example of miscategorisation, I don’t know if it is a national sense of humour that I just don’t get but this to me is in no way a comedy film. If you find scenes of animals being put down and then a mass burning grave of said animals anything other than wildly depressing then I am worried for you.

As such the film did not meet my expectations but viewed as a dramatic piece then it is a different conversation. I think as a drama film about the plight of farmers and how easily they can lose it all, this film has real merit. The film goes out of its way to really highlight the bond between these men and their animals as well as the bond between them as people. I found myself caring a lot about the characters as the film went on.

I thought Sam Neil was damn near perfect in the lead role, and this film proves to be yet another impressive feather in his cap.

Overall, miscategorised, this is not a comedy film, but it is a surprisingly emotional drama.

Pros.

Sam Neill

The emotions

The cinematography

Cons.

It is distressing

It is deeply depressing

3/5

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The Lego Batman Movie: The Worst Batman

Written by Luke Barnes

The Lego Batman Movie is an animated, superhero, family film directed by Chris McKay. The plot sees Batman (Will Arnett), have to beat his greatest fear, personal intimacy, to beat the Joker’s (Zach Galifianakis) latest plan.

Personally, I don’t see why Batman was such a huge breakout character of the first Lego Movie, this character was deeply unlikeable there and it is only turned up here- to the Nth degree. I understand the point of his character in this film, and by extension the Lego Movie is that he is unlikeable and that he is working on himself to become better, but honestly it is not fun to watch. Arnett’s Batman quickly becomes irritating and as a result the film is a slog to get through.

Any comparison to the Lego Movie is deeply unfavourable for this film, as it really can’t compete. An example of what I am talking about, the Lego Movie has charm, and you care about the characters, this film has no charm at all, and the characters all come off as annoying.

Overall, I am glad the sequel to this film got cancelled.

Pros.

Michael Cera is trying as Robin

Cons.

Everything about Arnett’s Batman
It has no charm

The characters are annoying

It feels gimmicky

1/5

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Behind Her Eyes: The TED Talk On How Not To Do A Twist

Written by Luke Barnes

Behind Her Eyes is a supernatural thriller series directed by Stephen Lightfoot based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough. The plot revolves around a love triangle at a local doctor’s clinic that becomes more dangerous due to the fact that one of the trio can astral project.

This was billed as Netflix’s most recent must binge series and I did, and honestly I have to say it is kind of a mess. The first few episodes start the show off on a strong note, there is a keen sense of place and characters and the hint of something more at play- a supernatural element. However, as the series rushes to its end, things quickly start to come apart.

The last two episodes of the series feature a number of twists that I believe ruin the show. The generic erotic thriller themes of the first few episodes are made more interesting by the tease of something more supernatural going on, and boy do you get that in the last two episodes. Sadly, when we do start dealing with the ideas around astral projection it is boring, poorly thought out and leaves more questions than answers.

Overall, the series does have moments of promise, but it throws it all away at the end.

Pros.

Some early intrigue and the tease of something more

Cons.

It quickly becomes generic

The twist is not very good

The astral projection stuff is riddled with issues

It derails itself

1/5

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Boogie: Shooting Hoops And Quoting Classic Literature

Written by Luke Barnes

Boogie is a drama film directed by Eddie Huang. The plot centres around the titular Boogie (Taylor Takahashi), a young man with only one dream, to become a professional basketball player. We see Boogie, deal with life, family and growing up all whilst trying to improve his game and stay in control of his life.

I am fairly mixed on this one, on the one hand I thought that its quieter moments of character drama were excellent, especially when the film was focusing on Boogie’s parents relationship or how each try and control who he is. However, I thought the premise and the wider execution of the film let it down as it ended up becoming just another generic sports film.

Both Huang and Takahashi intrigued me, I think both have a lot of potential which is shown within this film and I am excited to see where both go next. Takahashi especially, managed the emotional weight of the film well, whilst still feeling relatable and human.

Overall, if you are prepared to dig beneath the generic sports movie premise there is some solid drama and character work to be moved by here.

Pros.

The character drama

Takahashi

The ending

Cons.

It is very generic

It is predictable

2.5/5

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