Killers Of The Flower Moon: Hours Of Your Life You Aren’t Getting Back

Summary

A long and pretentious trip to the cinema that leaves you with cramps.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one, hell its up for best picture as I write this, but I just thought that this was a Scorsese film that just didn’t hit the way you would want it to. Maybe it is because I just found it quite hard to connect to I don’t know but I found this film to be a slog.

I think my main issue with this and the Irishman is that they feel so indulgent and yes you can make the argument he has been making masterpieces for a long time doesn’t he deserve a victory lap but I think if anything he is risking his legacy by making these projects. There was a lot of stuff in this film that could easily have been cut and it would have been just as good if not better, I think this film is done a disservice being as long as it is.

The performances are all fine, they aren’t bad it is just it feels like it is awards bait the whole film suffers from that and as such just isn’t fun to watch.

Overall, overly long and damaging to the legacy of a great director

2/5

Pros.

It has an interesting premise

Robert De Niro is good

Cons.

A lot of the performances and the film itself feels like awards bait

It is pretentious and self-indulgent

It is far too long

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Poor Things: A Pearl Clutchers Worst Nightmare

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A woman, Emma Stone, with a child like mind is reintroduced to the world and to herself.

This may easily be one of the best films of 2024 so far. Now you have to separate out the fact that if you think about the brass tax of some of the things that happen in this movie there is quite a gross undertone to it, these elements can prove problematic if you can’t separate yourself from it. Essentially this woman with the mind of a child is sexual, this is more as her mind moves into adolescence and her teen years but still she is not fully with it and some of the sexual engagements that happen early on in the movie feel a bit distasteful to say the least. Now as she ages mentally throughout the film this ceases to be an issue.

A wider argument and one that our American friends will surely have a problem with is that this film is very graphic sexually, it is purpose built to be challenging in that regard as to what audiences are comfortable with however it may be too much for some. Again the argument becomes were is the line between empowerment and exploitation and I for one am not going to wade into that quagmire this particular evening.

I think outside of the broader social aspects of the film, the idea of this woman rediscovering the world is a fascinating ride to go on and the world which looks a little like something you would expect from a Tim Burton film is so well realised that you could easily look at it for hours.

Emma Stone does an amazing job here and I would argue should be rewarded with awards, Bella is multilayered and as she advances throughout the film it is almost like Stone has to give multiple different performances all within the remit of the character. Likewise the supporting cast is strong Will Dafoe as always is fantastic as is Mark Ruffalo and Christopher Abbot.

Something that I haven’t seen talked much about with this film is that it is funny, the film has a very keen sense of humour and is quite amusing.

Overall, easily one of the better films of 2024 thus far.

4.5/5

Pros.

Stone

The wider cast

The world

Seeing Bella develop

The humour

Cons.

Sometimes it feels a bit icky

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i Carly: The End Of An Era/Season Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Whilst I had reviewed some of the episodes of this third season this is to cover the final few episodes and generally my thoughts on the whole season.

So whilst I liked what they did with Carly, Miranda Cosgrove, and Freddie, Nathan Kress, I thought it all felt a bit rushed. I thought if they had spent more time in the two previous seasons getting to this and setting it up maybe it wouldn’t have been as it was, but as it stands their impromptu wedding just felt a bit flat.

Now knowing as we do that this is the end of the show I think they could have made it much more of an emotional send off then it was, as it stands it doesn’t feel like a proper goodbye to these characters. I mean it is so obvious that in the future they will bring iCarly back for a third revival centred around Carly’s child and it becoming a famous star of whatever the internet is in 5-10 years, maybe sooner if Paramount Plus gets desperate enough.

Don’t get me wrong this last season was nice comfort viewing but I don’t think it, or the rest of the show, will be remembered in the same way as the original show was as this never could reach the same hights. I think the issue with this show was that it made things a little edgier in terms of the hijinks but I think they should have gone more mature yet still, more like Friends or The Big Bang Theory than say something like Girls. Still I think that it felt too safe and family friendly at times in a way that limited the show from growing its audience beyond pre-teens and fans of the original show.

Overall, fine but not the ending the show deserved

3/5

Pros.

Carly and Freddie

A few good laughs

It was enjoyable enough

Cons.

It felt too safe at times

The b plot were incredibly boring at times

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Past Lives: Lost Across Seas

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young woman, played by Greta Lee, loses touch with her childhood friend, played by Teo Yoo, after her family immigrate to America but then catches up with him again years later.

I think this film is very much an acquired taste, one for which I never adapted. I went into this film with high expectations after hearing a lot of good festival and early screenings buzz, but I just found myself lost with the film. It never seems to catch its tone between a dark comedy, a tragedy and a sort of reverse rom-com and as such you aren’t quite sure how to respond to things as they happen. In the final section of the film the audience wants Lee to cheat and to start up a relationship with Yoo but she doesn’t and instead stays with her husband in tears, is that supposed to be a happy ending as she didn’t break her relationship or is it supposed to be a personal tragedy for her as the happiness in her life fades away and she is left with mediocrity.

As you can probably tell the film itself is very cerebral, it aims to be a meditation on life, love and what it means to outgrow people, but more often than not it comes off as pretentious and thinking it is much deeper than it actually is. Also, and this may be a me thing, but it is also incredibly cringe at times, once you see it you’ll know what I mean.

Overall, depressing and pretentious.

2/5

Pros.

The emotion mostly lands

It has its moments

Cons.

It is depressing

It is pretentious

It has deep and systematic pacing issues

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The Dive: The Depths Of The Abyss

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Two sisters, played by Sophie Lowe and Louisa Krause, go on a diving trip and then get stuck deep underwater.

This film did not go where I thought it was going to go, I thought it would follow in the footsteps of other recent survival films and be more action thriller in terms of tone but no, this film really is a drama. Yes there is some thriller aspects with the sisters battling for survival but for the most part it is a deep and quite depressing reflection over the sister’s lives, childhood and bond. It is important to bare this in mind before you go into it as it certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

Personally, I thought the film worked quite well as an atmospheric drama with the vast emptiness of the sea an apt setting for these weighty themes and ideas. Certainly by setting so much of the film in this incredibly isolating space it really helps to hit home these ideas of loneliness and how the sisters have drifted apart. My point is that the central metaphor of the film works very well.

I thought both Lowe and Krause gave good performances, I would edge it to Lowe as I think she shows the greater range of emotions over the course of the film, but Krause can pull of the intensity her character needs well.

I would say the highlight of the film for me was the ascension scene at the end, as there is a real tension there, you can feel that sense of dread and threat and really do fear that the characters will meet an untimely end through the bends.

Overall, an interesting film that does a lot with themes of isolation and abandonment but one that is perhaps too dark at times and that will put a lot of people off.

3/5

Pros.

Both of the leads

The ending

The themes

Cons.

It is not for everyone

It is at times too depressing

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Barbie: Ken Meets the Manosphere

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, comes to the real world and learns about the manosphere.

I was excited for this film for months before it came out and I have to say it delivered in every way I could ever have wanted it to. This is probably my film of the summer if not film of the year.

I think this film did everything right it was funny but also soulful, it was very timely and relevant but also not overly preachy, though plenty will disagree with that, it had the idea of Barbie be silly but also mean something in terms of the world of the film. In terms of tonal balance this film was sublime.

I thought the trip to the real world was inspired, and I thought seeing Barbie have to deal with becoming in a sense defective and seeking out a journey of self-exploration was a very relatable concept for a lot of people. I liked the sheer horror that Barbie had when she came to the real world and saw how women are treated and had her naivety shattered, the manosphere stuff with Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, was perhaps the film at its most grating but even then it saved it with good jokes and commentary. I do believe that the Andew Tate esque manosphere stuff will age the film horribly in years to come, but I can excuse it as it worked really well to give the film a villain that felt earned rather than doing oh the evil toy company is now going to invade Barbie land and enslave them or some contrived thing like that.

Overall, I genuinely think this was a treat of cinema this year.

5/5

Pros.

It is funny

It is timely

It is surprisingly deep

Robbie is fantastic

It is well paced

Cons.

None

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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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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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Ted Lasso: Season 3 Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The friendly American football coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, goes home.

The final season of a much beloved show like Ted Lasso was always going to be sad and this was sad but it was also disappointing. As the credits rolled on the final episode of the third season I released that in a sense the show had peaked with the second season and maybe should have ended there.

Though I enjoyed most of the character work this season did, and the endings that most of the characters got, I also thought that at times it was overly indulgent. By that I mean it would go to a place of being overly sentimental, it would spend vast sections of episodes dedicated to the fate of a very minor character in the scheme of things and yes whilst it may have been well done it felt like filler as the actual story of the season was relatively short.

Moreover, the decision to make Ted sad, which really was a second season development, came back to hurt the show as it could no longer really pull off the quaint small town charm and positivity that had worked in the first season so well. Giving the character depth and complexity was a good thing and I am not saying he should have stayed a one note caricature but I think they took Ted’s sadness too far, so much so that it gives the third season a real sense of heaviness that sits within until its closing moments.

Overall, the third season was still good don’t get me wrong, but it was a noticeable step back from the other seasons and clearly evidenced at times the need for the show to end as it was becoming long in the tooth.

3/5

Pros.

It does some good character work

It has a number of sweet moments

It has some of the same charm as the earlier seasons/

Cons.

It is overly sentimental at times to the point of feeling indulgent

There is a lot of what can only be described as filler

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