Tigers Are Not Afraid: Narcos Vs Ghosts

Tigers Are Not Afraid is a Mexican crime fantasy film directed by Issa Lopez. The film is about a group of orphans who are on the run from the Mexican cartel, there is also a mythical supernatural element surrounding the lead character Estrella (Paola Lara) having 3 wishes that seemingly come true; leading to horrific consequences.

This film isn’t scary, when I first put it on, I was under the impression that Tigers Are Not Afraid was a horror film, how wrong I was. This film to sum up is an hour and a half in soul destruction, it is so sad, in near everyway. The real-world cartel drama is far more impactful than the supernatural elements, because cartels exist in real life and everything that the cartel does to the kids over the course of the film probably happens hundreds of times every day; it’s scary because its real.

The idea that none of the supernatural elements are real and are instead a way for the kids to cope with everything going on around them is very interesting. The film never comes out and says this is or isn’t what is happening, but it does elude to it several times.

Whenever any of the supernatural forces show up, the style of the film changes, pictures and images appear on walls, random colour cross the screen, I liked this stylistic choice and thought it gave the film a sense of originality as it was something I had ever seen before in a film.

This film is most certainly not for everyone as there are moments that are unrelentingly sad, horrible things happen to the kids in this film and that is really hard to watch. In the final conformation of the film we see the main boy get shot through the face, by the big bad drug lord and it is traumatising.

Overall, this film is something everyone should see once, it is beautiful and unique, but it is also soul destroying and tear provoking, so by all means watch it, but be warned it is not an easy watch.

Pros.

The art style change.

The originality.

The grim reality.

Cons

The horror doesn’t really work with the drama.

It is very unpleasant and hard to watch at times.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

David Brent, Life On The Road: The Sadness Behind The Music.

David Brent, Life On The Road is a mockumentary comedy film directed by Ricky Gervais. The plot of the film shows David Brent (Ricky Gervais), after The Office, he is now older and more unhappy. The power dynamic in Brent’s life has changed and he is no longer the boss, rather he is abused victim of the office, as such he seeks out a new direction in life; becoming a successful professional singer.

This is very much a follow up David Brent film, rather than a sequel to The Office, other than Brent none of the characters from the series return. As such this film explores his character in far more detail, we learn the mental health impact The Office had on Brent and see that he has had a breakdown since it. As Gervais has said when talking about this film, Life On The Road ‘this film peels back the layers of Brent’s character’, this is true as we see him in a whole new light.

The sympathy we felt for Brent in The Office is double here, as we see that he is actually a very unstable individual and that he is incredibly lonely and he just wants a friend, some one who likes him for who he is. The final song of the film, when one of Brent’s band members buys him a snow machine, is touching and heart warming as we can feel just how much it means to him.

The cringe comedy that Brent’s previous outing was known for, is here in force, but there is also a sadness to it, as I suppose like Brent himself, we learn there is more to it then we first realised. The majority of the comedy comes in the form of Brent’s songs; which are surprisingly good. Forgone Conclusion as a band have more than a few hits, “Native American” might be my personal favourite, all of the songs in this film are both catchy and funny.

The ending of this film does provide a nice sort of ending for Brent as a character, it ties him up in a way that feels satisfying and gives a lot of closure to his character. I hope this is the end for him.

Overall, this is much more thoughtful, in depth look at Brent as a character, it has some great songs and some great laughs, if you love The Office you will love this.

Pros.

A nice ending for Brent.

Great songs.

A good amount of heart.

A lot of laughs.

Cons.

It’s not entirely necessary

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Office: Humour In The Day To Day

The Office is a British mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The premise of the show is a film crew recording the day to day activities of an office in Slough, within the office we have larger than life characters such as David Brent (Gervais), as well as a will they won’t they romance centered around Tim (Martin Freeman), and Dawn (Lucy Davis).

For many of you reading this when I say The Office, you would think of the American TV show of the same name, but the Ricky Gervais version of the show was the one that inspired it. Recently I have been re-watching The UK Office, and it got me thinking, there is something special about this show, something that stands the test of time, and I am going to try and find out what it is.

I think the most obvious answer of what makes this show special is it relatability, working in an office is something that is very familiar to a lot of people, but I think it is more than that. The awkward cringe comedy the show is known for is again something a lot of people can relate to, we have all done something cringey in our lives, or we have all seen someone else do something cringey and thought to ourselves ‘please stop’, this again makes this show relatable, as we can see ourselves in the characters.

What’s more, Gervais seems to be very good at hiding emotion and depth behind cringey and unlikable characters. David Brent is not likeable, he wants to be, but he isn’t, that’s the joke. However, despite all the bad things he does across the run of the show you still want him to be happy, in the final episode when he finally seems like he is happy and other laugh at him and try and take it away, you feel for him, you feel connected to him in a way.

The romance of the show works in a similar way, you really root for Tim and Dawn to get together, even when it seems like they won’t. The show teases us the audience with the idea of them getting together many times, but it doesn’t give it to us; this then makes it all the more satisfying when they do.

Overall, I think the reason this is such a special show is because it isn’t outlandish or ridiculous, it is every day and ordinary.

Written by Luke

Sonic The Hedgehog: The Hero We Need!

Sonic The Hedgehog is an action-adventure comedy film based off the beloved 90’s videogame figure. The plot follows Sonic after he flees his home world and takes up residency on Earth, there he meets Donut Lord (James Marsden), who accidentally tranquilisers him causing him to lose his rings, which Sonic needs to travel between worlds. While all of this is happening the US, government calls in a specialist to check out all the strange goings on, Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who them seeks out Sonic to capture him and use him for his own odds and ends.

Can I just say that as someone who grew up playing Sonic in the early 2000’s this film is a triumph they nail Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Robotnik and the world, more over that post credits scene when they introduce Tails had me giddy with excitement. I am actively looking forward to a Sega shared universe and if all of the entries to the universe are as good as this, we might finally have something to rival the MCU.

My only complaint about this film is that occasionally it focused a bit too much on it’s human characters, while Marsden did a good job the same can’t be said for his in-film wife Maddie/ The Pretzel Lady (Tika Sumpter), who added nothing and was incredibly underdeveloped, the scenes that focused on her and her sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell), dragged on and on and took away from the overall enjoyment of the film. The joke of Rachel not liking Donut Lord/Mike is used for all it is worth and it is never once funny.

However, Carrey’s turn as Robotnik more than makes up for the lack of comedy and he is phenomenal and hilarious. I didn’t realise until I was sat watching this film how much I had missed seeing Jim Carrey on the big screen, as he was a favourite of mine when I was growing up. Carrey brings some real menace to Robotnik, but also makes him super over the top in the best way, he perfectly walks that line between scary and funny.

Sonic himself looks great and reminds me of the Sonic from my youth, Ben Schwartz does a great job voicing him, he brings a lot of energy to the character and also makes him warm and likeable; there are elements of the latest iteration of Paddington mixed in the there I am sure.

Overall, there is a lot to love about this film, it is not only a great videogame movie, but also the perfect start to a wider universe. Loved it! If you’re a fan of Sonic or, a newcomer to the character I guarantee you will have a good time with this film.

Pros.

Setting up the world.

I missed Jim Carrey.

The post credits scene.

Sonic himself.

Cons.

Any scene with Maddie or her sister.

4.5/5

The Big Bang Theory: Life After The Singularity

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. The plot follows a group of nerdy scientists as they have quirky adventures and misadventures and attempt to find love. The show ran for 12 series with the final series ending last year.

Carrying on from my post about Friends the other day I want to now look at some of that show’s successors one of which is The Big Bang Theory. Whether you love it or, you hate it this show has been around for a long time, longer even than Friends, and it has had an impact on pop culture, even inspiring a spin-off show in Young Sheldon.

I am of the mindset that this show never dipped in quality over it’s run, episodes from season 11 made me laugh just as much as episodes from season 1 or 2, but comedy is subjective. I think the ending of this show, Sheldon (Jim Parsons), winning the Nobel prize and thanking his friends and his wife is the perfect way to end it, the final scene of the show brought more than a few tears to my eyes.

Though some say that the comedy of the show shifted from laughing with the nerds to at them, I don’t agree. I think the characters were done justice to until the end, I think this show as well as some of it’s contemporaries helped in bringing nerd culture to the mainstream; it made being a nerd cool.

I liked how each character was developed over the course of the show and became more rounded, even background characters like Stuart (Kevin Sussman), had arcs and changed; we saw these characters grow as we ourselves did as well. The ending of the show gave all of these characters a sense of closure, except for Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who was left up in the air after his unsuccessful quest for love; I hope we don’t get a Joey esque spin-off for him, and this closure was just what we needed to move past this show.

Overall, I think The Big Bang Theory was less impactful than Friends, but that is not to say it wasn’t influential in its own way, it was. The Big Bang Theory reached out to all the geeks and nerds (myself included) out there who wanted to see a show they could relate to, where the characters aren’t going to parties every night and sleeping with different people near constantly and to them this show was a rallying cry, it made being a nerd cool; something that seemed like an impossibility.

Written by Luke

Peter Rabbit: Stone Cold Killer

Peter Rabbit is a 3D live-action/computer-animated comedy film directed by Will Gluck. The plot of the film takes inspiration from the Beatrice Potter books of the same name and sees Peter and his family trying to steal from the garden of Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson), whilst also trying to stop the romance developing between him and the rabbits beloved Bea (Rose Byrne).

What can I say about this film? The only positive I will give this film is the fact that there is nothing else quite like it, it is bizarre in both a good way and a bad way. The good way is due to the fact that Beatrice Potter is interacting with the rabbits she created, so that worked for me in a meta way. However, in the bad way we have baffling decisions like having their be a cockerel character, who openly says things to the extent of, ‘he only had kids because he thought the world was going to end tomorrow and that now he is stuck looking after them’ and ‘he hates his life’. Fear not by the end of the film he loves his life as a single father, but my question is why was this put in? The cockerel is not a main character he is incredibly throw away, so who were his ‘jokes’ aimed at, they certainly weren’t child friendly, so maybe the parents? However, I doubt parents very much would like a lot of what he was saying.

Moreover, the film decides to make Peter evil. I get that he is having a fun war of escalation with McGregor, and McGregor tries to kill Peter, but he is the villain, so it is okay for him to do it. However, Peter (James Corden), who is the hero of the tale tries to kill McGregor both by trying to make him die of an allergic reaction as well as by torturing him with bear traps, it’s sounds like I am joking, but I am not. Why is the hero of a kid’s movie doing this, why?

Furthermore, this film is aggressively dumb and teaches kid’s bad lessons. One of peter’s sister constantly throws herself of things, breaking her ribs, but it’s okay because she has more ribs to break her fall the next time she does it. In no way should this be taught to kids because not only is it not true, but it is the sort of things they might see and try and imitate.

This review has already gone long, so I am not going to go on about James Corden and how the world should leave him behind, he isn’t as annoying as usual here, but it is safe to say that still means he is incredibly annoying.

Overall, the only reason to watch this film is out of morbid curiosity, there are some hilarious moments, not a single one of them is intentional. I wouldn’t let kids watch this because it has a lot of harmful messages and because it is just trash.

Pros.

Funny when it is not trying to be.

Freakishly bizarre.

Cons.

Peter Rabbit tries to murder people.

James Corden.

Who is this film for?

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Friends: Do We Need A Reunion?

Friends was a sitcom that ran between 1994- 2004 and it had a monumental effect on Pop Culture and influenced countless other shows. The premise of the show revolved around a group of twenty something friends who all live together in New York, each week they get into different funny situations and a few of the more serious plot lines carry throughout the show.

It is near impossible when talking about this show to not mention the cultural phenomenon that it was at the time, whether you love it or you hate it, it shaped network television for a long time. The premise if it was released now would sound uninspired and samey, but at the time it was novel. When you watch shows like The Big Bang Theory or, How I Met Your Mother you can see the lifeblood of Friends still alive, serving in many ways as a perennial force to both modern sitcoms.

Friends was very much a product of it’s time, it was undeniably 90’s in many ways and that is clear to see when you watch an episode of it. I think when Friends was released on Netflix and everyone was upset and saying how offensive it was; that it was a tad ridiculous. By modern standards there are multiple jokes and situations that seems sketchy, but that is true of any shows that weren’t made in the last 5 years, in another 5 years the shows we are watching now will seem widely not up to standard, so you can’t be too harsh on the show in that respect.

The reason why this show was so successful, is because it is nice to watch a group of friends get into silly situations there is something comforting about it, because at the end of the day it is relatable. Most people have at least one friend that they enjoy hanging out with so they can relate. This is helped by all the characters being likeable, there isn’t a character that ruins the ensemble by being a dick, yes there is Ross (David Schwimmer), but even he isn’t out and out hateable.

Overall, I think this is a very important show for better or for worse, I was inspired to write this when I heard that they were doing a reunion show for HBO Max and in regard to that I wanted to say please don’t. Yes, I know it will be seen by millions of people, but do we really truly want to see a 2020 episode of Friends? It has it’s place in the mid to late 90’s and early 2000s, but as sad as it is to say, it doesn’t really have one now, people have moved on; plus other beloved hits that have tried to comeback have a long track record of not being well liked and I would hate to see Friends end a similar way.

Written By Luke

Mamma Mia: Couldn’t Escape If I Wanted To.

Mamma Mia: The Movie is a jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Phyllida Lloyd. The plot revolves around Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who, a few days before her wedding, wants to find out who her dad is, so she invites 3 men to her wedding who could all be her potential father, so she can in her own words, “get married knowing who she is”.

On watching this I found it to not be as good as the sequel, Here We Go Again, a lot of the drama in this film I found annoying, Sophie’s character is stressed as she doesn’t know what she is going to do about the 3 men she invited to the wedding, one of whom is her father, here’s an idea why don’t you sit down and have a conversation with them, no that would be too simple. However, that said no one is really watching these films for the intricate details of the plot, they’re watching them to listen to the Abba soundtrack.

Most of the Abba songs you know and love are in this film, Super Trooper, Waterloo, Dancing Queen are all there, one of my personal favourites Fernando, yes I like it because of that scene in Malcolm In The Middle, isn’t in it, which I found personally disappointing, but that’s all just a matter of personal taste. The film is still incredibly fun and entertaining to not only watch, but also sing and dance along with. All of the cast give good performances: Meryl Streep (Donna) as well as the 3 dads Colin Firth (Harry), Stellan Skarsgard (Bill) and Pierce Borsnan (Sam), are all the standouts, they each have a lot of fantastic moments that make you laugh and smile, Firth especially.

The dance choreography is all done quite well and there are many lavish numbers where it can be seen and appreciated; this is especially true of the beach scene; you will know which one I mean if you have seen the film.

Overall, this is an incredibly fun film that will make you laugh, cry and want to dance. Abba’s songs are timeless and never seem to go out of style, you will find them stuck inside your head days after you have seen this film, so be prepared for that. The only thing that stops me from giving it full honours is that I believe it was upstaged by its sequel in a few ways, as a result I have more fondness towards that film.

Pros.

The songs.

The dance.

The laughs.

The love.

Cons.

It is not as good as its sequel.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke.

Fisherman’s Friends: What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor

Fisherman’s Friends is a biographical comedy drama film directed by Chris Foggin. The film is based on the true story of Port Issacs’s Fisherman’s Friends a group of Cornish fishermen who signed a £1 million-pound deal with Universal Records and had their first album be a top 10 hit.

This film is from the creative team behind the romantic comedy hit Finding Your Feet, so that should give you a good idea as to what sort of film this is going to be: a feel-good romantic comedy, with an added musical competent. The music of this film is easily one of the best things about it, there is such an interesting and unique quality to sea shanties that I hadn’t realised until now, but I really dug it when I heard it.

James Purefoy plays one of the main fishermen, the unofficial leader, and the father of Danny’s (Daniel Mays) love interest Alwyn (Tuppence Middleton). Purefoy is as always, a joy to see on screen, he effortlessly gives the best performance in this film and for an adding bonus he can sing as well. Purefoy really is one of Britain’s best and most underrated performers and to me he is a national treasure right alongside people like Idris Elba, Judy Dench, Keira Knightly and Daniel Craig.

The main issue with this film is that it ends midway through, by that I mean the main story, the bands rise to fame and fortune ends at the hour and 15 minute mark, I thought this was the end of the film; imagine my surprise when it kept on going for another 45 minutes. Everything after this point is filler, that’s the truth, it revolves around a pub being sold, said pub is the heart of the town so everyone is very upset; why they chose to keep this very random plot thread in the final cut is anyone’s guess, but it certainly doesn’t add anything. To me the film ends when the band become famous, I just don’t care about the pub drama.

Overall, this is a light-hearted, wholesome sort of film, the sort of film that would pep you up after a bad day, it isn’t the best film you will ever see nor is it the worst. It is a shame they add all that extra baggage about the pub into the narrative and it could have been better structured, but it is still fun.

3/5

Pros.

The Music.

The Romance.

James Purefoy the only thing that pulls this film out of mediocrity.

Cons.

It ends midway though.

Terrible pacing.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bohemian Rhapsody: The Man Behind The Band

Bohemian Rhapsody is a musical biopic drama film. The plot revolves around the life of Queen front-man Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), his rise to fame, his years with Queen and then his death. This film pulls no punches where that latter period is concerned, I have heard people criticise it, but I think it deals with his aids diagnosis and death in a dignified way.

Before I get into the review, yes, I know this film was directed by a prolific abuser, but it can still be enjoyed as a film in spite of that fact.

My first impression of Malek’s Freddy was that I didn’t like him, I didn’t like what Malek was doing with him, I thought it was cheesy and over the top. However, over the course of the film, especially towards the end, I had a drastic change of heart and Malek really won me round with his performance: he particularly excels in the film’s emotional moments.

What’s more this film reminded me how much I like Queen and their music, each one of their most famous songs were used and in a way that made them feel relevant, rather than in other musical biopics when they feel forced in for the sake of it. I particularly thought ‘We Are The Champions’ was done beautifully in the context of the film.

My one issue with the film is that it has too many characters. This film is supposed to be a Freddy Mercury biopic and for the most part he does get centre stage, but at the same time there are a lot of needless sub-plots and side characters that I found to be distracting. In that same vein I found the moments of the film where the focus shifted to the other members of Queen to be dull, this is after all a story about Freddy Mercury, this to me felt like the surviving members of Queen forcing themselves in, as they were heavily involved in making this film.

Overall, I think this is a great musical biopic, it did everything you would want a biopic about Freddy Mercury to do, it gave you a look at his life and at him as a person. The songs I thought were used to good effect and my only critique is that it could have been more organised and focused.

Pros.

Malek.

The Songs.

A good look at the man behind the band.

Didn’t stray away from darker areas.

Cons.

Too many characters that stole focus.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke