Kajillonaire: Icky And Problematic

Kajillionaire is a drama film directed by Miranda July. The plot centres around a dysfunctional family of three that defy the rules of modern society and live outside of the system. However, one day an outsider comes into the family’s orbit and old festering wounds are opened and abuse is brought to light.

So, before I get into this review I want to talk about the central romance that I found to be deeply troublesome. So the central character Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), has been neglected by her parents and ignored and is basically learning challenged and seems to have the mental age of a much younger person, and as the film goes on we see that she is craving maternal affection. This maternal affection comes in the form of Melanie (Gina Rodriguez), the outsider that takes Old Dolio away from her abusive parents. At first the friendship they have is sweet, but it is clear from early on that Melanie has sexual feeling towards Old Dolio, which later come to the forefront. Now my issue with this is that it feels very much like Melanie is taking advantage of Old Dolio, who is in a deeply troubled mental state, the romance feels icky and problematic. The choice to make it a romance rather than a friendship is my key issue here. Also the film makes Old Dolio an incredibly stereotypical butch lesbian, which again is also troublesome, it doesn’t bother to have any real nuance at all.

That aside, there were parts of the film that I enjoyed. I thought that Wood did a lot to make her character feel very rounded and warm. Her performance was both endearing and also heart-breaking at the same time.

I also enjoyed the film’s exploration of abuse and the many forms it can take. As it looked at how parents can sometimes be incredibly toxic and harmful towards their kids. I thought the parent child dynamic in this film is fascinating and well done, it raises many interesting questions that I was left thinking about after the credits rolled.

Overall, I could give this film a much higher score if it wasn’t for the hugely problematic romance that didn’t need to be the in the film, a very poor choice.

Pros.

Wood

The exploration of the parent child dynamic

Cons

The romance

The use of stereotypes without any nuance

The odd sense of humour really doesn’t fit with everything else

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

IRL: Modern Dating, Pandemic Adjacent

IRL is a romantic drama film directed by Ricardo Perez-Selsky. The plot serves as an observation on our modern online dating culture. Telling the story of one long distance couple who meet online and their struggle to stay together despite not having met.

Frankly, it is refreshing to see a romantic drama/ comedy film tell it like it is, with no fluff, no ignoring the hard parts, and crucially no over idealisation. This film feels real, and though that is an overused turn of phrase it is nevertheless true here. Most people will be able to find at least one moment that they will be able to relate to.

I applaud this film for not being afraid to get dark when it needs to. It shows how you never really know what is going to happen in life, the best laid plans often come awry. It adds to the realism which is crucial to this film.

The acting is strong and the romance between the two leads is likewise despite mainly happening over the phone. You want the two to be together desperately. However, my one critique of the film would be when Ian (Chase Hinton), very nearly (or does depending on your definition) cheats on his so far online girlfriend when he goes back home to visit his parents. Yes, I understand why structurally from a character point of view why he does this, but it then causes him as a character to become far less likeable and rootable; which maybe is the point?

Overall, this film will punch you in the face with real earned genuine emotional impact and you will thank it for it.

Pros.

The acting, especially Hinton

The romance

The real take on love and relationships

Relatability

Cons.

The cheating scene derails Ian as a character somewhat
4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Personal History Of David Copperfield: A Modern Take On A Classic Tale

The Personal History Of David Copperfield is a comedy drama film directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the novel David Copperfield written by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of David Copperfield (Dev Patel), we see his struggles, his triumphs and the events that define him.

I enjoyed the clearly satirised tone of this film; it doesn’t take itself too seriously which is nice as it allows the film to not get too bogged down. It walks a difficult tightrope as it tries to stay true to the source novel while also reinventing it, that sounds like a very difficult task, but this film does manage it.

I also enjoyed the quirky cast of characters on display here, they each feel so vibrant in their own personality which I liked. I thought all actors involved gave strong performances, from the veterans to the relative newcomers, even though most did not get a lot of screen time they still manage to remain memorable.

My issues with this film come from the dryness of it. I didn’t find the films sense of humour funny; it has a very specific sense of humour that will not be to the taste of a lot. Also the film does have quite a bit of drag that is quite noticeable in the second and third acts that really weigh the film down to the point of you losing any kind of interest.

Overall, a quirky daring film that quickly wears out its welcome

Pros.

The quirkiness

Strong Performances

Keeping true to the novel whilst also innovating on it

Cons.

The humour didn’t work for me

Pacing issues galore

Dev Patel left me cold

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Bird With Crystal Plumage: Take Away, Never Intervene In A Murder

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is an Italian giallo film directed by Dario Argento. The plot sees Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante), an American writer holidaying in Rome become tangled up in a series of bizarre murders. As the killer creeps closer Sam has to figure out who it is and stop them.

What I enjoyed the most about this film was the merging of noir elements and supernatural slasher elements to create a hybrid of sorts. The killer in this film is menacing and mysterious, almost more so than any of the slashers that would come after them, pair this with the fact they also doesn’t feel out of place in this very realistic world. It is a tight rope walk, but one that this film pulls off well.

Pacing wise this film is a model that other films should strive for, it used its hour and a half runtime well it build the mystery and sense of threat over the course of the film well, never giving it a moment to drop or drag. Moreover, the mystery was never obvious, it kept you guessing, and I appreciated that.

I thought the acting was top notch as well, Musante was a compelling lead who had just the right amounts of vulnerability and capability to never feel anything other than a real person. He is not some invincible force of justice, neither is a terrified victim, rather he feels rounded.

Overall, a fantastic example of Italian genre cinema. A strong mystery adapted well that has more than enough thrills and chills to keep you invested

Pros.

The mystery

The killer

The leading man

Paced well

Cons.

It would have been nice to see the female characters be more than just sex objects and victims

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Suspiria: Witches Everywhere

Suspiria is an Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento. The plot sees an American ballet dancer transfer to a prestigious German dance school. However, as Suzy (Jessica Harper), settles into her new life she soon comes to realise things are far more sinister than they appear; and a grizzly string of murders reinforces that point.

I enjoyed the dream like quality of this film, the breaks with reality helped in this respect as you were never quite sure whether what Suzy was seeing was real or whether it was some elaborate hallucination/ dream.

I thought though very crude by today’s standard, when the horror was used it was used well and even though the makeup and effects were not hugely scary it still served to unease me. It reminded me slightly of the first Nightmare On Elm Street film, in tone and aesthetic; clearly Freddy and Craven borrowed a few things.

I thought the acting was good, Harper didn’t have a huge amount to work with as most of her scenes would either be reactionary, or her running and or falling to the ground, but that was the way a lot of female characters were written in that time period of horror cinema, so it is not unusual.

Overall, I enjoyed this film I thought the dream like elements worked and it had a fun yet still scary campy horror vibe.

Pros.

The scares

The practical effects

The campy fun

The dream like parts and the accompanying music

Cons.

A poorly written female lead

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Saint Maud: The Lord Making You FEEL

Saint Maud is a British psychological horror film directed by Rose Glass. The plot sees clearly unhinged Maud (Morfydd Clark), begin caring for faded American movie star Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). As she is performing her duties as a private care nurse she can’t shake the feeling that she was made for more and that God is communicating through her or to her in some way. As her ‘connection’ with some form of higher being intensifies so does the horror.

I would say that this film is going to be very stark with viewers, you will either love it or you will hate it. That said however, I find myself somewhere in the middle. Though I think the premise and the story is well told and intriguing, I think structurally and as a horror film it is disappointing.

So, this is very much like Robert Egger’s The Witch, use your enjoyment of that film as a barometer for this. By that I mean it is incredibly slow, it builds and builds itself over time and then explodes in the final ten minutes into an all-out wild spectacle. I found myself bored by it for the majority and then these last ten minutes scared me and made me take notice.

I think the concept is interesting, the idea of is Maud really communing with some kind of higher power/ demon or is she just losing her mind has been done before, but never in as much detail as this. The film never gives you a definitive answer one way or the other it is entirely on you to decide. I enjoyed this aspect of it.

Overall, your enjoyment of this will come down to your horror sensibilities. I saw people leaving my screening mid film. I enjoyed what it was trying to do, however I found it to be a disappointment ultimately.

Pros.

The ending

The showdown, you know what I mean

The premise and the interesting plot

Cons.

It is not scary

It is very slow

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hubie Halloween: Sick In The Street

Hubie Halloween is a comedy horror film directed by Steven Brill. The plot follows local Halloween safety expert Hubie (Adam Sandler), as he get wrapped up in a string of disappearances and strange goings on, is his plucky spirit and Swiss army thermos enough to save the day?

So, yes this is an Adam Sandler film were he is doing an accent? A lisp? It is not quite clear. I say that because those sort of Sandler films are nearly universally bad, Sandy Wexler, The Water Boy, Little Nickie, the only good one in my opinion is You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, so the moment I heard that voice I was worried. Though I have to say this is not bad.

Hubie is constantly mocked and belittled by those around him, and he is clearly supposed to be dumb. However, unlike something like the exploitative Sandy Wexler the film is not mocking Hubie for being the way he is or asking us the audience to laugh at him. Quite the contrary the film shows that because Hubie is such a pure soul he is the only one fit to save the day, it has a nice message that everyone can have their day, and actually feels positive.

The comedy is hit or miss for me, there are a few jokes that made me laugh. I enjoyed Steve Buscemi and though he had a small role he was easily the best part of the film. However, a lot of the more base jokes did nothing for me. Watching Hubie be sick in the street did nothing for me, is that supposed to be funny?

Overall, this is generally inoffensive and is enjoyable enough for one viewing. I am pleased to see the reverse course on mocking people who are dumb or different, and hope to see Sandler continue in that manner.

Pros.

Steve Buscemi

It has a nice message

One or two good jokes

Cons.

The sick, scat and dick jokes did nothing for me

This is low rent even by Sandler standards

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Leaving Las Vegas: The Life Of A Hollywood Screen Writer

Leaving Las Vegas is a romantic drama film directed by Mike Figgis. The plot sees disgraced, alcoholic screen writer Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage), retire to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. While there he meets prostitute Sera (Elisabeth Shue), and the two form a doomed romance.

For those looking for a wild Nicolas Cage film you won’t be disappointed here. There is plenty of Cage’s trademark strange sensibilities, but in a more subdue way. Cage delivers quite a dramatic powerhouse performance here; he is utterly captivating to watch.

The same can be said for Shue. This might be by favourite performance from her so far, (that I’ve seen), I truly bought that her character loved Ben and was just desperate to find someone who cared about here and didn’t just want to use her. I thought the romance between Ben and Sera was the definition of bittersweet, it was touching and felt like a slap to the face but one that you were happy to receive.

My one note would be that though it is brilliantly done it is incredibly, unrelentingly bleak. This film is a tragedy through and through and is quite upsetting. A warning to you there. I would say it is the sort of film that you need to watch something happy afterwards for sure.

Overall a heart-breaking masterpiece that deserves to be experienced as it has so much to say about the human condition, even if it is depressing in the highest degree.

Pros.

Cage

Shue

The comments on the human condition

The romance

Cons.

It is hard to watch at times and it does not apologies for that

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ratatouille: There’s A Rat In My Kitchen What Am I Gonna Do?

Ratatouille is an animated family film directed by Brad Bird. The plot follows Remy (Patton Oswald), a rat who dreams of becoming a chief, as he teams up with out of his depth cook Linguini (Lou Romano), to become the ultimate cooking duo and change the face of the French culinary scene.

This had been on my list for a long time, I have seen most other Pixar films, but for one reason or another I just hadn’t gotten round to seeing this. Now after having seen it, I can say it is solidly middle ground for the studio.

I feel the film repeats a lot of plot beats from other Pixar films, the themes feel a bit too familiar. However, it is worse than that because not only do these themes and plot points feel done before, but they also feel like they have been done worse here.

The film didn’t really connect with me emotionally, and that is what makes or breaks a Pixar film. Though it has a few good cheer worthy moments, it seems to lack any kind of heart as a whole. Neither of the two main characters have any real charm or likeability, by the end I didn’t even care slightly about Linguini.

Another thing I noticed was the stark lack of any real kind of female representation. Yes there is one other female cook, who has all the personality of a brick, but she is basically just turned into a love interest for Linguini and has no kind of agency; also when her and Linguini are forced to kiss by Remy it is more than a little icky.

Overall, a very middling Pixar film that lacks any kind of heart and that is probably the least emotive of all of Pixar’s work, seriously Onward is better and that is saying something.

Pros.

A few cheery worthy moments

I liked how they developed the food critic character

It has a very distinct sense of personality

Cons.

It feels all too familiar

The two main characters aren’t very likeable or even interesting

Turning the only female character into a love interest

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Inheritance: Being Locked In An Underground Bunker Would Be Better Than Watching This!

Inheritance is a thriller film directed by Vaughn Stein. The plot revolves around Lauren (Lilly Collins), discovering that her recently deceased father has been keeping a man locked in a bunker on their property. She decides to get to bottom of this dark family secret.

Why cast Patrick Warburton, a veteran actor to have a nothing two-minute cameo? Warburton play’s said deceased father, who dies at the very beginning of the film, and doesn’t really come back in anything meaningful way, they could easily have had Lauren find another tape to have more of him, but no. It is a huge missed opportunity.

You have seen this film before, there is nothing original about it at all. There is a twist towards the end of the film, I won’t tell you what it is, but I bet you can guess what it is. I was hoping when I put this on that maybe the filmmakers were going to do something interesting with the man locked in the basement concept, but they don’t. It’s all just very average.

The one pro I will give this film is that Simon Pegg is good as the man in the basement Morgan Warner. I enjoy seeing Pegg experiment with playing darker characters that are more outside of his wheelhouse and this is an example of that. I thought even though the way they took his character was super obvious that Pegg still managed to completely nail the role and be captivating whenever he was on-screen

Overall, deeply generic and played out entirely as expected

Pros.

Simon Pegg is giving it his all

Cons.

They waste Patrick Warburton and most of the other cast members

Lilly Collins is entirely forgettable

It is incredibly predictable

You have seen this before and better

1/5

Reviewed by Luke