Undergods: A Darkly Comedic Masterpiece In Folk Horror

Undergods

4/5

This film is perhaps one of the most creative and interesting that I have seen in a long time. I enjoyed the vignette style stories, each one short but crucially unique, with its own thing to say. I think the world that these collection of short stories sets up is ripe for fantastic fantasy stories for years to come, if this film does not get a sequel it is a huge, missed opportunity.

Now the film isn’t perfect, there are a few little imperfections that gradually grow over the course of the film until they become a sizeable enough part of the film that you can’t ignore them. Mainly this is things like pacing issues, odd plot holes and a few of the stories not being as strong as the rest. However, even with these issues the film is still very good.

I thought the dystopian outlook of Europe this film has is riveting and heart-breaking, the fixation on the grim under a darkly comedic microscope makes for an interesting commentary which thematically is unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Overall, a true triumph that would have got full marks if it were not for a few small issues that compound.

Pros.

The uniqueness

The short story feel

The darkly comedic tone

The world

Cons.

A bit disjointed at times, with plot holes and pacing.

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Mitchell Vs The Machines: The Memes Of The Late Noughties

Mitchell Vs The Machines

3/5

There was a lot surrounding this film prior to release, Sony seemed to have no faith in the film moving it away from a delayed cinema release that would have seen it come out at Christmas opposite Soul, and instead releasing it on Netflix instead. I was aware of this prior to watching, so I had lowered expectations going in and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this film.

Let me start off by saying this won’t be for everyone, it is a very loud film, and one that relies heavily on shared internet and meme culture. The memes featured in this film are not current either, the sort you would send to your friends, they are dated memes from the recent past that you vaguely remember, reminding you that old Hollywood executives are out of touch, even when they are trying to appeal to the ‘youth’.

I thought the writing of this film was mostly spot on, there were a few cringe moments, but for the most part the film seemed to understand its audience and knew how to make its subject matter emotionally impactful. Within animated cinema recently there seems to be a growing thematic trend of fathers and daughters, and though this film does not manage anything knew on that front it still manages to make you feel something. One of the final scenes of the film where the father and daughter have to say goodbye to each other as she is going off to college, does feel suitably Pixar esque and the emotion matches what that studio is known for- I had a tear in my eye.

Overall, Sony Animation often gets an unfairly bad rap, and though this film is not perfect, it is a fun, quirky and bold animated film that has a strong sense of personality.

Pros.

The emotion

The quirky sensibilities

A few funny moments

Cons.

There is some bad cringe moments

The memes and references are dated and quickly become a bit too much

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Without Remorse: Having Conversations In Burning Vehicles

Without Remorse

3/5

So usually I give Tom Clancy films a miss, they always follow the same formula and play out exactly identically. However, the casting of known good actor Michael B Jordan, mixed with a good amount of covid boredom led to me checking this film out and I’m mixed. The film does have some good parts such as the action, but at the same time it suffers all of the usual Clancy problems- best shown in the third act.

During the third act there is a moment where the heroes say the villains are bad because they kill some Russian police officers, only to moments later go out and do exactly the same thing, and it makes no sense. I get that the finale needs a big action set piece, but really why not just take out the line where they say doing what they were about to do is bad when the villains do it and save on the plot hole

Michael B. Jordan is strong here and he really sells the physicality of the role and you can believe him being an actual special forces soldier. There are a number of scenes here when the power of Jordan’s acting rises above the shall we say limited script, and that I believe proves how he is an outstanding talent.

Overall, there are positive moments to be found here, but there is also a lot of generic filler that even those dedicated to the action genre might find hard to watch.

Pros.

Michael B. Jordan

The action

Jamie Bell.

Cons.

It is generic

The ending is not satisfying

Space: Fear The Skies

Space

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Whilst watching this film I felt very claustrophobic, I suppose that was the point. The vastness of space is hereby changed into a very narrow survival thriller, and it works very well. Personally, I always thought there was something menacing about space and I am surprised, so few horror films take advantage of this, as the setting really does benefit this film.

There are a few jump scares here, but they are not obvious, and actually serve the purpose of making you jump. However, the bigger thing to praise in terms of the horror of this film is it’s atmosphere: which is incredibly oppressive and menacing throughout. The atmosphere leads to a growing feeling of dread, which lasts throughout the film, being expertly fed by events on screen.

The acting is well done and convincing, you believe everything you are seeing on screen and the acting manages to perfectly capture the emotions of the scenes and the film as a whole and convey it in a very real and genuine way.

Overall, a well done claustrophobic horror film that makes the most of its space setting.

Pros.

The space setting

The acting

The scares

Making the vastness of space feel very small and very claustrophobic

Cons.

A few pacing issues

Somewhat predictable

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Here Are The Young Men: Ready Yourself For A Good Cry

Here Are The Young Men

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I have seen, watched and red a great deal of unpleasant things over my life, but never before have I been as disturbed and unsettled as I was with this film. This film is not a horror film, rather a crime drama film based on a real life story, but that true story is so horrific that this is far more frightening than any horror film you might watch. The evil of the film is so personal and so close to home, as anyone could find themselves in this situation, that you can feel it breathing on your neck.

I want to state clearly that I don’t think this is a bad film, rather the contrary I think it has a lot of stuff going for it, however the reason why I have given it such a low score is because it is so deeply troubling and unpleasant, that it is hard to watch, and I had to take multiple breaks during it, to try and stave off falling into a depressed, almost nihilistic state. As such I can’t recommend anyone watch this film, unless you have a stronger stomach than I.

The performances across the board are terrific, Anya Taylor- Joy as always is fantastic. However, the man who steals the show here, in every sense of the phrase, is Travis Fimmel. Fimmel plays a deranged tv presenter, who we the audience don’t even know if he is real or a metaphor for psychosis, but whatever the case he makes the most out of his limited amount of screen time.

Overall, it is a powerful film with strong performances, but it so unpleasant to watch that I can’t see how a person would enjoy it.

Pros.

Fimmel/ Anya Taylor- Joy and the acting as a whole

The trippy feel and the aesthetic

Cons.

It is hard to watch

It is not always clear what is going on

It will upset you

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Crappy Mother’s Day: Celebrating Women

Crappy Mother’s Day

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I think more films should be set on Mother’s Day, there are a few, but in the vast tide of Christmas, Halloween and even a few Easter offerings, Mother’s Day really doesn’t get its due in terms of film representation. I enjoyed the premise of three generations of women coming together to share a Mother’s Day, I thought there was a lot of unmined comedy potential there- luckily this film executed well on this.

The film is by no means a laugh a minute, I was entertained well enough and laughed a few times throughout, but it is not the funniest comedy film you will see all year. More hits than misses though, and considering this film defines itself as a comedy that seems like a win.

I enjoyed the performances across the board and thought that each performer brought something different and special to there role. I found all the characters likeable and there wasn’t any that became grating as the film progressed.

There are slight pacing issues especially within the first act as the feature attempts to set itself up and introduce us to the characters/story, however these are only fairly minor.

Overall, a charming comedy film that mostly nails its comedy.

Pros.

A few good laughs

Strong performances all round

An interesting and fruitful premise

Cons

Not all the jokes land

Slight pacing issues

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Spider Man 2: Spider-Man Forgets The Whole Secret Identity Thing In This One

Spider-Man 2

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Regarded by many as one of the best superhero films and certainly the best Spider-Man film there is something of an air of victory to this film. Whilst I agree it is certainly the best Peter Parker Spider-Man film, I would say Spiderverse is the best Spider-Man film of them all, I can’t say it is the best superhero film.

I enjoyed seeing the further developments of the awkward Spider-Man, who is very similar to the one we all know from the comics. His romance with Mary Jane, played by Kristen Dunst, his relationship with the Osbourn’s after the ending of the first film, etc- it takes them and ups them.

I think the reason why this film is so beloved is because it best encapsulates the Spider-Man spirit, the train scene when Spider-Man has his mask off and is almost broken, but he just can’t give up saving lives, shows the reason why the character is loved as he is: honestly it is a very powerful scene on a par with the best emotional moments from the MCU for sure.

I also enjoyed the film’s version of Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina, and the tragic fall that this narrative takes him on, we see him as this great scientist driven to an extreme, and who ultimately pays a heavy price for it. The character is evil and loathsome, but also somewhat relatable and sympathetic and that is what makes him such a good villain; I am very interested to see what Marvel can do with him in the upcoming No Way Home.

Overall, a film that truly understands the Spider-Man character and is magnificent because of it.

Pros.

Tobey McGuire

Tying up the lose ends of the first film

Doctor Octopus

Developing Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship

Cons.

A little bloated.

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Painkiller: Fresh Blood Within The Revenge Sub-Genre

Painkiller

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

The revenge genre has been done to death at this point, we have seen every single take on, man loses family and then goes to get payback, yet this film managed to surprise me. I enjoyed how the film brought the opioid epidemic, a very distressing real world issue, into the narrative as I felt it shed new light on it and how it effects people.

Bill Oberst Jr truly can do it all, he is the standout of the film here and makes every scene he is in. I think the acting across the board is top notch, as a result the film feels more believable and the world more like our own, as you stop seeing this as a fictional film and instead see it as real people dealing with very real world situations, or at least that’s how it felt for me.

My one issue with the film would be that it did not know when to end, as such the final act drags on and on. There are multiple times in the final half an hour where it looks like the film is ending, but then it carries on and on. A tighter edit was needed.

Overall, there is still fresh blood within the revenge film sub-genre.

Pros.

Bill Oberst Jr

Shedding light on the opioid epidemic

The emotions and the character work

The violence

Cons.

The ending and the bloat

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Steve Jobs: Seth Rogen Should Do More Dramatic Roles

Steve Jobs

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film is a testament to the writing prowess of Aaron Sorkin. The film is simply two hours of Steve Jobs, here played by Michael Fassbender, having conversations with people, however what could easily have become boring and lost in a sea of tech speak actually sparkles and flies by. Sorkin perfects the art of the conversation, and as we see these moments in various different eras of Job’s life we are taken on an emotional rollercoaster and learn and feel far more about the former CEO of Apple then we ever have before.

Moreover, this film reminded me what a talent Michael Fassbender is, he perfectly sinks into the role of Jobs to such a point where I started to believe he was him. Furthermore, Seth Rogen is wonderfully muted and impactful in his performance as Jobs’ long-time friend and jilted business rival Steve Wozniak. Rogen plays the role straight, not going for dumb laughs, and manages to prove to us all that he can be a talented dramatic actor when he wants to be.

Though the film may have too slow of a pace for some, I do believe the film is near perfect in terms of pacing. The film does not feel like it is on for just over two hours and mostly flies by as you are so engaged with the subject matter

Overall, a riveting film that will easily entertain those who appreciate its slower pace.

Pros.

The writing

The sparkling conversation

Michael Fassbender

The near perfect pace

Cons

A slow pace that some may find off putting

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Justice Society World War II: I Think I Feel Asleep During This

Justice Society World War II

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

These days I am finding that a lot of the animated DC output is trapped in the meh zone, by that I mean it all just feels generic and samey, there is nothing to set one film apart from another. I used to love animated DC films when I was a kid, but recently I have been sorely disappointed, and this proves no exception.

None of the characters in this film felt likeable to me, and that is surprising considering that it is hard to make beloved superheroes unlikeable, yet they manage to find a way. The characters in this film range from boring and dull, to outright annoying.

The story feels uninspired also, are we not over the whole superheroes in history fad yet? Did Legends Of Tomorrow not entirely use up all the good ideas with the concept? Moreover, I felt myself getting so bored with this that my mind was starting to wander, and I was having a hard time paying attention.

Finally there are pacing issues galore here as well.

Overall, very meh, maybe if you were a DC diehard you might find something to enjoy here, but probably not.

Pros.

Matt Boomer is trying

Every scene with President Roosevelt

Cons.

The characters aren’t likeable

The premise is nothing we haven’t seen before

The animation feels samey

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