West Is West: Cultural Identity

West Is West is a British comedy drama film directed by Andy DeEmmoney. The plot follows up on the events of East Is East several years later with Sajid (Aqib Khan), now fully grown and in a full-on rebellion against his and his father’s culture. So in an effort to straighten out his final son George (Om Puri), takes Sajid to Pakistan with him, to try and get his son to embrace the culture and become what he wants him to be.

So, normally I am adamantly opposed to belated sequels I find them to be needless and serve no purpose beyond exploiting a vaguely known IP for some quick cash. That, I am happy to report is not the case here. This film feels like a genuine follow up to the first film that furthers the characters and the arcs set up, allowing us to see these characters more clearly.

I found this film to be quite touching at times. I liked that it explored George’s two identities, showing how both can’t exist and that he is basically a man of two lives or two worlds. I thought George having to confront the family that he has left for thirty years made for a genuinely brilliant emotional scene that worked on multiple levels. Puri of course shines in the role.

I think this film does really interesting things with the idea of cultural identity. Suggesting that it might not be a fixed concept, more so an adaptable ideal.

Overall, a very worthy follow up that carries the first one on nicely

Pros.

The focus on George

Showing George’s first wife and the emotion of their scenes together

A legacy sequel that justifies it existence

A beautiful concept and message

Cons.

A large amount of George’s family from the first film do not return for this.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bottle Rocket: Anderson Before He Became His Quirky Self

Bottle-Rocket is a comedy crime film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot follows a trio of Texan friends who try to pull of a series of crimes to disastrous all-around results.

I find Wes Anderson films are at their best when they full embrace the kitsch eccentric Anderson aesthetic, and this one doesn’t do that. It is by far the most straight lace of all of Anderson’s filmography thus far. I found it to be a little rough around the edges, though I did find that added to the charm as the film progressed.

The Wilson Brothers were on top form here and I found them both to be quite compelling, I thought the interplay their characters had added nicely to the film and created a believable bond. Of the two I would say that Luke outperformed Owen, as Owen’s character is a little overdone, he is played up to a ridiculous extreme.

I thought the side stuff and world building elements were used well, and clearly set a pace for what we come to see of Anderson in the future. I enjoyed the romance between Luke Wilson’s character and Lumi Cavazos’ Inez, I found it to be a good emotional core for the film as well as his character. The two had believable chemistry and you want to see them end up together.

Overall, it is a rough start, but still a film that shows a lot of promise

Pros.

The Wilson Brothers

The world and the dialogue

The romance

Cons.

Lacking the Anderson eccentric

Owen Wilson’s character is a little overplayed

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

On The Rocks: The Most Bill Murray

On The Rocks is a comedy drama film directed by Sofia Coppola. The plot follows Laura (Rashida Jones), a woman going into midlife who begins to think that her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans), might be cheating on her. She recruits her philandering father Felix (Bill Murray), to help her get some answers: the investigation is on.

This might be the most Bill Murray film ever made, if you have ever seen any of Murray’s films or are a fan of him generally then you will know what I mean. The eccentricities that normally colour Murray’s various performances are turned up to eleven here, resulting in a glorious performance.

The film has a lot to say about aging gracefully, finding new drive in life, and asking for forgiveness all of which are touched on and beautifully developed over the course of the narrative. The relationship between Laura and her father, who left when she was young after cheating on her mum, is strained and turbulent and their arc together is beautifully resolved.

My two complaints with this film are both of a similar vein. This film is far more into the drama aspect then it is the comedy aspect of its premise. Yes, it has a few jokes and comedic situations, but the drama and the comments on life take centre stage. As a result of that we see more of Jones’ dramatic chops which are strong, but we don’t get to see much of her comedic side. Which is a real shame as Jones can be and has been very funny in things in the past before, sadly here she is playing the straight woman to a zany Murray. Moreover, Jenny Slate also features in this film, more as a recurring bit than a characters, and is also underused.

Overall, not a film that is going to set the world on fire, but a very enjoyable film with a surprisingly large amount to say.

Pros.

Bill Murray

Marlon Wayans

Rashida Jones (In a dramatic sense)

The comments on life and parent child bonds

Cons.

It doesn’t let Jones be funny

It underutilised Jenny Slate

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

All Joking Aside: Finding Your Start

All Joking Aside is a comedy drama film directed by Shannon Kohli. The plot follows young stand up comic Charlene (Raylene Harewood), who has repeat run ins with faded former comic Bob (Brain Markinson), leading to an emotional journey.

This film feels very raw, it knows what it is and what is trying to do, and it achieves that. We see Charlene as she struggled to survive in this new big bad world of comedy and comes out kicking on the other side. Charlene might be my favourite lead character of a 2020 film so far, as she is so incredibly relatable. Everyone has been in her position at some point in their life, starting something new, being unsure of yourself, she is a good audience standin.

This film feels very similar to Funny People. Which is both a compliment and a critique. The critique I would hope is fairly obvious, similarity is not a sign of originality. Though the compliment is a little more abstract, I found the balance between comedy and drama to be managed to a perfect degree much like the aforementioned Adam Sandler film. It has a tragic sense of whimsy to it that really leaves and impact on you as you watch it and that stays with you long after.

Overall, though this film might feel a little over familiar at times it is also funny, touching and crucially well done. Well worth a watch.

Pros.

The heart

The comedy

The journey

Harewood

Cons.

A little too similar to other films

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Juliet, Naked: Always Check Your Email Because A Famous Singer Might Have Emailed You

Juliet, Naked is a romantic comedy film directed by Jesse Peretez. The plot follows Annie (Rose Byrne), a woman who is in an unhappy marriage and who is bored with her life. Her husband Duncan (Chris O’ Dowd), spends every waking minute obsessing over a has been singer from decades prior.

One day after commenting on her husband’s blog, Annie receives an email from said has been singer Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), and he and Annie strike up and unlikely romance.

I have seen a lot of romantic comedy films in my time and I have to say that this was on the better end of that scale. It has no icky or troublesome moments; it had good wholesome themes and ideas and was underpinned by a sweet starting over again romance that you couldn’t help but cheer on at every turn.

Byrne had the right amount of Bridget Jones in her performance to make her be instantly rootable and loveable to the audience. I thought the narration of the emails was a nice touch as it allowed us more access into both Annie and Tucker’s headspaces, it was very You’ve Got Mail.

O’Dowd has the right amount of pompous annoyance as to pull off the obsessed fanboy well. Right from the off we know that he and Annie are poorly suited, to put it mildly, and it is plain to see he neglects her making him a very easy to hate antagonist. O’Dowd is really coming into his own playing petty jerk villains in British films.

Overall, a sweet wholesome romance film that is destined to become a classic of the genre.

Pros.

The romance

The wholesomeness

Rose Byrne

Ethan Hawke

Cons.

O’ Dowd is a bit too annoying

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

European Tour 73′: A Journey Through Time And Emotional Significance.

European Tour ’73 is a documentary film directed by Ross Munro. The plot recounts the tale of the 6-week summer holiday Munro went on as a kid across Europe, it also ties the emotional significance of said trip back to family history.

Damn, this film hit me. So, let me open by saying you need to stop what you’re doing and watch this film it is the most positive cheerful film I have seen in a long time, it had me smiling a lot and even made me laugh quite a few times. In times like these, we need films like this to restore some of our daily lost joy.

On the flip side, mid-way through this film the tone changes up and we learn about the family history behind the trip, that the narrators Grandfather did this very same tour in WW2 and that is why the narrator and his family are going on the trip in 73. I am not going to lie to you, the way this is done is so beautiful and touching that I had to actively try to not cry, it touched me in such a way that I have not experienced since last years Blinded By The Light.

Overall this is a magnificent film that I highly recommend you watch.

Pros.

It is sweet

You can feel the passion

It connects with you (or at least it did with me)

It is quite funny

The animation is done well

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Central Intelligence: The Better Kevin Hart Team Up Film

Central Intelligence is an action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The plot sees high school hot shot turned depressed cubical worker Calvin (Kevin Hart), reconnect with the bullied outcast of his high school Robbie (Dwayne Johnson). Unlike anything Calvin would have ever guess Robbie is now shredded and going by the name Bob Stone. Bob is also being hunted by the CIA. Calvin gets dragged into Robbie’s mess.

This, this is what Ride Along should have been. It is much better done, much more nuanced (yes really), and much funnier.

The characters both feel fleshed out developed, through Calvin we explore what it means to peak in high school and then become trapped in your life, and with Bob we explore what it means to be this big action hero type who is still plagued by high school insecurity. These are interesting ideas and themes to think about, way more so than anything in either of the Ride Along films and both characters are done justice. You go on a journey with them.

The comedy is also more well thought out, Hart is not just screaming and jumping around here, I mean he is a little, but his character is written in a much smarter way and thought the jokes can stem a towards low brow they still feel suitably mature when compared to other contemporaries.

I thought the Rock really did a good job with this one, his arc about being bullied and having self esteem issues spoke to me and was touching, I really enjoyed how they ended things with his character.

Overall, much better than I was expecting it to be, surprisingly heartfelt and well done.

Pros.

Dwayne Johnson

The self-esteem arc

The characters felt fleshed out and well considered

It was funny

Cons.

It does not need to be on for almost two hours

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

To The New Girl: The Conversations You Wish You Could Have

To The New Girl is a drama anthology film directed by Adriana Gonzalez Vega, Aurora J. Culver and Amika Leigh. The plot sees various women scorned address their exes and their new lovers in a powerful open mic night, to be remembered through the ages.

Films like this are important, as they give voices to new talent: specifically in this case female talent that might not otherwise have had the chance to write/direct/star in a film like this. We need more films like this if we ever hope to make filmmaking truly open for everyone.

This film is brutally honest, I mean that as a compliment, it does not pull its punches. It tells things like they are for a lot of women and shows how things like cheating and infidelity can really hurt a person on a deep emotional level, if nothing else this film is true.

The open mic format makes it quite unlike anything else I’ve seen recently and really adds a sense of personality to the film whilst also giving it more of an intimate feel. You really connect with these women telling their stories which help you to empathise with them thereby giving there stories more impact. It is multi-layered

Overall, I applaud this film for being as direct and forging a repour between performer and audience member and for being bold enough to tell the truth.

Pros.

The novel format

Supporting new voices

Creates a personal connection with the audience

Brutal and honest

Cons.

It becomes a bit repetitive after a while

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Daddy’s Home 2: Mel Gibson As His Arsehole Self

Daddy’s Home 2 is a comedy film directed by Sean Anders. The plot this time around focuses on Brad (Will Ferrell) and Dusty’s (Mark Wahlberg) dads. As both grandfathers come into town to spend Christmas with their families, but can they all get along?

I want to preface this review by saying that I think Mel Gibson is an awful human being, the comments he made to Winona Ryder (which if you don’t know, I advise you to look them up), are nothing short of sickening. I personally don’t think he should still be getting work. That said I tried to ignore my feelings about him whilst writing this review.

The one thing I will give this film credit for, because this film is hot trash, is the fact that they made Mel Gibson’s character an asshole. It is done in an almost knowing way to real life, and it is implied that because he is such a terrible person that he screwed up Dusty, showing where being an asshole gets you.

The main reason I dislike this film, just like I disliked the previous film is the comedy. It is a mixture of too safe family friendly fluff that isn’t funny, painfully repetitive slapstick that boils down to oh look Brad has hurt himself again and mean-spirited hurtful jokes. Said jokes make even the nastiest most cynical Adam Sandler joke look happy and well intentioned, they make fun of things that just seem needless and in poor taste why?

The dynamic between the actors is fine, weaker than the last film and a world away from The Nice Guys, but it really isn’t enough to sit through this.

Overall, don’t touch this with a ten-foot pole avoid at all costs.

Pros.

They make Mel Gibson’s character an arsehole

Cons.

It is worse than the first film

The jokes aren’t funny

It either feels too safe or in poor taste

The chemistry between the leads is basically non-existent at this point

It doesn’t justify its own existence

0/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ride Along: The Angriest Man In The World

Ride Along is a buddy cop, comedy film directed by Tim Story. The plot follows Ben (Kevin Hart), an avid gamer who dreams of becoming a police officer and making his fiancé proud. One day said fiancé tasks Ben with winning her brother’s approval, so they can wed. The issue is that her detective brother James (Ice Cube), doesn’t think Ben is good enough for his sister. In an effort to see what Ben is made of James invites him on a ride along.

So, I have recently been going through the filmography of Kevin Hart, this is the third movie of his I have seen to date. Sadly unlike Night School and Get Hard, this one isn’t very good.

The issue with this film doesn’t lie with Hart however, he is mostly funny throughout. It is his on-screen foil that I find weakens this film. The buddy cop formula works when both characters are very different and are at odds with each other but are forced to work together, and though that is the case here it just doesn’t work.

Yes, James is the antiphrasis of Ben, but other than that he doesn’t feel like a character. The only emotion Ben seems to feel for the whole film is anger, I get that is the bit, but even still it makes the character feel very one note and cliché. He is the brother in law cliché, as well as the overprotective brother cliché to a tee and not much beyond that. Even when he is supposed to be happy, he comes across as angry- though maybe that is the result of Ice Cube’s lack of acting ability.

Overall, good for a few laughs, but the dynamic just doesn’t work.

Pros.

Hart

The videogame stuff

A few laughs to be had

Cons.

Most of the jokes don’t land

The buddy cop dynamic doesn’t work

Ice Cube feels miscast

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke