Bruce Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere: Wallowing In Depression

Bruce Springsteen is depressed.

That description sums up the entire two hour plus runtime of the film. You don’t need to watch it or read up any further that sums it up.

It was always going to be difficult to do a drama biopic of the life of The Boss, as unlike someone like Kurt Cobain, or Amy Winehouse he did not have the same level of demons. Yes he had a troubled relationship with his father here played by Stephen Graham, but other than that he was relatively clean. So they needed something to play up, and boy did they.

This film barely features any of Springsteen’s songs as it is doggedly set in a short time period in his life, so don’t expect many bops. Do expect scene after scene of him looking on at his childhood home as he sits in his car. The film really plays up this sense of he is mentally troubled and feeling down to such a point where it beings to feel melodramatic.

This may have worked if it was about the wider life of the man, and this was simply one of the sequences in it, quickly cut away from with a new song or event, but no the film felt the need to fixate on this period of The Boss’ life and show how he let down the girl who loved him and her little girl.

Overall, if you like Bruce Springsteen or his music this may not be for you.

2/5

Pros.

It has a few good songs, but most are absent.

It is well paced

Cons.

It is depressing

It is melodramatic

It does not feature a lot of his music

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Penguin Lessons: Penguins Can Make Anyone More Likeable

Summary

A man, Steve Coogan, living in Argentina finds a new lease on life when he adopts a penguin.

So for the most part I enjoyed this film, if the ending had been different I would likely score it higher, but because this is based on a real life account I don’t think they could do anything about it.

Of course the issue with this film is that for two thirds of the run time it is a mostly life affirming experience about the positive impact animals can have on a person’s life, even during moments of strife such as when the police kidnap a young woman off the street and later arrest Coogan’s character the presence of the penguin makes it all less depressing and a little bit happier.

However, at the end as you can likely imagine the penguin dies and the film becomes depressing. I think this sort of pain can be familiar to anyone who has lost a pet, and it does mean the film ends on a down note which takes away from the broader uplift of it at the end. One could argue artistically that a bitter sweet ending is in itself uplifting as it reflects the power one life, in this case a penguin’s life, can have.

Overall, the film gets you to care deeply about the penguin and you feel that death keenly.

3/5

Pros.

Coogen

The bond between man and penguin

The life affirming moments

Cons

The pacing is off

The ending is depressing

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Better Man: A Death Rattle Out Of A Rotting Sub-Genre

Summary

A man is made into a monkey.

So as I have been saying for a while musical biopics as a sub-genre are running out of steam at the box office, there are a few here or there that are making money but by and large the amount being made is less and less. In steps the bright corporate idea of making these biopics more silly and unique by doing things like shooting with Lego or as is the case here having a musical biopic where the singer is being played by a CGI monkey. I hope you can smell the desperation as I can dear discerning reader.

Honestly, there isn’t much to say about the film itself beyond its central conceit which I have already mentioned above, it is the same old same old. If you have ever seen a musical biopic before then you know the story, it is one of two. It is either rise then fall or rise, hardship, continued success, this would fall into the latter category. The two story structures are never deviated from across the entire sub-genre and really can’t be, if you are trying to tell a somewhat accurate biopic, sans the monkey, then you have to stick to reality and reality is either one or two.

If you are a Robbie Williams fan then that will help the experience as you can at least enjoy the music.

Overall, it is watchable if entirely uninspired. The monkey gimmick feels as desperate as it sounds.

2/5

Pros.

It has good songs, I am a fan of Williams music.

It has a good mostly British cast, though they are underused

Cons.

The monkey thing feels desperate

It is been there and done that

It is poorly paced

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The Founder: The Father Of Ronald McDonald

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

McDonalds is evil.

So finding out about how McDonalds came to be what it is today could be a very rah rah sort of affair, very pro Ronald, however I have to say I liked that this film showed McDonalds for being the twisted company it is. It didn’t pull its punches, you see the lives ruined the dreams smashed and the horror that happened along the way.

I thought that Micheal Keaton was electric as Roy Kroc, the milkshake salesman turned CEO of McDonalds, he chewed up the scene as a pro business take no prisoners capitalist. He both had that Tony Stark level of confidence where you can’t help but like him whilst also hating him for all the terrible things he’s doing at the same time.

I like that it tried to convey a smaller time period in the company and man’s life rather than trying to cover his whole life, it felt like more of a time capsule and more well done as a result.

Overall, a pretty good biopic about a titan of the fast food industry.

3/5

Pros.

Keaton

The pace

It isn’t bias

Cons.

It is a bit slow at times

It focuses a bit too much on Roy’s love life

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The Young Woman And The Sea: Hemingway Turns Over In His Grave

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Daisy Riddley needs something to do between filming commitments for more Star Wars content no one wants, so she made this film.

If I were the family of the person this is based on I would sue, that is how bad this is.

So the film details the first ever time a woman swam the English Channel, based on real events. In another timeline this could have been an inspirational tale of rising to the occasion, perseverance and never giving up on your dreams, but Disney has their hands on this. Due to Disney’s influence this film is full of the message that Bob Iger said they were walking away from, rather than focus on this heroic woman and her journey, which in and of itself is uplifting, progressive and inspiring, they have to force in a bunch of current year feminist theory that makes no sense in that time period. Some of the things they are talking about are so deeply out of place it makes you think did they just not even bother doing research for this film.

Daisy Riddley is fine, she cannot act and is mostly just looking slightly angry for most of the film, she is another student of the Alaqua Cox school of acting, but that is okay as for the scenes when she is swimming you cannot really see her face. For the sake of ease just think of her as a block of wood in the film that goes from point a to b.

As I said before, this tale deserved to be good, but Disney being Disney they had to run it into the ground and make it not only boring but also needlessly chocked full of identity politics.

Overall, there is a reason Disney say they are not bothered about the box office of this film and that is because they know no one will see it.

1/5

Pros.

It is almost too bad to be believed

Cons.

It is sanctimonious

It is boring

Ridley struggles

It is far too long

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Back To Black: A Life Cut Short

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A biopic about Amy Winehouse

These musical biopics are all the same at this point, if things have gone as intended then this will be coming out the day after my Bob Marley review and as such I can really hammer home that point.

Much like the Bob Marley review said again this follows the same formula as all the rest, the rise, the reign and then the fall. I find that it is not until the end of the film that I begin to see any real difference beyond, nationality and music style. The difference being that with Marley the film ended on a notion of hope, he was a unifier, despite his pending death it is still a nice ending. Whereas with Winehouse the film ends on a rather black note, in a sense it becomes a tragedy and I think it is this respect that the film ends out on top of Bob Marley for the sheer fact it was able to make me feel something.

I would say that the acting was also a lot stronger here, across the board. Marisa Abela was terrific in the lead, she was both warm and likeable but could also reflect the tragic nature of Winehouse, the damaged side of her soul. I also think Jack O’Connell was very strong in his supporting role of a lad about town who ultimately proved toxic for Winehouse in the end.

This film certainly aims to be more than Marley and tries to have deeper themes and emotions, which is fine but in doing that it loses the crowd pleasing charm of Marley and makes it more of a selective experience.

Overall, an interesting biopic but one that makes for grim viewing

3/5

Pros.

The tragic nature of it

The cast

The songs

Cons.

It is depressing

The pace is off

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Bob Marley One Love: Music Conquers All

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A biopic about Bob Marley.

These musical biopics are all the same at this point, sure they are based on real life so they can’t do much to jazz it up, but it is always the same the rise, the stardom and then the fall. There is nothing to mix it up and the only difference is the songs that litter the films sound track, honestly I think we need to have a period of time without any more musical biopics to make this repetition sit better, but hey we are getting a Michael Jackson biopic next year that hopefully will address why he slept in bed with children. Hollywood doesn’t listen to its customers any more and that is why box office returns are only getting worse.

Kingsley Ben-Adir does a good job in the lead role and you buy the character. I would say he was the best actor in the piece by quite a wide margin. Lashana Lynch was fine, but mostly forgettable, one could argue that was not her fault as they didn’t give her much of anything to do.

Perhaps if I was a bigger Marley fan I would have gotten more out of it, I don’t know I just think that at this point we have seen similar narratives so many times over that it loses anything special it ever had.

The songs were good but you would expect them to be.

Overall, fine but easily forgettable.

2.5/5

Pros.

It is watchable

The songs are good

It is reasonably well paced

Cons.

It is the same the story you have heard before

Nothing is beyond average about it

They waste most of the cast

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Napoleon: Ridley Scott Gets His History From The History Channel

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An origin story for Napoleon, Joaquin Phoenix.

So first off this film has nothing at all to do with history, literally nothing. It may take a few events and dates that actually happened but that is all, for the most part it is badly researched toss that never happened, so if you are considering this film for its historical merits go elsewhere.

Outside of that this film is a decidedly mixed bag. The battle scenes are visually impressive and the scale feels right, it feels like an epic. However, these sequences aren’t as long as you would like them to be and they don’t really show off Napoleon as the tactical genius he was really quite the opposite.

In terms of the rest of this film it is fixated on Napoleon’s relationship with his wife Josephine, Vanessa Kirby, at times you will forget you are watching a historical epic and think you are watching a period drama film instead. Both actors play their parts well perhaps Kirby even one ups Phoenix, but it is a weird choice to have Napoleon so emasculated in his own film, in many ways this film seems to go out of its way to make Napoleon look as weak as possible. Take this sequence for example, Napoleon has been away in Egypt fighting, and whilst gone Josephine has taken a lover, now when Napoleon hears of this he is furious as one would be but then when he gets back to France he is angry with her but still immediately takes her back and everything is fine, it is an odd choice for sure.

The questionable historical accuracy within this then makes the film almost come across as a historical hit piece on Napoleon and with that in mind you can see why the French don’t like this film, or some don’t, as this film takes one of their biggest historical figures and turns him into kind of a joke.

Overall, Ridley Scott misses again, maybe instead of taking so many interviews where he swears at those that don’t like his film he should crack a book it will save embarrassment like this.

2/5

Pros.

The battle scenes were good

Phoenix and Kirby both try their best

Cons.

The history is shot

It makes Napoleon look weak and pathetic

It is far, far too long

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Oppenheimer: The Man Behind The Bomb

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The life of Robert Oppenheimer played by Cillian Murphy, and the people who destroyed him.

This film is not one for the faint of heart, it is long and very exposition heavy. However, if historical epics are your kind of thing you will find more than enough to like here.

The film did a very good job at making you invested in Oppenheimer’s life and connecting to and understanding his stresses and his shortcomings, the film didn’t sugar coat any aspects of his life and rather showed the good with the bad which is always nice to see from an epic/biopic.

The cast across the board were strong, Murphy anchored the film well but I think the supporting cast really brought this film to life with terrific turns from Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh as the loves of Oppenheimer’s life and very much highlighted the personal destruction of the man himself.

It was an interesting choice to give more focus and screen time to the quasi legal battle between Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr’s character, then the journey to the bomb, but I think it is one that pays off.

4/5

Pros.

Murphy, Blunt and Pugh

The emotions

The man himself and the focus on his inner demons

It is excellently paced

Cons.

It has too many characters

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Blackberry: The Rise And Fall Of A Titan

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The rise and fall of one of the most prolific mobile phone companies of the Noughties.

So let me start off by saying that this is a fantastic showing from Glenn Howerton. He is on top form here and really does prove that he has solid dramatic chops, it is a shame his agent has him doing sub-par series like Velma that totally waste his talents. Through and through this is Howerton’s film.

Moreover, as far as the rise and fall of x company films go this one was quite compelling and interesting for the first hour and a half, we’ll get to that other half an hour in just a moment. I found myself really interested and engaged with how the company was slowly losing its soul over time and thought that the cast did a really great job getting me to care about the characters.

However, it isn’t all sunshine and roses, within the last act of the film things go off the rails quickly, mainly they side-line Howerton’s character for big stretches which hurt the film a lot, and then they try to tie it all together with a montage of this is where they are now scenes at the end, this doesn’t work as it feels like after spending over an hour getting you to care about these characters the film just drops the ball with them at the end.

Overall, Howerton makes this film as good as it is, but the disastrous third act really hurts the film significantly.

3/5

Pros.

Howerton

The early pacing and the rise parts of the film

The soundtrack

Cons.

The last act really drops the ball

The final act also side-lines Howerton, a terrible move

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